Property, Institutional & Government

Municipal Department Moving in Boston and MetroWest

Turn a council or select board decision into a room-level move scope, then work within the weekday hours your department and building release.

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Planning a Municipal Department Move

City and town department moves in Massachusetts have a few fixed points. The money usually comes from a town meeting appropriation, a council vote, or the department's own budget in a fiscal year that starts July 1. Purchasing then follows Chapter 30B, the state's procurement law for cities and towns, which may call for written quotes depending on the size of the job. And some offices have their own calendars: the town clerk cannot be out of service near an election, and the assessors are busy when tax bills go out.

The buildings are their own challenge. Many town halls are old, with narrow stairs, a small elevator or none, and a records vault where the clerk keeps permanent records. We walk the building with each department head, write a scope for purchasing, and move department by department: the building department's plan tables and flat files, the assessors' map cabinets, public works administration, the select board's meeting room, and the clerk's counter last, once the clerk sets the cutover.

Who usually signs off: Municipal department head or facilities director, with the finance or purchasing office authorizing the purchase order
Timing that works: After town meeting, the council, or the select board has funded it and purchasing has issued the order, on weekdays when the building is open, and never in the weeks around an election for the clerk's office.

What typically moves

Clerk's counter modules and election supply cabinets Moved on the clerk's schedule, well clear of any election.
Assessors' map cabinets and parcel files Drawers emptied or secured by staff; cabinets moved upright.
Building department plan tables and flat files Active plans pulled by staff; files move with drawers secured.
Public works administration desks Dispatch stations moved last so service calls are covered.
Select board and committee meeting tables Set to the room diagram before the first posted meeting.
Permit racks and waiting-area seating Grouped for the new public entrance.

Access and scheduling

Ask finance which vote funds the move and what purchasing needs under Chapter 30B. We can supply a written quote and scope, plus a certificate of insurance naming the town on request. Purchasing tells us when the order permits scheduling.

Most town departments serve residents on weekdays, which is also when the building is open to us. Each department head marks the counters and files staff still need and when each room can be handed over. Facilities confirms the loading door, parking, and elevator, and whether the old building's stairs or a historic entrance limit what can be carried. If the new offices are in leased space, the landlord's rules apply there too, and the two buildings may have different hours for the truck.

Protection and handling

Older town halls have wood floors, plaster walls, and tight stair turns, so runners, corner guards, and banister pads go down before the first cabinet moves. Map cabinets and flat files are heavy when full; staff pull the active sheets, and the drawers are taped or emptied before the cabinet travels upright.

Records belong to the departments. The clerk decides how vault records move, and much of what is in a vault stays with the clerk's staff or moves under their direct supervision. We carry closed, released cartons to their labeled rooms without opening them. Desk computers are unplugged and reconnected at their new stations, and town IT takes it from there. Each department checks its room when the last load arrives.

Who does what

Some of this job belongs to other trades. The written plan names each one.

Funding vote, Chapter 30B purchasing, and the order: Town meeting, the council, or the select board funds it; finance and purchasing run the procurement and issue the order.
Vault records and public records: The clerk and each department decide how records move and who carries them.
Fixed counters, vault doors, and town systems: Facilities or its contractors handle attached fixtures; town IT handles networks and phones.

Not part of our work

Making spending decisions or running the town's procurement.
Opening, sorting, or deciding retention of municipal records.
Removing fixed counters or configuring town systems.

Around Boston and MetroWest

Municipal offices in this market run from Boston and Cambridge city departments in multi-floor civic buildings to town halls in Newton, Framingham, Natick, Franklin, and Milford, many of them older buildings with stairs, small elevators, and records vaults. Some towns spread departments across several buildings, which makes one move into two or three.

The crew that shows up

Two Eastside Movers crew members outside a client's red front door

Municipal Department Moving FAQs

Another question? Call (774) 421-9389.

Can you scope the move before town meeting or the select board acts on the budget?

Yes. A department head can walk us through the rooms now, and we write a scope and quote for finance to use while the funding is decided. Purchasing tells us when there is an order and what Chapter 30B requires for a job of that size.

What if the purchase order lists departments but the room plan changes?

Send the revised plan to purchasing and facilities, and we note what changes: labels, routes, or packing. Purchasing decides whether the order needs amending. Once it is cleared, we relabel the affected pieces and update the move order with department heads.

When should the town clerk's office move?

Away from elections. The clerk's office runs voter registration, ballots, and election supplies, so most clerks will not move in the weeks before an election or while results are certified. Ask your clerk to pick the window first and schedule the other departments around it.

Who prepares assessor maps and building plans for transport?

The departments. The assessors and building department decide which sheets are active and what staff carry themselves. We move the emptied or secured map cabinets, flat files, and plan tables, and staff restore the filing order at the new office.

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