reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 1 - Nature and Scope

Section 1. Cities and towns shall be bodies corporate, and, except as otherwise expressly provided, shall have the powers, exercise the privileges and be subject to the duties and liabilities provided in the several acts establishing them and in the acts relating thereto. Except as otherwise expressly provided, cities shall have all the powers of towns and such additional powers as are granted to them by their charters or by general or special law, and all laws relative to towns shall apply to cities.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 1a - District Defined

Section 1A. Except as otherwise expressly provided, the word ''district'' as used in this chapter shall mean a fire, water, sewer, water pollution abatement, refuse disposal, light, or improvement district, or any other district, howsoever named, formed for the purpose of carrying out any of the aforementioned functions, whether established under general law or special act.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 1b - Districts; Power to Sue and Be Sued; Insurance; Defense of Civil Actions

Section 1B. A district may sue and be sued by its name to the same extent and upon the same conditions as a city or town.
Districts shall have the power and authority to assess member cities and towns for the purpose of paying a proper charge to effect insurance for payment of damages or for the purpose of paying a proper charge for payment of damages incurred pursuant to chapter two hundred and fifty-eight, and shall have the power and authority to defend civil actions brought against them pursuant to said chapter.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 3a - Cities, Towns and Districts; Binding Effect Thereon of Recordable Instruments of Title Affecting Interests in Real Estate as to Good Faith Purchasers Notwithstanding Inconsistency of Law Therewith

Section 3A. Any recordable instrument purporting to affect an interest in real estate, title to which is held by a city, town, district or regional school district, executed in the name of a town by its selectmen, in the name of a city by its mayor or by its city manager in the case of a city having a Plan D or Plan E charter, or in the name of a district or regional school district by the chairman of its prudential committee or other governing board or by any agent or committee authorized by particular vote of the city, town or district or in the case of a municipality acting by or through an industrial development financing authority as provided in section seven of chapter forty D by vote of the board of directors of said authority, shall be binding on the city, town, district or regional school district in favor of a purchaser or other person relying in good faith on such instrument notwithstanding inconsistent provisions of general or special law, the city or town charter, by-laws, resolutions or votes.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 4 - Towns; Power to Contract; Purposes

Section 4. A city or town may make contracts for the exercise of its corporate powers, on such terms and conditions as are authorized by the town meeting in a town, the town council in a town without a town meeting, the city council in a city with the approval of the mayor or the city council in a Plan D or Plan E city with the approval of the manager, or as otherwise authorized in accordance with a duly adopted charter. A city or town may not contract for any purpose, on any terms, or under any conditions inconsistent with any applicable provision of any general or special law.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 4d - Contracts With State or Public Authority for Construction of Public Works

Section 4D. Any governmental unit, as defined in section four A, may enter into an agreement with the commonwealth or with any public authority, whereby the commonwealth acting through a duly authorized agency, or such public authority, will perform for such governmental unit, any service or activity or undertaking which said governmental unit is authorized by law to perform for itself.
All bills submitted for payments on account of work done under such agreement shall be plainly marked to indicate that the work was done under authority thereof, and payments at such intervals as provided by the agreement shall be made to the commonwealth or the public authority or upon direction of the commonwealth or the public authority, at such intervals as the government provides, directly to the contractor performing the work under agreement.
Any such agreement may provide that such governmental unit pay to the state treasurer or to the treasurer of such public authority, as the case may be, its respective share of the estimated cost of the work to be done, and that the state agency or public authority which is a party to the agreement be authorized to expend the money for the purposes for which the payment is submitted. The provisions of sections twenty-six to twenty-nine, inclusive, and of sections forty-four A to forty-four L, inclusive, of chapter one hundred and forty-nine, and the provisions of sections thirty-nine F to thirty-nine M of chapter thirty, shall apply to all such work performed by a public authority to the same extent and in the same manner as they are applicable to the commonwealth.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 4f - Purchase of Clothing or Apparel; Restrictions

