The following is a listing of General Laws and Special Acts accepted by the Town of Northbridge:
Date Accepted
Statutory Reference
Subject
2-9-1937
MGL C. 40, §§ 42A-42f
Water purchases
6-7-1948
MGL C. 121, § 26K, as amended by Ch. 574 of the Acts of 1946
Housing Authority established
2-14-1956
MGL C. 41, § 81A
Planning Board established
2-5-1957
MGL C. 32B, § 10
Contributory group general or blanket insurance
2-5-1957
MGL C. 85, § 11A
Registration of bicycles
2-3-1959
MGL C. 41, § 38A
Collector of Taxes
2-10-1959
MGL C. 40, § 8A
Industrial Development Commission established
3-7-1961
Ch. 647 of the Acts of 1960
Pensions and retirement allowances increased
3-12-1963
Ch. 782 of the Acts of 1962
Authorizing Road Commissioners to reconstruct Benson Road
3-12-1963
MGL C. 40, §§ 42G — 42I
Water Department established
3-10-1964
Ch. 478, Acts of 1963
Pensions and retirement allowances raised
3-2-1965
MGL C. 40, § 6C
Appropriations for ice and snow removal
3-8-1966
MGL C. 40, § 8C
Conservation Commission established
3-8-1966
MGL C. 40, § 8D
Historical Commission established
3-8-1966
MGL C. 40B
Membership in Central Massachusetts Regional Planning District
3-8-1966
MGL C. 48, § 57F
Police Chief holiday pay
3-12-1968
MGL C. 40, § 8C
Increase in Conservation Commission membership
3-12-1968
MGL C. 90, § 18a
Pedestrian traffic control
4-9-1974
MGL C. 90, § 20C
Parking violations
9-3-1974
MGL C. 40, § 8E
Youth Commission established
5-13-1975
MGL C. 40, § 8G
Mutual aid agreements for police services
5-8-1979
MGL C. 152, §§ 68 — 75
Inclusion of members of Fire and Police Departments as laborers, workmen and mechanics
5-13-1980
MGL C. 53, § 9A
Nomination papers
5-20-1980
Laws of 1980, Ch. 492
Recall and removal elections
7-31-1980
MGL C. 32B, § 7A
Town to pay over 50% of employee life and health insurance
5-12-1981
MGL C. 71, § 71E
School Committee revolving account
10-20-1981
MGL C. 90, §§ 20A, 20C, 20D and 20E
Local enforcement of parking regulations
10-20-1981
MGL C. 83, §§ 16A -— 16F
Sewer liens
5-11-1982
Ch. 743, Acts of 1981
Real estate tax exemptions
9-21-1982
MGL C. 71, § 71F
Account established for money received from nonresident students
10-25-1983
MGL C. 60A, § 1, Paragraph 5
Motor vehicle excise tax exemption for prisoners of war
5-13-1986
MGL C. 71, § 40, as amended by Ch. 188 of the Acts of 1985
Teacher salaries increased
1-26-1988
MGL C. 40, § 4G
Bid requirements raised
5-3-1988
Ch. 236, Acts of 1987
Expenditure of subdivision bonds or deposits without further appropriation by town
9-27-1988
MGL C. 59, § 5, Clause 17D
Real property tax exemption for surviving spouse, aged person or minor
9-27-1988
MGL C. 59, § 5, Clause 41B
Tax exemption for elderly
3-21-1989
MGL C. 140, § 147A
Authorization to retain fees collected from sale of dog licenses or received as fines
1-23-1990
MGL C. 262, § 34, Clauses 1-79
Town Clerk's fees
5-1-1990
MGL C. 40, § 15A
Transfer of land; procedure
11-27-1990
MGL C. 32, § 22D
Establishment of certain options for governmental units in the pension area
4-2-1991
Ch. 291, Acts of 1990
Enhanced 911 service
4-2-1991
MGL C. 70A, § 5, as inserted by Ch. 188, Acts of 1985
Northbridge School Committee to apply for and accept the Equal Education Opportunity Grant funding
4-2-1991
Ch. 39, Acts of 1991
Tax Collector and Town Treasurer to be appointed positions
4-2-1991
Ch. 22, Acts of 1991
Question to appear on ballot at next annual town election to accept Charter, 1989 report of Charter Commission declared optional Charter
5-7-1991
MGL C. 70A, § 5, as inserted by Ch. 188, Acts of 1985
Northbridge School Committee to apply for and accept the Equal Education Opportunity Grant funding
5-7-1991
MGL C. 44, § 53E1/2
Revolving account for the Northbridge Recycling Committee
5-7-1991
Ch. 653, § 41, Acts of 1989
Assess quarterly bills for real estate and personal property taxes
5-7-1991
Ch. 653, § 40, Acts of 1989
Board of Assessors authorized to tax new construction up to June 30 instead of January 1 to become effective no later than January 1, 1992 (fiscal year 1993)
