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The Town of Mashpee is governed by open Town Meeting, meaning that all of the town's registered voters, so gathered, may vote on all matters. Town Meeting is Mashpee's legislative body, and as such has the authority to raise and appropriate money and to approve the town's bylaws.
Mashpee holds two regular Town Meetings per year, in May and October, and may also hold additional Special Town Meetings as needed. For more information, see the publication by the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "A Citizen's Guide to Town Meetings."
The five members of the Board of Selectmen serve as Mashpee's chief executive officers, elected at large by the town's voters at the Annual May Election. The Board of Selectmen serves as the chief policy making agency of the town, and its core powers and duties include promulgation and formulation of town guidelines, directives, and bylaws, serving as the licensing authority, and serving as the appointing authority, which includes appointment of members of the majority of the town's boards, committees and commissions. The Board of Selectmen is also responsible for the appointment of a Town Manager, who serves as the chief administrative officer of the town.
The structure and conduct of town government operations is set forth in the Mashpee Home Rule Charter, which was adopted by voters in the May, 2004 town election. A Bylaw Review Committee has been formed to review existing town statutes and make recommendations to bring them into conformance with the Charter. The Bylaw Review Committee is required by the Charter to present a full report of its findings at the May 2005 Town Meeting.
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