Section 4F. In any city or town which accepts the provisions of this section, any contracts or orders for items of clothing or apparel shall be given to such establishments only as submit to the city or town the name and address of the manufacturer of such items, and the names and addresses of any and all contractors for such items, and only to such establishments as pay the prevailing rate of wages, determined by the commissioner of labor and industries. Said prevailing rates shall be based on wage rates and working hours that have been established by collective bargaining agreement or understanding between organized labor and employers in the apparel industry. Said commissioner shall, upon application from a city or town, prepare and furnish for the use of such city or town a list of the several classifications of labor usually performed by the employees in the apparel trades, together with the prevailing rate of wages and working hours.
A written declaration by the bidder on said contracts or orders for items of clothing or apparel, upon submission of his bid, that each garment to be purchased shall have a union label affixed to such garment shall be sufficient evidence that said manufacturer or contractor pays the prevailing rate of wages based on wage rates and working hours established by collective bargaining or understanding between organized labor and the employer. Every contractor, subcontractor or other employer, engaged in any work to which this section applies, shall keep a true and accurate record of employees, showing the name, address and occupational classification of each employee, and the hours worked by, and the wages paid to, each such employee, and shall furnish to the city or town upon request a true statement of the contents of such record.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 5 - Appropriation of Money for Exercise of Corporate Powers

Section 5. A town may at any town meeting appropriate money for the exercise of any of its corporate powers; provided, however, that a town shall not appropriate or expend money for any purpose, on any terms, or under any conditions inconsistent with any applicable provision of any general or special law.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 5a - Cities; Reserve Funds for Extraordinary Expenditures; Establishment

Section 5A. To provide for extraordinary or unforeseen expenditures, a city may, prior to the date when the tax rate for a fiscal year is fixed, include in the appropriations for such fiscal year as a reserve fund a sum not exceeding 5 per cent of the tax levy for the fiscal year next preceding such fiscal year. No direct drafts against this fund shall be made, but transfers from the fund may from time to time be voted by the city council upon recommendation of the mayor, and the city auditor or officer having similar duties shall make such transfers as are so voted.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 5b - Stabilization Funds; Establishment

Section 5B. Cities, towns and districts may create 1 or more stabilization funds and appropriate any amount into the funds. Any interest shall be added to and become part of the fund.
The treasurer shall be the custodian of all stabilization funds and may deposit the proceeds in a trust company, co-operative bank or savings bank, if the trust company or bank is organized or exists pursuant to the laws of the commonwealth or any other state or may transact business in the commonwealth and has its main office or a branch office in the commonwealth; a national bank, federal savings bank or federal savings and loan association, if the bank or association may transact business and has its main office or a branch office in the commonwealth; provided, however, that a state-chartered or federally-chartered bank shall be insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or its successor; or may invest the funds in participation units in a combined investment fund pursuant to section 38A of chapter 29 or in securities that are legal investments for savings banks.
At the time of creating any stabilization fund the city, town or district shall specify, and at any later time may alter, the purpose of the fund, which may be for any lawful purpose, including without limitation, an approved school project pursuant to chapter 70B or any other purpose for which the city, town or district may lawfully borrow money. The specification and any alteration of purpose, and any appropriation of funds from any such fund, shall be approved by a two-thirds vote, except as provided in paragraph (g) of section 21C of chapter 59 for a majority referendum vote. Subject to said section 21C of said chapter 59, any such vote shall be of the legislative body of the city, town or district, subject to charter.
Notwithstanding section 53 of chapter 44 or any other general or special law to the contrary, a city, town or district that accepts this paragraph may dedicate, without further appropriation, all, or a percentage not less than 25 per cent, of a particular fee, charge or other receipt to any stabilization fund established pursuant to this section; provided, however, that the receipt is not reserved by law for expenditure for a particular purpose. For purposes of this paragraph, a receipt shall not include taxes or excises assessed pursuant to chapter 59, 60A, 60B, 61, 61A or 61B or surcharges assessed pursuant to section 39M or chapter 44B. A dedication shall be approved by a two-thirds vote of the legislative body of the city, town or district, subject to charter, and may be terminated in the same manner. A vote to dedicate or terminate a dedication shall be made before the fiscal year in which the dedication or termination is to commence and shall be effective at least for 3 fiscal years.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 5c - Districts; Reserve Funds for Extraordinary Expenditures; Establishment

