BOSTON — Legislation amending the Lynnfield Center Water District’s (LCWD) 1939 charter has been signed into law by Gov. Maura Healey, following its approval by the House and Senate.
House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones Jr. (R-North Reading) and state Sen. Brendan P. Crighton (D-Lynn) successfully secured the enactment of House Bill 3808, An Act amending Chapter 336 of the Acts of 1939 concerning the establishment of the Lynnfield Center Water District, in both legislative branches on July 29. They filed the bill on the district’s behalf in January of 2023, following its initial approval at a Special District Meeting held in 2022.
The bill was signed into law on July 31 as Chapter 145 of the Acts of 2024. Language contained in the bill makes the changes effective immediately.
“We are very happy that these charter changes, voted for by our district customers at a Special District Meeting in March of 2022, are now finalized and in full effect. It has modernized several areas of the charter allowing our operation to better serve its customers and govern operationally. We thank Rep. Brad Jones, Sen. Brendan Crighton, and their staff for supporting LCWD throughout this process,” LCWD Director John Scenna said.
Although a separate entity, Lynnfield Town Administrator Robert Dolan was “happy to assist the LCWD Board of Commissioners in the process of updating their charter.”
House Bill 3808 makes several updates to the LCWD’s 1939 enabling charter, including changes to its governing structure and the election of commissioners. The bill extends the term of office for the elected LCWD clerk from one year to three years, while also changing the position of LCWD treasurer from an elected to an appointed position and extending the term of office from one year to three years to match the clerk’s position. In addition, the bill requires every candidate for commissioner to be a registered voter within the LCWD’s service area at least 30 days prior to the annual meeting.
House Bill 3808 provides the LCWD with more financial flexibility by allowing the commissioners to use any net surplus to help fund “budget deficits, capital projects, expenses, retained earnings or any other lawful purpose as the board of water commissioners may determine.” It also amends the penalties for stealing water or damaging the LCWD’s water infrastructure – which currently carries a fine of up to $100 or imprisonment for up to six months – by allowing the commissioners to set appropriate penalties through regulations.
House Bill 3808 also make changes to how LCWD meetings are called and conducted. The bill allows warrant topics for annual and special district meetings to be added at the written request of 100 registered voters or 10% of the total number of registered voters of the district, whichever is less. The bill also requires the board of water commissioners to call a special district meeting upon the written request of 200 registered voters, or 20% of the total registered voters of the district, whichever is less, and to hold this meeting within 45 days of the request being submitted.
“The updated charter changes included in House Bill 3808 are designed to help the Lynnfield Center Water District operate more efficiently and better serve its customers,” Jones said. “I’m pleased that Sen. Crighton and I were able to work together on behalf of the district and its ratepayers to move these requested changes forward for implementation.”
“I am very proud of the successful collaboration with Leader Jones on this bill,” Crighton said. “These charter updates will ensure that the Lynnfield Center Water District can more effectively use its resources to address the needs of residents.”
