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. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law or town by-law to the contrary, the department of budget and finance is hereby established in the town of Dartmouth. Said department shall be under the direction of a full-time director appointed by the board of selectmen.

SECTION 2. Said department of budget and finance shall have all the powers and duties presently vested in the office of town treasurer, town accountant and tax collector and shall have the powers and duties, including the direction of purchasing by the various town boards and departments, as may be assigned and prescribed from time to time by the board of selectmen with the approval of town meeting.

SECTION 3. Said department of budget and finance shall include at least four divisions, consisting of the divisions of treasurer, tax collector, accountant, and purchasing and any other such divisions as the board of selectmen, with the approval of town meeting, may from time to time prescribe.

SECTION 4. Upon the appointment and assumption of office by the director of budget and finance, the terms of the existing town treasurer, tax collector and town accountant shall terminate, but the persons in those offices shall continue as the head of their respective divisions under the direction and supervision of the director of budget and finance until the date that their present terms of office would have expired, with the same salary and benefits. At the the expiration of the term of any office as aforesaid, the director of budget and finance shall assume the powers and duties of treasurer and shall appoint the persons to direct the divisions of town accountant, tax collector, and purchasing, subject to the approval of the board of selectmen.

SECTION 5. This act shall take effect upon its passage.