Section 5C. To provide for extraordinary or unforeseen expenditures, a district may at an annual or special district meeting appropriate or transfer a sum or sums not exceeding, in the aggregate, five per cent of the receipts from taxes, rates and services of the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which the fund, to be known as the reserve fund, is established. No direct drafts against this fund shall be made, but transfers from the fund may from time to time be voted by the prudential committee, if any, otherwise the commissioners; and the district treasurer shall make such transfers accordingly.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 5e - Unemployment Compensation Fund; Deposit and Investment; Payments

Section 5E. To provide for the anticipated costs of funding reimbursements to the commonwealth for unemployment compensation benefits under the provisions of chapter one hundred and fifty-one A, any city, town or district may appropriate in any year an amount not exceeding one-tenth of one per cent of such city's or town's equalized valuation as defined in section one of chapter forty-four, to establish and maintain a special fund to be known as the unemployment compensation fund; provided, however, that no such appropriation may be made at any time when the aggregate amount in such fund equals or exceeds one per cent of such equalized valuation. Any interest shall be added to and become a part of such special fund.
The treasurer of the city, town or district shall be the custodian and administrator of such special fund, and may deposit or invest the fund in such manner as may be legal for other city, town or district funds under the laws of the commonwealth including, without limitation, the Massachusetts Municipal Depository Trust.
The treasurer shall pay from such special fund, including the income thereof, such amounts as the selectmen or other officers authorized to expend money determine to be necessary from time to time to satisfy the liability of the city, town or district, or any instrumentality thereof, in accordance with the unemployment security law of the commonwealth.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 5f - Ambulance Services; Recreational Facilities; Service Charges; Credit Card Payments

Section 5F. For the following purposes, a city or town may defray the cost, including maturing debt and interest, of acquiring, establishing, maintaining, and operating certain facilities and services by charges established by the city or town upon persons making use of such facilities or services: (1) purchasing, hiring, maintaining, and operating ambulances; and (2) establishing, maintaining, and equipping public gymnasiums, swimming pools, bathing beaches, golf courses, artificial ice-skating rinks and other such means of recreation, instruction or exercise.
Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, a city or town may accept credit cards for payment for golf greens fees for the use of a golf course; provided, however, that any person who pays by credit card shall not be charged an amount greater than the amount charged to other persons.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 5g - Municipal Waterways Improvement and Maintenance Funds

Section 5G. A city or town may establish a municipal waterways improvement and maintenance fund to receive revenue under subsection (i) of section 2 of chapter 60B and under section 10A of chapter 91 and sums received from the commonwealth or the federal government, and may appropriate monies in said fund for (1) maintenance, dredging, cleaning and improvement of harbors, inland waters and great ponds of the commonwealth, (2) the public access thereto, (3) the breakwaters, retaining walls, piers, wharves and moorings thereof, and (4) law enforcement and fire prevention.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 5h - Centennial Celebrations; Funds

