| LA 127 |
| 2017 -- S 0708 Enacted 06/22/2017 |
| A N A C T |
| IN AMENDMENT TO AN ACT ENTITLED "AN ACT TO INCORPORATE THE WEST GLOCESTER FIRE DISTRICT" |
| Introduced By: Senator P Fogarty |
| Date Introduced: April 04, 2017 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Sections 4, 5, 7 and 8 of an act entitled "An Act to Incorporate the West |
| Glocester Fire District", passed at the January Session, A.D., 1959, as amended, are hereby |
| amended to read as follows: |
| Section 4. Those persons of the district qualified to vote under section 2 of this charter at |
| each annual meeting, and at any other meeting when vacancies occur, may elect officers to serve |
| one year, or until the next annual meeting and until others may be chosen in their stead; which |
| offices shall consist of a moderator, clerk, treasurer, 3 assessors and a collector of taxes, and three |
| (3) members of an executive board whose duties and powers within said district shall be such as |
| like officers of town in this state have in their respective towns. They may also elect fire wardens |
| and any other needed officers. |
| Section 5. Those persons of the district qualified to vote under section 2 of this charter, at |
| any of their legal meetings, shall have power to order such taxes and provide for assessing and |
| collecting the same, on any or all, as they shall determine, of the following classes if taxable |
| property in said district: (1) land, (2) buildings and improvements, and (3) tangible personal |
| property, as they shall deem necessary for purchasing and procuring real estate, buildings, |
| implements and apparatus, and a supply of water for the extinguishment of fire; for the payment |
| of the current expenses of the district; also for the payment of any indebtedness that has been or |
| may be incurred by the district; and such taxes so ordered shall be assessed by the assessors of |
| said district according to the last valuation made by the assessors of the town next previous to |
| said assessment, adding, however, any taxable property which may have been omitted by said |
| town assessors or after acquired; and in all cases where the town assessors have included property |
| within the district and property without the district in one valuation, the assessors of the district |
| shall make an equitable valuation of that portion of the same lying within the district; and in the |
| assessing and collecting of said taxes such proceedings shall be had by the officers of the said |
| district, as near as may be, as are required to be had by the corresponding officers of towns in |
| assessing and collecting town taxes; and the collector of taxes or other employee hired or |
| appointed by the executive board of for the said district shall, for the purposes of collecting taxes |
| assessed by said district, have the same powers and authority as are now or may hereafter be by |
| law conferred on collectors of taxes for towns in this state. Said district may provide for such |
| deduction from the tax assessed against this state. Said district may provide for such deduction |
| from the tax assessed against any person if paid by an appointed time, or for such penalty by way |
| of percentage on the tax if not paid by an appointed time, or for such penalty by way of |
| percentage on the tax if not paid at the appointed time, not exceeding twelve percent (12%) per |
| annum, as they shall deem necessary to insure punctual payment. |
| Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary, the West Glocester fire district shall have |
| the power to adopt and implement a system of property tax classification in accordance with |
| section 44-5-11.8 of the general laws. |
| Section 7. Said district at any legal meeting shall have the power to enact by-laws |
| prescribing the duties of elected officers of the district, fire wardens, and of the inhabitants of said |
| district in time of conflagration and for the purpose of enforcing the commands of the fire |
| wardens, or the executive board, for suppressing disorder and tumult, guarding or removing |
| property or rendering other service in time of fire, and for breach of any such by-laws may |
| provide a penalty not exceeding a fine of $20.00, to be recovered for the use of said district, or |
| imprisonment for a term not exceeding 30 days, which penalty may be enforced by prosecution |
| on complaint of any member of said board of fire wardens or the executive board before any |
| court of competent jurisdiction. |
| Section 8. The fire wardens appointed by said district or the executive board may order in |
| time of fire such buildings to be pulled down or blown up as they may judge necessary to stop the |
| progress of the fire; and if it shall happen that the pulling down or blowing up of any such |
| buildings, by direction aforesaid, shall be the cause of stopping the progress of such fire, or if the |
| fire stop before it comes to the same, the owners shall be reasonably paid therefor by a tax on said |
| district, the amount of which tax will be adjudged by the superior court for counties of |
| Providence and Bristol, which court is hereby authorized and empowered, on application to them |
| made by the owners of property so destroyed, to adjudge as to the amount necessary and cause |
| the same to be certified to the district, and such tax shall be assessed and collected in said district, |
| but no building in which any fire shall break out or begin shall be paid for under this provision. |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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| LC002373 |
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