[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Council of the Town of East Longmeadow as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted as Ch. 8, § 8.140, of the 1982 General Bylaws]
The purpose of the establishment of a municipal charges lien is to provide a cost-effective method of collecting a charge and/or fee assessed against an owner of real property in the Town who fails and/or refuses to pay said charge and/or fee when due, by placing a lien upon real estate owned by the property owner.
The municipal charges lien shall apply to the following municipal charges and/or fees:
A. 
Charges or penalties for violations of the Zoning Bylaws,[1] including interest and costs to record said liens in the Hampden County Registry of Deeds.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 450, Zoning.
B. 
Charges or penalties for violation of the general bylaws, including interest and costs to record said liens in the Hampden County Registry of Deeds.
C. 
Fees for licenses and permits and penalties for violations of the rules and regulations of the Board of Health, including interest and costs to record said liens in the Hampden County Registry of Deeds.
The municipal charges lien will take effect upon the recording of a statement of unpaid municipal charges and fees, setting forth the amount due, including recording costs, the address(es) of the land to which the lien is to apply and the name of the assessed owner.
A. 
If a charge or fee secured by the lien is unpaid when the Assessors are preparing the real estate tax list and warrant, the Collector/Treasurer shall certify the charge or penalty to the Assessors' Department and the Assessors shall add the charge or fee to the next property tax bill to which it relates, and commit it with the warrant to the Collector/Treasurer as part of the tax.
B. 
If the property to which the charge or fee relates is tax-exempt, the charge or fee shall be committed as a tax on said property.
The municipal charge lien may be discharged by filing a certificate from the Collector/Treasurer that all municipal charges or fees, including interest and costs, constituting a lien have been paid or legally abated.
The Assessors, prior to a charge or fee being certified to the Assessors by the Collector/Treasurer under § 330-6, may abate any charge or fee for justifiable cause, which shall be effective upon the issuing of a written statement setting forth said cause, and filing of said statement with the Collector/Treasurer. The cost of recording any documents required to release a lien in the Hampden County Registry of Deeds shall be the responsibility of the property owner.
[Adopted as Ch. 4, § 4.080(F), of the 1982 General Bylaws]
The Town Council shall establish a rate for water usage by properties that are certified by the Board of Assessors as being used for agricultural and horticultural uses pursuant to MGL c. 61A, and said water rate shall be set at 75% of the residential water rate; provided, however, if any such property receiving the water rate set forth herein is converted to a nonagricultural or nonhorticultural use, the owner or lessee shall pay to the Collector/Treasurer a sum equal to the difference between said agricultural and horticultural water rate and the residential rate for each year the discounted rate was received by the property prior to the conversion; provided, further, that said repayment shall not be for more than 15 years preceding the conversion.