BCAT News

The Select Board finalized steps of creating the Burlington Government Review & Charter Committee (BGRCC) at their March 10 meeting, voting unanimously on an updated Charge/Mission of the Committee.

The mission of the Burlington Government Review & Charter Committee (BGRCC) is to ensure an appropriate, effective, and accountable organizational structure of Burlington Town government, and to recommend to the Burlington Select Board and Town Meeting a suggested structure and any possible changes. Changes so approved shall be sent to the state legislature as a Home Rule petition for passage.

The Committee shall focus on codifying existing best practices, adopting new best practices, eliminating outdated methodologies, identifying inefficiencies, resolving conflicts within our Special Acts and/or bylaws, and other changes deemed necessary to ensure that the Charter is as efficient and responsive as possible. (This review should not prejudge that any changes are necessary, but should be open to analyses and suggestions that changes may be warranted.)

The Committee will consist of 7-9 members of the Burlington community, including 1 representative from the Select Board and meet twice a month for a period of 12-18 months, or until the mission of the Committee is complete. The town is actively searching for engaged citizens to join the committee.

In 2023 the Select Board proposed a government review process for the town to examine the effectiveness of its municipal operations and possibly make improvements. In 2024 the town received a $15,000 grant for the review process that went to The Collins Center, a UMass Boston organization which provides consulting to municipalities. 

Currently Burlington operates under an assortment of bylaws and Special Acts. The idea is for the BGRCC, with assistance from The Collins Group, to draft a town charter that would establish a comprehensive and systematic framework for the municipal government.