Establishment of Local and Regional Cultural Councils

Every community in the state is eligible to receive funds from the MCC if the appropriate local town or city officials establish a local council and appoint council members who take on the responsibility for distributing funds on behalf of the community. Cities and towns may also join forces in the establishment of regional councils, and are encouraged to do so. A regional cultural council shall be eligible to receive a total allocation equal to the combined individual allocations of the communities participating in the regional cultural council. If two or more towns wish to form a regional council, there must be at least one representative appointed from each community in the consortium. Regional consortia must also be approved by the MCC. (Local Councils may consult the provisions of M.G.L. c. 10, § 58). Local councils consist of at least five but no more than 22 members appointed by the top appointing official in the community (i.e., the mayor, city manager, board of selectmen, or executive officer). Council members should have a demonstrated interest or record of service to the arts, humanities, or interpretive sciences. The chief appointing authority and members of the local appropriating authority, as defined in M.G.L. c. 59, § 21C, cannot serve as council members. The term of membership for a council member is three years; members can serve a maximum of two consecutive terms, or a total of six years, unless the appointing authority removes a member before the expiration of a term as provided in 962 CMR 2.10. Members must remain off the council for a one-year interval before serving additional terms. Each council must annually elect a chair, secretary, and treasurer. To preserve continuity of operations, the terms of individual council members should be staggered (that is, there should never be 100% turnover of members in a single year, unless the MCC determines otherwise, as provided in 962 CMR 2.10). Local councils may also elect to designate former officers or members as non-voting, ex officio council members.