Title 24APPENDIX, Title 24APPENDIX: Municipal Charters

§ 3.1. Powers of the City of Rutland The powers of the City of Rutland under this charter shall be construed liberally in favor of the City and, except as expressly limited herein specific mention of particular powers in this charter shall not be construed as limiting in any way …

§ 30.1. Composition of Board The Board of School Commissioners of the City shall be composed of 11 school commissioners, who shall be elected as hereinbefore provided.

§ 30.2. Vacancy Any vacancy of the Board of School Commissioners occasioned by death, resignation, removal from the City, or other disability shall be filled until the next annual election, upon nomination by the Mayor. The Mayor shall make such nomination to the Board of School …

§ 30.3. Officers The school commissioners shall appoint one of their own members President, and shall appoint another of their own members as Clerk to keep a full and complete record of all their proceedings. They shall by general regulations provide for the holding of regular an…

§ 30.4. Duties (a) Said Board shall have in general all the powers and authority, and perform all the duties, pertaining to school officers in towns of this State, not inconsistent with the provisions of this charter. (b) The Board shall have the care and custody of all property …

§ 31.1. Appointment (a) The Board of School Commissioners shall appoint a Superintendent of Schools who shall not be a member of the Board. The appointment shall be consistent with and pursuant to the written Board of School Commissioners’ policy. The Board may contract with said…

§ 31.2. Duties (a) The Superintendent of Schools shall be the Purchasing Agent for the School Department and shall perform such other duties in connection with the public schools as shall be assigned him or her by the Board of School Commissioners. (b) As Purchasing Agent for the…

§ 32.1. Duties Said Board shall annually appoint such truant officers as in its judgment may be required, who shall have the same powers and perform the same duties as prescribed by the general law of this State for truant officers in towns and cities, and shall have such further…

§ 33.1. Location and management It shall be the duty of the City, acting through the Board of School Commissioners, to provide and maintain suitable school facilities for the accommodation of all the public schools of the City. The location and construction of school facilities, …

§ 33.2. Purchase The Board of School Commissioners shall provide the money for the purchase of land for school purposes or for the construction of school buildings or both pursuant to the general laws of the State of Vermont. (Amended 2007, No. M-17 (Adj. Sess.), § 12.)

§ 34.1. Appropriations and expenditures The voters of the City shall annually approve a budget for the use of the schools pursuant to the general laws of the State of Vermont. The Board of School Commissioners shall not expend any money or incur any debt for any purpose by contra…

§ 34.2. School financing (a) The voters of the City shall annually approve a budget for the use of Rutland City schools pursuant to the general laws of the State of Vermont. (b) Any bonded indebtedness approved by the voters after January 1, 2004, shall not be considered as part …

§ 35.1. Establishment A Traffic Court is hereby created and established for the City of Rutland with the jurisdiction of conducting an administrative type hearing when so requested by any person charged with violation of any parking related ordinance, for the purpose of determini…

§ 35.2. Judge The person holding the Office of City Attorney, or acting as such, shall be the Traffic Court Judge and shall have the authority and power to conduct hearings when requested by a charged violator who requests said hearing and said Judge shall determine whether the c…

§ 35.3. Collection of fines Violators who do not request a hearing as provided in this charter within seven days are deemed to have waived such hearing and are obligated to pay to the City Treasurer all fines and penalties as established by ordinance in the City of Rutland for th…

§ 36.1. Declaration of necessity We hereby find and declare that there currently exists within the City of Rutland an urgent need to reduce the property tax burden on residential homeowners; to redevelop dilapidated and blighted structures, to revitalize the commercial and indust…

§ 36.2. Creation of Redevelopment Authority There is hereby created an independent agency, a body corporate and political, to be known as the Rutland Redevelopment Authority, whose purposes and powers shall be as set forth in this charter.

§ 36.3. Purposes The Authority, in the exercise of the powers created and granted under section 3 of this charter, shall foster and carry out the following purposes: (1) to enhance and promote economic opportunity within the City of Rutland; (2) to plan for public and private imp…

§ 36.4. Powers In addition to the powers conferred upon municipal corporations generally under 24 V.S.A. chapter 85, the Authority is hereby granted the following powers, rights, privileges, and prerogatives. (1) To adopt, administer, and enforce ordinances relating to the power …

§ 36.5. Board of Commissioners; composition (a) The administration, management, and supervision of the Authority shall be vested in a Board of Commissioners, except as provided otherwise herein. The Board shall consist of: (1) the City Treasurer; (2) one member, appointed by the …

§ 36.6. General law; application Unless provided for to the contrary in this section, the Authority and its Board of Commissioners shall be subject to and have the benefit of all general laws of the State of Vermont relating to municipal corporations, provided, however, that the …

§ 36.7. Redevelopment plan Annually, and after notice and public hearing, the Authority shall develop and promulgate redevelopment master plans, standards, and criteria, which may be amended and modified from time to time.

§ 36.8. Severability If any provisions of this charter shall be declared invalid, such declaration shall not affect the remaining provisions hereof.

§ 36.9. Effective date of charter This charter shall be effective upon adoption following approval by the City of Rutland at any annual or special meeting thereof.

