# Massachusetts H 4263: An Act establishing a charter for the city of Medford Massachusetts H 4263, An Act establishing a charter for the city of Medford, is a 194th General Court (2025-2026) House bill sponsored by Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government; status signed, last action 2025-09-19 (Signed by the Governor, Chapter 30 of the Acts of 2025); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4263-194 - As of: 2026-11-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Massachusetts H 4263 - State: Massachusetts - Session: 194th General Court (2025-2026) - Title: An Act establishing a charter for the city of Medford - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-07-16 - Last action: 2025-09-19, Signed by the Governor, Chapter 30 of the Acts of 2025 - Sponsor: Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government - Cosponsors: 3 - Subjects: Municipalities and Regional Government, House Steering, Policy and Scheduling, Bills in the Third Reading - Touches household money: yes - Economic provisions PRIA read: 18 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - 11-member council and ward representation: benefit, low. 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… - Annual audits and budget transparency: benefit, low. 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 ye… - Council pay changes and job bans: benefit, low. 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: benefit, low. 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: benefit, low. 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;… - More openness for city laws and rules: benefit, low. 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 r… - New budget and project planning rules: benefit, low. 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 may… - New Medford city charter and powers: benefit, low. 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 w… - Open council meetings and information access: benefit, low. 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 mus… - Process to recall the mayor: benefit, low. 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 wi… - Mayor veto, vacancies, and temporary fill-ins: mixed, low. 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 abs… - Nonpartisan ballots and limits on initiatives: mixed, low. 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: mixed, low. 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 trigger… - School committee roles, pay, and jobs: mixed, low. 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 an… - Strong mayor powers and appointments: mixed, low. 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 suspe… - Voters can propose or repeal laws: mixed, low. 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 c… - When the new charter takes effect: mixed, low. 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… - New school committee and duties: mixed, low. 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… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government - Cosponsor: Christine P. Barber (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Paul J. Donato (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Sean Garballey (Democratic), House ## Actions (19) - 2025-09-19: Signed by the Governor, Chapter 30 of the Acts of 2025 - 2025-09-11: Enacted and laid before the Governor (Senate) - 2025-09-11: Enacted (House) - 2025-09-11: Senate concurred in the House further amendment (Senate) - 2025-09-11: Rules suspended (Senate) - 2025-09-11: House concurred in the Senate amendment with a further amendment (House) - 2025-09-08: Referred to the committee on Bills in the Third Reading (House) - 2025-09-04: Passed to be engrossed (Senate) - 2025-09-04: Amended (Jehlen) by striking out all after the enacting clause and inserting in place thereof the text of S2597 (Senate) - 2025-09-04: Read third (Senate) - 2025-09-04: Taken out of the Orders of the Day (Senate) - 2025-08-18: Read, rules suspended, read second and ordered to a third reading (Senate) - 2025-08-14: Read third and passed to be engrossed (House) - 2025-07-21: Read second and ordered to a third reading (House) - 2025-07-21: Rules suspended (House) - 2025-07-21: Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting (House) - 2025-07-16: Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling (House) - 2025-07-16: New draft of H4146 (House) - 2025-07-16: Reported from the committee on Municipalities and Regional Government (House) ## Bill text - Chapter 30 of the Acts of 2025, 2025-09-19: [PDF](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4263.pdf) ## Related bills - H 4585: An Act authorizing the town of Auburn to offer expanded senior property tax abatements (signed) - H 5435: An Act authorizing the town of Topsfield to continue to employment of police chief Neal Hovey (passed senate) - H 5515: An Act to increase the value of estates eligible for abatements pursuant to M.G.L. chapter 59, section 5, clauses seventeenth D and forty-first C in the town o… (passed house) - H 3909: An Act authorizing the Provincetown year-round market rate rental housing trust to acquire year-round housing occupancy restrictions (signed) - H 5429: An Act providing injured on duty compensation to Chelmsford firefighter Nicholas Spinale (second reading) - H 5520: An Act exempting George Patrinos from the maximum age requirement age for the position of firefighter in the town of Dudley (signed) ## Sources - [Chapter 30 of the Acts of 2025 (PDF)](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4263.pdf) ## Related - [H 4585: An Act authorizing the town of Auburn to offer expanded senior property tax aba…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4585-194) - [H 5435: An Act authorizing the town of Topsfield to continue to employment of police ch…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5435-194) - [H 5515: An Act to increase the value of estates eligible for abatements pursuant to M.G…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5515-194) - [H 3909: An Act authorizing the Provincetown year-round market rate rental housing trust…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H3909-194) - [H 5429: An Act providing injured on duty compensation to Chelmsford firefighter Nichola…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5429-194) - [H 5520: An Act exempting George Patrinos from the maximum age requirement age for the p…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5520-194) - [Massachusetts bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/massachusetts/bills) - [Massachusetts state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/massachusetts) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4263-194 (as of 2026-11-01).