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 3-1 of the charter of the town of Wareham, 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 (a) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-

(a) Elective Offices - The offices to be filled by voters shall be a board of selectmen, a school committee, a town moderator, a board of assessors, a town clerk, a town collector, a housing authority and such other members of regional authorities, or districts, as may be established by statute, intergovernmental agreement, or otherwise.

SECTION 2. Said charter is hereby further amended by striking out section 3-8.

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

Section 4-5. Additional Town Administrator Appointments.

(a) Town Treasurer - The town administrator shall appoint a town treasurer for an indefinite term. The treasurer shall receive and take charge of all money belonging to the town. He shall pay out and account for all town funds according to the order of the town and its authorized officers. No other person shall have authority to pay any bill of any municipal department. The treasurer shall have all of the other powers and duties which are given to treasurers by general laws and such other powers, duties and responsibilities as may be provided by charter, by by-law or by other town meeting vote.

(b) No person shall be appointed or removed as town treasurer except as provided in subsections (1), (2) and (3) following:

(1) Appointment and removal shall be in a manner consistent with section 4-2 (b).

(2) No person shall be appointed town treasurer, who, on the effective date of his appointment, does not possess at least an earned Baccalaureate Degree from an accredited institution of higher learning in either accounting, financial administration, financial management or treasury management or has earned sufficient course work credits in any combination of the aforementioned which otherwise would be equal to the requisite earned degree in any one of the individual disciplines set forth herein.

(3) No person shall be appointed to the position of town treasurer, who, on the effective date of such appointment, does not possess at least five years of full time professional experience, within the ten years immediately preceding the date of such appointment in the practice of accounting, treasury management, financial administration or financial management, at least three years of which shall have been as a full time appointed employee or elected official of a municipality, county government, regional authority or agency, state government agency, interstate governmental agency, or federal government agency.

SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon its passage. The present elected town treasurer shall remain in office until the completion of his elected term, or until the position becomes vacant for any reason, whichever may first occur.