Massachusetts Statutes

Section 20. The commission shall at all times keep full and accurate accounts of its receipts, expenditures, disbursements, assets and liabilities, which shall be open to inspection by any officer or duly appointed agent of the commonwealth or the municipality. The commission sha…

Section 21. Upon termination or dissolution of the commission, the title to all funds and other properties owned by it which remain after payment of all bonds and other obligations of the commission shall vest in the municipality. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the commission …

Section 22. Except as otherwise provided herein, upon title to the water works system and the sewer works system becoming vested in the commission under the provisions of section five, any provisions of any special law and part of any special law and all ordinances and parts of o…

Section 23. The provisions of this chapter shall be deemed to provide an exclusive, additional, alternative and complete method for the doing of the things authorized hereby and shall be deemed and construed to be supplemental and additional to, and not in derogation of, powers c…

Section 24. This chapter, being necessary for the welfare of the municipality and its inhabitants, shall be liberally construed to effect the purposes hereof.

Section 25. Municipalities may join together to form a regional water and sewer district commission in the following manner: (a) Any town by vote in town meeting duly called therefore or city by a vote of the city council and approved by the mayor, except in Plan D and Plan E cit…

Section 26. This chapter shall be construed in all respects so as to meet all constitutional requirements. In carrying out the purposes and provisions of this chapter, all steps shall be taken which are necessary to meet constitutional requirements whether or not such steps are r…

Section 27. This chapter may be accepted, in a city or town in the manner provided in section 4 of chapter 4, and in the case of an existing water and sewer commission established as an independent body politic and corporate pursuant to a special law, by its board of commissioner…

Section 3. As used in this chapter the following words shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the following meanings:— ''Bonds'' or ''Bond'', bonds, notes and other obligations or evidences of indebtedness of the commission issued under the provisions of this chapter.…

Section 4. In any city or town which accepts the provisions of this chapter, there is hereby created a body politic and corporate and political subdivision of the commonwealth to be known as the water and sewer commission of the municipality. The commission is hereby constituted …

Section 5. The commission may appoint, employ and determine the compensation, duties and conditions of employment of an executive director and such other officers as the commission shall deem necessary, who shall not be members of the commission and who shall serve at the pleasur…

Section 6. On the date of the issuance of the notes of the commission authorized pursuant to section nine, title to the water works system and the sewer works system shall be vested in the commission and the possession of the water works system and the sewer works system shall be…

Section 7. (a) Twelve months after the acceptance of this chapter, or such earlier date not prior to six months after said acceptance, as the commission shall determine, the employees of the municipality whose work is primarily related to the water works system or the sewer works…

Section 8. The commission shall have all the rights and powers necessary or convenient to carry out and effectuate this chapter, including, but without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the rights and powers: (a) to adopt by-laws for the regulation of its affairs and the …

Section 9. In addition to the powers of the commission otherwise provided herein, the commission shall have the following powers and shall be subject to the following limitations: (a) The commission is authorized and empowered to fix, revise, charge, collect and abate fees, rates…

Section 1. As used in this chapter the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings: ''Business improvement district board of directors'' or ''Board of directors'', a locally designated board of property owners or their designe…

Section 10. A BID may be dissolved by petition to the local municipal governing body and a subsequent decision by such governing body to authorize dissolution. In order to be considered by the local municipal governing body, a petition to dissolve a BID shall contain the signatur…

Section 2. The rights and powers of a BID approved by a municipal governing body shall include: retaining or recruiting business; administering and managing central and neighborhood business districts; promoting economic development; managing parking; designing, engineering, cons…

Section 3. The organization of a BID shall be initiated by a petition of the property owners within the proposed BID which shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the municipality. Such petition shall contain: (1) the signatures of the owners of at least fifty-one percent of…

Section 4. The local municipal governing body shall hold a public hearing within sixty days of the receipt of a petition. Written notification of such hearing shall be sent to each property owner within the boundary of the proposed BID at least thirty days prior to such hearing, …

Section 5. Each BID shall have a board of directors who shall oversee the management entity to insure the implementation of the improvement plan. The BID board of directors shall be designated by a majority vote of the electors, or their designees, who own real property participa…

Section 6. All real property located within the proposed BID shall be considered in the fee formula for the supplemental services and programs as outlined in the improvement plan. The municipality may exempt from fees certain properties, specifically classified as: (1) owner-occu…

Section 7. By formal approval of a BID, the local municipal governing body shall adopt the district fee structure for the financing of items submitted in the improvement plan for the BID; provided, however, that the total fees assessed in any one year may not exceed one-half of o…

Section 8. The collector-treasurer of each municipality is hereby authorized to collect such district fees in designated BIDs and to disburse the funds to the designated management entity. The district fees collected shall be used solely to fund items identified and approved in t…

Section 9. At any time after the establishment of a BID pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, the improvement plan upon which the establishment was based may, upon the recommendation of the BID board of directors, with the concurrence of the owners of at least fifty-one per…

Section 1. This chapter shall be known as The Massachusetts Rent Control Prohibition Act.

