Duties and Responsibilities of the Board of Selectmen:
The Board of Selectmen historically is the community’s principal elected executive board. Currently, the Massachusetts General Laws authorizes towns to elect boards of three or five selectmen on an at-large basis for terms of one to three years, as determined by the vote of the home or local home rule charter provisions. In its position as the executive officers for the Town of Kingston, the Board of Selectmen has the power to do the following;
• Determines the Town Meeting Warrant - calling town elections and meetings and publishing the warrants for them, establishes the date, time and place and in general organizes matters up to the point that the moderator calls the meeting to order. Kingston has an open Town Meeting (legislative body) and the board is responsible to carry out Town Meeting authorizations and votes.
• Employs Town Counsel - appoints the town's legal representatives and directs all legal affairs of the town.
• Makes Appointments to Town Boards and Committees by soliciting volunteers from the community.
• Signs Warrants for the payment of all town bills - the Treasurer may not issue a check unless a majority of the Board signs a warrant of authorization.
• Grants Licenses and Permits - acts as the local licensing authority with the ability to issue licenses and permits for sale of alcoholic beverages, entertainment, lodging houses, automobile dealers, junk dealers, theatrical events, restaurants, billiards, bowling and many other purposes.
• Employs a Professional Administrative Officer who carries out the policies of the Board of Selectmen. Kevin R. Donovan is Kingston's current Town Administrator and Chief Procurement Officer.
The Board of Selectmen acts as a collective decision-making body. The decisions of the entire Board govern, not the desires of one board member. An individual member of the board may act independently only if specifically authorized by the board.
The Kingston Board of Selectmen meet in Room 200 at the Town House, 26 Evergreen Street, Kingston, at 7:00 p.m. every other Tuesday. The meeting schedule is posted on the meeting bulletin board on the lower level of the Town House along with the meeting notices of all other town boards and committees.
The Board's meetings are open to the public and also may be viewed on the local public access cable channel. The board conducts its meetings under the Open Meeting Law (MGL Chapter 39, Section 23A-23C) which frames the discussion and decision-making process. The law is based on the premise that the public is entitled to see the process of government.
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