Section 5H. For the celebration of the year 2000 or the year 2001 or any centennial celebration, any city or town may appropriate money annually during the five years preceding such year. Such city or town is hereby authorized to establish in its treasury a special fund in which shall be deposited such sums as may be appropriated by it under the provisions of this section, and any and all sums received by way of income from the sale of commemorative items or from admission charges for commemorative ceremonies or events. All such sums received by the treasurer shall be kept separate from other moneys, funds or property of such city or town, and the principal and interest thereof may, from time to time upon the authorization of the mayor or city manager, as the case may be, the board of selectmen, or the majority of any special committee established to plan such celebration, be expended for the purposes of such celebration in the year of such celebration and in the year preceding or succeeding same. There shall be an accounting to the treasurer for the expenditure of all funds. Any surplus remaining in said special fund after such celebration is concluded shall be transferred by the treasurer into the treasury of such city or town.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 6 - Towns; Reserve Funds for Extraordinary Expenditures; Establishment

Section 6. To provide for extraordinary or unforeseen expenditures, a town may at an annual or special town meeting appropriate or transfer a sum or sums not exceeding in the aggregate five per cent of the levy of the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which the fund, to be known as the reserve fund, is established. No direct drafts against this fund shall be made, but transfers from the fund may from time to time be voted by the finance or appropriation committee of the town, in towns having such a committee, and in other towns by the selectmen; and the town accountant in towns having such an official, and in other towns the auditor or board of auditors, shall make such transfers accordingly.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 6a - Advertising

Section 6A. A city or town which accepts the provisions of this section may appropriate annually a sum for the purpose of advertising its resources, advantages and attractions. The money so appropriated shall be expended under the direction of the mayor and city council of the city or the board of selectmen of the town. Two or more municipalities having resources, advantages or attractions in common may join in advertising the same hereunder.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 6b - Uniforms and Other Outer Clothing for Members of Police and Fire Departments and Shellfish Constabulary; Clothing Allowance

Section 6B. A city or town which accepts or has accepted this section may appropriate money for the purchase of uniforms for members of its police and fire departments and its shellfish constabulary, which may include the purchase of rubber boots, shoes, and other outer clothing necessary for the use of members of the police and fire departments and shellfish constabulary when traveling to or from or during the course of their employment.
A city or town which appropriates money for uniforms for the uniformed members of its police force may appropriate money to be paid as a clothing allowance to an officer serving as a detective or required to work without a uniform; provided, that the sum so paid as a clothing allowance to a member, serving as a detective or required to work without a uniform, shall not in any event exceed any maximum amount established by a city or town as the amount that may be expended by the city or town during a given year, for uniform clothing, for a uniformed member of said force under the provisions of this section.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 6c - Removal of Ice and Snow From Private Ways; Conditions

Section 6C. A city or town which accepts this section in the manner provided in section six D may appropriate money for the removal of snow and ice from such private ways within its limits and open to the public use as may be designated by the city council or selectmen; provided, that, for the purposes of section twenty-five of chapter eighty-four, the removal of snow or ice from such a way shall not constitute a repair of a way.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 6d - Removal of Ice and Snow From Private Ways; Submission to Electorate; Ballot

Section 6D. Section six C shall be submitted for acceptance to the registered voters of a city at a regular city election if the city council thereof so votes, and of a town at an annual town election upon petition of two hundred registered voters or of twenty per cent of the total number of registered voters, substantially in the form of the following question, which shall be placed on the official ballot used for the election of officers at such city or town election:
Shall the city (or town) vote to accept the provisions of section six C of chapter forty of the General Laws, which authorize cities and towns to appropriate money for the removal of snow and ice from private ways therein open to public use?
If a majority of the votes in answer to said question is in the affirmative, then said section shall thereupon take full effect in such city or town, but not otherwise.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 6l - Stormy Weather Work Clothes; Lease or Rental

Section 6L. A city or town which accepts this section may appropriate money for the lease or rental of stormy weather work clothes, including rubber boots, and other work clothes for its employees, which lease or rental agreement may provide for periodical laundering and repairs.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 6n - Private Ways; Temporary Repairs, Ordinances or By-Laws

