Massachusetts Statutes

Section 53. If a town, regional school district, or a district as defined in section one A, or any of its officers or agents are about to raise or expend money or incur obligations purporting to bind said town, regional school district, or district for any purpose or object or in…

Section 54. No building permit shall be issued for the construction of a building which would necessitate the use of water therein, unless a supply of water is available therefor either from a water system operated by a city, town or district, or from a well located on the land w…

Section 54A. If a city or town or any other person purchases any former railroad right-of-way in the commonwealth, no permit to build a structure of any kind on land so purchased shall be issued by any city or town in the commonwealth without first obtaining the consent, or a det…

Section 55. Any city through an officer designated by the city council or any town through an officer designated by the selectmen which operates a hospital may enter into a written agreement with such hospital employees to purchase or make payments to an individual or group annui…

Section 56. Every fifth year, the commissioner shall certify as to whether the board of assessors is assessing property at full and fair cash valuation. Once certified, a city or town may classify in the manner set out in this section for the year of certification and for the 4 y…

Section 57. Any city or town which accepts the provisions of this section, may by by-law or ordinance deny any application for, or revoke or suspend a building permit, or any local license or permit including renewals and transfers issued by any board, officer, department for any…

Section 58. Any city or town may impose a lien on real property located within the city or town for any local charge or fee that has not been paid by the due date, said lien shall be known as the ''municipal charges lien''; provided, that a separate vote at a town meeting, or by …

Section 59. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, any city or town by vote of its town meeting, town council, or city council with the approval of the mayor where required by law, on its own behalf or in conjunction with one or more cities or towns, may adop…

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…

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 …

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 prec…

Section 5D. In order to offset the anticipated costs for funding the contributory retirement systems, cities, towns, counties and districts may appropriate in any year an amount not exceeding five per cent of the amount raised in the preceding year by taxation of real estate and …

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-te…

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 faci…

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 appro…

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 …

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 b…

Section 60. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, a city or town by vote of its town meeting, town council or city council with the approval of the mayor where required by law, on its own behalf or in conjunction with 1 or more cities or towns and under …

Section 60A. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, a city or town, by vote of its town meeting, town council or city council, with the approval of the mayor where required by law, on its own behalf or in conjunction with 1 or more cities or towns and pur…

Section 60B. (a) A city or town, by vote of its town meeting, town council or city council, with the approval of the mayor where required by law, on its own behalf or in conjunction with one or more cities or towns, may adopt and implement a workforce housing special tax assessme…

Section 61. As used in this section and sections 62 to 69, inclusive, the following words shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly requires otherwise: ''Governmental unit'', a city, town, county, water district, wastewater district, municipal water and sewer c…

Section 62. Pursuant to sections 61 to 69, inclusive, a governmental unit may enter into contracts for the inspection, maintenance, repair or modification of a water storage facility to maintain adequate services to users and to ensure that the water storage facility is in compli…

Section 63. (a) A contract awarded under section 62 may provide for a term, not exceeding 15 years, and an option for renewal or extension of inspection, maintenance, repair or modification services for 1 additional term not exceeding 5 years. When a contract is to contain an opt…

Section 64. The chief procurement officer of a governmental unit shall solicit proposals in conformance with section 6 of chapter 30B. Information from the governmental unit shall contain a full and complete description of the condition of the water storage tank as written by an …

Section 65. The chief procurement officer of a governmental unit shall award the contract to the most advantageous proposal from a responsible and responsive offeror taking into consideration price and the evaluation criteria set forth in the request for proposals; provided, howe…

Section 66. A contract awarded under sections 61 to 69, inclusive, shall be subject to such terms and conditions as the governmental unit shall determine to be in its best interest. The selected offeror shall furnish to the governmental unit performance bonds, payment bonds or ot…

Section 67. The department of environmental protection may issue project approval certificates with respect to capital project costs identified with a contract procured by a governmental unit under sections 61 to 69, inclusive, for facilities improvements.

Section 68. A contract made in violation of sections 61 to 69, inclusive, shall be void and the governmental unit shall make no payment under any such contract. Minor informalities shall not render a contract void.

Section 69. Public notice of the request for proposals shall be published in the central register pursuant to section 20A of chapter 9 at least 30 days before the time specified for receipt of proposals in the request for proposals.

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 ci…

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 …

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,…

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 tot…

Section 6J. A city or town which accepts this section may appropriate money for the purchase of stormy weather work clothes, including rubber boots, and other work clothes for its employees.

Section 6K. A city or town which accepts this section may appropriate money for the purchase of uniforms for public health nurses employed by its board of health.

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.

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) t…

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 insuranc…

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 …

Section 70. (a) A city or town may enter into an agreement with a housing developer or residential development owner to provide a preference for affordable housing to low- or moderate-income veterans, as defined in clause Forty-third of section 7 of chapter 4 if the residential d…

Section 71. (a) As used in this section, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings: ''District'', as defined in section 2 of chapter 70. ''School bus violation detection monitoring system'' or ''system'', as defined in s…

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…

Section 8. A city, or a town which accepts chapter thirty-one or has accepted corresponding provisions of earlier laws, may appropriate money for the enforcement therein of the laws relating to its civil service.

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 ass…

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 aging and independence. The council shall su…

Section 8C. A city or town which accepts this section may establish a conservation commission, hereinafter called the commission, for the promotion and development of the natural resources and for the protection of watershed resources of said city or town. Such commission shall c…