Title 24APPENDIX, Municipal Charters

§ 13. Use of streets by public utilities and private interests Every non-Springfield municipal public utility or private interest that desires to excavate in a public right-of-way shall first obtain from the Town Manager or designee a written permit stating the place where and th…

§ 14. Severability The sections of this charter and the parts thereof are severable. If any portion of this charter, or application thereof to any person or circumstance, shall be held invalid, the remainder thereof or the application of such invalid portions to other persons or …

§ 2. Application of general law; proposed charter (a) Purpose. This document is drafted to update and replace the existing charter. (b) Application of general laws. (1) Except when modified by the provisions of this charter, or by any regulation or ordinance of the Town, all stat…

§ 21. Governmental authority All governmental authority of the Town rests ultimately with the citizens and registered voters of the Town, who shall exercise their power by Australian ballot at the annual Town meeting in determining: (1) the election of officers of the Town; (2) t…

§ 22. Town meeting; elections (a) [Repealed.] (b) Meetings and Elections. (1) Annual Town meeting. (A) On the Monday preceding the first Tuesday in March, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at a place designated by the Selectboard, the Town shall start its annual meeting and may transact at …

§ 23. Local elected officials (a) Local elective offices to be filled by the registered voters of the Town shall be only those articulated by this charter and shall include: (1) Selectboard; (2) [Repealed.] (3) Moderator; (4) Library Trustees; (5) Cemetery Commissioners; (6) [Rep…

§ 24. Appointed nonadministrative officials (a) General provisions applying to all appointed positions. (1) The appointed positions herein shall all be appointed by a majority vote of the Selectboard. (2) Terms of appointment shall begin immediately upon Selectboard action and ru…

§ 3. Powers of the Town (a) The Town shall have all the powers and functions conferred upon municipalities by the Constitution and general laws of the State, all implied powers necessary to implement those powers and functions, and any additional powers conferred by this charter …

§ 31. The Town Manager (a) Appointment. The Selectboard shall appoint, with no fewer than four (4) affirmative votes, a Town Manager. (b) Qualifications. The Town Manager shall be appointed solely on the basis of the person’s executive and administrative skills, based on educatio…

§ 32. Administrative departments (a) [Repealed.] (b) Department heads. Each Town department shall have a designated department head appointed by the Town Manager who shall supervise and control the department and employees of the department. The Town Manager may, at any time, ass…

§ 33. Administrative code (a) The administrative code shall include the following: (1) a copy of the Town charter; (2) a properly indexed and codified volume of all Town ordinances; (3) a copy of the Town’s employee handbook, classification, and pay plan; (4) a copy of the Town’s…

§ 34. Administrative and policy functions prescribed by charter (a) Department of Assessment. (1) There shall be the Department of Assessment as prescribed by charter and State statute, with any staff as may be recommended by the Town Manager and approved by the Selectboard. (2) …

§ 4. Intergovernmental relations The Town may exercise any of its powers, or perform any of its functions, and may participate in the financing thereof, jointly or in cooperation, by contract or otherwise, with any other towns, cities, and school systems, or one or more states or…

§ 41. Fiscal year of the Town government The fiscal year of the Town government shall be fixed by the Selectboard. (Amended 2021, No. M-13 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 16, 2022.)

§ 42. Town Manager’s proposed budget timetable and preparation (a) Submission of timetable. At least five months before the scheduled date of Town meeting, the Town Manager shall prepare and present to the Selectboard and Budget Advisory Committee a proposed timetable that shall …

§ 43. Capital expenditure program (a) Preparation and submission. The Town Manager, after consultation with department heads, shall submit a proposed five-year capital expenditure program to the Selectboard, with a copy provided to the Budget Advisory Committee, at least three mo…

§ 44. Reserve funds (a) The Selectboard may raise and appropriate money for the establishment of reserve or equipment reserve funds for the financing of all or part of: (1) the construction, reconstruction, or acquisition of a specific capital improvement, or the acquisition of a…

§ 45. Board review and final action Board review. (1) The Selectboard shall schedule one or more meetings, as it deems appropriate, for the review and discussion of the proposed budget and comments from the Budget Advisory Committee. (2) Upon completion of its review, the Selectb…

§ 46. Special appropriations In response to a request, or upon its own initiative, should the Selectboard so judge, the appropriation relative to a special element of Town business may be placed on the warning as a special appropriation by a majority vote of the Board Selectboard…

§ 47. Budget Advisory Committee; budget process The Selectboard shall appoint a Budget Advisory Committee that shall be composed of not less than five and not more than nine registered voters of the Town at least six months before the scheduled date of the annual Town meeting. Th…

§ 48. Appropriation; budget (a) Gross appropriation fixed and levy. (1) No appropriation may be voted unless such action was duly warned. (2) As of the effective date of the budget, all amounts stated therein are appropriated (for the specified agency’s or department’s purpose). …

§ 49. Financial administration and Town budget (a) Finance Director. (1) The Town Manager may appoint, upon merit alone, a person who shall serve as the Finance Director. (2) The Finance Director shall be a member of the Town administration and be subject to all rules and regulat…

§ 5. Ordinances (a) Town legislation. Town legislation shall be by ordinance. Ordinances and rules adopted pursuant to ordinances shall have the full force of law embodied in this charter. (b) Legislative body. (1) The Selectboard shall constitute the legislative body of the Town…

§ 50. Trust funds (a) Trust funds of the Town shall be accounted for separately and kept apart from other Town funds. (b) Trust funds shall be the responsibility of the trustees of public funds in accordance with this charter and State law, unless the trust document specifies oth…

§ 51. Taxation and collection (a) [Repealed.] (b) Responsibility for taxation and collection. (1) The Town Treasurer shall be responsible for tax collection. (2) [Repealed.] (3) The Collector of Taxes or Delinquent Taxes may charge and collect such fees and interest as may be fix…

§ 52. Debt and bonded debt for Town improvements (a) Authorization for any long-term debt shall be granted by the voters at an annual or special Town meeting duly authorized for that purpose. As used in this section, “long-term” means a period of indebtedness greater than five ye…

§ 7. Potential or actual conflict of interest; personal financial interest The Selectboard shall adopt and maintain a conflict of interest policy. (Amended 2021, No. M-13 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 16, 2022.)

§ 8. Licenses; fees; charges; user fees; fees for service (a) The Selectboard shall have the sole authority for the setting of all fees, charges, user fees, or fees for services, related to Town government, except those prescribed by State statute relating to the Office of the To…

§ 9. Acquisition and disposition of Town property (a) The Selectboard shall pass a policy governing the acquisition or disposition of Town property, which shall outline procedures for the handling of these matters. (b) The Selectboard may acquire or dispose of real property in ac…