LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND TAXATION 



19 



respective positions through powers granted the town meeting by 

 public law, inasmuch as the town meeting has the power to elect 

 even though it may fail to do so. The failure of the town meeting 

 to elect certain officers is interpreted as the equivalent of a vote that 

 such officers be appointed. 



There is no standard roster of officials for administering town 

 business. Figure 1 is an attempt to represent graphically the public 

 laws as they relate to the choice of officers by major vote of qualified 

 voters assembled in town meeting. The provision ". . . and every 

 other officer who may be directed by law to be chosen, and such other 

 officers as it may judge necessary for managing its afifairs, . . ."^^ 

 would include the numerous other positions and boards, dependent 

 on policies and circumstances of individual towns. Adoption by a 

 town of the municipal budget act requires the election of a budget 

 committee, and the adoption of the planning board act requires still 

 further appointments or elections. The installation of a water, light- 

 ing, or sewer system, with or without the establishment of a precinct, 

 requires the election or appointment of commissioners. 



By way of summary, the following is submitted as a typical roster 

 of town officers. This was prepared after examination of the reports 

 of 116 rural towns, and includes only town officials which more than 

 one-half of the reports listed. Some of the supplementary notes are 

 taken from the questionnaire used in the survey. It is possible that 

 some offices were filled but were not included in the town reports. 



Typical roster of 

 town officers 



1 moderator 



3 selectmen 



1 town clerk 



1 collector of taxes 



1 treasurer 



1 highway agent 



2 'auditors 



3 supervisors of 

 check list 



3 trustees of trust 

 funds 



Method of Selection 



Elected for 2 years by plurality vote at biennial election 

 in November. 



One elected each year for 3 years by major vote in 

 town meeting. 



Elected annually by major vote in town meeting. 



Elected annually by major vote in town meeting. 21% 

 are appointed by selectmen. 



Elected annually by major vote in town meeting. 



Elected annually by major vote in town meeting. Se- 

 lectmen appoint in only 4% of towns. 48% of towns 

 have 1 agent and 43% have 2 or 3, and 8 towns have 

 more than 3, commonly called surveyors of highways. 

 One town has 20, all appointed by selectmen. In 2 

 towns there are none because there are virtually no 

 Class V roads. 



Elected annually by major vote in town meeting. In 6 

 towns the auditors are appointed by supervisors of the 

 check list. 60%) of the towns have 2, .23% have 1, and 

 17% have 3 auditors. 



Elected for 2 years by major vote at biennial election in 

 November. 



One elected each year for 3 years by major vote in 

 town meeting. 



i» Revised Laws, 1941, Chapter 59, Section 41. 