§ 37.1. Interpretation In the construction of this charter, the rules provided in 1 V.S.A chapter 3 shall be observed, unless such construction is inconsistent with the manifest intent of the General Assembly or repugnant to the context of this charter.

§ 37.2. General law Except when changed or modified by the provisions of this charter, or by any legal regulation or ordinance of the City, all provisions of the statutes of the State relating to towns and town officers shall apply to the City and to the several officers thereof …

§ 38.1. Controlling statute This charter shall be adopted and amended or repealed in conformity with 17 V.S.A. § 2645 or as amended.

§ 38.2. Effect of repeal (a) Such repeal shall not affect a penalty or forfeiture incurred under any of the laws repealed before this charter takes effect; however, where a punishment, penalty, or forfeiture is mitigated by the provisions of this charter, the provisions may be ex…

§ 38.3. Effective date This charter shall take effect in conformity with the provisions of 17 V.S.A. § 2645 or as amended.

§ 4.1. Administrative powers The administration of all fiscal, prudential, and municipal affairs of the City and the government thereof shall be vested in the Board of Aldermen, except as otherwise provided by this charter or by law, and except where the powers are specifically d…

§ 4.2. Organization and meetings (a) The Board of Aldermen elected as hereinbefore provided, shall elect one of their number President of such Board. In the event a vacancy is created on the Board of Aldermen, it shall be filled by appointment by the Mayor and confirmation by the…

§ 4.3. Special meetings (a) A special meeting of the Board of Aldermen may be called at any time by the Mayor. Further, a special meeting shall be called by the Mayor on petition by a majority of the Board of Aldermen. (b) At least 24 hours’ notice shall be given of each special …

§ 4.4. Executive sessions All meetings of the Board of Aldermen shall be public except when assembled for executive business as authorized by 1 V.S.A. §§ 313-314 as amended. An executive session may be held at any regular, special, or committee meeting of the Board of Aldermen, b…

§ 4.5. Acts of the Board of Aldermen The Board of Aldermen shall exercise its authority in the following manner; by the enactment of ordinances and bylaws, or by resolution or vote of the Board of Aldermen, subject to the approval of the Mayor set forth in section 4.6 of this cha…

§ 4.6. Veto powers (a) If the Mayor approves any vote of the Board of Aldermen the Mayor shall sign the same. If the Mayor does not approve the vote, he or she shall within 10 days veto and return the vote for a revote with his or her objections in writing to the Clerk of the Boa…

§ 4.7. Board of Civil Authority (a) The Mayor and the Board of Aldermen shall constitute the Board of Civil Authority for the City except as herein provided. The Mayor shall preside and vote at all meetings of the Board of Civil Authority except as otherwise provided herein. (b) …

§ 5.1. Enactment of ordinances The Board of Aldermen may make, alter, amend, or repeal any resolutions, bylaws, regulations, and ordinances that it may deem necessary and proper for carrying into effect any of the powers conferred upon said City by this charter or for the well be…

§ 5.2. Revision of ordinances The Board of Aldermen of the City of Rutland is authorized to revise the existing ordinances of said City and shall have authority to strike out and repeal obsolete and repetitive enactments, to amend, repeal, compile, delete, renumber, or rearrange …

§ 5.3. Violation of ordinances (a) The Board of Aldermen may provide penalties for the violation of any ordinance, regulation, or bylaw. In no case shall the penalty exceed the maximum penalty allowed under 24 V.S.A. § 1974. (b) In any prosecution for a nuisance arising under thi…

§ 6.1. Sequestration (a) In taking lands, springs, streams, and water rights and diverting waters from natural channels into its water supply, for the purpose of establishing, maintaining, and repairing reservoirs, aqueducts, water pipes, pipe lines, and other necessary apparatus…

§ 6.2. Sale or lease Only the Board of Aldermen may authorize the sale or lease of real or personal property belonging to the City, except as otherwise authorized by charter or ordinance. All conveyances, grants, or leases of real estate shall be signed by the Mayor and be sealed…

§ 7.1. Terms of grant The Board of Aldermen may exercise the power set forth in subsection 23 of chapter 3 of this charter by the grant of public franchise. All such grants shall be granted upon such terms and conditions as are just and reasonable, including any sum or sums of mo…

§ 8.1. Grand list In the City of Rutland, the grand list shall be made up in the manner prescribed by the general laws of the State of Vermont.

§ 8.5. Assessment of taxes The Board of Aldermen shall annually, during the first 20 days of July, assess upon the grand list of the City taxes sufficient to meet the following requirement: (1) Taxes required by the general laws of the State of Vermont. (2) Taxes required for gen…

§ 8.6. Collection of taxes (a) Except as otherwise herein provided, whenever any tax shall be assessed on the property list by the Board of Aldermen, the Board shall cause to be delivered to the City Treasurer on or before August 16 following the assessment of such tax a tax bill…

§ 8.7. Delinquent taxes (a) It shall be the duty of the City Treasurer as Constable to collect all legal taxes contained in such tax bill, subject to such abatement as may be made by the Board for the Abatement of Taxes. He or she shall pay the amount shown in such tax bill to th…