Brief Job Descriptions for Town & School Elected Officials

These duties have been excerpted from the Laws of the State of New Hampshire (RSAs). The full text of the RSAs are available in hard copy at Wiggin Memorial Library or on-line at http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/indexes/default.html.

Selectman

41:8 Election and Duties. – The selectmen shall manage the prudential affairs of the town and perform the duties by law prescribed.

Trustee of Trust Funds

31:22 Trustees. – All such trusts shall be administered by a board of 3 trustees. The trustees manage, direct and superintend the affairs of each trust.

Library Trustee

202-A:6 Library Trustees. – The library trustees shall have the entire custody and management of the public library and of all the property of the town relating thereto, including appropriations, but excepting trust funds held by the town.

202-A:11 spells out 5 more specific duties (Adopt by-laws, Prepare budget, Expend appropriation and other income, Appoint librarian).

Town Moderator

40:4 Duties. –
    I. The moderator shall preside in the town meetings, regulate the business thereof, decide questions of order, and make a public declaration of every vote passed, and may prescribe rules of proceeding; but such rules may be altered by the town.

Supervisor of the Checklist

652:15 Supervisors of the Checklist. – The term "supervisors of the checklist" shall include any board of registrars or similar body performing the functions of registering voters and correcting the checklist in cities.

School Board Member

189:1-a Duty to Provide Education. – It shall be the duty of the school board to provide, at district expense, elementary and secondary education to all pupils who reside in the district until such time as the pupil has acquired a high school diploma or has reached age 21, whichever occurs first; provided, that the board may exclude specific pupils for gross misconduct or for neglect or refusal to conform to the reasonable rules of the school

(over)

School District Clerk

671:25 Duties of Clerk of School District. – The clerk of the school district shall prepare the official ballots for the school district as provided in RSA 671:20 and shall deliver the same to the town moderator before the opening of the polls at the town election. The ballots shall be of a color different from that of any other ballot being used at the town election.

Cemetery Trustee

289:7 Powers and Duties. –
    I. Except in those municipalities in which other provisions have been made by a general or special act of the legislature, all cemetery trustees in the state shall:
       (a) Adopt bylaws and regulations for their transaction of business and for the establishment and management of all municipal cemeteries within their responsibility.
       (b) Prepare an annual budget indicating what support and maintenance of the municipal public cemeteries will be required out of public funds for submission to the appropriate agency of the municipality. A separate budget request shall be submitted for planning and establishment of a new public cemetery and for capital improvements or expansion of an existing public cemetery.
       (c) Expend all moneys raised and appropriated by the municipality for cemetery purposes. Such funds shall be maintained in the general fund and paid in the same manner that funds of other municipal departments are paid.
       (d) Expend income from all trust funds for cemetery purposes in accordance with the conditions of each donation or bequest accepted by the municipality. Such trust funds shall be held in the custody and under the management of the trustees of trust funds. The trust income shall be transferred to the cemetery trustees by the trustees of trust funds in response to vouchers executed by the cemetery trustees, if the requested funds are available. Such trust fund income shall not be commingled with the moneys raised and appropriated by the municipality.
       (e) Prepare deeds of cemetery lots for the governing body to sign.

Additional information about town and school positions as well as town and school district meetings can be found in the following resources at the Wiggin Memorial Library:

The Town Official’s Handbook

Town Meeting & School Meeting Handbook

Handbook for Trustees of Trust Funds, Cemetery Trustees, Library Trustees