The Commonwealth has officially approved the change in residency requirement of the Town Manager.  As of December 19, 2025, the Town Managers is no longer required to reside in the Town of Dalton.

At the Dalton Annual Town Meeting on May 5, 2025, it was moved, seconded and voted to see if the Town will vote to authorize the Select Board to petition the Massachusetts General Court to amend the first paragraph of Section 5 of Chapter 137 of the Acts of 1995 (AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A TOWN MANAGER IN THE TOWN OF DALTON) by removing the requirement that the town manager become a Town resident, as follows: provided that the General Court may make clerical or editorial changes of form only to the bill, and provided further that the Select Board is hereby authorized to approve the amendments which shall be within the scope of the general public objectives of this petition:

“The Select Board, by a majority vote of its full membership, shall appoint a Town Manager who shall be a professionally qualified person especially fitted by education, training, and previous full-time experience to perform the duties of the office.  He/she shall be a citizen of the United Sates and, although he/she need not be a resident of the Town or Commonwealth when appointed, shall become a resident of the Town within one year after appointment.”

AN ACT REMOVING THE RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT FOR THE TOWN MANAGER OF THE TOWN OF DALTON

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. The first paragraph of section 5 of chapter 137 of the acts of 1995 is hereby amended by striking out the words “and, although he need not be a resident of the town or commonwealth when appointed, shall become a resident of the town within one year after appointment”.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon its passage.

Approved, December 19, 2025.