Special Bylaw Review Committee — August 27, 2026

The Fairhaven Special Bylaw Review Committee met on August 27 to review consolidated comments and track-changed revisions aligning town bylaws with the Fairhaven Town Charter and Massachusetts General Law. Chair Morgan DeWicky guided the committee through section-by-section analysis of proposed changes across chapters addressing revolving funds, town committees, the Data Processing Center, the Finance Department, Meetings, Personnel, and the Planning Board. Public commenter Doug Brady provided clarification regarding statutory signature thresholds for town meeting petitions and purchasing authority rules.

The committee addressed several notable issues, including obsolete language referencing the Special Acts of 2014, redundancies regarding quorums and officer positions, the separation of the Director of Finance and Treasurer/Collector roles, and authority thresholds for property disposal and consultant contracts exceeding $50,000. Members agreed that Chair DeWicky would finalize the consolidated redline document and transmit it to Town Counsel and the Town Administrator to begin legal review ahead of the planned November Special Town Meeting warrant closing date of October 13.

The committee unanimously approved the amended minutes of August 5, 2026, correcting member Lilia Cabral-Bernard's surname. A tentative meeting was scheduled for Thursday, September 3, at 7:00 PM, contingent on Town Counsel's feedback, before the committee adjourned at 7:36 PM.

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