An Act establishing a charter for the city of Medford
Sponsored By: Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government
Signed by Governor
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
18 provisions identified: 10 benefits, 0 costs, 8 mixed.
11-member council and ward representation
The council has 11 members: 8 ward councilors and 3 elected citywide. Terms are two years and start the first Monday in January after the election. Ward councilors must be voters in their ward; at‑large councilors can live anywhere in the city. If a councilor leaves the city, the seat is vacant by a two‑thirds council vote. Each year, the council elects a president to set agendas and a vice‑president to serve when needed.
Annual audits and budget transparency
The city’s fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. An outside CPA audits city books each year; the report is filed and posted online, and the auditor is competitively procured at least every five years. The mayor provides a full fiscal and administrative report within 12 weeks after each fiscal year starts and keeps the council informed in writing. City officials are personally liable if they knowingly spend beyond appropriations or sign contracts that exceed them.
Council pay changes and job bans
Council members cannot hold another paid city job. Former councilors must wait one year before taking a paid appointed city job. Any change to council pay needs a two‑thirds council vote in the first 18 months of the term. Pay changes take effect only after the next regular municipal election.
Ethics rules and felony removals
All city employees must follow the state conflict‑of‑interest law (Chapter 268A). Any elected official convicted of a state or federal felony while in office automatically vacates the office. Vacancies are filled under the charter’s rules.
How Medford elections and wards work
Regular city elections are on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of odd‑numbered years. Preliminary elections are on the second Tuesday in September; the board may move the date, with council approval, to avoid a holiday. To get on the ballot: mayor needs 150 certified signatures; other at‑large offices need 100; ward councilor and district school seats need 50 from that ward or district. The city has eight compact wards, reviewed at least every 10 years. The council has 11 members (eight ward, three at‑large) elected November 2, 2027. A vacant council seat can be filled by the top losing candidate from the last election if they earned at least 30% of the top vote‑getter’s total, or by the remaining councilors; no vacancy is filled within 120 days of a regular election. Starting November 2, 2027, the mayor is elected to a four‑year term at that regular election.
More openness for city laws and rules
The council cannot finally pass an ordinance the day it is introduced, unless it is an emergency with at least eight yes votes; emergencies end after 60 days unless extended. Every five years, by July 1 in years ending in 7 or 2, a seven‑member committee reviews city ordinances and files a public report. City agency rules must be filed with the city clerk and, unless the mayor declares an emergency, take effect at least five days after filing. The council elects a city clerk for up to three years; the clerk keeps vital records and the city seal, issues licenses and permits, and administers oaths.
New budget and project planning rules
The mayor must hold a joint budget meeting with the council and school committee by February 15 each year. The mayor must file the operating budget at least 45 days before July 1. The council must give 14 days’ notice for a hearing, act within 30 days, and can cut but not raise items unless the mayor recommends it; items become law if the council does not act in 30 days. The mayor must file a five‑year capital program at least 120 days before the fiscal year, with costs, financing, and ongoing operating costs; the council must hold a hearing and adopt it before the last month of the fiscal year. These budget and capital rules take effect for the fiscal year that starts July 1, 2028.
New Medford city charter and powers
This law repeals the 1986 charter and creates a new City of Medford charter. Sections 1–2 take effect only if a majority of voters approve on November 4, 2025. The charter sets a mayor–council government with clear separation of powers. It lets Medford use all powers allowed by state law and work with state and federal governments. It defines key terms so residents and officials read rules the same way.
Open council meetings and information access
Council meetings are open to the public unless another law allows closure. Special meetings need written notice at least 48 hours in advance, except in emergencies. The council can require city officers to appear and answer written questions. The request must give 14 days’ notice, and the mayor must attend or send a designee.
Process to recall the mayor
Voters can recall the mayor if more than six months remain in the term. An affidavit needs at least 500 voter signatures. Petitioners then have 40 days to collect signatures equal to 20% of voters. If certified, the recall election is held 64 to 90 days later unless another municipal election is within 120 days.
Mayor veto, vacancies, and temporary fill-ins
Every council measure goes to the mayor. A veto can be overridden by a two‑thirds council vote; no action in 10 days makes a measure take effect. If the mayor is briefly unable to serve, the council president acts with limited powers and cannot make permanent appointments or removals unless the absence is over 60 days. If the mayor’s office is vacant in the first 34 months, a special election is held within 150 days unless a regular election is within 180 days; in the last 14 months, the council president serves or the council elects a member. The mayor can make a temporary appointment for up to 180 days, with one 120‑day extension for a permanent vacancy, and must file a certificate with the city clerk.
Nonpartisan ballots and limits on initiatives
City elections are nonpartisan. Ballots do not show party names or emblems. Some topics cannot go on initiative or referendum ballots, including budgets, personnel actions, emergency measures, and setting property tax or water and sewer rates.
