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The 193rd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  1. Session Laws
  2. Acts (2007)
  3. Chapter 139

Chapter 139

AN ACT RELATIVE TO THE WESTFIELD MUNICIPAL LIGHT BOARD IN THE CITY OF WESTFIELD.

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 chapter 408 of the acts of 1980 or any other general or special law or ordinance of the city of Westfield to the contrary, the municipal light board of the city of Westfield shall consist of 1 member from each ward of the city to be elected for a term of 2 years at the annual city election in 2007 and at each biennial city election thereafter and 1 member appointed by the mayor, subject to city council confirmation, for a term of 2 years. The first appointed member shall take office concurrently with the board members elected in the 2007 city election or as soon as possible thereafter, and shall hold office until the second Wednesday of January, 2010, or until a successor is duly appointed and qualified. A vacancy of a member elected to the board by a ward shall be filled by the municipal light board and the city council in the same manner that a vacancy on the school committee is filled in accordance with city charter. A member so elected shall serve until the members of the board elected as a result of the next city election are sworn into office.

SECTION 2. Notwithstanding chapter 294 of the acts of 1920 or any other general or special law or ordinance of the city of Westfield to the contrary, to the extent that remuneration is provided to board members for service on the board, all elected or appointed members shall receive, from the available funds of the Westfield Gas and Electric Light Department, the same monetary compensation and shall be allowed access to the same benefits on the same terms.

SECTION 3. Notwithstanding chapter 294 of the acts of 1920 or any other general or special law or ordinance of the city of Westfield to the contrary, the decisions and actions of the municipal light board following the enlargement of the board to 6 members as a result of the city election in the year 2003 shall not be subject to challenge due to the numbers of board members or the method of selection of board members and the decisions or actions of the board otherwise lawful and within the authority of a municipal light board as provided in the General Laws after the 2003 city election which are hereby ratified, validated and confirmed. The board, as presently elected and constituted is hereby empowered to exercise all power and authority of a municipal light board as allowed by city charter and the General Laws.

Approved October 18, 2007.