Registration is now open for this year's August Half Day Program! We are returning once again to the Publick House Historic Inn in Sturbridge on Thursday, August 7th for a luncheon and awards ceremony, followed by a full afternoon of programming. The August Half Day Program has long been a great opportunity for our members and their guests to spend a summer afternoon at this scenic location to catch up with each other and the latest legal issues our communities are facing. The focus of this year's program is effective and efficient code enforcement. This program is open to local officials, employees and other involved in Code Enforcement.  Please feel free to share this invite to our program with others.

Date: August 7, 2025

Location: Publick House Historic Inn, 277 Main Street, Sturbridge, MA 01566

Presenters:

• Caitlin Castillo, First Assistant Clerk Magistrate, Western Division Housing Court
• Kathleen Connolly, Attorney, Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP
• Maja Kazmierczak, Assistant Attorney General, Neighborhood Renewal Division, Office of the Attorney General
• Carolyn Murray, Shareholder, KP Law
• Karis North, Partner, Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP
• Barbara Saint Andre, Director of Community and Economic Development, Town of Medway

Registration/ Pricing

• MMLA Members and Local Officials (Program Only) $85.00
• MMLA Members and Local Officials Program with Luncheon $100.00
• Non-Members (Program Only) $90.00
• Non-Members Program with Luncheon $110.00
• Panelists and Award Recipients (welcome to attend the luncheon and entire program courtesy of MMLA)

Panel 1

Conservation & Environmental Enforcement Issues-

Speakers: Karis North & Kathleen Connolly

1.       Practical steps and tips on the process for obtaining administrative search warrants and use of other means.

2.       Conservation Commission Effective Enforcement – advising municipalities on effective local enforcement steps from inspection and record-keeping phases through litigation phases; including advice on working effectively with MassDEP on enforcement of violations of the state Wetlands Protection Act and other statutes and regulations.

Panel 2

Enforcement Via the Courts and Receiverships

Speakers: Caitlin Castillo and Maja Kazmierczak

1.       Effective and Efficient Enforcement Action Through the Housing Court and other Courts

a. Introduction and Overview to the Housing Court

b. Code enforcement citations and the State Sanitary Code

c. Petitions to Enforce the State Sanitary Code

2.       Making Receivership Law Work for Your Municipality

a. Requests to appoint a receiver under MGL c. 111 sec 127I

b. Identifying a Receiver

c. Motions to be filed by receiver’s attorney while in court and the municipalities’ roles

d. Dissolution of a receivership 

Panel 3

Effective and Efficient Enforcement of Zoning and Land Use Laws

Speakers: Barbara Saint Andre and Carolyn Murray

1. Effective enforcement of zoning bylaws and ordinances, beginning with preparing the enforcement order from the Zoning Enforcement Officer; 

2. How to handle appeals to the ZBA; 

3. Strategies for seeking enforcement from the courts, including choice of venue and whether to use noncriminal disposition and contempt proceedings.