reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 4a - Members of Town and District Boards Eligible to Hold Other Offices; Salary

Section 4A. Except as otherwise expressly provided, a district board, if authorized by vote of the district at an annual district meeting, or a town board may, if authorized by vote of the town at an annual town meeting, appoint any member thereof to another town or district office or position for the term provided by law, if any, otherwise for a term not exceeding one year. The salary of such appointee shall be fixed by vote of the town or district, notwithstanding the provisions of section one hundred and eight. In this section, the word ''town'' shall not include city.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 5 - Voting List; Use

Section 5. The voting list shall be used and the name of every person voting shall be checked thereon, in the election of all town officers whose election is by law required to be by ballot; but in the election of other town officers, the meeting shall determine whether the voting list shall be used.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 6 - Use of Official Ballots; Towns Authorized to Provide For

Section 6. A town may, at a town meeting, vote that official ballots as defined in section one of chapter fifty shall thereafter be used therein; and may, at the annual town meeting or at a meeting held at least thirty days before the annual town meeting, by a two thirds vote rescind such action. In town elections at which official ballots are used, nominations for town officers elected by ballot shall be made, ballots and other apparatus therefor provided, and elections of such officers conducted, in accordance with chapters fifty to fifty-six, inclusive, so far as applicable.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 7 - Use of Official Ballot; Determination of Extent

Section 7. If a town votes that official ballots shall be used for the election of town officers, it shall at the same meeting determine what officers, in addition to those required to be elected by ballot, shall thereafter be chosen by official ballot, and determine the number and terms of office, if not already fixed. No change shall thereafter be made in the officers to be chosen by official ballot, or in the number or terms of office thereof, except at a meeting held at least sixty days before the annual meeting at which such change is to become operative.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 8 - Handling of Ballots

Section 8. At any meeting for the choice of town officers in a town not using official ballots, no ballots shall be received by the moderator unless presented for deposit in the ballot box, open and unfolded, by the voter in person, and so that the moderator can know that only one ballot is presented. No moderator or other election officer shall, before the polls are closed, read, examine, or permit to be read or examined, the names contained upon any ballot.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 9 - Handling of Ballots After Tabulation; Sealing

Section 9. If the town clerk, selectmen, assessors, treasurer, collector of taxes and school committee are voted for on one ballot, the moderator shall cause all such ballots, when canvassed and counted, and record thereof has been made, publicly to be enclosed in envelopes, which shall be sealed and endorsed, and certified in the manner required by section one hundred and seven of chapter fifty-four.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 10 - Failure to Elect; Procedure to Fill Vacancy; Notice

Section 10. If there is a failure at an election to choose a town officer, except a selectman, or if a person chosen shall not accept such office, or if a vacancy shall occur, the town may at any meeting elect a person to such office.
If, at an election of town officers for which official ballots are used, there is a failure to elect a town officer, he may be elected at an adjourned or succeeding meeting; and ballots shall be prepared and furnished for such meeting, containing the nominations already made and such as may subsequently be made for the office.
The proceedings in such election and the qualifications of a person to be elected or appointed in case of failure to elect, refusal to accept or vacancy shall be the same as in an original election.
If there is a failure to elect or a vacancy occurs in the office of selectman, the remaining selectmen or selectman may call a special election to fill the vacancy and shall call such election upon the request in writing of two hundred registered voters of the town, or twenty per cent of the total number of registered voters of the town, whichever number is the lesser; provided, that such request is filed with them or him not less than one hundred days prior to the date of the next annual election.
If there is a resignation of a town officer creating a vacancy at some later time certain, and such resignation is filed with the town clerk in accordance with the provisions of section one hundred and nine, said town clerk shall certify a vacancy shall occur at the later time certain and the board of selectmen may call a special election as provided in this section; provided, however, that no such election may be held prior to the effective date of the resignation creating such vacancy.
No election shall be held for any office pursuant to this section unless the selectmen file with the town clerk notice of an election for such office not less than fifteen days before the last day to submit nomination papers to the registrars of voters for certification, before the election or any preceding primary, caucus, or preliminary election.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 11 - Appointment to Fill Vacancy in Town Office

