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City of Melrose, MA
Middlesex County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
[Adopted as Rev. Ords. 1976, §§ 2-69 to 2-86 (Rev. Ords. 1989, §§ 2-151 to 2-168)][1]
[1]
Editor's Note: The following original sections which appeared in this article were deleted 8-21-2017 by Ord. No. 2018-4: former § 56-30, Title; term of office; powers and duties, § 56-34, Statement of exemption from taxation, and § 56-40, Registration of ownership of bonds or notes.
A. 
The City Treasurer shall receive, receipt for and have the care and custody of the current funds of the City from the time the same shall come into his/her possession and also all moneys, properties and securities which may be placed in his/her charge by virtue of any statute, ordinance, gift, devise, bequest or deposit, including cemetery trust funds.
B. 
The City Treasurer may deposit any portion of such current funds in such national banks or trust companies, organized under the laws of Massachusetts, on such conditions and at such rates of interest as he/she shall deem best, and in accordance with the City's investment policy as approved by the Mayor.
[Amended 8-21-2017 by Ord. No. 2018-4]
C. 
The City Treasurer may invest in such securities as are legal investments for savings banks in the commonwealth all money received by virtue of any gift, devise or bequest, including cemetery trust funds, and may sell any of such securities and invest and reinvest the proceeds thereof in the manner above set forth.
[Amended 8-21-2017 by Ord. No. 2018-4]
State law references — Deposits limited by City to 60% of the capital and surplus of the depository, MGL c. 44, § 55; placing trust funds at interest in banks and trust companies required, MGL c. 44, § 54.
The City Treasurer shall negotiate all loans that may be made for the City under the authority and sanction of the Mayor and Council and have the custody of all moneys realized therefrom.
All bonds, notes or scrip hereafter issued by the City shall, when requested by the purchasers, be authenticated by the certificate of such Boston bank or trust company as may be selected by the City Treasurer and approved by the Mayor, and no bond, note or scrip hereafter issued shall be a valid obligation against the City unless so authenticated when requested by the purchasers.
[Added 11-14-2005 by Ord. No. 06-053]
To the extent compatible with Massachusetts General Laws and the Code of Massachusetts Regulations, the City Council shall not approve of any bond without receiving, prior to final passage, information from the City Treasurer, including a projection of the cost (principal and interest) of the bond and a payment schedule reflecting all payments until retirement of the bond. In the case of bonds proposed to be paid from revenues from any enterprise fund, the Treasurer shall also provide a projection estimating the impact of said bond issue on rates required for the operation of the affected enterprise.
The City Treasurer shall make payments from the funds of the City in his/her possession upon the certificate of the Auditor and cause an accurate account of the same to be kept in proper bookkeeping form or such form as the City Council may prescribe.
[Amended 8-21-2017 by Ord. No. 2018-4]
The City Treasurer shall cause to be reported daily to the Auditor a statement of all receipts and disbursements in order that proper entries may be made in the books kept by the Auditor.
[Amended 8-21-2017 by Ord. No. 2018-4]
After heads of departments shall have furnished payrolls of such employees in their respective departments as are entitled by law to be paid, and after such payrolls shall have been properly approved and certified, the Treasurer shall make payment to each employee, his/her authorized agent or attorney and shall take therefor the receipt of no other person than such employee, agent or attorney. The Treasurer shall pay each of such employees at the place where he/she is employed and for that purpose may make the necessary arrangements for transportation to such place or places.
The City Treasurer shall cause all books, papers, vouchers and documents under his/her care belonging to the City to be deposited and kept in a fireproof vault or safe in his/her office in the City Hall and shall render such services and furnish such information respecting the accounts, finances and payments of and to the City as the Mayor, City Council or any committee thereof may, from time to time, require.
The City Treasurer shall pay no bill, payroll or demand unless endorsed with the approval of the Auditor.
Whenever the City acquires any land after foreclosure of the right of redemption under a tax title, the City Treasurer and Collector shall forthwith give written notice thereof, describing such land and its location, to the Planning Board.
[Amended 6-17-1991 by Ord. No. 91-309]
A. 
