HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4355        FILED ON: 6/30/2014

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4257

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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June 30, 2014

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives,

I am filing for your consideration the attached legislation entitled “An Act Validating the Actions Taken at the Annual Town Election in the Town of Dudley.”

Representative Durant, and the Town of Dudley Board of Selectmen have requested that I file this legislation on behalf of the Town.  The purpose of this legislation is to ratify the results of the Annual Town Election, specifically, the Proposition 2 ½ override question that appeared on the ballot.  The Town Administrator is currently holding the position of Town Clerk and inadvertently wrote in ballot question that the increase in property tax would be effective July 2015 instead of July 2014

Despite the language in the ballot question, the Town held a Candidate’s Night on June 4, 2014 where this legislation was discussed.  Additionally, the Candidate’s Night was televised on the local cable channel and was posted on the Town’s website.  No residents of the Town have complained about the change in language, and in fact, many people responded by writing letters to the editor in support of this change.  

I urge your early and favorable consideration of this bill.

Respectfully submitted,

Deval L. Patrick,

Governor

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4257

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Fourteen

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An Act validating the actions taken at the Annual Town Election in the town of Dudley.

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 section 10 of chapter 39 and section 64 of chapter 54 of the General Laws or any other general or special law or by-law to the contrary, all votes, acts and proceedings taken by the town of Dudley at the June 16, 2014 election to exempt from the total limits on taxation imposed by 21C of chapter 59 of the General Laws the amounts required to pay for the purpose of funding 1 full-time police officer position; for the purpose of in-house ambulance coverage from midnight to 6 A.M.; for road maintenance, repairs, and supplies and for the Dudley Charlton regional school district for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2014 are thereby ratified, validated and confirmed, notwithstanding any defect or omission with regard to the warrant for the election.

SECTION 2.  This act shall take effect upon its passage.