Section 11. As used in this section, the term ''vacancy'' includes a failure to elect. If a vacancy occurs in any town office, other than the office of selectman, town clerk, treasurer, collector of taxes or auditor, the selectmen shall in writing appoint a person to fill such vacancy. If there is a vacancy in a board consisting of two or more members, except a board whose members have been elected by proportional representation under chapter fifty-four A, the remaining members shall give written notice thereof, within one month of said vacancy, to the selectmen, who, with the remaining member or members of such board, shall, after one week's notice, fill such vacancy by roll call vote. The selectmen shall fill such vacancy if such board fails to give said notice within the time herein specified. A majority of the votes of the officers entitled to vote shall be necessary to such election. The person so appointed or elected shall be a registered voter of the town and shall perform the duties of the office until the next annual meeting or until another is qualified.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 12 - City Clerks; Tenure

Section 12. In cities which accepted chapter three hundred and thirty-two of the acts of nineteen hundred and one, the term of office of the city clerk shall be three years from the date of his election or appointment, except that in cities required to elect a city clerk in December his term shall be three years from the beginning of the next municipal year. In either case the clerk shall serve until the qualification of his successor unless sooner removed; and a person appointed to fill a vacancy in the office of city clerk shall hold the office until the end of the unexpired term of his predecessor.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 13 - Bond of Town Clerk

Section 13. Every town clerk shall, within ten days after his election and thereafter, at intervals of not more than one year, so long as he continues to hold said office, give bond to the town for the faithful performance of his duties, in a form approved by the commissioner of revenue and in such sum, not less than the amount established by said commissioner, as shall be fixed by the selectmen. If he does not give bond as herein required the selectmen may declare the office vacant and fill the vacancy in the manner prescribed in section fourteen.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 13a - Bond of City Clerk

Section 13A. Each city clerk, except in Boston, shall, within ten days after his qualification, give bond to his city with a surety company authorized to transact business in the commonwealth as surety, in a form approved by the commissioner of revenue and in such sum, not less than the amount established by said commissioner, as shall be fixed by the mayor and aldermen, conditioned faithfully to account for all fees received by him for licenses and duplicates thereof for which he is required by law to account, and for the payment over in accordance with law of all such fees, less such sums, if any, as he is allowed by law to retain therefrom.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 13b - Renewal of Licenses and Permits; Delegation of Authority

Section 13B. In a city in which the board of aldermen or city council is the licensing authority such board or council may delegate from time to time to the city clerk of such city, subject to such conditions and limitations as it may impose, the powers vested in such board or council to renew licenses or permits authorized to be renewed under the provisions of chapter one hundred and forty, or of any other general or special law.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 14 - Temporary Clerk

Section 14. If the office of city clerk is vacant, or if a city clerk is unable to perform the duties required by chapters fifty to fifty-six, inclusive, the mayor shall appoint a temporary clerk to perform such duties. If at a town meeting the office of town clerk is vacant, or if the town clerk is absent, the meeting shall elect by ballot a temporary clerk. The selectmen, or in their absence three persons chosen at the meeting in such manner as the voters present shall determine, shall receive and count the votes and declare the election of such clerk. If in case of a vacancy other duties than those required of a town clerk at a town meeting are to be performed, or if he is unable to perform such duties, the selectmen may in writing under their hands appoint a clerk for the performance thereof, who shall be sworn and shall, in the performance of such duties, have the same powers and be subject to the same requirements and penalties as the town clerk, and he shall immediately make a record of his election or appointment. A temporary clerk appointed under this section shall not be required to be a resident nor a registered voter of the city or town.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 15 - Town Clerks; Powers and Duties

Section 15. The town clerk shall record all votes passed at town meetings held during his term of office. He shall administer the oaths of office to all town officers who apply to him to be sworn, and shall make a record thereof and of the oaths of office taken before justices of the peace of which certificates are filed. He shall, immediately after every annual election of town officers, transmit to the state secretary, on blanks to be furnished by him, a complete list of all town officers elected and qualified and shall promptly report to the secretary any changes in such officers. He shall, except in the county of Suffolk, within seven days after the qualification of a constable make return of his name to the clerk of the courts and to the sheriff of the county. He shall make and keep an index of instruments entered with him required by law to be recorded, which shall be divided into five columns, with appropriate headings for recording the date of reception, the names of parties and the book and page on which each instrument is recorded. It shall be open to public inspection.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 15a - Certification of Appropriations

