Title 24, Municipal and County Government

§ 5108. Annual budget and assessments (a) On or before February 15 in each year the board of commissioners shall prepare a budget for the authority for the next fiscal year, which shall include an estimate of the revenue of the Authority from fares and other sources, except membe…

§ 5109. Termination of membership (a) A member municipality may withdraw from membership in the authority, if notification of withdrawal is given more than one year after the member municipality joined such authority. The withdrawal shall take effect at the end of the first full …

§ 5110. Miscellaneous provisions (a) The authority shall prepare an annual report of its activities, including a financial statement, and submit the report to the legislative bodies of the member municipalities. (b) The fiscal year of the authority shall commence July 1 in each y…

§ 5121. Definitions As used in this subchapter: (1) “Municipality” means a town, city, or incorporated village. (2) “Legislative body” means the selectboard in the case of a town, the council or mayor and board of aldermen in the case of a city, and the trustees in the case of an…

§ 5122. Creation of regional transit districts A regional transit district may be created at any time by the act of the voters of each of two or more municipalities upon the written approval of the Agency of Transportation. Approval shall be based upon the results of studies carr…

§ 5123. Regional transit district membership A regional transit district shall contain at least one representative appointed from each member municipality. All representatives may be compensated and reimbursed by their respective municipalities for necessary and reasonable expens…

§ 5124. Annual budget and assessments (a) Representatives to a regional transit district representing each participating municipality shall be appointed and any vacancy filled by the legislative body of such municipality. (b) A regional transit district shall elect a chair and a …

§ 5125. Purposes and powers (a) The district may purchase, own, operate, or provide for the operation of land transportation facilities, and may contract for transit services, conduct studies, and contract with other governmental agencies, private companies, and individuals. (b) …

§ 5127. Exemption; regulation; taxes (a) The public transportation systems and facilities operated by a regional transit district are exempt from any of the regulatory provisions of Title 30 except that the transportation board may impose any regulatory provisions of Title 30 tha…

§ 5128. Annual budget and assessments (a) Each year the board of commissioners shall prepare a proposed budget for the district for the next fiscal year, which shall include an estimate of the revenue of the district from fares and other sources, except municipal contributions, a…

§ 5129. Liability of district (a) Members of the regional transit district board shall not be held personally liable for any actions taken in their capacity as members of the board. (b) No tort liability shall attach to individual municipal members of regional transit districts. …

§ 5141. Scope This chapter applies only to municipalities providing water or sewer services, or both, and it allows disconnection of water or sewer services, or both, as a delinquency collection procedure for water or sewer delinquencies. Disconnection of water service as a colle…

§ 5142. Definitions For the purpose of this chapter: (1) “Selectboard” means the selectboard in the case of a town, the city council in the case of a city, the board of trustees in the case of an incorporated village, the prudential committee in the case of a fire district, or th…

§ 5143. Disconnection of service (a) No municipality shall disconnect service to a ratepayer unless payment of a valid bill or charge is delinquent as defined herein, and notice of disconnection has been provided previously to the ratepayer. A copy of the notice shall be sent to …

§ 5144. Uniform notice form The notice form required under section 5143 of this chapter, and defined in section 5142 of this chapter, shall be clearly printed on a pink colored sheet of paper and shall be according to the following form: Date _____________________________________…

§ 5145. Time and notice of disconnection (a) Disconnection of utility service shall occur only between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. of the business day specified on the notice of disconnection, or within the same hours during the four business days thereafter. (b) When se…

§ 5146. Restoration of service If service has been disconnected or interrupted, the municipality shall within 24 hours restore service upon the customer’s request when the cause for disconnection of service has been removed or when an agreement has been reached between the ratepa…

§ 5147. Jurisdiction for appeals and exceptions The selectboard shall promptly and fairly hear any or all appeals by the ratepayer after notice to all interested parties. During appeal, disconnection will be postponed. Upon just cause shown, the selectboard may grant exceptions t…

§ 5148. Consumer provisions Nothing in this chapter shall prevent the selectboard from adopting further procedures, ordinances, or rules providing greater protection for consumers than are required by this chapter. (Added 1977, No. 93.)

§ 5150. Unauthorized connection The officers and agents of such a municipality entrusted with the care and superintendence of the municipality may at all reasonable times enter all premises so supplied to examine the pipes and fixtures and prevent any unnecessary waste, and to ex…

§ 5151. Special charges (a) A municipality providing water and sewer services may charge fees for collection of overdue accounts and reconnection of service disconnected because of nonpayment. (b) Fees charged shall not exceed the following schedule: (c) Interest on delinquent ac…

§ 5152. Disconnections prohibited; state of emergency (a) Notwithstanding this chapter or any provision of law to the contrary, a municipality; a person who is permitted as a public water system pursuant to 10 V.S.A. chapter 56 and who provides another person water as a part of t…

§ 5200. Purpose It is the intent of this chapter to enable municipalities to require the beneficiaries of new development to pay their proportionate share of the cost of municipal and school capital projects that benefit them and to require them to pay for or mitigate the negativ…

