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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1982-03-18-rpt ; i Town of Lexington ;1982 R 7 ,11 2. 31 REPORT OF THE BY-LAWS COMMITTEE Tu4 " TO THE TOWN MEETING AND THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN Submitted March 18 , 1982 By-Laws Committee Members Paul Newman, Chairman Marthur Kalil Sheila Clemon- 'arp Stephen T. Russian Anthony L. Mancini The By-Laws Committee , having been appointed by the Board of Selectmen pursuant to Article 4 as adopted at the Annual Town Meeting held March 16 , 1981 , was asked to review the Town' s General By-Laws and make recommendations for their revision. Our charge was to suggest changes that would bring the By-Laws into conformity with both law and practice, and that would otherwise improve the By-Laws . For five months the Committee undertook this task, aided greatly by the comments of numerous residents and officials of the Town. Our review has resulted in our unanimous recommendation that the following amendments be made to the Town ' s General By-Laws . Article I - General Provisions To amend Section 1 of Article I of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking out the words "Building, Plumbing and Signs. " Article III - The Calling and Notice of Town Meetings To amend Section 2 of Article III of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking said Section 2 and substituting therefor the following: -2- "The warrant for a town meeting shall be served by posting a printed copy thereof in the Town Office Building and also by sending by mail , postage prepaid, not less than seven days, or in the case of a special town meeting not less than fourteen days, before the time stated in the warrant for holding such meeting, a printed copy of such warrant addressed to each dwelling house and to each dwelling unit in multiple dwelling houses, apartment buildings or other buildings in the Town. " To amend Section 5 of Article III of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking the first sentence of said Section 5 and substituting therefor the following: "The annual meeting of the Town shall commence with the opening of the polls for voting continuously from seven o'clock in the morning until eight o 'clock in the evening. " Article VI - Selectmen To amend Section 5 of Article VI of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking the words "and in a public place in each precinct and" and by substituting therefor the word "or . " To amend Section 6 of Article VI of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking the words "for eight hours each weekday, except holidays and Saturdays" and by adding at the end thereof the words "for such hours as are determined by the Board of Selectmen. " To amend Section 7 of Article VI of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking the words "one thousand dollars" and substituting therefor the words "two thousand dollars . " To amend Section 9 of Article VI of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking it and substituting therefor the following: "The Selectmen shall provide and maintain under their care and supervision, some suitable place or method for free public disposal for the inhabitants of the town to deposit ashes, cinders, papers and other refuse and rubbish in accordance with such rules and regulations as the Selectmen may from time to time make. " Article VII - Town Clerk To amend Sections 5 and 6 of Article VII of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking them in their entirety and substituting therefor the present Section 7 renumbered as Section 5. -3- Article XII - General Provisions To amend Section 1 of Article XII of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking it and substituting therefor the following: "All committees, except as otherwise provided by law or by by-law or by vote of the town meeting shall be appointed in accordance with Section 2 of the Selectmen-Town Manager Act (Chapter 753 of the Acts of 1968 , as amended ) . " Article XIII - Appropriation Committee To amend Section 1 of Article XIII of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking out the words in the second paragraph "the joint school committee-teacherssalary advisory committee or . " Article XV - Town Celebrations Committee To amend Section 1 of Article XV of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking out the words "April thirtieth" and substituting therefor the words "June thirtieth. " Article XVI - Recreation Committee To amend Section 1 of Article XVI of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking it and substituting therefor the following: "The Town shall have a Recreation Committee. It shall consist of five voters of the Town who shall be appointed by the Town Manager , subject to the approval of the Board of Selectmen. Upon the expiration of the term of a member , a successor shall be appointed for a term of three years. Terms shall expire on May thirty-first, except that members shall continue in office until their successors have been duly appointed and qualified . " To amend Section 2 of Article XVI of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking it and substituting therefor the following: "The Recreation Committee shall administer and have the program and policy responsibility of the Public playgrounds and recreation centers of the Town, except as herein otherwise provided; shall have charge of conducting and promoting thereon recreation, p,lay, sport and physical education and subject to the approval of the Board of -4- Selectmen may permit the use thereof by any department of the Town or by any person, society or organization for such other public, recreational, social or educational purposes as the committee may deem proper; and with the consent of the public officer or board having control thereof or of the owner , may conduct and promote such activities on other public property or on private property. In carrying out its functions, the committee, consistent with Town personnel policy, may utilize teachers, supervisqrs and other personnel . " ] Article XVII - Permanent Building Committee To amend the second paragraph of Section 1 of Article XVII of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by substituting "the first day of July" for "the first day of May" and substituting "June thirtieth" for April thirtieth. " Article XVIII - Trustees of Public Trusts To amend Section 1 of Article XVIII of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by adding at the end thereof the words "whose