§ 204. Organization
(a) As soon as practicable after the first day of the month following annual Town meeting, the Selectboard shall organize and elect a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, and Clerk by a majority vote of the entire Selectboard and shall file a certificate of the election for record in the office of the Town Clerk.
(b) The Chairperson of the Selectboard, or, in the Chairperson’s absence, the Vice Chairperson, shall preside at all meetings of the Selectboard and shall be recognized as the head of the Town government for all ceremonial purposes.
(c) In the event of death, resignation, change of residence outside the Town, or incapacity of any Selectboard member, the remaining members of the Selectboard may appoint a person eligible to fill that position until the next annual or special meeting. If the Selectboard is unable to agree upon an interim replacement until the next annual or special meeting, a special election shall be held forthwith to fill the position. Incapacity shall include the failure by any member of the Selectboard to attend at least 50 percent of the meetings of the Selectboard in any calendar year.
(d) The Town Moderator shall perform duties as prescribed by law and shall preside at all Town meetings, but in the Moderator’s absence, the Town Clerk shall call the meeting to order, and the first order of business shall be the election of a Moderator Pro Tempore to preside for the duration of the meeting. The Moderator shall conduct every meeting according to this charter or the laws of the State of Vermont. The Moderator shall preserve order in the conduct of the business of the meeting and in all things shall preserve the principles of fairness and openness in Town government. In the event of the death, resignation, or change of residence to a location outside the Town, the Selectboard may appoint a person eligible to fill that position until the next annual or special Town meeting. If the Selectboard is unable to agree upon an interim replacement until the next annual or special meeting, a special election shall be held forthwith to fill the position. (Renumbered from 24A V.S.A. § 117-203 by 2023, No. M-19 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. Mar. 29, 2024; amended 2025, No. M-6 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. Mar. 16, 2026.)