Section 15A. City and town clerks and clerks of districts shall, as soon as an order or vote appropriating money becomes effective, certify, in a city to the treasurer, assessors and auditor or similar officer, and in a town to the assessors and the town accountant, if any, otherwise to the treasurer, and in a district to the assessors and the accounting officer, if any, otherwise to the treasurer, each appropriation in detail, and the provisions made for meeting the same, if specified in the appropriation order or vote.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 17 - Filing of City Contracts; Penalty for Noncompliance

Section 17. Every officer of a city who makes or executes a contract on behalf of the city shall furnish said contract or a copy thereof to the city clerk and the city auditor within one week after its execution; and the city clerk shall keep such contract or copy on file, open to public inspection during business hours. Such contracts or copies shall be kept in a book by themselves or in several books, arranged according to the subject of the contract, or in other convenient form, and an index to the subject matter of the contracts and to the names of the contractors shall be made semi-annually, and shall also be open to public inspection in some convenient form. All allowances under and additions to such contracts, or copies thereof, shall be filed with the city clerk and the city auditor, together with a sworn statement of the officer making such allowances or additions that the same are correct and in accordance with the contract. A city clerk or other city officer failing to comply with this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than ten nor more than one hundred dollars.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 18a - Records of City Clerk; Attestation

Section 18A. The records of the city clerk of a city may be attested by the volume and it shall be deemed to be a sufficient attestation of each and all of the records contained therein when a volume of said records bears the attest with the written signature of the city clerk or of the assistant city clerk duly appointed under the provisions of section eighteen.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 18b - Facsimile Signatures of City Clerk or Assistant City Clerk

Section 18B. A facsimile of the signature of a city clerk or of a duly appointed assistant city clerk, imprinted by either of them upon any original instrument in attestation of the fact that the said instrument has been recorded in the city clerk's office, shall have the same validity as the written signature of either of them.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 19 - Assistant Town Clerks; Powers and Duties; Compensation

Section 19. The town clerk may in writing appoint an assistant clerk, who shall be sworn to the faithful performance of his duties; and a record shall be made of the appointment and oath. The assistant town clerk shall, in the absence of the clerk, perform his duties and have the powers and be subject to the requirements and penalties applicable to him, unless a temporary clerk is elected or appointed pursuant to section fourteen. Such duties and powers shall include acting as clerk of the board of registrars of voters, in a town where the town clerk performs this function; provided, that equal representation of the two leading political parties on said board, in accordance with section eighteen of chapter fifty-one, is not affected thereby. In towns having five thousand or more inhabitants an assistant clerk appointed under authority of this section shall not be subject to chapter thirty-one. An assistant clerk appointed under this section shall not be required to be a resident nor a registered voter of the town.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 19a - Certificate of Appointment or Election of Clerk; Filing Requirements

Section 19A. Upon the appointment or election of a clerk or an assistant or temporary clerk of a city, town or district, or upon the appointment of a secretary or temporary secretary of a regional school district, the officer making the appointment, otherwise the president of the city council of such city, the chairman of the board of selectmen of such town, the chairman of the prudential committee, if any, otherwise the chairman of the commissioners of such district, or the chairman of the regional district school committee shall execute and file with the state secretary a certificate of such appointment or election, which shall specify the date thereof and the date of the expiration of the term of office, if any, otherwise that the tenure of office is unlimited, and which shall have appended thereto a statement signed by the person appointed or elected that he has entered upon the duties of such office. Upon presentation to the state secretary of a paper attested by any person as the holder of any such office, said secretary shall have authority to certify that such person is the holder thereof and attest to the genuineness of his signature.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 19b - City and Town Clerks; Tenure of Office

Section 19B. Every city or town clerk under age seventy duly elected or appointed, except a temporary clerk, who has served therein continuously not less than five years, shall, notwithstanding any contrary provision of general or special laws, hold office during good behavior until he has attained age seventy in any city or town in which this section is accepted as hereinafter provided, but subject, however, to retirement under the provisions of any applicable general or special law relative to retirement systems.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 19c - Acceptance of Sec. 19b; Procedure; Petition

