Bill
HD 5276
Authorizes Milford Select Board to hire a Highway Surveyor for up to five years and to contract terms mirroring other municipal employees under 108N, effective upon passage.
Overview
- Purpose: Authorize the Milford Select Board to appoint a Highway Surveyor for Milford and to establish an employment contract for that position under terms similar to other municipal employees, up to five-year terms.
- Jurisdiction: Town of Milford, Massachusetts
- Status: Local approval bill filed in the 2025-2026 General Court; Local Approval Received indicated in the petition
- Introduced/Filed: Filed October 22, 2025; Introduced November 29, 2025 (House Docket No. 5276, represented by Rep. Brian W. Murray)
What the bill would do
- Appointment authority: The Milford Select Board may appoint a Highway Surveyor for a term of up to five years.
- Contracting authority: The Select Board may establish an employment contract with the Highway Surveyor on the same terms and conditions, and subject to the same limitations, as those set forth in Section 108N of Chapter 41, applicable to other municipal employees.
- Overrides to existing rules: This authority to contract is expressly allowed notwithstanding Sections 108A and 108C of Chapter 41 and any By-Law adopted under those sections.
- Effective date: The act takes effect upon passage.
Key provisions
- Section 1: Grants the Select Board the power to hire a Highway Surveyor for up to five years and to enter into an employment contract with that individual. The contract terms are to mirror the terms used for other municipal employees under Section 108N of Chapter 41, within the same boundaries and limitations.
- Section 2: Provides that the act becomes effective immediately upon passage.
Who is affected
- Primary: Town of Milford, specifically the Select Board and the position of Highway Surveyor.
- Secondary: Other municipal employees in Milford who are covered by Section 108N provisions, since the Highway Surveyor contract would follow those terms.
- Administrative impact: Changes how the Highway Surveyor could be hired (contract-based) rather than through other hiring mechanisms that might rely on different sections of Chapter 41 or local by-laws.
Procedural and timeline notes
- Status indicates local approval processes are involved; the bill is a local-approval measure rather than a statewide mandate.
- Because Section 2 states “takes effect upon its passage,” the act would become operative once signed into law, assuming standard enactment procedures are completed for local approval measures.
Potential implications
- Hiring flexibility: A five-year term and contract-based employment may provide more stability and uniform terms with other municipal employees.
- Governance: Local control remains with Milford’s Select Board for personnel decisions related to the Highway Surveyor.
- Fiscal impacts: Not specified in the text; any compensation and benefits would follow 108N terms, affecting town budgeting accordingly.
Notes
- This summary reflects the bill text and the petition details as presented in the House Docket for HD 5276.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
Sign in to ask a question.
