Unofficial Arlington
(regarding the Town of Arlington, Massachusetts)
created
by Glenn Koenig, long time resident and local business owner
(but still a 'newcomer' to some residents because he moved here only 34 years
ago!)
(this page sponsored by Open Eyes Video)
§ § § Introduction § § §
The Town of Arlington is perhaps a victim of its own success. Situated only a few miles from the City of Boston, it's easy to move here, live well, and yet have no contact with town government other than to have its services be provided to you as if by magic, as long as you pay your taxes. Even those tax bills may not be all that obvious. If you rent, you may never see one (except perhaps for your car), and if you own your own home or condominium, your taxes are probably included with your mortgage payment every month.
But none of this takes place by magic. Numerous people, including town officials and employees, as well as volunteers, work very hard to make Arlington the success that it is today and continues to be. Of course, Arlington is not free from problems or controversy. And the town faces many challenges that are ongoing.
So I created this page to help provide a place to get started, an open door if you will, to see something of how Arlington works and is organized, and what your part in it might be.
• Quick Introduction to Arlington's Government
In Massachusetts, Arlington is organized as a "Town" instead of a "City." Specifically, we have what's called the "Town Manager" form of government. The voters elect a Board of Selectmen (5 members, all elected at large, with overlapping 3 year terms) who are part time with limited pay. The Board of Selectmen meets mostly in the evenings (most members have day jobs), typically on Mondays in their chambers upstairs in Town Hall. Their meetings are usually cablecast live on cable TV and the internet (see ACMI.tv) with reruns later in the week.
The Board of Selectmen heads up the "Executive Branch" in Arlington. There is no Mayor or City Council, etc. in this form of government. The Selectmen hire a Town Manager (a full time employee) to manage most of the departments in the town that operate the government. The Town Manager, in turn, hires various department heads to run the various departments. A few departments are headed by someone elected independently of the Selectmen (Treasurer, Clerk, Board of Assessors) and some things are managed directly by the Board of Selectmen without going through the Town Manager (Comptroller).
The legislative branch is called "Town Meeting"which is unicameral (literally "one room" - sort of like a House without a Senate). There are over 250 members, elected directly by the voters, sectioned off into 21 precincts with 12 town meeting members elected from each precinct. There are no 'at large' members. Town Meeting meets in the Spring and makes the laws (known as by-laws, not ordinances, as they are called in cities) and votes on the budget.
The School Department is headed up by a separately elected "School Committee" (7 members, elected at large, with overlapping 3 year terms). They also serve part time and meet mostly in the evenings, typically on Tuesdays in their meeting room on the 6th floor of Arlington High School (also cablecast live). They hire a Superintendent of Schools, who then hires the staff, principals, and teachers and manages the daily functioning of the schools. The School System does not levy its own taxes. It sets a budget each year, but Town Meeting (see above) must vote to approve the total funding package. The tax bills on property, sent out to residents, include funding for both town and school operations.
There is no formal judicial system in Arlington itself. Courts and prisons are established on the County (Middlesex) and State levels.
All of this slows way down in the summer (during July and August). That is, official meetings are much less frequent and employee vacations are likely to limit or delay access for some things.
• Quick Introduction to Media Coverage
I like to say that Arlington is situated in the "media shadow" of Boston. So-called "local" broadcast TV stations are actually regional TV stations, which won't cover anything about towns surrounding Boston, unless it's a spectacular fire, traffic accident, crime, or especially rancorous public meeting. The same goes for the major daily newspapers, radio stations, etc. This is another reason why it's easy to live in Arlington and still be oblivious to how the town functions and what the other residents are doing. It's easier to find out who's running for Mayor of Boston, than it is to hear anything at all about what's going on in Arlington.
So, how do you find out what's going on around here? Well, there is:
- The Arlington Advocate, www.townonline.com/arlington
Arlington's only weekly newspaper (we do not have a daily paper).
- The Arlington Studio, www.arlingtonstudio.com,
(or ACMI.tv) cablecasting to all cable TV subscribers on three channels (Public, Educational,
Government) and now also streaming live on their web site.
- The town government's web site, www.arlingtonma.gov
- The big sign out in front of Town Hall (730 Mass. Ave.) where events &
elections are often posted
- The reference desks at the public libraries (Robbins, in the Center, www.robbinslibrary.org,
and the Fox in East Arlington)
- Independently run web sites, including: www.livefromarlington.com,
www.yourarlington.com, www.citysquares.com
among them.