Section 19C. In cities, and in any town using official ballots, acceptance of the provisions of section nineteen B shall be by vote in answer to a question placed on the official ballot at a regular city or town election as hereinafter provided; and in towns not using official ballots at town elections, such acceptance shall be by vote at an annual town meeting.
If there is filed with the clerk of a city or town a petition requesting the acceptance of the provisions of section nineteen B containing the signatures of not less than five thousand registered voters or of five per cent of the registered voters of such city or town, whichever is the lesser number, such question shall be submitted for acceptance to the registered voters at the next regular annual or biennial city election or the next annual town election or annual town meeting, as the case may be, which occurs more than sixty days after the filing of such petition.
All such petitions shall bear the endorsement thereon of the names and addresses of three registered voters designated as filing the same. The provisions of law relative to the signing of nomination papers of candidates for elective office and to the identification and certification of names thereon, submission to the registrars therefor and filing objections thereto shall apply, so far as apt, to petitions filed under this section. The registrars of voters shall within five days after such submission ascertain by what number of registered voters such petition has been signed, and shall make and certify a statement of their determination in detail, setting forth such number and whether or not the same has been signed by the number of registered voters herein required, and shall attach such statement to said petition.
If such petition bears the signatures of registered voters in the number herein required, as shown by the statement of the registrars of voters, and has been filed seasonably with the city clerk or with the town clerk of any town using official ballots, and the said clerk finds the same to be in order, he shall cause the following question to be printed on the official ballot to be used for the election of city or town officers, at such regular city or town election, as the case may be:—
''Shall the (city) (town) vote to accept the provisions of section nineteen B of chapter forty-one of the General Laws and thereby provide permanent tenure for (name of incumbent), the present incumbent in the office of (city) (town) clerk?''
If a majority of the votes in answer to said question is in the affirmative and the incumbent's term is a continuing one or if the incumbent's term is expiring and he was re-elected, then said section shall thereupon take full effect in said city or town, but not otherwise.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 19d - Removal or Suspension of Clerk Having Permanent Tenure

Section 19D. After the acceptance of the provisions of section nineteen B in any city or town, the incumbent city or town clerk shall not be removed from office, lowered in rank, or suspended, except for just cause, and for reasons specifically given him in writing by the city council or board of aldermen or other appointing authority as the case may be, in the case of cities, or by the board of selectmen in the case of towns. Before any action affecting employment is taken, the said clerk shall be given a full hearing before the appropriate board as referred to in the preceding sentence, of which hearing he shall have at least five days' written notice, exclusive of Sundays and holidays, from said appropriate board, and he shall be allowed to answer charges preferred against him either personally or by counsel. He shall be notified in writing within three days after the hearing of the decision of said board, stating fully and specifically the reasons for removal or suspension.
Within thirty days after the date of the decision of said board following a hearing as set forth in the preceding paragraph, any city or town clerk who was removed, lowered in rank, or suspended, may bring a petition in the district court within the judicial district in which such clerk resides, praying that the action of said board in removing, lowering him in rank, or suspending him, as the case may be, may be reviewed by the court, and, after such notice in writing to the board which has ordered such removal, lowering in rank, or suspension, as the court deems necessary, it shall hear witnesses, review such action and determine whether or not upon all the evidence such action was justified. If the court finds that such action was justified, the action of the said city council, board of aldermen or board of selectmen, as the case may be, shall be affirmed; otherwise, it shall be reversed and the petitioner shall be reinstated in his office without loss of compensation.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 19e - Procedure for Filling Vacancy Following Death or Removal of Clerk Having Permanent Tenure

Section 19E. In any city or town in which the clerk has been given permanent tenure by the acceptance of the provisions of section nineteen B, such tenure in office shall be effective only during the incumbency of the person who held such office at the time said section was accepted and it shall not extend to his successor in office. Whenever any vacancy shall occur in the office of city or town clerk in any city or town by reason of the death, retirement, resignation, attaining age seventy or removal of an incumbent who had been given such tenure, his successor, in the case of cities, shall be appointed, or elected as provided by the charter of such city or by the applicable provisions of any general or special law in effect at the time such vacancy occurs; and, in the case of towns, his successor shall be elected in accordance with the provisions of section one of chapter forty-one of the General Laws. Whenever such vacancy occurs in the office of clerk in any town, or in any city in which it is provided by law or by its charter that the city clerk shall be elected by popular vote at a regular election, a temporary clerk may be appointed as provided by section fourteen of said chapter forty-one to serve until the qualification of such duly elected city or town clerk as shall be elected at the next regular annual or biennial election at which such officer shall be elected.
Nothing herein contained, however, shall be construed to prohibit any successor in such office of city or town clerk from obtaining tenure after serving continuously not less than five years by the filing of another petition requesting acceptance of section nineteen B and its acceptance by the registered voters as set forth in section nineteen C.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 19f - Additional Compensation for Serving as Clerk of City Council