Section 6N. Cities and towns may by ordinance or by-law provide for making temporary repairs on private ways. Such ordinance or by-law shall determine (
a
) the type and extent of repairs; (
b
) if drainage shall be included; (
c
) if the repairs are required by public necessity; (
d
) the number of percentage of abutters who must petition for such repairs; (
e
) if betterment charges shall be assessed; (
f
) the liability limit of the city or town on account of damages caused by such repairs; (
g
) if the ways shall have been opened to public use for a term of years; and (
h
) if a cash deposit shall be required for said repairs.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 6o - Group Life Insurance Premiums; Permanent Employees

Section 6O. A city or town may pay part of the premiums for group life insurance for permanent employees under the provisions of section one hundred and thirty-three to one hundred and thirty-eight A, inclusive, of chapter one hundred and seventy-five. The amount of such insurance for any employees whose yearly gross compensation is less than two thousand dollars shall not exceed one thousand dollars, and for any employee whose yearly gross compensation is two thousand dollars or more, such amount shall not exceed two thousand dollars. Any increase in the amount of insurance made possible by an increase in compensation shall take effect on the next succeeding policy anniversary, but no reduction in the amount of insurance shall be required on account of a reduction in compensation. Yearly gross compensation shall not include any overtime pay, and, in the case of hourly workers, shall be computed on the basis of scheduled required work hours. Fifty percent of the amount of any premium thereon shall be paid by the town. Any dividends or other refunds or rate credits shall inure to the benefit of the town and shall be applied to the cost of such insurance.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 7 - Removal of Ice and Snow From Sidewalks in Towns

Section 7. Any town which accepts this section or has accepted corresponding provisions of earlier laws may appropriate money for the removal of snow and ice from its sidewalks, in accordance with the provisions of section six of chapter eighty-five. This section shall not apply to cities.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 7a - Prevention of Automobile Accidents

Section 7A. Cities and towns may appropriate money for the purpose of conducting and maintaining a specific program of safety activities designed to prevent automobile accidents; and such appropriations shall be expended under the direction of the mayor in a city or the selectmen in a town.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 8a - Development and Industrial Commission; Establishment; Duties; Membership; Tenure; Removals; Vacancies

Section 8A. A city or town which accepts this section may establish a development and industrial commission for the promotion and development of the industrial resources of said city or town. Such commission shall conduct researches into industrial conditions, investigate and assist in the establishment of educational or commercial projects, including projects involving private enterprise, for the purpose of expanding or strengthening the local economy, and shall seek to co-ordinate the activities of unofficial bodies organized for said purposes, and may advertise, prepare, print and distribute books, maps, charts and pamphlets which in its judgment will further the purposes for which it is established. The commission may appoint such clerks and other employees as it may require.
Such commission shall consist of not less than five nor more than fifteen members. The members in cities shall be appointed by the mayor, subject to the provisions of the city charter, except in cities operating under a Plan D or Plan E form of city charter, said appointments shall be by the city manager, subject to the provisions of the city charter; and in towns they shall be appointed by the selectmen, excepting towns having a manager form of government, in which towns such appointments shall be made by the town manager. When a commission is first established, the terms of the members shall be for such length, not exceeding five years, and so arranged that the terms of approximately one fifth of the members will expire each year, and their successors shall be appointed for terms of five years each. Any member of a board so appointed in a city may be removed for cause after a public hearing, if requested, by the mayor with the approval of the city council. A vacancy occurring otherwise than by expiration of term shall be filled for the unexpired term in a city in the same manner as an original appointment, and in a town as provided in section eleven of chapter forty-one.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 8b - Council on Aging; Establishment; Annual Reports; Recommendations by Department; Clerks and Employees

Section 8B. A city by ordinance or a town by by-law may establish a council on aging for the purpose of coordinating or carrying out programs designed to meet the problems of the aging in coordination with programs of the department of elder affairs. The council shall submit an annual report to the city or town and shall send a copy thereof to the department of elder affairs. Said department shall from time to time review and evaluate such reports and make recommendations as to any required or needed changes in said local programs. The council may appoint such clerks and other employees as it may require. The names, addresses, telephone numbers, or other identifying information about elderly persons in the possession of the council shall not be public records, but the use of these records shall comply with sections 14 to 24, inclusive, of chapter 19A as a condition of receiving a government contract, program grant or other benefit, or as otherwise required by law.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 8e - Youth Commission; Establishment; Powers and Duties

