AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE APPOINTED POSITION OF TREASURER-COLLECTOR IN THE TOWN OF AYER
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 any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be an appointed treasurer-collector in the town of Ayer. The treasurer-collector shall be appointed and may be removed by the board of selectmen of the town and shall serve at the pleasure of the board of selectmen. The treasurer-collector shall have all of the powers and duties and be subject to the liabilities and penalties imposed by law on town treasurers and town collectors of taxes. The board of selectmen may establish an employment contract with the treasurer-collector for salary, fringe benefits and other conditions of employment including, but not limited to, severance pay, reimbursement for expenses incurred in performance of the duties of office, liability insurance and conditions of discipline, termination, dismissal, reappointment, performance standards and leave.
SECTION 2. On the effective date of this act, the elected offices of town treasurer and tax collector shall be abolished and the terms of the elected incumbents shall be terminated; provided, however, that the incumbent with the larger amount of time remaining in the incumbent’s term shall become the first appointed treasurer-collector and shall serve in that capacity for a period of time that is equivalent to the remainder of the incumbent’s term or until the position is otherwise vacated, whichever occurs first. Thereafter, appointments to the position of treasurer-collector shall be made in accordance with section 1.
SECTION 3. On the effective date of this act, all records, property and equipment of the office of the treasurer and the office of the tax collector shall be transferred to the office of the treasurer-collector. All official bonds, obligations, contracts and other instruments entered into or executed by or on behalf of the town before the effective date of this act and all taxes, assessments, fines, penalties and forfeitures incurred or imposed, due or owing to the town shall, notwithstanding this act, continue in force and shall be collected without abatement except as otherwise provided by law. No contracts or liabilities in force on the effective date of this act shall be affected by the passage of this act or the abolition of the elected office of treasurer and the elected office of tax collector. The appointed office of treasurer-collector under section 1 shall, in all respects, be the lawful successor of the elected office of treasurer and the elected office of tax collector.
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon its passage.
Approved, April 12, 2018