Adams Fire District Approves Two Bylaw Changes in Special Meeting

ADAMS, Mass. — The Adams Fire District approved both of the proposed bylaw changes on the warrant at its special meeting on Wednesday. 

Article 1 moves the collection of fire protection and street lighting fees to Town Hall as a separate line item on town tax bills. The proposed changes resulted from a class-action lawsuit last year against the district. A Superior Court judge found that the district did not have the authority to charge for anything other than water, according to an 1873 act by the Legislature. 

Article 2 adds language to Article XIII of the district's bylaws that gives the Prudential Committee authority to declare a state of water shortage. The committee can charge penalties for violations during a shortage that varies based on severity, ranging from a verbal warning to a $300 fine. 

Voters disapproved these and other bylaw amendments at the annual meeting on May 24. The district, according to Treasurer Kathleen Fletcher at a June 6 meeting, decided to exclude the remaining bylaw changes from this meeting's warrant. 

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