members shall be appointed by the Board of Selectmen as set forth in Section 2B of the Selectmen-Town Manager Act (Chapter 753 of the Acts of 1968 , as amended ) . " Article XIX - Civil Defense To amend Section 2 of Article XIX of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by adding after the words " (hereinafter called the 'director ' " the words "who shall be appointed by the Town Manager ) " and by striking the words "Board of Selectmen" and substituting therefor the words "Town Manager . " To amend Section 3 of Article XIX of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking the second sentence thereof in its entirety and substituting therefor the following: "Said council shall serve without pay and shall consist of the Town Manager, director of civil defense, police chief, fire chief, director of public works and other persons as the Board of Selectmen may appoint. " Article XX - Gas Inspector To amend Article XX of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking it in its entirety and substituting therefor the present Article XXXII . -5- Article XXI - Town Counsel To amend Section 2 of Article XXI of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking it in its entirety. To amend Section 3 of Article XXI of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by adding at the end thereof the words "unless authorized by the Board of Selectmen" and renumbering it Section 2 . To amend Sections 4 and 5 of Article XXI of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by renumbering them Sections 3 and 4 respectively. To amend Section 6 of Article XXI of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking the word "fiscal" in subsection (a) of the first sentence, by striking the third sentence "Such reports shall also show the separate amounts received by the Town Counsel as compensation and for disbursement in each of such actions during such year, and for all other services not covered by his regular salary" in its entirety, and by renumbering it Section 5. To amend Section 7 of Article XXI of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by renumbering it Section 6 . Article XXV - General Regulations To amend Section 8 of Article XXV of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking it in its entirety. To amend Sections 9 , 10 , and 11 of Article XXV of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by renumbering them Sections 8 , 9 , and 10 respectively. To amend Section 12 of Article XXV of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking it in its entirety and substituting therefor the following renumbered as Section 11 : "No owner or agent having charge of any building or lot of land abutting on a sidewalk within all commercial and industrial districts as defined in Section 4 . 2 of the Zoning By-Laws of the Town of Lexington, shall place or permit or suffer to remain for more than four hours between sunrise and sunset any snow or ice upon such sidewalks which impedes the orderly flow or safety of pedestrian traffic upon such sidewalks, unless such ice is made even and covered with sand or some like material to prevent slipping. " To amend Section 13 of Article XXV of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by renumber,ing it Section 12 . -6- To amend Section 14 of Article XXV of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking it in its entirety and substituting therefor the following renumbered as Section 13 : "No owner of a building abutting upon or adjacent to the line of any street, or his agent having care thereof, shall cause, pump, permit or suffer water from the roof of such building or from the building itself, to discharge upon or flow across or in any way affect the safety of the surface of the sidewalk or public way adjacent to such building. " To amend Sections 15 and 15A of Article XXV of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by renumbering them Sections 14 and 15 respectively. To amend Section 16 of Article XXV of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking the word "superintendent" wherever it appears and substituting therefor the word "director" in each instance. To amend Section 17 of Article XXV of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by adding at the end thereof the following words : "Such signs must conform to the Sign Regulations set forth in the Zoning By-Laws of the Town. " To amend Section 18 of Article XXV of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by adding at the end thereof the following words: "Such signs must conform to the Sign Regulations set forth in the Zoning By-Laws of the Town . " To amend Section 21 of Article XXV of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by adding at the end thereof the word "Meeting . " To amend Section 25 of Article XXV of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking it in its entirety and substituting therefor the following: "No person shall behave or conduct himself on the Battle Green otherwise than in a quiet and orderly manner in keeping with a respectful regard and reverence for the memory of the patriotic service and sacrifice there so nobly rendered. No person shall engage or take part in any game, sport , picnic, or performance on the Battle Green without the written permission of the Selectmen where the same would interfere with the safe, convenient , and appropriate use thereof , or where such act disturbs the safety of persons or property. No person shall climb upon, deface, mutilate, or otherwise injure any tree, shrubbery, monument , boulder , fence, seat, or structure on the Battle Green. " -7- To amend Section 27 of Article XXV of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by: 1 . Striking the words "under Section 25. 80 of" and substituting therefor the words "as defined by. " 2 . Striking the words "of Section 27 . " 3 . Striking the words "acting under Section 25 . 