AN ACT ESTABLISHING A SEWER AND WATER ADVISORY BOARD IN THE TOWN OF WALPOLE
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
SECTION 1. Subsection (B) of section 3-2 of article III of the charter of the town of Walpole, which is on file in the office of the archivist of the commonwealth, as provided in section 12 of chapter 43B of the General Laws, is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph:-
(9) Sewer and Water. The Select Board shall have exclusive charge and control of the installation and maintenance of the sewers, sewage treatment plants and appurtenances and of the water department and water system and all the powers reasonably necessary to effectuate the same. The Select Board may, from time to time, adopt reasonable rules and regulations in connection therewith.
The Select Board shall have all the powers and duties given to Sewer and Water Commissioners under the Constitution and General Laws of the commonwealth, including the authority to set water and sewer rates and such additional powers and duties as may be authorized by this charter, by-law or other vote of the representative town meeting. The Select Board shall assign all work and maintenance projects to the town administrator or the town administrator's designee.
SECTION 2. Said article III of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out section 3-8.
SECTION 3. Article VII of said charter is hereby amended by adding the following section:-
Section 7-9. Sewer and Water Advisory Board
(A) Composition: Term of Office. There shall be a sewer and water advisory board consisting of 5 members appointed for 3-year overlapping terms so arranged that the terms of office of not more than 2 members shall expire each year. Two members shall be appointed by the Select Board, 2 members shall be appointed by the Finance Committee and 1 member shall be appointed by the Moderator. A vacancy arising on the board shall be filled by the appropriate appointing authority for the remainder of the unexpired term.
(B) Powers and Duties. The sewer and water advisory board shall advise the Select Board on policy and fiscal matters relative to the provision of municipal sewer system and water system services as needed, including annual budgets and sewer and water rates, rather than on technical or operational matters, and on such other matters involving the sewer system and water system as may be requested by the Select Board or Town Administrator.
SECTION 4. On the effective date of this act, the elected board of sewer and water commissioners of the town of Walpole shall be abolished and the terms of the incumbent members shall be terminated; provided, however, that the members of the board of sewer and water commissioners in office shall be the initial members of the sewer and water advisory board of the town created in accordance with section 3 and shall serve in such capacity for a period equal to the remainder of their respective elected terms or until vacating the office, whichever occurs first. Each vacancy arising thereafter shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term, if applicable, and otherwise for a 3-year term, with the first 2 vacancies to be filled by the town’s select board, the second 2 vacancies by the town’s finance committee and the final vacancy by the town’s moderator.
SECTION 5. This act shall take effect upon its passage.
Approved, September 30, 2026.