§ 5201. Definitions As used in this chapter: (1) “Municipality” means a town, a city, or an incorporated village or an unorganized town or gore. (2) “Capital project” means: (A) any physical betterment or improvement including furnishings, machinery, apparatus, or equipment for s…

§ 5202. Authorization (a) A municipality may levy an impact fee in accordance with this chapter. (b) A municipality may accept offsite mitigation in lieu of an impact fee or as compensation for damage to important land such as prime agricultural land or important wildlife habitat…

§ 5203. Procedure (a) A municipality may levy an impact fee on any new development within its borders provided that it has: (1) been confirmed under section 4350 of this title and, after July 1, 1992, adopted a capital budget and program pursuant to chapter 117 of this title. The…

§ 5204. Payment of fees (a) An impact fee or obligation for offsite mitigation shall be a lien upon all property and improvements within land development for which the fee is assessed in the same manner and to the same effect as taxes are a lien upon real estate under section 32 …

§ 5205. Exemptions A municipality may exempt certain types of development from any part or all of the impact fee assessed, provided that the exemption achieves other policies or objectives clearly stated in the municipal plan. The policies or objectives may include, but are not l…

§ 5206. Construction of chapter Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as prohibiting a municipality from adopting ordinances otherwise authorized by law. (Added 1987, No. 200 (Adj. Sess.), § 37, eff. July 1, 1989.)

§ 5601. Building communities grants (a) The purpose of this chapter is to establish one-for-one matching grants to help communities, nonprofit organizations, or, as applicable under section 5603 of this chapter, barn owners preserve important historic buildings and enhance commun…

§ 5602. Historic Preservation Grant Program There is established an Historic Preservation Grant Program which shall be administered by the Division for Historic Preservation in the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. Grants shall be made available to municipalities and …

§ 5603. Historic Barns Preservation Grant Program There is established an Historic Barns Preservation Grant Program which shall be administered by the Division for Historic Preservation in the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. Grants shall be made available to barn ow…

§ 5604. Cultural Facilities Grant Program (a) There is established a Cultural Facilities Competitive Grant Program to be administered by the Vermont Arts Council. No portion of a grant shall be used to pay salaries. (b) Grants shall be awarded on a competitive basis. In recommend…

§ 5605. Recreational Facilities Grant Program (a) Creation of Program. There is created a Recreational Facilities Grant Program to be the successor to and a continuation of the Recreational and Educational Facilities Grant Program established in 2005 Acts and Resolves No. 43, Sec…

§ 5606. Human Services and Educational Facilities Competitive Grant Program (a) Creation of Program. There is created a Human Services and Educational Facilities Competitive Grant Program to be the successor to and a continuation of the Human Services Competitive Grant Program es…

§ 5607. Regional Economic Development Grant Program (a) Creation of Program. There is created a Regional Economic Development Grant Program to provide competitive grants for capital costs associated with the major maintenance, renovation, or planning related to the development of…

§ 5608. Agricultural Fairs and Field Days Capital Projects Competitive Grants Program (a) Grant guidelines. The following guidelines shall apply to capital grants made for Vermont agricultural fairs and field days projects pursuant to this section: (1) Grants shall be competitive…

§ 5701. Purpose The purpose of this chapter is to enable formation of special municipal districts to finance, own, and maintain infrastructure that provides economic development opportunities in rural and underresourced areas of the State, including areas within one or more munic…

§ 5702. Establishment; general provisions (a) Establishment. Upon written application by 20 or more voters within a proposed district or upon its own motion, the legislative body of a municipality may establish a rural economic development infrastructure district. The application…

§ 5703. Limitations; taxes; indebtedness; eminent domain Notwithstanding any grant of authority in this chapter to the contrary: (1) A district shall not accept funds generated by the taxing or assessment power of any municipality in which it is located. (2) A district shall not …

§ 5704. Governing board; composition; meetings; report (a) Governing board. The legislative power and authority of a district and the administration and the general supervision of all fiscal, prudential, and governmental affairs of a district shall be vested in a governing board,…

§ 5705. Officers (a) Generally. The board shall elect at its first meeting and at each annual meeting thereafter a chair, vice chair, clerk, and treasurer, who shall hold office until the next annual meeting and until others are elected. The board may fill a vacancy in any office…

§ 5706. Audit Once the district becomes operational, the board shall cause an audit of the financial condition of the district to be performed annually by an independent professional accounting firm. The results of the audit shall be provided to the governing board and to the leg…

§ 5707. Committees The board has authority to establish one or more committees and grant and delegate to them such powers as it deems necessary. Members of an executive committee shall serve staggered terms and shall be board members. Membership on other committees established by…

§ 5708. District powers A district created under this chapter has the power to: (1) exercise independently and in concert with other municipalities any other powers which are necessary or desirable for the installation, ownership, operation, maintenance, and disposition of infras…

§ 5709. Dissolution (a) If the board by resolution approved by a two-thirds’ vote determines that it is in the best interests of the public, the district members, and the district that such district be dissolved, and if the district then has no outstanding obligations under pledg…