Section 117. General Assembly shall enact laws for government of cities and towns; how special act therefor passed; as to city charters existing at adoption of Constitution

Organization and government

The General Assembly shall provide by general law for the organization, government, powers, change of boundaries, consolidation, and dissolution of counties, cities, towns, and regional governments. The General Assembly may also provide by general law optional plans of government for counties, cities, or towns to be effective if approved by a majority vote of the qualified voters voting on any such plan in any such county, city, or town.
The General Assembly may also provide by special act for the organization, government, and powers of any county, city, town, or regional government, including such powers of legislation, taxation, and assessment as the General Assembly may determine, but no such special act shall be adopted which provides for the extension or contraction of boundaries of any county, city, or town.
Every law providing for the organization of a regional government shall, in addition to any other requirements imposed by the General Assembly, require the approval of the organization of the regional government by a majority vote of the qualified voters voting thereon in each county and city which is to participate in the regional government and of the voters voting thereon in a part of a county or city where only the part is to participate.

(a) General laws for the organization and government of cities and towns shall be enacted by the general assembly, and no special act shall be passed in relation thereto, except in the manner provided in article four of this Constitution, and then only by a recorded vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house. But each of the cities and towns of the State having at the time of the adoption of this Constitution a municipal charter may retain the same, except so far as it shall be repealed or amended by the general assembly; provided, that every such charter is hereby amended to conform to all the provisions, restrictions, limitations and powers set forth in this article, or otherwise provided in this Constitution.
(b) The general assembly may, by general law or by special act (passed in the manner provided in article four of this Constitution) provide for the organization and government of cities and towns without regard to, and unaffected by any of the provisions of this article, except those of sections one hundred and twenty-four, one hundred and twenty-five, (except so far as the provisions of section one hundred and twenty-five recognize the office of mayor and the power of veto) one hundred and twenty-six, one hundred and twenty-seven and one hundred and twenty-eight of this article, and except those mentioned in sub-section (d) of this section. The term "council" as used in any of said sections shall include the body exercising legislative authority for the city or town, and all ordinances enacted and resolutions adopted by such body shall have the same force and effect for all purposes, as if enacted or adopted in accordance with the provisions of section one hundred and twenty-three of this article. But such organization and government shall apply only to such cities or towns as may thereafter adopt the same by a majority vote of those qualified voters of any such city or town voting in any election to be held for the purpose, as may be provided by law.
(c) The general assembly at the request of any city or town made in manner provided by law, may grant to it any special form of organization and government authorized by sub-section (b) of this section, and subject to all of the provisions of that sub-section, except that it shall not be necessary for such city or town to thereafter adopt the same.
(d) Any laws or charters enacted pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be subject to the provisions of this Constitution relating expressly to judges and clerks of courts, attorneys for the Commonwealth, commissioners of revenue, city treasurers and city sergeants.
(e) Any form of organization and government authorized by any provisions of this section which may have been adopted heretofore by any city or town pursuant to any act of the general assembly enacted before such provision became effective, and which is now in operation, is hereby declared legal and valid ab initio, and shall have the same force and effect as if it had been authorized by this Constitution at the time of its adoption.

General laws for the organization and government of cities and towns shall be enacted by the general assembly, and no special act shall be passed in relation thereto, except in the manner provided in article four of this constitution, and then only by a recorded vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house, and except also in the case of cities having more than fifty thousand inhabitants as hereinafter provided. But each of the cities and towns of the State having at the time of the adoption of this amendment a municipal charter may retain the same, except so far as it shall be repealed or amended by the general assembly; provided, that every such charter is hereby amended so as to conform to all the provisions, restrictions and powers set forth in this article, or otherwise provided in this constitution.
Notwithstanding, however, anything in this article contained, the general assembly may, by general or by special act (passed as prescribed in article four of this constitution), depart in any respect (except as otherwise in this section expressly provided) from the form of organization and government prescribed by this article for cities and towns, and may provide from time to time for the various cities and towns of the commonwealth, such form or forms of municipal government as the general assembly may deem best; but no form or forms of government authorized by the second paragraph of this section shall become operative except as to such cities or towns as may thereafter adopt the same by a majority vote of its qualified electors at an election to be held as may be prescribed therefor by law. All the limitations on the powers of the councils of cities and towns imposed by this article shall apply in like manner to the principal legislative authority under any form of government which may be authorized hereunder. The term "council," as used in sections one hundred and twenty-five and one hundred and twenty-seven of this constitution shall be construed to include the body which, under any form of municipal government, shall be vested with the principal legislative authority of such municipality.
The general assembly, for the purpose of this article, may classify cities according to their population, but the maximum population prescribed for any class shall exceed the minimum for the same class by at least ten thousand. The general assembly, at the request, made in manner which may be prescribed by law, of any city having a population of over fifty thousand inhabitants, may grant a special form of government for such city.
Any laws or charters enacted pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be subject to the provisions of this constitution relating expressly to judges and clerks of courts, attorneys for the commonwealth, commissioners of revenue, city treasurers and city sergeants.

General laws for the organization and government of cities and towns shall be enacted by the General Assembly, and no special act shall be passed in relation thereto, except in the manner provided in Article Four of this Constitution, and then only by a recorded vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house. But each of the cities and towns of the State having at the time of the adoption of this Constitution a municipal charter may retain the same, except so far as it shall be repealed or amended by the General Assembly: provided, that every such charter is hereby amended so as to conform to all the provisions, restrictions, limitations and powers set forth in this article, or otherwise provided in this Constitution.