SECTION 1: The charter of the town of West Springfield shall hereby be amended to establish a four-year term for mayor be deleting in its entirety the text of section 3.1(b) of said charter and inserting in place thereof the following:- The term of office of the mayor shall be four years beginning on the first business day of January following the biennial town election at which chosen and until a successor is qualified. 

SECTION 2: Said charter shall be further amended by deleting, in section 3-9(a), the words "fifteen months" and inserting in place thereof the following :- 39 months.

SECTION 3: This act shall be submitted for acceptance to the qualified voters of the town of West Springfield at a special election to be held on a date set by the West Springfield Town Council, in accordance with Massachusetts General Law, in the form of the following question:

"Shall an act passed by the General Court in the year 2016 entitled, 'An Act Amending the Charter of the Town of West Springfield to Establish a Four-Year Term for the Office of Mayor' be accepted?"

There shall appear below said question a fair and concise summary of the law prepared by the town attorney. If a majority of the votes in answer to said question is in the affirmative, the provisions of sections 1 and 2 of this act shall take effect forthwith and the office of mayor shall appear on the ballot for a four-year term at the next regular municipal election occurring no less than 60 days following said special election, but not otherwise.

SECTION 4: This act shall take effect upon its passage.