- The League of Women Voters at www.lwva.com
- The Arlington Chamber of Commerce at www.arlcc.org
- List servers, such as the Arlington List: www.arlingtonlist.org
- Arlington Town Day, Arlington's annual street fair, which takes place in mid
September. Anyone can attend.
- and, yes, there is a page on wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington,_Massachusetts
Or join a group, such as a local non-profit organization, a committee, political campaign, a church or other faith organization, a private club, etc. Arlington has many of these (literally hundreds) to choose from. Once you're connected to one or two, you'll likely find connections to many others as well.
To see a partial list, go to the Minuteman Library search page, then click the tab for "Community Info" at the top. Once there, you can search for anything you like, but if you select the "City or Town" radio button on the "Search by" line, then enter "Arlington" into the "Search For" box, click Search, then click on "Arlington" again, you'll see a list, broken down into a number of separate web pages.
§ § § Cross Reference § § §
• Irreverent Guide to Arlington for the Uninitiated
Or, how to find what you're looking for.
OK, yes, Arlington has a web site, http://www.arlingtonma.gov
It lists all Town departments, boards, commissions, and committees, etc. It is very thorough and well maintained. But if you don't know what you're looking for, or you haven't thought of the term we use for something here, then it's easy to get completely lost or stuck. So here's a list of some terms and their translation. Please report all errors or omissions to me by going to the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page.
Additions, Renovations, Building Permits (Inspectional
Services, under ... Community Safety (?) Yes, with the Police Dept)
After school programs ( I'm not sure. Somebody help me out, here? After the School Department itself, try the Recreation
Department, or other NGOs (Non Government Organizations), such as the Boys & Girls Club, Arlington Center for
the Arts, Arlington Studio, etc.)
Aldermen, Board of, (we don't have one, so please see Board of Selectmen, Town
Meeting, Town Manager, etc.)
Animals, wild or domestic, problems with - see Community Safety Department, Animal Control
Athletic Fields, see the Recreation
Department
Bills, parking tickets, & fines, where to pay or appeal them, see Treasurer's Department
Bills, tax, wrong (or outrageous, unfair, etc.) aka: appeals, ... see the Board of Assessors
Board of Aldermen (we don't have one, so please see Board of Selectmen, Town
Meeting, Town Manager, etc)
Building Repairs, Additions, Renovations, Building Permits (Inspectional Services,
listed under ... Community Safety ?!?!)
Businesses, registration, see Town Clerk
City Council (Arlington is a Town, so it doesn't have one of those, either.
please see Board of Selectmen, Town Meeting, etc.)
City Ordinances (as Arlington is a "Town," we call them "Bylaws"
- See Board of Selectmen, Town Clerk)
Complaints (Oh, gosh. We'd need a 'town directory person for all the possibilities.'
Start with the Board of Selectmen's Office, I guess. Don't tell 'em I sent you.)
Composting, see Public Works
County Seat or County Government (we practically don't have any County government at all. Arlington is in Middlesex county but only has a few functions
- see cross references by expected county function, or go directly to the
state level, which took over most county functions)
Crossing Guards, for School Children. See
either School Department or Police Department.
Demolition (of buildings ... see Inspectional
Services, under Community Safety, also Historical Commission
Discrimination (see Human Rights Commission, Housing Office - Fair and Affordable
Housing)
District - see School Committee
Dogs, barking, by somebody else's dog. (see Community Safety Department, Animal
Control)
Dog catcher (see Community Safety Department, Animal control officer)
Dogs, did something on my property (see um, ... Community Safety Department?)
Dogs, owners, rules about owning one (see Town Clerk.)
Domestic Disputes & Domestic Violence (see Community Safety Department and
Human Services Department)
Drains, Sewer Grates (actually called Storm Drains), see Public
Works
Education (see School Department)
Elections - take place in April for Town Government. See Board of Selectmen
for dates, see Town Clerk's Office to register
Event Facilities (for meetings, weddings, functions, etc. - yes we do that) - see "Town Information" tab on the town web site, and choose Event Facilities.
Farmers Market (not a government run function - see Board of Selectmen or contact
Oakes Plimpton 781-648-5117)
Flooding (see Public Works, Fire Department, Community Safety Department)
Garbage pick ups, see Public Works
Hate Crimes (see Community Safety Department; Human Rights Commission)
Highways, Streets, Roads & Sidewalks (see Public Works)
Horn, as in What the *$%@& is that horn that just went off?!??! (that made
me jump clear off the sidewalk while shopping in Arlington center at noon the
other day)? See, um, ... well, Board of Selectmen? Fire Department? Eventually,
you'll find out.
