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. Section 3-3 of article 3 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 the second sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:- All appointments of department heads, assistant department heads, division heads, police superior officers of the rank of sergeant and above, fire department superior officers of the rank of lieutenant and above, the conservation commission agent, and all boards and commissions shall be subject to confirmation by a majority vote of the full town council.

SECTION 2. Said article 3 of said charter is hereby further amended by adding the following section:-

Section 3-9. The terms of office of department heads of the town of Methuen shall be three years. The term department heads, as used herein, shall mean the fire chief, director of public works, veterans' service agent, town clerk, treasurer/tax collector, and the executive director of the council on aging and such other officers who may be designated as department heads under town ordinances.

SECTION 3. Section 4-1 of article 4 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out paragraph (a) and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-

(a) Composition. There shall be a school committee consisting of seven members, six of whom shall be nominated and elected at large, and the mayor who shall serve as the seventh member of the school committee. The mayor shall also serve as the chairman thereof with full power to vote. The school committee shall exercise control and management of the public schools of the town.

SECTION 4. A special election shall be held in the city known as the town of Methuen on a date set by the town council which shall be no later than November, nineteen hundred and ninety-six, and there shall be placed on the ballot to be used in said special election the following question:-

"Shall an act passed by the general court in the year nineteen hundred and ninety-six entitled 'An Act relative to the authority of the mayor of the city known as the town of Methuen' be accepted " If a majority of the votes cast in answer to said question is in the affirmative, then this act shall take effect, but not otherwise.

SECTION 5. Section two shall take effect on January first, nineteen hundred and ninety-seven. Section three shall take effect on January first, nineteen hundred and ninety-eight and the terms of all department heads shall expire on December thirty-first, nineteen hundred and ninety-six. Section four shall take effect upon its passage.

The remainder of this act shall take effect only upon its acceptance by the voters of the town under the provisions of section four.