Emerson College v. City of Boston

In 1982, the Legislature conferred authority on the city of Boston to impose a charge for fire protection against the owners of certain buildings that “by reason of their size, type of construction, use and other relevant factors . . . require[ ] the city to employ additional firefighters, deploy additional equipment and purchase equipment different in kind from that required to provide fire protection for the majority of structures. ’ ’ St. 1982, c. 190, § 30. 2 Under the statute, the city “is authorized to impose a fee for augmented fire services availability pursuant to [St. 1982, c. 190,…