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March 19, 2024 Clouds | 35°F
The 193rd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

AN ACT RELATIVE TO THE REORGANIZATION OF FRANKLIN COUNTY.

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. Section 567 of chapter 151 of the acts of 1996 is hereby amended by striking out subsection (j) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-

(j) Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, the sheriff of Franklin county shall become an employee of the commonwealth. Said sheriff shall remain an elected official under the provisions of section 159 of chapter 54 of the General Laws and shall be known as the Franklin sheriff. Said sheriff shall operate pursuant to the provisions of chapter 37 of the General Laws. Said sheriff shall retain administrative and operational control over the office of the sheriff, the jail and house of correction.

SECTION 2. Subsection (k) of said section 567 of said chapter 151 is hereby amended by striking out the fifth sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:- Such temporary debt shall not exceed one-half of the amount of the most recent year's audited total revenues of the council of governments, except that, for the purpose of such borrowing in the year following the transfer of functions as provided for in subsection (a), revenues associated with such functions may not be included to establish such total base.

SECTION 3. Said subsection (k) of said section 567 of said chapter 151 is hereby further amended by adding the following sentence:- Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, the Franklin council of governments committee shall assess the Franklin county retirement system for the services of the director of finance in administering the retirement system; provided, however, that said assessment is based upon the hours devoted by the director of finance to such administration.

SECTION 4. Subsection (w) of said section 567 of said chapter 151, as amended by section 124 of chapter 204 of the acts of 1996, is hereby further amended by striking out the sixth and seventh sentences and inserting in place thereof the following five sentences:- Such proposal shall be voted upon by the legislative bodies of each town in the Franklin county region not later than June 30, 1998. Adoption of such charter proposal shall require a majority vote of the legislative bodies in a majority of the towns or a majority vote in a county wide election. Pursuant to chapters 53, 54, 55 and 55B of the General Laws, the state secretary shall place on the biennial election ballot the names of candidates for any generally elected positions created by any charter proposal established under this section. The nomination papers of candidates for any generally elected positions created by said charter proposal to be filled at a state election shall be signed by 500 voters. Candidates for election for any generally elected positions created by any charter proposal established under this section and the nonelected political committees organized on behalf of such candidates, if any, shall file reports of contributions received or expenditures made in accordance with section 18 of said chapter 55 on or before: (1) the eighth day preceding a biennial state election, and, as a final report, January 20 in the following year complete as to December 31 of the prior year; and (2) the eighth day preceding a special election, the thirtieth day following a special election, and, as a final report, January 20 in the following year complete as to December 31 of the prior year.

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

Approved October 1, 1998.