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 third paragraph of section 32 of chapter 44 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 1984 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the first sentence and inserting in place thereof the following two sentences:- The city council may by majority vote make appropriations for the purposes recommended and may reduce or reject any amount recommended in the annual budget. It shall not increase any amount in or the total of the annual budget nor add thereto any amount for a purpose not included therein except on recommendation of the mayor, and except as provided in section thirty-three; provided, however, that in the case of the school budget or in the case of a regional school district assessment, the city council, on the recommendation of the school committee or on recommendation of a regional district school committee, may by a two-thirds vote increase the total amount appropriated for the support of the schools or for the regional district schools over that requested by the mayor; and provided, further, that no such increase shall be voted if it would render the total annual budget in excess of the property tax limitations set forth in section twenty-one C of chapter fifty-nine.

SECTION 2. The provisions of this act shall take effect in any city on the first day of the calendar month following its acceptance in the following manner: in a city having a Plan D or Plan E form of government by a majority vote of the city council approved by the city manager; in any other city, by a vote of its city council, approved by the mayor.