5-7-1991
Ch. 583, § 4, Acts of 1973
Withdrawal from the Central Massachusetts Mosquito Control Project
12-10-1991
MGL C. 70A, § 5, as inserted by Ch. 188, Acts of 1985
Blackstone Valley Vocational Regional School District Committee to accept Equal Educational Grant for fiscal year 1992
1-25-1992
MGL C. 59, § 5, Clause 41C
Board of Assessors to grant property tax exemption for property owners 70 years or older who meet certain income and asset criteria
5-5-1992
MGL C. 44, § 53F 1/2
Authorizing sanitary sewer enterprise fund for fiscal year 1993 — 1994
5-5-1992
MGL C. 70A, § 5, inserted by Ch. 188, Acts of 1985
Blackstone Valley Vocational Regional School District Committee to accept Equal Educational Opportunity Grant for fiscal year 1993
5-5-1992
MGL C. 40, § 22F, as inserted by Ch. 138, § 123, Acts of 1991
Allows any town board or officer empowered to issue a license, permit, certificate or render a service or perform work for a person or class of persons to, from time to time, fix reasonable fees for such items or services
5-5-1992
MGL C. 44, § 53E
Permitting of appropriation for the annual ordinary costs to be offset by estimated receipts from fees
10-13-1992
MGL C. 270, § 16
Disposal of rubbish and other materials in unlawful places, with the Board of Health to be the enforcing officer
10-26-1993
MGL C. 32B, § 18
All retirees, their spouses and dependents enrolled in Medicare Part A to be covered at no cost by Medicare Health Benefits Supplement Plan
10-26-1993
MGL C. 32, § 90G 3/4, as inserted by Ch. 254, § 3
Members of the retirement system have the option of having salary and years of service after age 70 count toward their pension by continuing retirement deductions from their post-age-70 salary
5-3-1994
Ch. 481 of the Acts of 1993
Allowing a licensed victualler to also sell liquors and cordials pursuant to said license
10-18-1994
MGL C. 83, §§ 16A — 16F
Collection of sanitary sewer charges
5-2-1995
MGL C. 32B, § 9E
Allowing town to pay hospital, surgical, medical, dental and other health insurance for employees retired from service of the town
5-5-1998
MGL C. 44, § 53F 1/2
Authorizing a Water Enterprise Fund effective FY 2000
5-5-1998
MGL C. 32, § 103
Authority to grant cost-of-living adjustment to public pension retirees in Northbridge retirement system
11-10-1998
Ch. 194, § 288, of the Acts of 1998
Authorizes the town to pay increased retirement benefits to certain retirees retired prior to 1-12-1988
5-4-1999
MGL C. 32, § 103(h)
Relative to the authority to grant cost-of-living adjustments to noncontributory retirees
5-4-1999
MGL c. 32B, § 9D 1/2
Authorizing the town to contribute more than 50% of the premiums payable by the surviving spouse of an employee or retired employee for group general or blanket hospital, surgical, medical, dental or other health insurance
5-2-2000
MGL c. 32, § 103(i)
Cost-of-living increases in retirement allowances
6-8-2004
MGL c. 71, § 71E
Appropriations for and expenditure of receipts from adult education and continuing education programs
5-2-2006
MGL c. 32, § 7(e)
Disability retirement benefits for veterans
6-12-2007
Ch. 260, § 12, of the Acts of 2006
Deferment of taxes for National Guard members or reservists while on active service outside the commonwealth and for 180 days after said service with no interest or penalties assessed for any period before the expiration of those 180 days
10-23-2007
MGL c. 59, § 5K
Allows Selectmen to establish a program whereby property owners over the age of 60 on July 1 of any year may provide volunteer service to the Town, at the state minimum wage, in exchange for a reduction in their real estate tax bills of up to $750 per fiscal year[1]
5-6-2008
MGL c. 43D
Approve filing of application with Interagency Permitting Board for designation of priority development site
10-27-2009
MGL c. 60, § 15
Authorizing Town to charge for each written demand issued by the Collector a fee of $25, to be added to and collected as part of the tax.