Housing, Affordable (see Housing Office under Boards & Commissions- Fair
and Affordable Housing)
Landlords & Tenants see Housing Office under Boards & Commissions- Fair
and Affordable Housing?)
Leaves, a form of "Yard Waste" (see Public Works & Recycling)
Litter & Street Cleaning (see Public Works)
Laws, known as Town By-Laws, see Board of Selectmen, Town Clerk
Mayor (we don't have one of those, either, so please see Selectmen, Town Manager,
Town Meeting, etc.)
Noise, (construction, car and building alarms, etc.), see Community Safety Department
Ordinances, see Town By-Laws, Board of Selectmen, Town Meeting, etc.
Parades (see Board of Selectmen)
Parking and Parking Meters, see Community Safety, Police Department, ... but
also see ... the Treasurer (? yes!)
Plowing, see Public Works
Pot Holes, see Public Works
Public Education (see School Department)
Public Health, see Health Department
Raccoons, animal pests (See Community Safety Department, Animal Control)
Recycling pick ups, see Public Works
Refuse, see Public Works
Renovations, of Buildings (see Inspectional Services, under Community Safety)
Rent Control (we don't have that, sorry. See Housing, under Boards & Commissions)
Repairs, Additions, Renovations, Building Permits (see Inspectional Services,
under Community Safety)
Representatives (see Town Meeting, Selectmen, etc., as well as links to the
state house kind)
Restaurant food quality (see health department)
Roads (see Public Works)
Robbins House - see "Town Information" and then choose "Event
Facilities" from the pop-up.
School District (see School Committee)
Schools (OK, so that's obvious, right? Although it's not listed under Departments
- it has its own tab on the Town web site)
Sewers ( the drains inside your house), and the Storm Drains (the gratings in
the street), are two separate systems, but see Public Works for both.
Sheriff (nope, we don't have one, see Community Safety Department - the Sheriff
runs the jails for the state - see state government or State Police)
Sidewalks, see Public Works
Signs (like stop signs, no parking signs, etc. - Selectmen & Community Safety,
again)
Signs on Businesses, store fronts, etc., see Planning Department
Skunks, Raccoons, pests (See Community Safety Department, Animal Control)
Snow Plowing (see Public Works)
State Government (see also "Commonwealth of Massachusetts")
Storm Drains (see Public Works)
Street Fairs (see Town Day, under Board of Selectmen)
Street Lights (see Inspectional
Services and/or NStar Electric)
Streets, including repairs, sweeping, and trees, see Public Works
Swimming Pool (we don't have one, but there is a public swimming area, see the Recreation
Department)
Taxes, rates and what they're charging you (see Assessors)
Taxes, where to pay them ( see Treasurer)
Town Attorney (see Legal department)
Town Laws (see "Bylaws," Town Meeting, Town Clerk, "Warrant,"
Board of Selectmen - how to file a petition)
Town Council (we don't have one, see Selectmen, Town Manager, Town Meeting,
etc.)
Town Counsel (see Legal Department)
Town Hall - see "Town Information" and then choose "Event Facilities"
from the pop-up.
Town Hall - call 781-316-3000 and ask the operator to help you. Hours 8 - 4,
M, T, W, 8 - 7 Th., and 8- 12 Noon Fri.
Traffic (see Community Safety Department, and also Board of Selectmen &
the TAC - Traffic Advisory Committee)
Traffic Lights (see Community Safety, Police Department, Board of Selectmen)
Trash, Garbage, Refuse, Waste, Compost, & Recycling (see Public Works)
Vermin, see Community Safety Department, Animal Control; and Health Department
Warrant - the Legislative 'Calendar' of "bills" or "acts"
to be voted on, known as "Warrant Articles." See Board of Selectmen.
Waste Pickup, see Public Works
Water, Water Mains, Water Meters, etc. (see Public Works)
Water Bills, paying, see Treasurer's Office
Whittemore Robbins House- see "Town Information" and choose "Event
Facilities" from the pop-up.
Wild Animals, problems (see Community Safety Department, Animal Control)
Yard Sales (see Board of Selectmen)
Yard Waste Pick Ups, see Public Works
YMCA (we don't have one. See Cambridge or Woburn. We do have the Arlington Boys & Girls Club where both children and adults can swim, play sports, etc.)
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