Section 19F. In any city which accepts this section, the city clerk shall, if in said city, he is required by statute or ordinance to serve as clerk of the city council, and notwithstanding any provision of section thirty-three A of chapter forty-four or any other general or special law to the contrary, be paid for such services, a salary of a minimum amount of one thousand dollars but not more than four thousand dollars, which shall be in addition to any other compensation to which he may be entitled as clerk of such city.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 19g - Additional Compensation for Serving as Member of Registrars of Voters

Section 19G. A clerk of a city or town who also serves as a member of its board of registrars of voters shall, in addition to any compensation to which he may be entitled as city or town clerk, receive the sum of fifty dollars, and, if the number of registered voters exceeds one thousand, an additional fifty dollars for each additional thousand of registered voters or major fraction thereof, provided, however, that the total payment for such service as a member of said board shall not exceed fifteen hundred dollars in any year, except as provided in section nineteen H.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 19h - Maximum Amount of Additional Compensation for Serving as Member of Registrars of Voters

Section 19H. Notwithstanding the limitation contained in section nineteen G, in a city or town which accepts this section the total amount of additional compensation payable to its clerk who also serves as a member of its board of registrars of voters shall not exceed two thousand dollars.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 19i - Additional Compensation for Serving in Other City or Town Positions

Section 19
I
. Notwithstanding the provisions of chapter two hundred and sixty-eight A, any clerk of a city or town who also serves in any other position for such city or town may in addition to any compensation to which he may be entitled as such city or town clerk receive such additional compensation for such additional services as the selectmen, town meeting, town council or mayor and city council may provide.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 19j - Additional Compensation for Serving as Member of Board of Registrars of Voters

Section 19J. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections nineteen G and nineteen H, a city or town which accepts this section may compensate a clerk of a city or town who also serves as a member of its board of registrars of voters, in addition to any compensation to which such clerk is entitled as city or town clerk, a sum not less than fifty dollars but not to exceed one hundred dollars, and, if the number of registered voters exceeds one thousand, an additional sum not less than fifty dollars but not to exceed one hundred dollars for each additional thousand of registered voters or major fraction thereof; provided, however, that the total payment for such service as a member of said board shall not exceed four thousand dollars in any year.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 19k - Additional Compensation for Town Clerk

Section 19K. In any town, that accepts this section, a town clerk who has completed the necessary courses of study and training, and has been awarded a certificate by the Massachusetts Town Clerks' Association as a certified Massachusetts municipal clerk, shall receive as compensation from such town, in addition to the regular annual compensation paid by such town for services in such office, an amount equal to 10 per cent of such regular annual compensation, but not more than $1,000 per year. In order to qualify for such additional compensation, a town clerk shall submit to the board of selectmen of such town proof of the award of such certificate. The additional compensation provided in this section shall be prorated for any 12 month period in which an eligible person does not hold the office of town clerk for 12 consecutive months. Such additional compensation shall discontinue when certification is discontinued or withdrawn.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 20 - Selectmen; Duties and Oath; Penalty

Section 20. Selectmen shall, upon the receipt and approval of the bond of a collector of taxes or treasurer, give written notice thereof to the assessors. The selectmen shall be assessors of taxes in towns which have not authorized the election of such officers; and before acting as assessors they shall take the oath required of assessors. A person elected a selectman who enters upon the performance of his duties before taking the oath of office shall forfeit not more than one hundred dollars.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 21 - Authorization for Selectmen to Act as or Appoint Other Town Officers

