SECTION 301. Any county, city or town which is making payments of different subsidiary or additional rates for a group or class within a unit for insurance for retired employees on the effective date of this act may continue to make such payments notwithstanding the provisions of section nine E of chapter thirty-two B of the General Laws or any other general or special law to the contrary; provided, however, such rates shall remain at the amount in effect on the effective date of this act.
SECTION 302. There is hereby established a commission on the consolidation of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority police force with another public law enforcement agency. Said commission shall review the feasibility of consolidation options that will ensure an appropriate level of public safety for the ridership of the MBTA. Said commission shall consider the impact of public safety services within the city of Boston and throughout the public transit network; provided that in considering such consolidation options, the commission shall review such issues as police training, the fiscal impact of pension fund and real estate and equipment transfers upon the consolidated agencies, rank structure, promotional and labor relations issues, any monetary savings and residual costs that might accrue to the commonwealth and the overall impact of consolidation on the public safety services within the city of Boston and throughout the public transit network. The commission shall make recommendations based upon this review and prepare a report to the general court along with legislative recommendations to accomplish the objectives of its report by October 1, 1997.
The commission shall be comprised of the secretary of public safety or his designee, the general manager of the MBTA or his designee, a representative of the MBTA Police Association, commissioner of the Boston police department or his designee, five members of the house of representatives and three members of the senate.
SECTION 303. Section 2 of chapter 353 of the acts of 1996 is hereby amended by striking out the last sentence and inserting in place thereof the following two sentences:- Such sale, lease or conveyance shall be for full and fair market value pursuant to the appraisal process established by section 9, less all expenditures incurred by the town of Belchertown in conjunction with the town's occupancy, use and maintenance of the land and buildings on parcel A pursuant to all license or leasing agreements with the division prior to conveyance of parcel A to the town of Belchertown and less the costs to be incurred by the recipients for removing asbestos containing materials from the properties, remediating environmental conditions and demolition of buildings where renovation is economically unfeasible. Expenditures shall include, but not be limited to, license fees, lease or rent obligations, maintenance and custodial services, repairs, renovations and alterations, public works and public safety services, property, casualty and liability insurance, engineering surveys, other plans and tests of the site and the costs of preparing a recordable survey describing said parcel A and the costs of recording said plan at the registry of deeds.
SECTION 304. (a) The division of capital planning and operations is hereby authorized and directed to transfer, within 90 days of the effective date of this section, all of the commonwealth's right, title and interest in a certain parcel of land with the buildings thereon, as described more fully in subsections (c), (d) and (e), to the Boston Renaissance charter public school, a body corporate and politic established pursuant to and in accordance with the provisions of section 89 of chapter 71 of the General Laws, for a purchase price equal to the full and fair market value less the value of any improvements made by said school.
The full and fair market value shall be determined by averaging three independent appraisals to be conducted at the direction and expense of the division of capital planning and operations.
(b) The inspector general shall review and approve said determination of value and said review shall include an examination of the methodology utilized for said appraisals. Said inspector general shall prepare a report of his review and file said report with said division for submission to the house and senate committees on ways and means. Said school shall assume the full cost of preparing a recordable survey describing said parcel and shall also assume the costs of recording said plan with the registry of deeds for Suffolk county.
(c) The parcel to be conveyed is more fully described as follows: A parcel of land with the buildings thereon on Arlington, Stuart and Piedmont streets in Boston, Suffolk county, Massachusetts, described as and bounded westerly by Arlington street one hundred thirty-five and ninety-seven one hundredths feet; northerly by Stuart street one hundred eight and twenty-eight one hundredths feet; easterly by land now or formerly of Bowditch eighty-five and eleven one hundredths feet; northerly again by land now or formerly of Bowditch twenty-five and forty-four one hundredths feet; easterly again by land now or formerly of Bowditch fifty-one and sixty-six one hundredths feet; and southerly by Piedmont street one hundred twenty-eight and thirty-two one hundredths feet.
(d) Said parcel contains fifteen thousand seven hundred ninety-six square feet of land is shown on a plan entitled "Plan of Land in Boston, Mass." by William S. Crocker, civil engineer, dated December 11, 1948, with additions made December 31, 1948, recorded with the Suffolk county registry of deeds on page 403 in book 8073.
(e) The premises, sometimes known as 250 Stuart street, 100 to 104 Arlington street, and 47 to 55 Piedmont street in Boston, Massachusetts, are the same conveyed to the commonwealth of Massachusetts by deed of Eastern Gas and Fuel Associates dated October 3, 1966 and recorded with the Suffolk county registry of deeds in book 8073, page 403.
(f) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the Boston Renaissance charter public school may incur debt for the purpose of acquiring land and constructing, reconstructing, adding to, remodeling, making extraordinary repairs to and equipping a school building or buildings, for a term not to exceed 25 years.
SECTION 305. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, effective July 1, 1997, any references in any general or special law to the office for children shall be deemed to be references to the office of child care services established by this act.
SECTION 306. The comptroller is hereby authorized and directed to transfer to the Child Care Fund established pursuant to section 2LL of chapter 29 of the General Laws, as inserted by section 50 of this act, the unexpended balance in the Child Care and Development Block Grant appropriated pursuant to item 4000-0702 in section 2 of chapter 151 of the acts of 1996.
SECTION 307. The provisions of sections 62 and 63 shall be effective for any tax year beginning on or after January 1, 1997.
SECTION 308. The provisions of section 64 shall take effect on October 1, 1997.
SECTION 309. The provisions of sections 86 and 87 shall take effect on July 1, 1998.
SECTION 310. The provisions of sections 160 and 237 shall take effect on June 30, 1997.
SECTION 311. Except as otherwise provided, the provisions of this act shall take effect on July 1, 1997.