5-4-2010
Ch. 137, Acts of 2003, as amended by Ch. 77, Acts of 2005, and by Ch. 182, § 77, Acts of 2008
Payment of regular base salary of eligible public employees granted a military leave of absence (effective 7-1-2010)
10-26-2010
MGL c. 32B, § 20
Other Post-Employment Benefits Liability Trust Fund
5-3-2011
MGL c. 138, § 33B
Licensing authority may authorize licensees to sell alcoholic beverages between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon on Sundays, the last Monday in May and Christmas
10-23-2012
MGL c. 59, § 5, Clause 54
Allowing the Town to establish a minimum fair cash value required for personal property accounts to be taxed, and to establish the minimum amount of $3,000, effective as of FY 2014
1-9-2013
Ch. 438 of the Acts of 2012
Establishing a Building Maintenance Fund in the Town of Northbridge
5-7-2013
MGL c. 59, § 5N
Authorizing the Board of Selectmen to establish a program to allow veterans to volunteer services to the Town in exchange for a reduction in real property tax obligations, and allowing an approved representative for persons physically unable to provide such services, and allowing the maximum reduction in the tax bill to be based on 125 volunteer hours in a given year
5-5-2015
MGL c. 40, § 13D
Creating a reserve fund, to be known as the Compensated Absences Fund, for future payment of accrued liabilities for compensated absences owed to employees and full-time officers of the Town when they terminate employment
5-3-2016
MGL c. 64L, § 2
Authorizing the imposition of a local sales tax in the statutory amount of .75% on the sale of restaurant meals originating within the Town, effective 1-1-2017
5-2-2017
MGL c. 44B, §§ 3 to 7, inclusive
Approving a surcharge on real property for the purposes permitted by the Massachusetts Community Preservation Act, commencing in fiscal year 2019, and accepting an exemption from said surcharge
5-2-2017
MGL c. 40, § 8J
Establishing a Disability Commission
5-2-2017
MGL c. 40, § 22G
Allowing funds collected from handicapped parking fines to be given over to the Disability Commission to be used for the benefit of persons with disabilities
3-23-2018
Ch. 52 of the Acts of 2018
An Act relative to the funding of the Other Post-Employment Benefits Liability Trust Fund in the Town of Northbridge
5-1-2018
MGL c. 59, § 5K
Allows Selectmen to establish a program whereby property owners over the age of 60 on July 1 of any year may provide volunteer service to the Town, at the state minimum wage, in exchange for a reduction in their real estate tax bills of up to $1,000 per fiscal year
10-23-2018
MGL c. 64N, § 3
Imposing a local sales tax at a rate of 3% upon the sale of recreational marijuana originating within the Town
5-7-2019
MGL c. 59, § 21A 1/2
Allowing an assessor or assistant assessor who has completed the necessary courses of study and training, and who has been awarded a certificate as a certified Massachusetts assessor, to receive, in addition to regular compensation, an amount equal to 10% of such regular compensation
[1]
Editor's Note: See now the acceptance of 5-1-2018.