HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3074        FILED ON: 1/14/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4096

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act to amend the charter of the town of Dedham to clarify the method of organizing town agencies..

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 charter of the town of Dedham, which is on file in the office of the archivist of the commonwealth, as provided in section 12 of chapter 43B of the General Laws, is hereby amended by striking out subsection (p) of section 4-2 and inserting in place thereof the following subsection: -

(p) To create, reorganize, expand, consolidate or abolish, in the manner provided in Article 5, town agencies serving under the supervision of the town administrator, in whole or in part, and provide for reassignment of powers, duties, functions and responsibilities with and among such agencies so created or existing, notwithstanding any specific designation of a town agency or any specific assignment of powers, duties, functions and responsibilities within this charter. For purposes of article 5 of this charter, functions assigned by this charter to appointed town agencies under the supervision of the town administrator may be assigned to any other agency under the supervision of the town administrator or to any board, commission, committee, department, position or office of any such agency in the manner provided in said article 5.

SECTION 2. Section 5-1 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out subsections (c)(6) and (c)(7) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection: -

(c)(6) The director of finance shall appoint, with the consent of the town administrator, a treasurer-collector. The treasurer-collector shall be a person qualified by education, training, and previous experience to perform the duties of the office. Subject to the supervision of the director of finance, the treasurer-collector shall receive and take charge of all funds belonging to the town, shall collect all accounts due to the town and shall have all of the powers and duties which treasurers and collectors may have under the constitution and laws of the commonwealth. The treasurer-collector may also exercise such additional powers and duties as may from time to time be assigned to that office by the charter, by by-law or by other vote of the town meeting. A treasurer-collector may be removed from office in accordance with the procedures established in section 6-15. The functions assigned by this charter to the treasurer-collector may be separated and assigned to a separate treasurer and a separate collector by the town meeting, in the manner provided by section 5-3 (a), or by the town administrator, in the manner provided by section 5-3 (b).

SECTION 3. Subsection (a) of section 5-3 of said charter is hereby amended by adding the following sentence at the end:- 

Pursuant to subsection (p) of section 4-2, functions assigned by this charter to appointed town agencies under the supervision of the town administrator may be assigned to any other appointed agency under the supervision of the town administrator or to any board, commission, committee, department, position or office of any such agency by by-law.

SECTION 4. Subsection (b) of said section 5-3 of said charter is hereby further amended by adding the following sentence at the end:-

Pursuant to subsection (p) of section 4-2, functions assigned by this charter to appointed town agencies under the supervision of the town administrator may be assigned to any other appointed agency under the supervision of the town administrator or to any board, commission, committee, department, position or office of any such agency in the manner provided herein.

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