The duties of the Community Preservation Committee shall be
as described under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 44 § 5, as amended. The Community Preservation Committee shall
serve as an advisory committee to the Stoughton Representative Town
Meeting in the use of funds allocated or raised through the Community
Preservation Act. As an advisory committee to Town Meeting it shall
be subject to all the provisions of the Town Charter and bylaws regarding
public hearings, legal advertising, reporting, publishing, and distribution
of its recommendations to the Town Meeting Representatives.
A. The Community Preservation Committee shall annually meet before the
30th day of November, to study the needs, possibilities and resources
of the Town regarding community preservation. The Committee shall
consult with existing municipal boards, including the Conservation
Commission, the Historical Commission, the Planning Board, the Recreation
Director and the Housing Authority, or the persons acting in those
capacities or performing like duties, in conducting such studies.
As part of its study, the Committee shall hold one or more public
informational hearings on the needs, possibilities and resources of
the Town regarding community preservation possibilities and resources,
notice of which shall be posted publicly and published for each of
two weeks, and not less than seven days preceding such hearing in
a newspaper of general circulation in the town.
B. The Community Preservation Committee shall annually make recommendations
to Town Meeting for the acquisition, creation and preservation of
open space; for the acquisition and preservation of historic resources;
for the acquisition, creation and preservation of land for recreational
use; for the creation, preservation, and support of community housing
that is required or created as provided in this section. With respect
to community housing, the Community Preservation Committee shall recommend,
wherever possible, the re-use of existing buildings or construction
of new buildings on previously developed sites. Recommendations to
the Town Meeting shall include anticipated costs.
C. The Community Preservation Committee may include in its recommendation
to the Town Meeting a recommendation to set aside for later spending
for specific purposes that are consistent with community preservation
but for which sufficient revenues are not then available in the Community
Preservation Fund to accomplish that specific purpose or to set aside
for later spending for general purposes that are consistent with community
preservation.
The Community Preservation Committee shall not meet or conduct
business without the presence of a quorum. A majority of the members
of the Community Preservation Committee shall constitute a quorum.
The Community Preservation Committee shall approve its actions by
majority vote of those members present.
This bylaw may be amended from time to time by a majority vote
of the Town Meeting; provided, however, that the amendments would
not cause a conflict to occur with Massachusetts General Law, Chapter
44B.
In case any section, paragraph or part of this chapter be for
any reason declared invalid or unconstitutional by any court of last
resort, every other section, paragraph or part shall continue in full
force and effect.
Following approval by majority vote of Town Meeting, this Chapter
shall take effect immediately upon approval by the Attorney General
of the Commonwealth. Each appointing authority shall have 20 days
after approval by the Attorney General to make its initial appointments.
Should any appointing authority fail to make its appointment within
the allotted time, the Selectmen shall make the appointment.