Session Laws

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. The town of Sturbridge is hereby authorized to impose a local excise tax upon the transfer of occupancy of any room or rooms in a hotel, lodging house, or motel in accordance with the provisions of section three A of chapter sixty-four G of the General Laws in the amount of one and three-tenths per cent of the total amount of rent for each such occupancy. Such amount shall be in addition to any other such local excise tax imposed by the town pursuant to the provisions of said section three A of said chapter sixty-four G; provided, however, that in no event shall the total of such local excise tax exceed the amount established in said section three A of said chapter sixty-four G.

SECTION 2. Notwithstanding the provisions of section fifty-three of chapter forty-four of the General Laws, said town of Sturbridge may establish in the town treasury a revolving fund which the town treasurer of said town shall keep separate and apart from all other monies and in which fund shall be deposited said one and three-tenths per cent collected under the authority of section one of this act.

SECTION 3. There is hereby established in the town of Sturbridge a Sturbridge betterment committee to consist of five members to be appointed by the board of selectmen as follows: one member of the board of selectmen, one representative from the hotel or motel trade, the financial manager, executive secretary, town manager or other administrative official of said town, one member of the planning board and one person who is a member of the town safety committee, recreation committee, Route 20 study committee or similar public sector organization. The board of selectmen shall fill any vacancies in said committee in a like manner.

SECTION 4. Said Sturbridge betterment committee, shall recommend to the annual town meeting, commencing with the nineteen hundred and eighty-seven annual town meeting programs or projects that tend to enhance the beautification, recreational resources or public safety of the town and which are of clear mutual interest to the residents of and visitors to the town. The cost of such programs or projects shall not exceed one-half of the available funds in the revolving fund established in section two.

SECTION 5. The tourist association or committee established in the town of Sturbridge for the purpose of encouraging tourism and known as the Sturbridge Tourist Association, shall recommend to the annual town meeting, commencing with the nineteen hundred and eighty-seven annual town meeting, programs or projects that tend to promote or strengthen the town as an attractive center for tourism and conventions. The cost of such programs or projects shall not exceed one-half of the available funds in the revolving fund established in section two.

SECTION 6. The provisions of this act shall take effect as of January first, nineteen hundred and eighty-seven.