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 9 - Lease of Building Space for Veterans' Organizations; Limitations; Erection of Armories; Celebration of Holidays

Section 9. A city or town may, for the purpose of providing suitable headquarters for such post or posts of any veterans' organization incorporated or chartered by the congress of the United States, as have been in operation for at least three years, or for the purpose of providing suitable headquarters for a camp of the United Spanish War Veterans, or for a post of the Polish-American Veterans, Inc., of the Lithuanian War Veterans Organization, Inc., of the Unity War Veterans Association, Inc., Post No. 1, of the 3.54 American Veterans of World War II, AMVETS, of the Italian American War Veterans of the United States, Incorporated, of the Armenian American Veterans Association, Inc., of the War Veterans Civic Association of Massachusetts, Inc., for the Yankee Division Veterans Association or any chapter thereof, for a barracks of the Veterans of World War I of the U.S.A., for the United American Veterans of the U.S.A., Inc. or any chapter thereof, for the Massachusetts Vietnam-ERA Veterans Association, Inc. or any chapter thereof, or for the Vietnam Combat Veterans Combined Armed Forces or any chapter thereof lease for a period not exceeding five years building or parts of buildings which shall be under the direction and control of such post, camp or barracks subject to regulations made in cities by the mayor with the approval of the council and in towns by vote of the town, and for said purposes a town with a valuation of less than five million dollars may annually appropriate not more than two thousand dollars; a town with a valuation of five million dollars but not more than twenty-five million dollars may annually appropriate not more than three thousand dollars; a town with a valuation of more than twenty-five million dollars but not more than fifty million dollars may annually appropriate not more than four thousand dollars; a town with a valuation of more than fifty million dollars but not more than seventy-five million dollars may annually appropriate not more than five thousand dollars; a town with a valuation of more than seventy-five million dollars but not more than one hundred million dollars may annually appropriate not more than six thousand dollars; a town with a valuation of more than one hundred million dollars but not more than one hundred and twenty-five million dollars may annually appropriate not more than seven thousand dollars; a town with a valuation of more than one hundred and twenty-five million dollars but not more than one hundred and fifty million dollars may annually appropriate not more than ten thousand dollars; and a town with a valuation of more than one hundred and fifty million dollars may annually appropriate ten thousand dollars, and in addition three thousand dollars for each additional one hundred and fifty million dollars of valuation, or major fraction thereof. In addition to sums hereinbefore authorized by this section, a city or town with a valuation of more than one hundred and fifty million dollars may, for the purpose of providing suitable headquarters for a camp of the United Spanish War Veterans, lease for a period not exceeding five years a building or part of a building, which shall be under the direction and control of such camp, subject to regulations made in cities by the mayor, with the approval of the council, or by the city manager where the charter so provides, and in towns by vote of the town, and for such purpose may annually appropriate a sum not exceeding, in any one year, thirty-five hundred dollars. The city council of a city may, by a two-thirds vote appropriate money for armories for the use of the state militia, for the celebration of holidays, or the purpose of providing or defraying the expenses of suitable quarters for posts of the Grand Army of the Republic, including the heating and lighting of such quarters, and for other like public purposes to an amount not exceeding in any one year one-fiftieth of one per cent of its equalized valuation as defined in section one of chapter forty-four.