Rules for city boards and appointments
Appointed boards must elect officers, post agendas and minutes online when practical, and meet with public notice. Members must live in Medford unless the council waives this on the mayor’s recommendation. Missing 3 straight meetings, all meetings for 4 months, or half of meetings in a year triggers a notice process; only the appointing authority can declare a vacancy. No one may hold more than one city office or job unless the mayor’s waiver is approved by the council or the council does not act within 30 days. Hiring and promotions must be based on merit and fitness.
School committee roles, pay, and jobs
Each year the school committee elects a chair, vice chair, and secretary. The chair sets agendas and leads meetings; the secretary records votes and oversees school bills unless a subcommittee reviews them. Pay changes for members need a two‑thirds council vote in the first 18 months of the term and take effect after the next regular municipal election. Current members cannot hold another paid city job, and former members must wait one year before taking a paid appointed city job.
Strong mayor powers and appointments
The mayor is the city’s full-time chief executive with a four-year term and a limit of four straight terms. The mayor supervises all city agencies, enforces laws, and may attend but not vote at board meetings. The mayor appoints officers, department heads, and board members, and may remove or suspend appointees by filing a written notice with the city clerk. Hiring and promotions by department heads need the mayor’s consent and must be based on merit. The mayor may submit reorganization plans; the council must hold a hearing 7–14 days after notice and can disapprove by majority vote within 60 days. Appointments to boards take effect after 30 days unless the council rejects them by majority vote within that period.
Voters can propose or repeal laws
You can start an initiative with at least 250 signatures, including at least 25 from each ward. After approval of the filing, you have 90 days to return petitions with 5% of voters; you may add a 60‑day supplement to reach a combined 12%. You can seek repeal within 21 days after final approval by collecting signatures equal to 12% of voters; this suspends the measure until a vote. These ballot questions only take effect if at least 20% of registered voters vote (25% in an election with a recall). The council can also put measures on the ballot, and if two passed measures conflict, the one with more “yes” votes takes effect. If 100 certified voters petition the council, it must hold a hearing with 14 days’ notice and act within three months.
When the new charter takes effect
The elections board places the charter question on the November 4, 2025 ballot. Sections 1 and 2 take effect only if a majority of voters that day vote yes. Existing laws, ordinances, contracts, taxes, fines, and other obligations stay in force unless the charter conflicts with them. City agencies keep working until successors take office, and records and equipment transfer to the right agencies. Certain special acts (traffic commission and community development) remain until the city reorganizes under the charter. A nine‑member charter review committee meets within five years and every ten years after; it is appointed by March 1, holds at least two hearings, reports within 15 months, posts the report online, and the council votes on recommendations within 90 days.
New school committee and duties
The school committee has seven members: six elected (four district, two at‑large) plus the mayor. District seats cover paired wards: 1 & 7, 2 & 3, 4 & 5, and 6 & 8. Members serve two‑year terms starting the first Monday in January after the election; the six elected members are chosen on November 2, 2027. The committee sets school rules, school hours, and nonresident tuition, joins negotiations, and adopts the school budget, subject to city council appropriation. Vacancies are filled by the highest losing candidate from the last election if that person got at least 30% of the top candidate’s vote; otherwise, the committee and council choose a replacement. No vacancy is filled within 120 days of a regular election.
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsor
Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government
Affiliation unavailable
Cosponsors
Christine P. Barber
Democratic • House
Paul J. Donato
Democratic • House
Sean Garballey
Democratic • House
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
Actions Timeline
Signed by the Governor, Chapter 30 of the Acts of 2025
9/19/2025Enacted and laid before the Governor
9/11/2025SenateEnacted
9/11/2025HouseSenate concurred in the House further amendment
9/11/2025SenateRules suspended
9/11/2025SenateHouse concurred in the Senate amendment with a further amendment
9/11/2025HouseReferred to the committee on Bills in the Third Reading
9/8/2025HousePassed to be engrossed
9/4/2025SenateAmended (Jehlen) by striking out all after the enacting clause and inserting in place thereof the text of S2597
9/4/2025SenateRead third
9/4/2025SenateTaken out of the Orders of the Day
9/4/2025SenateRead, rules suspended, read second and ordered to a third reading
8/18/2025SenateRead third and passed to be engrossed
8/14/2025HouseRead second and ordered to a third reading
7/21/2025HouseRules suspended
7/21/2025HouseCommittee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting
7/21/2025HouseBill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling
7/16/2025HouseNew draft of H4146
7/16/2025HouseReported from the committee on Municipalities and Regional Government
7/16/2025House
Bill Text
Chapter 30 of the Acts of 2025
9/19/2025
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