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 any general or special law to the contrary, the board of selectmen of the town of Groton shall consist of 5 members. At the 2003 annual town election the town shall elect 2 members in addition to the 1 member otherwise to be elected. The 2 new seats shall be separately contested with the candidate receiving the highest number of votes to serve a term of 2 years and the candidate receiving the next highest number of votes to serve a term of 1 year. Thereafter, all members of the board of selectmen shall serve terms of 3 years. Selectmen in office on the effective date of this act shall serve until the expiration of their terms.

SECTION 2. This act shall be submitted to the voters of the town of Groton at a special town election to be held no later than 70 days before the date of the 2003 annual town election in the form of the following question which shall be placed on the official ballot to be used for the election:

"Shall an act passed by the general court in the year 2002 entitled 'An Act providing for an increase in the membership of the board of selectmen for the town of Groton to 5 members' be accepted?"

If a majority of the votes cast in answer to this question is in the affirmative, this act shall take effect, but not otherwise.

SECTION 3. Section 2 of this act shall take effect upon its passage.