Rehoboth Bylaw changes 

On May 13, the Board of Selectmen removed a warrant article which would have codified revisions of the town’s bylaws. Town Clerk Laura Schwall had intended for residents to adopt the changes at the June 4 Spring Town Meeting.

Chairman Skip Vadnais said the board lacked sufficient time to review the changes and vowed to revisit them in the fall.
In the final draft, it states the following:

• The following titles are amended to read "Treasurer-Collector" when referring to the Town Treasurer and Town Collector: Treasurer, Collector, Treasurer/Collector, Tax Collector, and Collector of Taxes.
• References to the "Zoning Board" and "Board of Appeals" are amended to read "Zoning Board of Appeals."
•  References to the "Building Inspector" and "Inspector of Buildings" are amended to read "Building Commissioner."
• References to the "Superintendent of Streets" are amended to read "Highway Superintendent."

Another change extends the duration of appointments made by the Board of Selectmen from one year to three years.

Unless otherwise provided by statute, vote of the Town, or these bylaws, all officials, boards, committees and bodies not elected on the official ballot shall be appointed by the Board of Selectmen, for up to three-year terms or as otherwise specified in state law. The following positions are added: Board of Health, Electrical Inspector, Fish Warden, Harbormaster, Stormwater Officer, Treasurer-Collector. The following positions are deleted: Agent to care for cemeteries, Forest Fire Warden, Inspector of Manufactured and Natural Gas Appliances and Installations, Inspector of Plumbing, Inspector of Range Boilers, Inspector of Wiring.

In May 2023, the board approved a contract with General Code for $10,000.

The company, based in Rochester, New York, pledged to make the bylaws available on the town website. The process was due to be completed before the end of 2024.

General Code’s page explains: “In addition to Rehoboth’s code project, we have another 33 projects in process in Massachusetts. Approximately 25 of these are brand-new municipal codes, as with Rehoboth’s. The remainder are a series of recodifications and/or standalone legal reviews, undertaken when a community’s code has reached 15 – 20 years in age; ensuring that these codes are still aligned with state statutes and free of conflicting language or liabilities.”

The complete list of changes can be accessed on the town’s website: 2024 - Rehoboth Codification Project | Town of Rehoboth MA.