The City Collector shall collect all taxes, water rents and charges, assessments for betterments, departmental charges and all other moneys due the City. The City Collector shall proceed without delay to collect all accounts which may be committed to him/her by any department of the City in accordance with provisions as set forth in the General Laws. In effecting settlement of accounts, other than taxes and assessments for betterments, the City Solicitor shall render such assistance to the City Collector as he/she may require, and such City Collector shall have the authority to employ such other means to enforce collection as he/she may deem proper.
B. 
The Treasurer and Collector have the authority to refund payments made in error, overpayments and payments made voluntarily but requested to be returned.
State law references — Similar provisions, MGL c. 41, § 38A; MGL c. 60, § 2.
In cases where all attempts to obtain settlement of charges, other than taxes and assessments for betterments, have failed and the same remain unpaid, the City Collector shall certify such fact to the City Solicitor, and if, in the opinion of the City Solicitor, such charges are uncollectible, he/she shall so report to the City Collector. Upon receipt of such report the City Collector shall notify the board or officer making such charges that the same appear to be uncollectible. Such board or officer may thereupon, with the approval of a majority of the members of the Committee on Finance of the City Council, abate such charges, and the City Collector shall be credited with the amount of such abatements on the books of the City. The City Auditor shall be notified, in writing, of all abatements made under this section.
State law reference — Abatement of taxes and other charges and approval of Commissioner of Corporations and Taxation therefor, MGL c. 58, § 8, and MGL c. 59, §§ 59 to 74.
A. 
The City Collector shall issue the tax bills as soon as possible after the tax lists and warrants are delivered to him/her by the Assessors and shall proceed to collect all taxes as provided by law.
B. 
The City Collector shall proceed to collect, by due process of law, all taxes remaining unpaid on the first day of September next ensuing.
[Amended 8-21-2017 by Ord. No. 2018-4]
State law reference — Payment of taxes and interest, MGL c. 59, § 57; issuance of the tax bill, MGL c. 60, § 3.
[Amended 8-21-2017 by Ord. No. 2018-4]
The City Collector shall keep an accurate account of all receipts and payments to him/her on behalf of the City. The City Collector shall pay daily to the City Treasurer all moneys received, stating upon what accounts the same have been received, and shall forward daily to the City Auditor an accurate written statement of the amount and purpose of every such payment.
A. 
Whenever any bills for assessments on account of sidewalks, streets, drains or sewers are committed to the City Collector for collection, he/she shall forthwith demand payment, in writing, and if any assessments remain unpaid for three months after the demand and no notice of apportionments shall have been received by the City Collector, he/she shall proceed to collect the same according to law.
B. 
In the case of each assessment for betterments he/she shall bring to the attention of the person to whom notice thereof is sent the pertinent provisions of law relating to petitions for abatement, the date when a charge for interest will be made and the rate thereof, such policies or procedures with respect to apportionment as the Assessors, acting under authority of law, may from time to time adopt and, if a request for apportionment is required, the time within which such a request must be made.
[Amended 12-16-2002 by Ord. No. 02-060A]
A. 
The City Collector shall forthwith, upon commitment to him/her of charges for water and sewer, as provided in Chapter 228, Water and Sewers, § 228-4, proceed to collect the same in accordance with the provisions of § 56-21 and shall have authority to bring suit therefor in the name of the City in any court of competent jurisdiction.
[Amended 8-21-2017 by Ord. No. 2018-4]
B. 
The City Collector may send notice to each user of water whose bill therefor remains unpaid 60 days after commitment that, unless such bill is paid within 14 days thereafter, the water being supplied to the property may be shut off. At the expiration of the period of 14 days, the City Collector may notify the Director of Public Works to shut off the water from the premises of the user thus delinquent. The Director of Public Works shall thereupon cause the water to be shut off in accordance with such notice, and the water shall not be let on again until the amount due, and $25 for shutting off and turning on, is paid.
[Amended 5-21-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-158; 8-21-2017 by Ord. No. 2018-4]
C. 
Nothing in the foregoing shall be construed to prevent charges for water becoming a lien on real estate as provided in MGL c. 40, §§ 42A to 42F.