TOWN OF SAUGUS
Essex, ss.
To the Constable of the Town of Saugus
Greetings:
In the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts you are hereby required to notify and warn the inhabitants of the Town of Saugus, qualified to vote in Town affairs for the Special Town Meeting at the Saugus Town Hall located at 298 Central Street on June 4, 2007 at 7:30 PM to hear and act on the following articles: viz;
Article 1. To hear and act on reports of Committees.
Article 2. To see if the Town will vote to amend Section 306.03 of the Town by-laws by deleting said section in its entirety and inserting the following:
306.3 Town Employees:
The work week for full-time Town employees, other than Fire, Police, and School Departments, and limited to office and clerical employees, shall be determined by the Town Manager with the approval of the Board of Selectmen. (Town Manager)
Article 3. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate or transfer from available funds, a sum of money to pay for the additional cost of the reconstruction of the Shute Brook culvert, to determine whether the appropriation shall be raised by borrowing or otherwise, or to take any other action relative thereto. (Town Manager)
Article 4. To see if the Town will vote to modify the Town of Saugus by-laws concerning so called in-law apartments as follows:
To allow a four-month period, which the Town of Saugus by-laws will be changed, to allow so called in-law apartments occupied by a relative of the principal home owner. This change provides for a four-month amnesty period running from September 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007 for those homeowners with existing in-law apartments to register with the Town of Saugus Assessors Office and pay a one-time fee of $1,000 to the Town of Saugus. During this period any resident who registers will have amnesty from legal action or otherwise by the Town or others regarding the previous use or existence of a so-called in-law apartment within a residential dwelling. Upon inspection by Saugus Inspectional Services and the Town of Saugus Fire Department the owner will modify the dwelling and apartment per Inspectional
Services and the Fire Department to bring the dwelling to current code and safety standards. Any and all requirements made by Inspectional Services and or the Fire Department must be acted upon within six months of the inspection and then be re-inspected. Failure to do so or failure to pass re-inspection will disqualify the dwelling and so called in-law apartment from the amnesty program and the one time fee will not be refunded.
If the so called in-law apartment is not occupied by a relative of principal owner of a given dwelling for a period of six (6) months at any time the in-law apartment will be removed from the register and will no longer be considered a legal in-law apartment unless the principal owner can show proof that an illness or other circumstance beyond the control of the principal owner or relative is preventing the relative from occupying the in-law apartment.
This change in the Town of Saugus by-laws is effective only for the given four month period and any so called in-law apartment in the Town of Saugus that is not successfully registered during the amnesty program (September 1, 2007 - December 31,2007) will be deemed illegal under the Town of Saugus by-laws and subject to pains and penalties permitted by law.
No new building permits to create a so-called in-law apartment will be granted during the amnesty period of September 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007. Any dwelling that adds an in-law apartment prior to the amnesty program must register during the amnesty period and meet all building and fire codes and receive a valid occupancy permit from the Town of Saugus. Any permit obtained for the construction of an in-law apartment prior to the amnesty program that successfully qualifies under the program must complete construction and receive an occupancy permit for the so called in-law apartment on or before April 30, 2008.
The sale of a dwelling with a registered in-law apartment will not result in the removal of the so called in-law apartment unless the subsequent owner(s) do not have a relative living in the in-law apartment for a period of six months unless the principal owner can show proof that an illness or other circumstance beyond the control of the principal owner or relative is preventing the relative from occupying the in-law apartment.
Those dwellings that successfully qualify under the amnesty program are subject to appraisals and newly stated assessments by the Town of Saugus. (Selectmen Michael Kelleher)
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