Ever hear someone say, “That goes to committee,” or “The commission voted on it,” and quietly wonder…wait, what’s the difference? (!)

Turns out, they aren’t all the same.

Boards and commissions tend to focus on a specific area of city government and may have legal authority to make decisions. Committees and subcommittees are usually smaller groups that dig into issues, ask questions, and make recommendations before something goes back to the larger body.

And heads up for folks wanting to get more involved! These groups are great places to interact with local government about particular issues. The Mayor and City Council are often among the final stops in a government process, while boards, commissions, and committees offer more opportunities for discussion and input along the way.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮: The basic differences and similarities between boards, commissions, committees, and subcommittees in Northampton.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮: Whether any particular board or committee is making the “right” decision. That’s a separate conversation.

Ever hear someone say, “That goes to committee,” or “The commission voted on it,” and quietly wonder…wait, what’s the difference? (!)

Turns out, they aren’t all the same.

Boards and commissions tend to focus on a specific area of city government and may have legal authority to make decisions. Committees and subcommittees are usually smaller groups that dig into issues, ask questions, and make recommendations before something goes back to the larger body.

And heads up for folks wanting to get more involved! These groups are great places to interact with local government about particular issues. The Mayor and City Council are often among the final stops in a government process, while boards, commissions, and committees offer more opportunities for discussion and input along the way.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮: The basic differences and similarities between boards, commissions, committees, and subcommittees in Northampton.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮: Whether any particular board or committee is making the “right” decision. That’s a separate conversation.

𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐂𝐄𝐒::

👉Massachusetts Open Meeting Law (M.G.L. c. 30A, §§ 18–25): Chapter 30A [https://malegislature.gov/.../PartI/TitleIII/Chapter30A](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmalegislature.gov%2FLaws%2FGeneralLaws%2FPartI%2FTitleIII%2FChapter30A%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExQkpSQXdzc2h3bEg4YkNnUnNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR56ZZMsLdmy-JeGwXelQJQ-jZltTWnLtQ6IWOS6KrtBp_YODcC_0Kuu6ZS87Q_aem_yangmLxgmY8Zz8mccAqHpA&h=AUDyTJI6NCrhA8k5HBP6afd9YtRTSpIOnBCY8DAQmbHNlcHzX6KAbPsHWSbiluRsPbtfdC-LmXwji5F9-IhMF_kyXK9bTm_xcYrXEE634i044fddbdaRYtHfcVTkOlDt_9H8rIG86z730WXwUkkG6N7J6F6qqnpFKqfa&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AUAc5X7CfUQ3ON-Hjj98rXrUwY9ahwfxtqHsOtZp0vny3YLzfxRVWna_WW_oCqGaKaADXcUV-oaouk3SUsq7pFLeGo0dXRAlCrUqKtrYnCJI-J8ZoPawyI-F4gvVN8M8DAoxXjSBoXt1chN8j9MaUUnR7b2ycrOR2CIXofyMQ17GyZBGEpW0Npf3RGTCbi0EPfk7-3V2y75VFquXU5r3Rbi0_zSHSA) 

👉Massachusetts Public Records Law (M.G.L. c. 66): Chapter 66 [https://malegislature.gov/.../Gene.../PartI/TitleX/Chapter66](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleX/Chapter66?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExQkpSQXdzc2h3bEg4YkNnUnNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR56ZZMsLdmy-JeGwXelQJQ-jZltTWnLtQ6IWOS6KrtBp_YODcC_0Kuu6ZS87Q_aem_yangmLxgmY8Zz8mccAqHpA) 

👉Massachusetts Attorney General, The Open Meeting Law: [https://www.mass.gov/the-open-meeting-law](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mass.gov%2Fthe-open-meeting-law%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExQkpSQXdzc2h3bEg4YkNnUnNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR53g0xBHZn6k3UpKFVxV6kOHY9NHGbuv6DplkA39UBMFyQPOcEPcyouP_bIWg_aem_TeLA4EdTw30HOMnFkNazbQ&h=AUBj9wjRBOdOQFIuAFptQNILL7xFgONDWD13F-4lelnXKOn8yT2VXuxS46TKj7fD0NlCQfAEOewmTmTRxp9bMsPQPzQy9WJh4bz9CSICjgzCwwDpRqZ5_dAHfKGni1nFnj5UuDWUmIdC7Q-BfcTmbATQCJXRMiCmhsTi&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AUAc5X7CfUQ3ON-Hjj98rXrUwY9ahwfxtqHsOtZp0vny3YLzfxRVWna_WW_oCqGaKaADXcUV-oaouk3SUsq7pFLeGo0dXRAlCrUqKtrYnCJI-J8ZoPawyI-F4gvVN8M8DAoxXjSBoXt1chN8j9MaUUnR7b2ycrOR2CIXofyMQ17GyZBGEpW0Npf3RGTCbi0EPfk7-3V2y75VFquXU5r3Rbi0_zSHSA)

👉Northampton Charter, Administrative Code & Code of Ordinances: [https://ecode360.com/NO2226](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fecode360.com%2FNO2226%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExQkpSQXdzc2h3bEg4YkNnUnNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR53g0xBHZn6k3UpKFVxV6kOHY9NHGbuv6DplkA39UBMFyQPOcEPcyouP_bIWg_aem_TeLA4EdTw30HOMnFkNazbQ&h=AUAUeTeoFJ3N1TfBZJr453xoTgn66mb_BQOUqGfaCnMR8xykJuq8P_g8xesWiE4xxsYOM-IlZ4YDhM2FufQGraqR7HCdA_WuFbtEXXi7tgCEqc4klCZAMv7Tn1CJxhM-K0idQ8Eb186brIwEEl4M8k635mSrRUSk0rWR&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AUAc5X7CfUQ3ON-Hjj98rXrUwY9ahwfxtqHsOtZp0vny3YLzfxRVWna_WW_oCqGaKaADXcUV-oaouk3SUsq7pFLeGo0dXRAlCrUqKtrYnCJI-J8ZoPawyI-F4gvVN8M8DAoxXjSBoXt1chN8j9MaUUnR7b2ycrOR2CIXofyMQ17GyZBGEpW0Npf3RGTCbi0EPfk7-3V2y75VFquXU5r3Rbi0_zSHSA)

👉Northampton City Council Rules: [https://www.northamptonma.gov/2570/City-Council](https://www.northamptonma.gov/2570/City-Council?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExQkpSQXdzc2h3bEg4YkNnUnNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR53g0xBHZn6k3UpKFVxV6kOHY9NHGbuv6DplkA39UBMFyQPOcEPcyouP_bIWg_aem_TeLA4EdTw30HOMnFkNazbQ) 

Understanding Local Government Groups in Northampton