SECTION 62. Advisory commission on local government

There shall be an advisory commission on local government, hereinafter referred to as the commission. The commission shall consist of forty members of whom twenty-nine shall be appointed by the governor with the advice of the director of housing and community development hereinafter referred to as director from among persons nominated by the Massachusetts Municipal Association following its annual election of officers, of whom eight shall be selectmen, eight shall be mayors, eight shall be city or town managers, four shall be city or town councillors, and one shall be a town finance committee member. Four members of the commission shall be appointed by the governor from nominations made by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees following its annual election of officers. Three members of the senate shall be designated annually by the president thereof and three members of the house of representatives shall be designated annually by the speaker thereof. Said director shall be a member, ex officio.

Said members shall serve a term of one year from the date of appointment, unless sooner removed by the governor upon the recommendation of the nominating organization after consultation with said director. When a vacancy occurs, a new member representing the same office shall be appointed to fill the remainder of the unexpired term.

An executive committee shall be established to formulate the agenda for the full commission meetings and direct the staff. The executive committee shall consist of a mayor, a selectman, a city or town manager, a city councillor, a finance committee member and a member of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, said director, one member of the state senate, and one member of the house of representatives each of whom shall have a vote. A chairperson of the full commission, who shall also be chairperson of the executive committee, shall be elected by the executive committee from among its members. If the executive committee shall divide evenly in a vote on any issue such vote shall be considered a negative vote.

In the event that the Massachusetts Municipal Association or the Massachusetts Association of School Committees shall cease to exist, the commission shall select an appropriate replacement. Members of the commission shall serve without compensation. The commission shall consider any matter germane to municipal government and shall file its recommendations, if any, from time to time, with the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives together with drafts of legislation, if any, necessary to carry its recommendations into effect.

The commission shall have the following responsibilities:

1. to review and analyze proposed legislation and regulatory changes from the point of view of municipal government and present such point of view to the governor, his executive secretaries and to the general court;

2. to act as an independent advocate for the interests of local governments in their relations with state and federal governments;

3. to advise officials of the commonwealth and the federal government on the needs of local governments, assist in mobilizing state and federal resources to deal with problems of local governments, provide coordinating support to agencies responsible for administering federal, state and local programs, and promote legislative and administrative proposals reflecting the interests of local governments;

4. to establish, from time to time, study committees or task forces to consider issues pertaining to local government in detail and to present the results of those considerations to the governor, the secretaries of his executive offices and to the general court;

5. to meet monthly with the governor and at such other times as the chairperson deems necessary;

6. to meet quarterly with the legislative leadership, and at such other times as may be necessary;

7. to promulgate rules and regulations governing its procedures and those of the executive committee; and

8. to perform such other like services as the commission shall decide upon.