Session Laws

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. Article 2 of the charter of the city known as the town of Methuen, which is on file in the office of the archivist of the commonwealth, as provided in section twelve of chapter forty-three B of the General Laws, is hereby amended by striking out subsection (c) of section 2-8 and inserting in place thereof the following two subsections:-

(c) Town Solicitor - The Town Council shall, on or before July 1st in the year it organizes under Article 2, Section 2-2, elect, by ballot or otherwise, a Town Solicitor to hold office for a term of two years and until his/her successor is qualified.

The Town Solicitor shall represent the municipality in all court matters, advise the Town Council and municipal boards and officers upon all legal questions and perform such other duties as the Town Council may prescribe in addition to such duties as may be prescribed by law.

(d) Salaries - The Town Council shall set the salaries of the Town Accountant, Clerk of the Council, Town Manager and Town Solicitor.

SECTION 2. Article 10 of said charter which is on file in said office of the archivist of the commonwealth, is hereby amended by inserting after section 10-8 the following section:-

Section 10-9 Town Solicitor Appointment/Time of Taking Effect.

The provisions of Section 2-8(c) relative to the appointment of the Town Solicitor shall take effect on July 1, 1986, provided, however, that the Town Council shall, upon the effective date of the act, assume supervision and direction of the Town Solicitor and he/she shall become directly responsible and accountable to the Town Council.

SECTION 3. This act shall be submitted to the voters of the city known as the town of Methuen in the form of the following question which shall be placed on the ballot for the next municipal election:-

"Shall an act passed by the general court in the year nineteen hundred and eighty-five, entitled 'An act amending the charter of the city known as the the town of Methuen providing that the town council, not the town manager, shall hire the town solicitor', be accepted "

If a majority of the votes cast in answer to said question is in the affirmative, this act shall take effect, but not otherwise.