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. There is hereby established in the town of Auburn, a department of finance which shall provide the finance services for said town of Auburn. Said department shall assume the powers and duties presently exercised by the offices of town treasurer, town collector, town accountant, and town assessor. All appointments and removals of personnel in the department of finance shall be made by the board of selectmen.

SECTION 2. There is hereby established in the town of Auburn, the office of finance director. The finance director shall be appointed by the board of selectmen to head the department of finance for a term not exceeding three years. Said finance director need not be a resident or voter in the town of Auburn. Said finance director shall work in coordination with and subject to the administrative oversight of the executive secretary in accordance with the policies of said board of selectmen.

SECTION 3. The finance director may be appointed by the board of selectmen to serve as assistant to the executive secretary. In addition, said finance director may also be appointed to serve as the town accountant or town treasurer, but may not serve as both town accountant and town treasurer simultaneously.

SECTION 4. The finance director may be appointed to serve as the town assessor provided that said finance director meets the minimum qualifications as outlined by the department of revenue and is not serving as either town accountant or town treasurer.

SECTION 5. Upon appointment of a finance director, the office of town treasurer, town collector, town accountant and town assessor shall be abolished and their functions shall be transferred to the department of finance. The incumbents of their offices shall be transferred with their same pay, grade, benefits, and time in service to the department of finance for the remainder of their current terms to serve as division heads, after which the board of selectmen shall appoint officers for each of these positions. None of the above mentioned officers need be residents of the town of Auburn. These officers shall be subject to the supervision, coordination and direction of the finance director.

SECTION 6. Upon appointment of a finance director, the employees of the offices of town treasurer, town collector, town accountant and town assessor shall be transferred to the department of finance. All employees transferred pursuant to this act, shall be transferred with their same pay, grade, benefits and time in service seniority status.

SECTION 7. The finance department may establish rules and regulations, subject to the approval of the board of selectmen, regarding the financial affairs of the town of Auburn.

SECTION 8. Section 3.04 of chapter 3 of the charter of the town of Auburn, which is on file with the archivist of the commonwealth as provided by section 12 of chapter 43B of the General Laws, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 6, the words "a treasurer for a term of three years, who may also serve as tax collector".

SECTION 9. The third paragraph of section 3.06 of said chapter 3 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words "town accountant, town collector".

SECTION 10. Said section 3.06 of said chapter 3 of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out, in lines 25 to 27, inclusive, and inserting in place thereof the following words:- a finance director for a term of three years, who may also be either the town accountant or the town treasurer or the town assessor.

SECTION 11. This act shall take effect upon its approval by the voters of the town of Auburn.