(a)
In general - This Charter may be replaced, revised or amended in
accordance with any procedure made available under the State Constitution,
or by statutes enacted in accordance with the State Constitution.
(b)
Periodic review - The Town Council shall provide, in every year ending
in a five, for a review of the Charter by a special or standing committee
of the Council (consisting of not more than three members) and four
additional persons to be appointed by the Mayor. The said committee
shall file a report within the said year recommending any changes
in the Charter which it may deem to be necessary or desirable.
The provisions of this Charter are severable. If any provision
of this Charter is held invalid, the other provisions shall not be
affected thereby. If the application of this Charter, or any of its
provisions, to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the application
of this Charter and its provisions to other persons and circumstances
shall not be affected thereby:
To the extent that any specific provision of this Charter may
conflict with any other provision expressed in general terms, the
specific provision shall prevail.
A copy of all rules and regulations adopted by Town agencies
shall be placed on file in the office of the Town Clerk and shall
be available for review by any person who requests such information
at any reasonable time. No rule or regulation adopted by any Town
agency shall become effective until five days following the date it
is so filed.
The Town Council shall provide, in each year ending in a five
or in a zero, for a review of all ordinances of the Town for the purpose
of determining if any amendments or revisions may be necessary or
desirable. Such review shall be conducted under the supervision of
the Town Attorney, or, if the Town Council so directs, by special
counsel appointed for that purpose. A report, with recommendations,
shall be submitted within the said year.
(a)
Number and gender - Words importing the singular number may extend
and be applied to several persons or things; words importing the plural
number may include the singular; and words importing the masculine
gender shall include the feminine gender.
(b)
Computation of time - In computing time under the Charter, if less
than seven days "days" shall not include Saturdays, Sundays or legal
holidays. If seven days, or more, every day shall be counted.
(c)
References to General Laws - All references to General Laws contained
in the Charter refer to the General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
and are intended to refer to and to include any amendments or revisions
to such chapters or sections, or to the corresponding chapters and
sections of any rearrangement, recodification, or revision of such
statutes enacted or adopted subsequent to the adoption of this Charter.
Every person who is elected, including those elected by the
Town Council, or appointed to an office of the Town shall receive
a certificate of such election or appointment from the Town Clerk.
Except as otherwise provided by law, before performing any act
under an appointment or election all such persons shall take and subscribe
to an oath of office and be sworn to the faithful performance of their
duties.
The Mayor-elect, Councilors-elect and School Committee members-elect
shall, on the first secular day in January of each even-numbered year,
meet and be sworn to the faithful discharge of their duties. The Mayor
or Mayor-elect shall preside at such joint session. In years following
the election of the Mayor the oath shall first be administered to
that officer by the Town Clerk, or by a judge of a court of record,
or by a Justice of the Peace. The oath may be administered to the
members of the Town Council and the School Committee by the Mayor,
after the Mayor has been duly sworn, or by any of the above named
officials. A certificate that said oath or oaths have been taken shall
be entered in the journal of the Town Council.
In case of the absence of the Mayor-elect, or any member-elect
of the Town Council or School Committee on said day the oath of office
may at any time thereafter be administered to such person who for
any reason shall not have taken the oath on the day named. All such
oaths subsequently taken shall be entered in the journal of the Town
Council.
After the oath has been administered to the Councilors present, they shall organize by the election of a President and a Vice President, as provided in Section 2-2. The President shall be sworn by the Town Clerk, or, in the case of the absence of the Town Clerk, by any Justice of the Peace. After the oath has been administered to the School Committee members present, they shall organize by the election of a Chair and a Vice-Chair, as provided in Section 4-2. The Chair shall be sworn by the Town Clerk, or, in the case of the absence of the Town Clerk, by any Justice of the Peace.
When the Town Council and the School Committee meet to organize
the member present, senior in years of service on such body, shall
preside pending the election of a President, or of a chair, as the
case may be. If two or more of the members present have the same number
of years of service the member present senior in both years of service
and age shall preside.
