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 office of the chief of police of the town of Oxford shall be exempt from the provisions of chapter 31 of the General Laws.

SECTION 2. The provisions of section 1 shall not impair the civil service status of any person employed on a permanent basis in the position of chief of police of the town of Oxford on the effective date of this act.

SECTION 3. This act shall be submitted for acceptance to the voters of the town of Oxford at an annual town election in the form of the following question which shall be placed upon the official ballot to be used for the election of town officers at said election: "Shall an act passed by the general court in the year 1998 entitled 'An Act exempting the chief of police of the town of Oxford from the provisions of the civil service law', be accepted?" If a majority of the votes cast in answer to said question is in the affirmative, then this act shall thereupon take full effect, but not otherwise.