Section 3. (a) The organization of a tourism destination marketing district shall be initiated by a petition of the lodging business owners within the proposed tourism destination marketing district, which shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the municipality that is to serve as the lead jurisdiction. The petition shall contain:-

Terms Used In Massachusetts General Laws ch. 40X sec. 3

  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.

(i) the signatures of 62 per cent of the tourism destination marketing district members in the proposed tourism destination marketing district;

(ii) a description of and site map delineating the boundaries of the proposed tourism destination marketing district;

(iii) the initial list of lodging businesses to be included in the proposed tourism destination marketing district. Lodging businesses that commence operations after the formation of the tourism destination marketing district and meet the criteria by which lodging businesses are assessed by the tourism destination marketing district shall be included in the tourism destination marketing district pursuant to section 4;

(iv) the proposed tourism destination marketing district plan, which shall set forth the supplemental services and programs, update mechanism, criteria by which lodging businesses are assessed by the tourism destination marketing district, and budget and special assessment structures; and

(v) the identity and address of the management entity and the tourism destination marketing district committee.

A copy of said petition shall be filed with the clerk of the lead jurisdiction and the commissioner within 30 days of receipt of such petition by the clerk of the lead jurisdiction.

(b) All required procedures related to the formation, operation and renewal of the tourism destination marketing district shall only be carried out by the lead jurisdiction. A lead jurisdiction is authorized to form a tourism destination marketing district that includes other cities or towns; provided, however, that the lead jurisdiction may not vote to form a tourism destination marketing district that includes the territorial jurisdiction of another city or town within the tourism destination marketing district’s boundaries until it has received consent, by vote, from such other city or town’s local municipal governing body.