DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board voted last week to allow nonresidents to volunteer on town committees. 

 

The town does not currently have a policy restricting non-residents from serving.

 

Nonresidents have been serving on some of board and committees because they have been able to provide certain expertise, Town Manager Thomas Hutcheson said. 

 

Other towns have restricted nonresidents from serving in an effort to add "guardrails" and prevent volunteers from giving advice in bad faith, he said.

 

Although he does not believe that any of the nonresidents currently serving on town committees are acting in bad faith, he said the board can consider a policy preventing nonresidents from being on the committee in the future. 

 

"It might be something that the town would like to have Daltonians on town-of-Dalton committees as they're giving advice for the town," Hutcheson said. 

 

Board member Robert W. Bishop Jr. said he does not see a problem allowing nonresidents to serve.

 

When he was the chair of the Conservation Commission there was a member from Pittsfield who was a huge "asset."

 

They could not find anyone in Dalton interested in joining the commission, he said, and that the woman served on the commission for six or seven years, and during that time did a really good job.  

 

These remarks were echoed by Select Board member John Boyle who noted the Farm and Forestry Commission has a nonresident member, J. Dicken Crane of Windsor, who has provided his expertise. 

 

"I am good with the current policy. If there's a specific opening and there's a person available that can provide the expertise and there's no one from Dalton I have no problem but somebody else sitting in," Boyle said. 

 

The Farm and Forestry Commission has four members and three vacant seats. 

 

Town Assistant Alyssa Maschino said she works with a number of committees that have vacancies due to lack of volunteers. 

 

"There's vacancies on eight committees so it's not like there's a whole bunch of people knocking on the door begging to join committees," Maschino said. 

 

"So, I feel in my personal opinion if a Pittsfield resident or a different town resident has an interest joining a committee and is willing to help the town I don't see how that is a problem."

 

Maschino is also the chair of the Cultural Council and is the ADA Committee coordinator.