The new Bylaw Review Committee has nearly completed its task of bringing Harvard’s existing bylaws into compliance with the new town charter approved at the May 8 Town Election. Despite having met just twice, the committee is making rapid progress toward its goal and expects to have the bylaws ready for a vote at the planned October 22 Special Town Meeting.
In accordance with the new charter, the town moderator appointed the members of the six-person committee. Four members—committee Chair Paul Cohen, Stephanie Opalka, Cindy Russo, and Rick Maiore—previously served on the Charter Commission that drafted the charter, while two others—Corey Dufresne and Elaine Lazarus—are newcomers.
After an initial organizational meeting July 25, the committee conducted a line-by-line review of all the town’s bylaws at its August 14 meeting, adjusting the text wherever it conflicted with the charter. The next step is to compile the proposed changes into a draft and send it to those most affected by or involved in the process: the Select Board, the Finance Committee, the Historical Commission, and Town Counsel Mark Lanza. Their feedback will be taken into account when the committee finalizes its proposed bylaw changes at its next meeting, Sept. 5. After that, with the approval of the Select Board, the package of changes will appear as an article for the town to vote on at the October Special Town Meeting. According to committee member Cindy Russo, “We are almost done; we will have it ready before the fall town meeting.”
The Bylaw Review Committee has made clear that its jurisdiction includes only the town’s bylaws, not the town’s regulations. Changes to bylaws are voted on by residents at town meetings, while regulations are created by the various administrative boards and can be changed by the boards at any time. Thus, the committee leaves it to the various boards to update their own regulations to conform to the Town Charter.
The actual substance of the changes made to bylaws has been fairly predictable. The majority of alterations have been simple substitutions of an updated term for an outdated one, most notably the change from “Board of Selectmen” to “Select Board.” In the few cases where more substantive changes are needed, such as the various boards that have changed from being elected to appointed, the committee’s task is simply to adjust the language to conform to the charter. Because the substance of the changes was worked out when the charter was created, the administrative work of updating old bylaws has proceeded smoothly and with little debate.