Section 8E. A city or town which accepts this section may establish a youth commission, hereinafter called the commission, for the purpose of carrying out programs which may be designed or established to meet the opportunities, challenges and problems of youth of said city or town and in conjunction with any similar or related programs of any agency of the commonwealth or any agency of the federal government. It shall keep accurate records of its meetings and actions and shall file an annual report which shall be printed in the case of towns in the annual town report. The commission may appoint such clerks and other employees as it may from time to time require. The commission shall consist of not less than three nor more than twenty-one members. In cities the members shall be appointed by the mayor, subject to the provisions of the city charter, except that in cities having or operating under a plan D or plan E form of city charter, said appointments shall be by the city manager, subject to the provisions of the charter; and in towns they shall be appointed by the selectmen, excepting towns having a manager form of government, in which towns appointments shall be made by the town manager, subject to the approval of the selectmen. When a commission is first established, the terms of the members shall be for one, two or three years and so arranged that the terms of approximately one third of the members will expire each year, and their successors shall be appointed for a term of three years each. Any member of a commission so appointed may, after a public hearing, if requested, be removed for cause by the appointing authority. A vacancy occurring otherwise than by expiration of a term shall in a city or town be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as an original appointment. Said commission may receive gifts of property, both real and personal, in the name of the city or town, subject to the approval of the city council in a city or the selectmen in a town, such gifts to be managed and controlled by the commission for the purposes of this section.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 8f - Consumer Advisory Commission; Establishment; Annual Report; Clerks and Employees

Section 8F. A city by ordinance or a town by by-law may establish a consumer advisory commission for the purposes of conducting investigations and research into matters affecting consumer interests and education and of advising and reporting the results of such investigations and research to the general public as well as to local governmental authorities and law enforcement agencies. The commission shall submit an annual report to the city or town and shall send a copy thereof to the consumers' council of the commonwealth. The commission may appoint such clerks and other employees as it may require.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 8g - Mutual Police Aid Programs; Agreements

Section 8G. A city or town which accepts this section may enter into an agreement with another city or town, or other cities and towns including cities and towns in states contiguous to the commonwealth, to provide mutual aid programs for police departments to increase the capability of such departments to protect the lives, safety, and property of the people in the area designated in the agreement. Said agreement may include the furnishing of personal services, supplies, materials, contractual services, and equipment when the resources normally available to any municipality in the agreement are not sufficient to cope with a situation which requires police action. When providing such mutual aid, police officers shall have all the immunities and powers granted to them in the municipalities that employ them, including, but not limited to, powers of arrest.
While in transit to, returning from, and during a mutual aid response for another city or town, a participating police officer shall maintain the right of indemnification granted by law, or by his home city or town, or both, for all claims arising out of any action within the scope of his employment in accordance with a valid mutual aid agreement. A mutual aid agreement may provide for methods of activation or requesting and responding to mutual aid requests. The agreement may also address issues such as pay and benefits for officers, insurance, indemnification, injury compensation and other operational matters related to police services provided for a mutual aid response. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to expand or otherwise modify existing police powers as provided by law or any existing mutual aid agreement or both.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 8h - Recycling Programs