Section 2. The purpose of this chapter is to establish a uniform statewide policy that broadly prohibits any regulatory scheme based upon or implementing rent control, except where, following an initial six month period, compliance with such a scheme is voluntary and uncoerced on…

Section 3. For purposes of this chapter, the words ''rent control'' shall mean: (a) any regulation that in any way requires below-market rents for residential properties; and (b) any regulation that is part of a regulatory scheme of rent control as defined in clause (a), includin…

Section 4. No city or town may enact, maintain or enforce rent control of any kind, except that any city or town that accepts this chapter may adopt rent control regulation that provides: (a) after six months from the date of the initial adoption of rent control regulation by a p…

Section 5. Because rent control is a matter of statewide concern, this chapter shall preempt, supersede or nullify any inconsistent, contrary or conflicting state or local law.

Section 1. (a) As used in this chapter, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:— ''Base date'', the last assessment date of the real property tax immediately preceding the creation of the district. ''Development distr…

Section 2. (a) 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 may designate development districts within the boundaries of the city or town…

Section 3. (a) The city or town may retain all or part of the tax increment of an invested revenue district for the purpose of financing the development program. When a development program for an invested revenue district is adopted, the city or town shall adopt a statement of th…

Section 4. (a) A city or town may, by a two-thirds vote as defined in section 1 of chapter 44, authorize, issue and sell bonds including, but not limited to, general obligation or revenue bonds or notes, to finance all project costs needed to carry out the development program wit…

Section 1. It is the purpose of this chapter to encourage smart growth and increased housing production in Massachusetts. Smart growth is a principle of land development that emphasizes mixing land uses, increases the availability of affordable housing by creating a range of hous…

Section 10. A city or town may adopt, in accordance with the regulations of the department, design standards applicable to projects undergoing review by the plan approval authority, to ensure that the physical character of development within the smart growth zoning district is co…

Section 11. (a) A city or town may incorporate provisions within the smart growth zoning district ordinance or by-law that prescribe contents of an application for approval of a project. The ordinance or by-law may require the applicant to pay for reasonable consulting fees to pr…

Section 12. The department shall be responsible for the administration, review, and reporting on the smart growth zoning district program as provided in this chapter. The department shall undertake or cause to be undertaken an annual review and the preparation of a report on the …

Section 13. A city or town may apply to the department for approval of an existing zoning district as a smart growth zoning district if it meets the requirements for such a district, including the affordability requirements and the density requirements. The application shall be t…

Section 14. (a) If, within 3 years, no construction of an approved project has been started within the smart growth zoning district, the department shall require the cities and towns to repay to the department all monies paid to the city or town under this chapter for said smart …

Section 2. As used in this chapter, the following words shall have the following meanings: ''Affordable housing'', housing affordable to and occupied by individuals and families whose annual income is equal to or less than 80 per cent of the areawide median income as determined b…

Section 3. In its zoning ordinance or by-law, a city or town may adopt a smart growth zoning district in an eligible location and may include adjacent areas that are served by existing infrastructure and utilities, and that have safe pedestrian access to at least 1 destination of…

Section 4. (a) Upon application by a city or town, the department shall make a preliminary determination, before the city or town votes on a proposed smart growth zoning ordinance or bylaw, whether the district would be eligible for the financial incentives and the priorities for…

Section 5. The chief executive of a city or town desiring to adopt a smart growth zoning district ordinance or by-law shall submit the necessary materials to the department for a preliminary determination of eligibility for approval. The information in the application shall: (a) …

Section 6. (a) A proposed smart growth zoning district shall satisfy the following minimum requirements: (1) Each proposed district shall be located in an eligible location. (2) The zoning for each proposed smart growth zoning district shall provide for residential use to permit …

Section 7. (a) On or before October 1 of each year after the year of approval of a district by the department, the department shall send a smart growth zoning district certificate of compliance to each city or town with an approved district. In order to receive such a certificate…