Section 21. By vote of a town meeting called for the purpose in any town at least sixty days before an annual meeting, or upon request by petition of ten per cent of the qualified voters of any town filed with the selectmen thereof at least sixty days before an annual town meeting, asking that the selectmen act as a water and sewer board, water commissioners, water and municipal light commissioners, municipal light board, sewer commissioners, park commissioners, board of public works, board of health, assessors, or commission of public safety, or perform the duties of such boards or officers or any of them or that cemetery commissioners, assessors, a superintendent of streets, a chief of the police and fire departments or board of health be thereafter appointed by the selectmen, the selectmen of such town shall include in the warrant for such annual meeting for submission to the voters such question or questions in the following form, to be placed on the official ballot in towns using such ballot:—
Shall the town vote to have its selectmen act as _______?
Shall the town vote to have its selectmen appoint _______?
If a town, in which the selectmen are elected for terms of one year, shall vote in accordance with this section that its selectmen shall act as or perform the duties of any of the aforesaid boards or officers, it shall, at the next annual meeting, elect one selectman for one year, one for two years and one for three years, or, if five are to be elected, one for one year, two for two years and two for three years, and thereafter in either event shall elect them for terms of three years. Upon the election and qualification of the selectmen at such next annual meeting, and upon the appointment and qualification by oath of the officers herein authorized to perform the duties of any existing town board or officer, the term of office of such existing board or officer shall thereupon terminate, and all the duties, powers and obligations of said boards and officers shall be transferred to and imposed upon their successors.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 21a - Removal of Persons Appointed to Positions of Chief of Police or Head of Municipal Police Department

Section 21A. In any city or town which accepts the provisions of this section, any person who is appointed to the position of chief of police or head of the municipal police department in a city, town, or district, shall not be removed from such position until a hearing is held by the appointing authority. For the purpose of this section only failure of reappointment shall be deemed to be a removal. The provisions of this section shall apply only to persons appointed to such positions under the provisions of section twenty-one.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 22 - Officers Appointed by Selectmen; Tenure; Compensation; Vacancies

Section 22. Officers appointed by authority of a vote under the preceding section shall hold office until removed by the selectmen, and shall receive such salary as the selectmen may determine, subject to the appropriations of the town therefor; and any vacancies existing in any of said offices under the supervision and control of the selectmen shall be filled in the manner of an original appointment.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 23 - Rescission of Vote by Selectmen; Election of Other Officers; Tenure

Section 23. A town may, after a vote under section twenty-one has been in effect therein for a period of not less than three years, by a vote at a meeting held at least sixty days before the annual town election, rescind such action in whole or in part and thereupon such town shall, at the next town election, nominate and elect such officers as are necessary to carry out the duties exercised in accordance with section twenty-one by the board of selectmen or officers appointed by them. Such officers, when to be elected for three year terms, if members of a board of three or more, shall be nominated and elected for one, two or three years respectively, and thereafter for the term of three years, and upon their election and qualification shall have all the duties and obligations imposed upon them by law.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 23a - Executive Secretary or Town Administrator; Appointment; Tenure

Section 23A. A town may by vote or by-law authorize and empower the selectmen to appoint an executive secretary or town administrator who may be appointed by them for a term of one or three years and to remove him at their discretion. An executive secretary or town administrator appointed under the provisions of this section shall be sworn to the faithful performance of his duties. During the time that he holds office he shall hold no elective town office, but he may be appointed by the selectmen or, with their approval, by any other town officer, board, committee or commission, to any other town office or position consistent with his office. He shall receive such aggregate compensation, not exceeding the amount appropriated therefor, as the selectmen may determine. He shall act by and for the selectmen in any matter which they may assign to him relating to the administration of the affairs of the town or of any town office or department under their supervision and control, or, with the approval of the selectmen, may perform such other duties as may be requested of him by any other town officer, board, committee or commission.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 23b - Town Departments; Investigations and Reports

Section 23B. The selectmen of any town may make an investigation into the conduct and operation of any town department. Upon completion of such investigation a report shall be submitted to the town clerk and such report shall be printed in the annual town report.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 23c - Persons Acting on Behalf of Selectmen; Appointment and Removal

Section 23C. No person shall be authorized by vote of a town to act on behalf of the board of selectmen unless the vote provides that such person shall be appointed and may be removed by said board.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 23d - Municipal Data Processing Centers