94 of the Zoning By-Law. " Article XXVI - Public Conduct To amend Section 1 of Article XXVI of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking it in its entirety. To amend Sections 2 , 3 , and 4 of Article XXVI of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by renumbering them Sections 1 , 2 and 3 , respectively. To amend Section 5 of Article XXVI of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking it and substituting therefor the following renumbered as Section 4 : "No person shall - with purpose to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm or recklessly creating a risk thereof - engage in fighting or threatening, or in violent or tumultuous behavior , or create a hazardous or physically offensive condition by any act which serves no legitimate purpose of the actor . " To amend Section 6 of Article XXVI of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking it and substituting therefor the following renumbered as Section 5 : "No person shall loiter or continue to sit , lie or stand in any street, public place or public building so as to obstruct or impede the free passage of any other person after being otherwise directed by a police officer or by posted sign. " To amend Sections 7 and 8 of Article XXVI of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking them in their entirety. To amend Section 9 of Article XXVI of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by renumbering it Section 6 . -8— Article XXVII - Licensed Persons To amend Section 2 of Article XXVII of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking therefrom the word "canvasser . " Article XXVIII - Animals To amend Section 4 of Article XXVIII of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking the word "a" and substituting therefor the word "to. " Article XXX -- Loam, Sand and Gravel - Removal To amend Article XXX of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking it and substituting therefor the following: REMOVAL AND PLACEMENT OF LOAM, SAND, GRAVEL, ETC. Section 1 . The removal or placement during any twelve month period of more than twenty-five cubic yards of topsoil , rock , sod, loam, peat, humus, clay, sand or gravel from or upon any land in the Town not in public use is prohibited unless authorized by a permit from the Board of Appeals , except under the following circumstances : (a) When such removal or placement is incidental to and in connection with the erection or removal on that site of a building for which a permit has been issued by the Building Commissioner of the Town. (b) When such removal or placement is required in order to construct a street that has been approved by the Planning Board over the location from which such removal or placement is made. (c ) When such removal or placement is in accordance with special permission from the Board of Appeals issued under the provisions of the Zoning By-Laws. LL) NJ— :X) %-.7" Li cr -9- Section 2 . Application for permit shall be filed with the Board of Appeals by the record owner of the land and shall be accompanied by a plan showing the location, boundaries and area of the land involved and the portion thereof from which the applicant proposes to remove material or upon which he proposes to place material . Section 3 . The Board of Appeals shall fix a reasonable time for a public hearing on the application and shall give public notice thereof, at the expense of the applicant, by publishing notice of the time, place and purpose of the hearing in a local newspaper at least fourteen days before said hearing and by mailing a copy of said notice to the applicant and to the owners of all property deemed by said Board to be affected thereby, as they appear on the most recent local tax list, at least seven days before said hearing . Section 4 . In granting a permit the Board of Appeals shall impose limitations as to the time and as to the extent of the permitted removal or placement and such other appropriate conditions, limitations and safeguards as the Board deems necessary for the protection of the neighborhood and of the public health, safety, convenience and welfare, and may condition the continuance of the permit upon compliance with regulations of the Board of Appeals then in force or thereafter adopted . In its discretion the Board may require a surety bond, cash or other adequate security to insure compliance with the terms, conditions and limitations of the permit . Section 5 . The penalty for violation of this By-Law shall be as follows : for the first offense , fifty dollars; for the second offense, one hundred dollars; and for each subsequent offense, two hundred dollars . Article XXXIII - Wetland Protection To amend Article XXXIII o-f the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by renumbering it Article XXXII . * * * * * * * This report is unanimously approved by all five members of the By-Laws Committee. 4,,L1,00 *AdJ/9 l '2' 1 Paul Ne : an Sheila Clemon-Karp FT , IT . ,.__,.. tA414.44... %w7 4,7 , Stephen ' . HussiA Anthony Mancini �Jt l ✓'I: J 26 ! a �L.r�.I„rn u¢i, -1 -65 March 24, 1982 Miss Mary R. McDonough Town Clerk Town of Lexington 1625 Massachusetts Avenue Lexington, MA 02173 Dear Miss McDonough: At the meeting of the Selectmen earlier this week, it was pointed out to me that one minor correction should be made to the Report of the By-Laws Committee which was submitted to you on March 18, 1982. That change occurs on Page 8 of the Report, at Article XXX, Section 1 (a) . The correction consists of substituting the word "Commissioner" for the word "Inspector. " I am enclosing a clean original Page 8 so that you could insert it in place of the old Page 8 , thereby creating a corrected original report . Thank you again for your continued assistance to our Committee. Sincerely, PAUL NEWMAN PN/dsf Enclosure -8- lam, ? Article XXVII - Licensed Persons To amend Section 2 of Article XXVII of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking therefrom the word "canvasser . " Article XXVIII - Animals To amend Section 4 of Article XXVIII of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking the word "a" and substituting therefor the word "to. " Article XXX - Loam, Sand and Gravel - Removal To amend Article XXX of the General By-Laws of the Town of Lexington by striking it and substituting therefor the following: REMOVAL AND PLACEMENT OF LOAM, SAND, GRAVEL, ETC. Section 1. The removal or placement during any twelve month period of more than twenty-five cubic yards of topsoil, rock, sod, loam, peat, humus, clay, sand or gravel from or upon any land in the Town not in public use is prohibited unless authorized by a permit from the Board of Appeals, except under the following circumstances: (a ) When such removal or placement is incidental to and in connection with the erection or removal on that site of a building for which a permit has been issued by the Building Inspector of the Town. (b) When such removal or placement is required in order to construct a street that has been approved by the Planning Board over the location from which such removal or placement is made. ( c) When such removal or placement is in accordance with special permission from the Board of Appeals issued under the provisions of the Zoning By-Laws. rn A erg