7-8-1. Charter Review.
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At least once in every ten (10) years, in each year ending in
a four (4) beginning in the year 2014, a special Charter Review Committee
shall be established for the purpose of reviewing this Charter and
to make a report, with recommendations, to the Town Meeting concerning
any proposed amendments which said committee may determine to be necessary
or desirable. The committee shall consist of five (5) members who
shall be chosen by the Town Moderator. The committee shall meet to
organize forthwith following the final adjournment of the Annual Town
Meeting and shall report to the Annual Town Meeting the following
year with any recommendations.
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7-8-2. By-Law Review.
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At intervals of not more than five (5) years from the date of
adoption of this Charter, proposed revisions or recodifications of
the by-laws of the Town shall be presented to the Town Meeting for
re-enactment. Such revisions or recodifications shall be prepared
by a special By-law Review Committee appointed by the Board of Selectmen
for that purpose, which shall conduct its review under the supervision
of the Town Counsel or, if the Board of Selectmen shall so direct,
by special counsel appointed for that purpose. Such committee shall
be appointed immediately following the adjournment of the Annual Town
Meeting in the year preceding the year in which their report is to
be filed.
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Within eight (8) months following their appointment, the committee
shall cause to be published on the Town's website (1) a report
summarizing their recommendations and noting the times and places
within the Town where complete copies of their report are available
for inspection by the public and (2) the date, time and place not
less than two (2) weeks following such publication when a public hearing
will be held by the committee on the report.
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Subsequent to their enactment by the Town Meeting, copies of
all bylaws shall be forwarded to the Attorney General of the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts for his/her review and approval, and they shall be
otherwise published all as required by the General Laws of the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts. Copies of the revised bylaws shall be made available
for public distribution. In each year between such re-enactments and
publications there shall be published an annual supplement which contains
all by-laws and amendments to by-laws which have been adopted in the
previous year.
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7-9-1. Meetings.
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All multiple member bodies of the Town, whether elected or appointed
or otherwise constituted, shall meet regularly at such times and places
within the Town as they may prescribe. Special meetings of any multiple
member body shall be held on the call of the respective chairman,
or by one-third (1/3) of the members thereof by suitably written notice
delivered to the residence or place of business of each member at
least forty eight hours in advance of the time set. A copy of the
said notice shall also be posted on the Town Bulletin Board. Special
meetings of any multiple member body shall also be called within one
week following the date of the filing with the Town Clerk of a petition
signed by at least fifty (50) voters and which states the purpose
or purposes for which the meeting is to be called. Except as otherwise
authorized by law, all meetings of all multiple member bodies shall
be open and public. However, the multiple member body may recess,
for the purpose of meeting in executive session in accordance with
the General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
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7-9-2. Open Meeting Law.
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Multiple member bodies shall be subject to applicable provisions
of the Open Meeting Law as it may be amended from time to time.
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7-9-3. Rules and Journal.
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Each multiple member body shall determine its own rules and
order of business unless otherwise provided by the charter or by-law,
and shall provide for keeping minutes of its proceedings. Such minutes
shall be voted on and approved within sixty (60) days following the
date of such proceedings. These rules and minutes shall be a public
record kept available in a place convenient to the public at all reasonable
times, and copies shall be kept available in the Town library.
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7-9-4. Voting.
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Except on procedural matters, all votes of all multiple member
bodies shall be taken by voice or roll call vote, the result of which
shall be recorded in the minutes; provided, however, that if the vote
is unanimous, only that fact need be recorded.
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7-9-5. Quorum.
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A majority of the members of the multiple member body shall
constitute a quorum, but a smaller number may adjourn from time to
time. No other action of the multiple member body shall be valid or
binding unless ratified by the affirmative vote of the majority of
the full multiple member body.
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All persons categorized as department heads shall, subject to the consent of the Town Manager, appoint all assistants, subordinates and other employees of the department for which such person is responsible. The department head may suspend or remove any assistant, subordinate or other employee of the department for which such person is responsible in accordance with the procedures established in Section 7-13. The decision of the department head to suspend or remove any assistant, subordinate or other employee shall be subject to review by the Town Manager. A person for whom a department head has determined that suspension or removal is appropriate may seek review of such determination by the Town Manager by filing a petition for review in the office of the Town Manager, in writing, within ten (10) days following receipt of notice of such determination. The review by the Town Manager shall follow the procedures established in Section 7-13. The decision of the Town Manager shall be final.
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Any appointed Town officer, member of a multiple member body
or employee of the Town, not subject to the provisions of the state
civil service law or covered by the terms of a collective bargaining
agreement which provides a different method, and whether appointed
for a fixed or an indefinite term, may be suspended or, after notice
and the opportunity for a hearing, removed from office, without compensation,
by the appointing authority for good cause. The term "good cause"
shall include, but not be limited to incapacity other than temporary
illness, inefficiency, insubordination and conduct unbecoming the
office.
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Any appointed officer, member of a multiple member body or employee of the Town may be suspended from office by the appointing authority if such action is deemed, by said appointing authority, to be necessary to protect the interests of the Town. However, other than the Town Manager as provided in Section 4-7, no suspension shall be for more than fifteen (15) days. Suspension may be coterminous with removal.
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Nothing in this section shall be construed as granting a right
to such a hearing when a person who has been appointed for a fixed
term is not reappointed when the original term expires.
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