Bill H.4400

SECTION 1. The charter of the city known as the town of Randolph, 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 deleting the words “shall serve without” from Section 2-4(a) and replacing those words with the following: “may receive”. Said Section 2-4(a) is further amended by adding the words “as provided by ordinance” at the end of subsection (a).

SECTION 2. Said charter is hereby further amended by adding the words “, and may receive compensation as provided by ordinance” after the word “duties” in Section 4-1(e).

SECTION 3. Said charter is hereby further amended by deleting the second paragraph of Section 2-9(b) and replacing it with the following:

On the first occasion that the question of adopting any measure is put to the town council for a vote, except an emergency measure as defined in subsection (a), if a single member objects to the taking of a vote, the vote shall be postponed until the next regular or special meeting of the town council. If, when the matter is next taken up for a vote, 4 or more members object to the taking of the vote, the matter shall be further postponed for at least 4 additional days. This procedure shall not be used more than once for any measure, notwithstanding any amendment made to the original measure.

SECTION 4. Said charter is hereby further amended by deleting Section 2-6(c)(ii) and replacing it with the following:

Special meetings of the town council shall be held at the call of the council president upon 48 hours' notice to all members. Special meetings of the town council may also be held upon the call of any 3 or more members, upon 48 hours' notice delivered in hand or to the place of residence of each member. Notice of a special meeting shall contain a listing of the items to be acted upon. A copy of the notice to members shall, forthwith, be posted upon the town bulletin board. In the case of emergency, notice of a special meeting shall be given as far in advance of the meeting as possible under the circumstances.

SECTION 5. Said charter is hereby further amended by deleting Section 8-6(a) and replacing it with the following:

Meetings - All multiple-member bodies of the town shall meet regularly at such times and places as they may, by their own rules, prescribe, unless some other provision is made by ordinance. Special meetings of any multiple-member body shall be held at the call of the chair upon 48 hours' notice to all members. Special meetings may also be held upon the call of one-third of the members of the body, upon 48 hours' notice delivered in hand or to the place of residence of each member. Notice of a special meeting shall contain a listing of the items to be acted upon. A copy of the notice to members shall, forthwith, be posted upon the town bulletin board. In the case of emergency, notice of a special meeting shall be given as far in advance of the meeting as possible under the circumstances.

SECTION 6. The town attorney shall cause the following question to be placed on the official ballot to be used in the city known as the town of Randolph at the next town election that is more than 35 days after the effective date of this act, or on such other official town ballot, before or after the effective date of this act, as may be authorized by the Town Council:

“Question 1: Shall the town amend the town charter to provide that elected town council members and school committee members may be compensated in an amount to be provided by ordinance, to clarify the rules for voting on town council measures when one councilor objects to the measure, and to clarify the notice requirements for special meetings of the town council and other multiple-member town boards?

Yes _______ No _______”.

The town attorney for the city known as the town of Randolph shall prepare a summary of the ballot question which shall appear on the ballot along with the question provided in this section.

SECTION 7. (a) If the voters in the city known as the town of Randolph approve question 1 in section 6, then sections 1 through 5 shall take effect.

(b) If the voters in the city known as the town of Randolph do not approve question 1 in section 6, then sections 1 through 5 shall not take effect.

SECTION 8. Sections 1 through 5 of this act shall take effect on January 1, 2026 or upon the passage of the act, whichever is later. Sections 6-8 of this act shall take effect upon the passage of the act.

The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The General Court provides this information as a public service and while we endeavor to keep the data accurate and current to the best of our ability, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.