An Act relative to the town charter of the town of Plainville

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Marcus Vaughn

H.4383 tightens Plainville governance by banning select board members from town employment, other elected town roles, or certain multi-member bodies, removing a previous exception.

Hearing scheduled for 09/23/2025 from 02:00 PM-02:00 PM in Written Testimony Only

Purpose and intent

This bill seeks to tighten governance rules for Plainville by amending the town charter’s provisions governing the Select Board. The core aim is to address potential conflicts of interest and dual service by restricting select board members from simultaneously holding other town roles or serving on certain multi-member bodies.

Key provisions

Amend Section C-3-2(a) (SELECT BOARD) of the Plainville Town Charter with the following changes:

Prohibit any person from serving on the select board while employed by the town as a town employee.
Prohibit select board members from serving in any other elected position established by the town’s charter or by-law.
Prohibit select board members from serving on multi-member bodies established by the charter or by-law to which the select board is the appointing authority, except where the appointment anticipates that the board member will represent the select board on the multi-member body.

Remove the second paragraph currently in sub-paragraph (b), which previously provided an exception to the multi-member body rule. The effect would be to remove the existing qualifier that allowed representation on such bodies as an exception to the prohibition.

In short: the bill places stronger limits on dual service by select board members, consolidating restrictions so that serving on the town payroll or on certain regional/municipal bodies is more clearly disallowed, with the removal of a prior exception.

Affected parties and potential impact

Primary affected entity: Plainville Select Board members.

Potential impacts:

Could require realignment of current or future service on town boards, committees, or regional/multi-member bodies.
May reduce opportunities for select board members to participate on other town or regional bodies where the board is the appointing authority.
Clarifies conflict-of-interest standards to promote governance integrity and perceived public accountability.

Procedural timeline and status

Introduced: August 7, 2025.

Legislative actions:

August 7, 2025: Referred to the Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government.
August 11, 2025: Senate concurred.
September 23, 2025, 2:00 PM: Hearing scheduled (Written Testimony Only).

Related materials: House Docket No. 4970 (House Bill 4383) filed July 29, 2025. Local approval status noted as received.

Additional notes

The bill text indicates the changes are additions in bold/underline and deletions by strike-through. The anticipated outcome is a clearer, stricter framework for dual service by select board members, with the removal of a prior exception in the second sub-paragraph of (b).

This summary aims to provide a clear, factual overview of H.4383, its substantive changes, and its potential governance implications for Plainville.

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