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. Notwithstanding the retirement date and application deadlines contained in chapter 116 of the acts of 2002, the executive authority of the town of Tewksbury, in consultation with the chief executive officers of the police and fire departments of the town, respectively, may defer for 1 year the operation of the early retirement incentive program established by said chapter 116 with respect to Group 4 employees of the police department and fire department. Any such Group 4 employee of the police department or fire department eligible for retirement under said chapter 116 as of December 31, 2002, for whom the chief executive officer seeks deferral of the retirement date, may request a binding retirement application permitting his retirement date to be deferred for 1 year. This employee must be eligible as of December 31, 2002 to retire under said chapter 116, except that he may submit his retirement application and deferral request on or before February 1, 2003. The executive authority, in consultation with the chief executive officer of the employing department, may authorize such eligible employee to retire under the early retirement program and determine the retirement date for such employee, which shall not be later than December 31, 2003. Nothing in this act shall extend eligibility for the early retirement incentive to employees other than those eligible under said chapter 116 as of December 31, 2002, who may have their retirement dates deferred for 1 year in accordance with this act.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon its passage.