Section 23D. A city by ordinance and a town by by-law may provide for the establishment of a municipal data processing center for the use of any department, office, board, committee or agency of the city or town, including the school committee and any public authority or special district within the town and for the appointment of a data processing coordinator.
The data processing center shall be under the supervision and control of the coordinator and shall provide programs or systems for the collection, processing, storage and retrieval of information, and the preparation of reports.
Such ordinance or by-law may provide for the establishment and duties of an advisory board to assist the coordinator in planning and scheduling the use of the data processing center.
The coordinator may also serve in any other public office or position in the city or town, notwithstanding any provision of any general or special law to the contrary. The office or position of coordinator shall not be subject to the provisions of chapter thirty-one.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 24 - Assessors; Number; Method of Selection; Tenure

Section 24. There shall be one, three, five, seven or nine assessors in every city and one, three or five assessors in every town. The assessors in every city and town shall be elected or appointed as otherwise provided by law; but as nearly one third of their number as may be shall be elected or appointed annually, each to hold office for three years and thereafter until his successor is duly elected or appointed. As soon as may be after such annual election or appointment, the assessors of every city and town shall organize by choosing one of their number as chairman and another as secretary or clerk of their board. None of the foregoing provisions shall apply to the city of Boston. In no city or town, including Boston, shall an assessor hold the office of collector of taxes or deputy collector of taxes, whether said deputy is appointed under the provisions of section thirty-seven of this chapter or section ninety-two of chapter sixty.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 25 - Appointment by Selectmen; Tenure of Office

Section 25. In towns which accept this section or have accepted corresponding provisions of earlier laws, the selectmen shall appoint suitable citizens of the town assessors for a term of not more than three years, and may remove them at any time for cause after a hearing. Upon the qualification of persons so appointed the term of existing assessors of such town shall terminate.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 25a - Assistant Assessors; Appointment by Assessors; Duties; Compensation; Tenure

Section 25A. The assessors may appoint as assistant assessors such number of suitable citizens as they deem necessary, and may remove them. Such assistant assessors shall perform such duties as the assessors may require for such time as they may determine and shall receive compensation only for duties performed as so required. Every such assistant assessor shall hold office for the period of one year from the date of his appointment, unless sooner removed; provided, that, in the case the assessors fail to appoint a successor to any such assistant assessor during the month preceding the expiration of his term, he shall continue to serve during the following period of one year, unless sooner removed. This section shall apply in all cities and towns, except Boston, notwithstanding any provision of special law.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 26 - Appointment by Selectmen Where Town So Votes

Section 26. If a town votes under section twenty-one to have its selectmen appoint a board of assessors, the selectmen shall thereupon appoint three or five suitable persons as assessors, who shall act as assessors of the town and shall have all necessary powers therefor.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 26a - Employment of Counsel in Certain Proceedings

Section 26A. The assessors, or selectmen acting as assessors, may employ counsel at the expense of the city or town in all proceedings under chapter fifty-eight A; provided, that if such city or town maintains a city solicitor or town counsel the assessors, or selectmen acting as assessors, shall not employ other counsel but shall use such solicitor or counsel therefor, whose expenses incurred shall be paid from his general appropriation. The foregoing restriction on the right of the assessors to employ counsel for such purpose shall not apply in case the town has made an appropriation covering the employment of counsel therefor.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 28 - Powers and Duties of Assistant Assessors

Section 28. Assistant assessors shall, in their respective districts, assist the assessors in estimating the value of the real and personal estate in such districts, and in the performance of such other duties as the assessors require.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 41 - Officers and Employees of Cities, Towns and Districts › Section 29 - Oath of Office; Penalty for Failure to Take Oath

Section 29. Any person chosen to assess taxes or to determine or to assist in determining the value of property for the purpose of taxation shall, before entering upon the performance of his duties, take the following oath:
I, having been chosen to assess taxes and estimate the value of property for the purpose of taxation for the town (or city) of for the year (or years) ensuing, do swear that I will truly and impartially, according to my best skill and judgment, assess and apportion all such taxes as I may during that time assess; that I will neither overvalue nor undervalue any property subject to taxation, and that I will faithfully perform all the duties of said office.
If he neglects to take such oath before entering upon the performance of his duties, he shall forfeit not more than fifty dollars.