Section 8H. A city, town, or district may establish, by approval of the local legislative body, a recycling program for the purpose of recycling any type of solid waste including but not limited to paper, glass, metal, rubber, plastics, used tires and compostable waste. The program may be established for groups of cities, towns, or districts upon agreement of all municipalities or districts in a joint program.
Any recycling program established pursuant to this section may require that all residents, schools and businesses in a city or town separate from their solid waste those recyclables designated by the local legislative body. In cities and towns in which solid waste is collected at the curbside, the recycling program may include curbside collection of such recyclables. In cities and towns in which residents, schools or businesses may take their solid waste to a municipal landfill or transfer station, the recycling program shall include provision for the separation and storage at such landfill or transfer station of the solid waste being disposed by such resident, schools or businesses, and may include collection of recyclables at the curbside.
For purposes of this section, local legislative body shall mean the body of municipal government which is empowered to enact ordinances or by-laws and adopt an annual budget and other spending authorizations, whether styled as a city council, board of aldermen, town council, town meeting or by any other title. The department of environmental protection shall cooperate with local legislative bodies in the development of recycling programs, and no such program shall be established unless the municipality or district has first consulted with said department.
A city or town may appropriate money in any year to a recycling fund of which the treasurer shall be the custodian. He may deposit or invest the proceeds of said fund in savings banks, trust companies incorporated under the laws of the commonwealth, banking companies incorporated under the laws of the commonwealth which are members of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or national banks, or invest it in paid up shares and accounts of and in co-operative banks or in shares of savings and loan associations or in shares of federal savings and loan associations doing business in the commonwealth, and any income therefrom shall be credited to the fund. Money in said fund may be expended by said commission for any purpose authorized by this section, other than a taking by eminent domain.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 8k - Mapping Commissions; Powers and Duties; Members

Section 8K. A city by ordinance or a town by by-law may establish a mapping commission for the purpose of developing or coordinating the development of comprehensive maps of the municipality, including, but not limited to, parcel boundaries, location of utility lines, pipelines, and other structures, land use or items of geographic or geological interest.
A mapping commission shall: (1) develop and administer programs relating to such mapping of the community; (2) advise, assist and cooperate with state, regional and federal agencies in developing appropriate programs and policies relating to such mapping; (3) with the approval of the city or town, apply for, receive, expend, represent and act on behalf of the city or town in connection with federal grants, grant programs or reimbursements or private grants; (4) accept gifts, grants, bequests and devises from any source, whether public or private, for the purpose of assisting the authority in the discharge of its duties; (5) seek to coordinate the activities of governmental and private bodies organized for similar purposes. Said commission shall seek to coordinate all mapping efforts in a city or town in order that duplicative efforts be minimized. A mapping commission may offer for sale any products of its efforts, including maps, reports or other materials.
The commission shall consist of not less than three nor more than seven members. In cities the members shall be appointed by the mayor, subject to the provisions of the city charter, except that in cities having or operating under a Plan D or Plan E form of city charter, said appointments shall be by the city manager, subject to the provisions of the charter; and in towns the members shall be appointed by the board of selectmen, except that in towns having a manager form of government appointments shall be made by the town manager, subject to the approval of the board of selectmen.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 10 - Public Markets; Establishment; Conditions; Regulation

Section 10. A city, or a town having a population of not less than ten thousand, may provide and maintain one or more public markets, with suitable buildings and grounds, and for this purpose may acquire land by gift or purchase or lease the same, with or without buildings, and may make alterations in buildings and construct new buildings on land so acquired or leased. Any city or town which does not so maintain a public market shall upon a petition signed by not less than five per cent of its voters designate one or more streets or squares or other public places, suitably situated and approved by the department of agriculture, to be used by farmers as public market places. Such a petition shall be filed with the city or town clerk, and he shall determine whether it contains a sufficient number of signatures and whether such signatures are genuine, and when satisfied that the petition meets the requirements of this section, he shall so certify to the mayor or the chairman of the board of selectmen and shall also notify the commissioner of agriculture that the petition has been filed and state to him the date of filing. Any city or town which maintains a public market or market place in accordance with this section may, subject to the approval of the commissioner of agriculture, make rules and regulations for the management and use thereof, and may prescribe penalties for their violation, and may also designate a market master, who may be a police officer or other municipal officer or employee, and who shall have charge of such markets or market places and shall conduct them in the interest of the market men and their customers, shall enforce said rules and regulations, and shall maintain order within the market limits.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 11 - Prevention of Forest Fires

