Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 40, § 60A – Manufacturing workforce training tax increment financing plan

(a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, a city or town, by vote of its town meeting, town council or city council, with the approval of the mayor where required by law, on its own behalf or in conjunction with 1 or more cities or towns and pursuant to regulations issued by the director of workforce development and in consultation with the executive office of economic development, may adopt and implement a manufacturing workforce training tax increment financing plan, referred to as a MWT–TIF plan in this section, intended to encourage increased commercial growth of manufacturing facilities that have been located in such city or town for not less than 2 years. Any such MWT–TIF plan shall:
(i) designate 1 or more areas of such city or town as a manufacturing workforce training tax increment financing zone, referred to as a MWT–TIF zone in section, subject to the approval of the department of workforce development under regulations adopted by said department consistent with this section. Any MWT–TIF plan adopted by more than 1 city or town shall be contiguous areas of such cities or towns;
(ii) describe in detail all training, retraining and workforce repositioning contemplated for such MWT–TIF zone as of the date of adoption of the MWT–TIF plan that shall be eligible for the MWT–TIF;
(iii) authorize tax increment exemptions from property taxes, under clause Fifty-first of section 5 of chapter 59, for a specified term not to exceed 20 years, for any parcel of real property which is located in the MWT–TIF zone and for which an agreement has been executed with the owner of the parcel under clause (iv); provided, however, that the MWT–TIF plan shall specify the level of exemptions expressed as exemption percentages, not to exceed 100 per cent, to be used in calculating the exemptions for the parcel, and for personal property situated on that parcel, as provided under said clause Fifty-first of said section 5 of said chapter 59; provided, further, that the exemption for each parcel of real property shall be calculated using an adjustment factor for each fiscal year of the specified term equal to the product of the inflation factors for each fiscal year since the parcel first became eligible for such exemption pursuant to this clause; provided, further, that the inflation factor for each fiscal year shall be a ratio:
1. (a) the numerator of which shall be the total assessed value of all parcels of all commercial and industrial real estate that is assessed at full and fair cash value for the current fiscal year minus the new growth adjustment for the current fiscal year attributable to the commercial and industrial real estate as determined by the commissioner of revenue under paragraph (f) of section 21C of said chapter 59; and
2. (b) the denominator of which shall be the total assessed value for the preceding fiscal year of all the parcels included in the numerator, except that such ratio shall not be less than 1;
3. (iv) include executed agreements between such city or town and each eligible owner of a parcel of real property which is located in a MWT–TIF zone. Each such agreement shall include the following:
  1. (1) all material representations of the parties which served as a basis for the descriptions contained in the MWT–TIF plan in accordance with clause (ii) and which served as a basis for the granting of a MWT–TIF exemption;
  2. (2) any terms considered appropriate by the city or town relative to compliance with the MWT–TIF agreement including, but not limited to, that which shall constitute a default by the property owner and the remedies that shall be instituted between the parties for any such defaults, including an early termination of the agreement;
  3. (3) provisions requiring that 75 per cent of the eligible workforce shall receive training that is designed to retain employment in such city or town;
  4. (4) a detailed recitation of all other benefits and responsibilities inuring to and assumed by the parties to such agreement; and (5) a provision that such agreement shall be binding upon subsequent owners of such parcel of real property;
  5. (v) delegate to 1 board, agency or officer of the city or town the authority to execute agreements in accordance with clause (iv); and
  6. (vi) be certified as an approved MWT–TIF plan by the economic assistance coordinating council established by section 3B of chapter 23A pursuant to regulations adopted by said council if the council finds, based on the information submitted in support of the MWT–TIF plan by the city or town and such additional investigation as the council shall make, and incorporate in its minutes, that the plan is consistent with the requirements of this section and shall further the public purpose of retaining or encouraging increased industrial and commercial manufacturing activity in the commonwealth. A city or town may at any time revoke its designation of a TIF zone and, as a consequence of such revocation, shall immediately cease the execution of any additional agreements pursuant to clause (iv). The board, agency or officer of the city or town authorized pursuant to clause (v) to execute agreements shall forward to the board of assessors a copy of each such agreement, together with a list of the parcels included therein. An executed and approved MWT–TIF shall be recorded in the registry of deeds or the registry district of the land court for the county wherein such land lies.
    [There is no subsection (b).]