Editing Mendon, New York (section)

==Government==
In New York state, towns are organized with an elective legislative body known as a town board. Town government is run by the town board, members of which act as the executive, administrative and legislative body of the town. A town board, as a group, is the executive head of the town, there being no true executive in town government comparable with a mayor of a city or village, or with the governor of the state. While the supervisor presides at town board meetings and may be assigned certain powers of administration and supervision, the additional duties and responsibilities of the supervisor are only those which result from that position's statutory role as town treasurer.
 
Prior to 1964, authority for town board action had to be in specific state legislation or in the constitution. Since that date, however, towns have had constitutional home rule powers. Towns are able to enact local laws regarding subjects within the realm of "property, affairs and government" of the town, provided the laws are not inconsistent with the constitution or a law of general statewide applicability enacted by the State Legislature. In addition, towns may adopt local laws concerning a number of other subjects specified in the constitution and the Municipal Home Rule Law, so long as they are not inconsistent with general law applicable to all towns, and provided there is no statutory restriction against such local law. Since 1974, with certain exceptions, towns may even supersede some provisions of town law regardless of their general applicability. Besides the above-described legislative powers, town law and other state statutes contain authority for town boards to act in a variety of specific areas. These have been amended over the years such that town boards have the authority to supply almost every public function or service that any other municipality may provide, subject to the functions specific rules and procedures.
 
In Mendon, the town board consists of a supervisor and four town board members (often referred to in statutes as councilpersons). Town board members, as elected officials of the town, must be "electors" of the town at the time of election and throughout their terms of office. An elector is someone who could register as a voter in the town, whether they actually have or not. Registration has three components:  residency, age and citizenship. Residency equates to the legal term "domicile" and is defined in law. The age qualification is 18 and United States citizenship is also required. Mendon Town Board members have a term of four years. The Mendon town supervisor has a term of two years. Town elections are held in odd numbered years, with new terms starting the following January 1.{{needs update|date=October 2024}}
 
The town board, as the executive body of the town, acts as a unit and must function as a body. An individual Board member may not unilaterally act on behalf of the town board. No town board member has more or less authority than any other board member. Therefore, no board member can legally act independently for the others or outside the board. No single member of the town board can act for or commit the noard as a body to any particular program or policy.
 
The town board may, by resolution, delegate to the supervisor the powers and duties of administration and supervision of town special improvement district functions to be performed on behalf of the town board. The purpose of this provision is to allow the town to function between town board meetings. This delegation does not allow the town board to abdicate to the supervisor or surrender to him or her the board's basic statutory responsibilities.

The paper of record for the town of Mendon is the [[Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel]].