AN ACT AMENDING THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF SOMERVILLE.
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 2 of title 1 of the charter of the city of Somerville, 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 striking out the words “board of aldermen” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- city council.
SECTION 2. Section 6 of title 2 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- city council.
SECTION 3. Section 7 of said title 2 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen”, each time they appear, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- city council.
SECTION 4. Said section 7 of said title 2 of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out the words “alderman-at-large”, each time they appear, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- councilor-at-large.
SECTION 5. Said section 7 of said title 2 of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out the words “office of alderman”, each time they appear, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- office of councilor.
SECTION 6. Section 8 of said title 2 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- city council.
SECTION 7. Section 10 of title 3 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the title and inserting in place thereof the following title:- Sec. 10. – City Council—Composition; election; terms.
SECTION 8. Said section 10 of said title 3 of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen”, each time they appear, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- city council.
SECTION 9. Said section 10 of said title 3 of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out the word “aldermen” and inserting in place thereof the following word:- councilors.
SECTION 10. Said section 10 of said title 3 of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out the word “alderman” and inserting in place thereof the following word:- councilor.
SECTION 11. Said section 10 of said title 3 of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out the word “board” and inserting in place thereof the following word:- council.
SECTION 12. Section 11 of said title 3 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen”, each time they appear, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- city council.
SECTION 13. Said section 11 of said title 3 of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out the word “board” and inserting in place thereof the following word:- council.
SECTION 14. The title of section 12 of said title 3 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the word “aldermen” and inserting in place thereof the following word:- councilors.
SECTION 15. Said section 12 of said title 3 of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out the words “aldermen-elect” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- councilors-elect.
SECTION 16. Said section 12 of said title 3 of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- city council.
SECTION 17. Said section 12 of said title 3 of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out the words “alderman-elect” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- councilor-elect.
SECTION 18. Section 13 of said title 3 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen”, each time they appear, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- city council.
SECTION 19. Said section 13 of said title 3 of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out the word “board”, each time it appears, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following word:- council.
SECTION 20. Section 15 of said title 3 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- city council.
SECTION 21. Said section 15 of said title 3 of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out the word “board” and inserting in place thereof the following word:- council.
SECTION 22. Section 16 of said title 3 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen”, each time they appear, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- city council.
SECTION 23. Said section 16 of said title 3 of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out the word “board” and inserting in place thereof the following word:- council.
SECTION 24. Said title 3 of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out section 17 and inserting in place thereof the following section:-
Sec.17. – Powers and duties of city council.
(a) The city council shall, except as otherwise provided in this charter, have and exercise the powers and duties set forth in this section.
(b) The city council shall have all the powers, authorities and duties of towns, boards of aldermen, city councils and common councils of cities under the General Laws; provided, however, that all appointments required by law to be made by the mayor and aldermen shall be made by the mayor, subject to confirmation by the city council.
(c) The city council shall have all the powers, authorities and duties now held by the city of Somerville, the city council, the common council, the board of aldermen or the board of mayor and aldermen of Somerville, by special laws.
(d) Subject to the veto power of the mayor, as provided in this charter, the city council shall have the power, without appeal from its decision, to lay out, locate anew, alter, widen and discontinue public ways and streets and to order specific repairs or a change of grade therein; to order the construction of sidewalks and of sewers and to take real estate therefore. Any such taking shall be made under chapter 79 of the General Laws, and any person injured in the person’s real estate by acts done by the council hereunder may recover damages under said chapter 79. No public way or street shall be laid out, located anew, changed as to grade or otherwise, widened or discontinued, until a public hearing has been held after notice given in accordance with the General Laws relating to public ways. Said hearing may be adjourned from time to time.
(e) The city council shall have the power to make ordinances and to affix penalties for the violation thereof. The penalty for the violation of any ordinance, rule or regulation adopted or issued in pursuance thereof shall be a fine of not more than $300 for each offense; provided, however, that when a higher penalty is permitted by the General Laws, such higher penalty shall be the maximum for each offense.
SECTION 25. Section 18 of said title 3 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen”, each time they appear, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- city council.
SECTION 26. Section 21 of title 4 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen”, each time they appear, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- city council.
SECTION 27. Section 23 of said title 4 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen” and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- city council.
SECTION 28. Said section 23 of said title 4 of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out the word “board”, each time it appears, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following word:- council.
SECTION 29. Section 24 of said title 4 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen”, each time they appear, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- city council.
SECTION 30. Said section 24 of said title 4 of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out the word “board”, each time it appears, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following word:- council.
SECTION 31. Section 25 of said title 4 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- city council.
SECTION 32. Section 27 of said title 4 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen”, each time they appear, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- city council.
SECTION 33. Said section 27 of said title 4 of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out the word “board”, each time it appears, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following word:- council.
SECTION 34. Section 28 of title 5 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen”, each time they appear, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- city council.
SECTION 35. Section 31 of title 6 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen”, each time they appear, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- city council.
SECTION 36. Section 36 of said title 6 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen”, each time they appear, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- city council.
SECTION 37. Section 38 of said title 6 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- city council.
SECTION 38. Section 39 of said title 6 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- city council.
SECTION 39. Section 40A of said title 6 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- city council.
SECTION 40. Section 40B of said title 6 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- city council.
SECTION 41. Section 40C of said title 6 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen”, each time they appear, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- city council.
SECTION 42. Section 40D of said title 6 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- city council.
SECTION 43. Section 42 of said title 6 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- city council.
SECTION 44. Section 45 of said title 6 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the word “aldermen”, each time it appears, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- councilors.
SECTION 45. Section 46 of title 7 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- city council.
SECTION 46. Section 46D of said title 7 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen”, each time they appear, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- city council.
SECTION 47. The title of section 47 of said title 7 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the word “aldermen” and inserting in place thereof the following word:- councilors.
SECTION 48. Said section 47 of said title 7 of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- city council.
SECTION 49. Section 48 of said title 7 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen”, each time they appear, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- city council.
SECTION 50. Section 50 of said title 7 of said charter is hereby amended by striking out the words “board of aldermen” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- city council.
Approved, January 1, 2019.