H 5448

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 6144  FILED ON: 5/17/2026
 HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 5448
  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  _________________
  PRESENTED BY:
  Patricia A. Duffy
  _________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
   Court assembled:
   The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
  An Act modernizing financial departments in the city of Holyoke.
  _______________
  PETITION OF:
NAME:  DISTRICT/ADDRESS:  DATE ADDED:
Patricia A. Duffy  5th Hampden  5/17/2026
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  HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 6144  FILED ON: 5/17/2026
 HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 5448
By Representative Duffy of Holyoke, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 5448) of
Patricia A. Duffy (with the approval of the mayor and city council) relative to modernizing
financial departments in the city of Holyoke. Municipalities and Regional Government. [Local
Approval Received.]
  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  _______________
  In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
  (2025-2026)
  _______________
An Act modernizing financial departments in the city of Holyoke.
  Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1SECTION 1: Section 15 of the City of Holyoke Charter shall be amended by deleting the
2 paragraph following the heading in total and replacing it with the following:
3(a)      Said city council shall annually in the month of January elect by ballot an
4 administrative assistant to the city council, who shall hold their office for the term of two years
5 beginning with the first Monday in February in the year of their election and until their successor
6 is elected and qualified, unless sooner removed.
7(b)      Said city council shall also in the month of January, and in the month of January
8 in every third year thereafter, appoint a Director of Internal Audit, who shall hold their office for
9 the term of three years beginning with the first Monday in February in the year of their election
10 and until their successor is elected and qualified, unless sooner removed.
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11(c)     Said city council shall also annually in the month of January elect by ballot one
12 assessor of taxes and one water commissioner, each of whom shall hold their office for the term
13 of three years beginning with the first Monday in February in the year of their election and until
14 their successor is elected and qualified unless sooner removed.
15(d)     Any of said officers may be removed at any time by the city council for sufficient
16 cause. The present assessors of taxes and the water commissioners shall continue to hold their
17 respective offices, unless sooner removed, for the term of three years from the first Monday in
18 February in the year following their election. Vacancies in city offices, where no other provision
19 is made for filling the same, shall be filled by the election or appointment of a successor in the
20 same manner as the previous incumbent was elected or appointed, and the person elected or
21 appointed to fill the vacancy shall hold their office for the remainder of the term during which
22 their predecessor would have been entitled to hold the same.
23SECTION 2: So much of Chapter 438 of the Acts of 1896 and Chapter 327 of the Acts of
24 1936 and acts in amendment thereof and addition thereto, as is inconsistent with this act, is
25 hereby repealed.
26SECTION 3: The General Court may make clerical or editorial changes of form only to
27 the bill, unless the Mayor and City Council approve amendments before enactment by the
28 General Court. The Mayor and City Council are hereby authorized to approve amendments
29 which shall be within the scope of the general public objectives of this petition.
30SECTION 4: This act shall take effect immediately upon passage.
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