Town Government

Frequently Asked Questions about Brookline's Town Government

What's the difference between a town and a city?

In Massachusetts, a town is governed by a Town Meeting as its legislative arm and a Select Board (sometimes called a Board of Selectmen or Board of Aldermen) as the executive. A city, by contrast, has a smaller legislative arm (typically called a Council) and either an elected executive (a Mayor), or a professional executive (City Manager). Some municipalities, such as Amherst, have a "city" structure, but still call themselves a "town." In Brookline, we have a 255-member representative Town Meeting, a five-member Select Board, and a professional Town Administrator, hired by the Select Board, who oversees the day-to-day running of the Town. 

What is Town Meeting?

Town Meeting is both a group of people and an event. Town Meeting the group is Brookline’s legislative body—including 255 people, 15 from each of Brookline’s 17 precincts, elected to vote on behalf of their neighbors. Town Meeting is responsible for approving the annual Town budget, considering changes to local zoning and general by-laws (the local laws of Brookline), requesting special state legislation for the Town, and more. Town Meeting the event is when Town Meeting Members formally convene and vote on the annual Town budget and any new or amended by-laws.

Back when Brookline's first Town Meeting convened, in 1705, every qualified resident (at the time, that meant a property-owning white male) could vote at Town Meeting. Women were included in Brookline's Town Meeting only after full ratification of the 19th amendment in 1920. In 1915,  when Brookline's population had grown and it became difficult to convene, Brookline moved to a "representative" form of Town Meeting, meaning that the population votes to be represented at Town Meeting by elected neighbors, called Town Meeting Members. At a representative Town Meeting, any resident can attend and speak, but only elected Town Meeting Members may vote. Brookline is the largest municipality in Massachusetts with this form of government.

Annual Town Meeting is in the spring, typically in late May, when the annual budget for the next fiscal year is decided. Another Special Town Meeting typically occurs in November to make any necessary adjustments to the budget and consider other issues.

What is the Select Board?

The Select Board in Brookline is the five-member body that serves as the Town’s “executive” branch, with overall responsibility for setting the direction for Town policies and hiring/firing departmental leaders. Each member is elected for a three-year term, with one or two members elected each year. The Select Board is responsible for appointing and supervising the Town Administrator, for approving appointment or firing of department heads, appointing most civilian boards and commissions, implementing the by-laws and other acts of Town Meeting, serving as Police and Fire commissioners, handling licensing, and representing Brookline at the state and/or federal level. The Select Board elects one of its members each year to serve as Chair.

What is a Warrant Article?

The Warrant is the collection of items to be considered at a Town Meeting. Each item in the Warrant is called an article. A warrant article is either a proposal to add or amend a by-law in Brookline, a non-binding resolution reflecting the "will" of Town Meeting but not having the force of law, or a public report requested by Town Meeting from a committee or board. At Town Meeting, members vote on each article in the Warrant (except for the reports), provided it is duly "moved" and "seconded" at the meeting by a member of Town Meeting. You can see current and archived warrants here: https://www.brooklinema.gov/1020/Town-Meeting-Files