Section 11. A town may appropriate money for the prevention of forest fires to an amount not exceeding one tenth of one per cent of its equalized valuation as defined in section one of chapter forty-four. Every such town with a valuation of one million seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars or less which appropriates and expends money, with the approval of the director of the division of forests and parks in the department of environmental management, for apparatus to be used in preventing or extinguishing forest fires, or for making protective belts or zones and building or maintaining water holes or cisterns for fire protection purposes as a defense against forest fires, shall, upon the recommendation of said director, approved by the governor, receive from the commonwealth a sum equal to one half of the said expenditure; but no town shall receive more than five hundred dollars. A sum not exceeding ten thousand dollars may annually be expended by the commonwealth for this purpose. Whenever it has been demonstrated to the satisfaction of said director that such equipment has been destroyed or has become unfit for use, the town shall be reimbursed by the commonwealth one half the cost of replacing the same; provided that the amount paid to any one town in any one year shall not exceed one hundred dollars. All equipment purchased under this section shall be in the custody and care of the town forest warden. Said director or his deputies may inspect such equipment at such times as they may deem necessary.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 12 - Public Baths and Wash Houses

Section 12. A town which accepts this section, or has accepted corresponding provisions of earlier laws, by a two thirds vote at an annual meeting, may purchase or lease land, and erect, alter, enlarge, repair and improve buildings for public baths and wash houses, either with or without open drying grounds, and may make open bathing places, provide them with the requisite furniture, fittings and conveniences and provide instruction in swimming. Such town may establish rates for the use of such baths and wash houses, and appoint officers therefor, and may make by-laws for the government of such officers, and authorize them to make regulations for the management thereof and for the use thereof by non-residents of said town.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 12b - Beaches for Public and Recreational Uses; Formation of District; Membership of Control Commission; Annual Audit

Section 12B. Two or more contiguous cities or towns may, in a city by vote of the city council thereof, and in a town by vote of the town at an annual meeting, form a district for the purpose of acquiring, whether by gift or otherwise, developing, maintaining and operating, within their territorial limits, beaches for public and recreational uses, and may pay over to the district treasurer, as provided in section twelve E, appropriations made for such purpose. Each of such districts shall be under the control of a commission which shall be appointed by, and the number and the terms of office of the members of which shall be determined by, a joint committee composed of the mayor and president of the city council, in each of such cities, and the chairman of the selectmen in each of such towns. In cities having both a city council and board of aldermen the president of the board of aldermen shall also be a member of such committee.
The director of accounts in the department of revenue shall cause an audit to be made annually of the accounts of all districts organized under the authority of this section, and for such purpose he and his duly accredited agents shall have access to all necessary papers, books and records. Said director shall apportion the cost of each audit among the several municipalities comprising the district on the basis of the taxable valuation of said municipalities as last established by the general court for state and county taxes, and submit the amounts of each apportionment to the state treasurer, who shall issue his warrant requiring the assessors of the cities and towns which comprise the district to assess a tax to the amount so apportioned, and such amount shall be collected and paid to the state treasurer as provided by section twenty of chapter fifty-nine.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts › Chapter 40 - Powers and Duties of Cities and Towns › Section 12c - Construction of Beach Facilities; Rules and Regulations

Section 12C. Said commission shall construct, equip and maintain at beaches under its control public bathhouses with dressing rooms, lockers and toilet facilities, as well as parking facilities, and other recreational facilities, may make reasonable rules and regulations for the care, maintenance, protection, policing and equal public use of said beaches, bathhouses, parking areas, and other recreational facilities, and may make reasonable charges for all facilities installed. At least one attested copy of such rules and regulations shall be posted at such beaches and any violation thereof shall be punished by a fine of not more than twenty dollars for each offence.