All general laws, special laws, Town By-laws,
votes, rules and regulations of or pertaining to the Town which are
in force when this Charter takes effect and which are not inconsistent
with the provisions of this Charter shall continue in full force and
effect until amended or rescinded by due course of law or expire by
law limitation.
Except as otherwise provided the following Section
8-8, Effective Date, all committees, commissions, boards, departments, officers and other agencies of the Town shall continue to perform their duties until reappointed, re-elected, or until successors to their respective positions are duly appointed or elected or their duties have been transferred.
Any person holding an office or position in
the administrative service of the Town, or any person serving in the
employment of the Town shall retain such office or position and shall
continue to perform his/her duties until provisions shall have been
made in accordance with this Charter for the performance of the said
duties by another person or agency; provided, however, that no person
in the permanent full-time service or employment of the Town, shall
forfeit his/her pay grade or time in service. All such persons shall
be retained in a capacity as similar to their former capacity as it
is practical so to do.
All records, property and equipment whatsoever
of any office, department or agency or part thereof, the powers and
duties of which are assigned in whole or in part to another office,
department or agency, shall be transferred forthwith to the office,
department or agency to which such powers and duties are assigned.
The following special acts are hereby repealed:
Chapter 377 of the Acts of 1924; Chapter 313 of the Acts of 1953;
Chapter 549 of the Acts of 1956; Chapter 596 of the Acts of 1967;
and Chapter 709 of the Acts of 1969.
All leases, contracts, franchises, and obligations
entered into by the Town or for its benefit, prior to the effective
date of this Charter shall continue in full force and effect.
No action or proceeding, civil or criminal,
in law or in equity, pending at the time when this Charter is to take
effect, brought by or against the Town or any office, department or
other agency thereof, shall be affected or abated by the adoption
of this Charter.
This Charter, as amended, shall be fully effective
upon its approval by the voters at the election at which it is submitted
to them except as follows:
(A) At the annual town election held in the year following
the year in which this Charter is adopted, the terms of office of
all incumbent members of the Board of Library Trustees shall be terminated.
At the said election, five (5) members shall be elected as a Board
of Library Trustees: the two (2) candidates receiving the highest
number of votes for the office shall serve for a term of three (3)
years, the two candidates who receive the next highest number of votes
shall serve for a term of two (2) years and the fifth candidate elected
shall serve for a term of one (1) year term.
(B) The terms of all other elected officials, whether
elected at the election at which this Charter is adopted or serving
the balance of terms of which they were elected in prior elections,
shall continue to serve the full term for which they were elected.
(C) Except in the case of the representatives of the Finance Committee the terms of office of the members of the Capital Budget Committee shall continue to their normal expiration at which time the Moderator shall appoint a successor (who may be the incumbent) in the manner provided and for a term consistent with the provisions of Article
II, Section 2-9(G)(1). The Finance Committee and Planning Board representatives on the Capital Budget Committee at the time this Charter is adopted shall thenceforth cease to be members of the Capital Budget Committee unless appointed by the Moderator in accordance with Article
II, Section 2-9(G)(1).
(D) The terms of office of all members of the By-law Committee
appointed by the Select Board shall be terminated on the same date,
fixed by the Select Board, not more than ninety (90) days following
the date on which this Charter is adopted.
[Amended 10-21-2019 FATM, Art. 19]
(E) The provisions of Article
IV, Section
4-1, making the office of the Town Administrator subject to the consolidated Personnel of the Town shall not be applicable with respect to vacation days and other benefits accrued to the current holder of that office through the date of said election.