Title 24APPENDIX, MUNICIPAL CHARTERS

§ 26. Fire prevention For the prevention and control of fires, the Town of Cavendish may function with volunteer firefighter districts. At present there are two: one in the Proctorsville Village area, to be established by petition as an independent fire district as prescribed by …

§ 27. Water and Sewer Departments Control and management of the Village water system and Town water and sewer systems shall be vested in the Town, subject to all indebtedness and liabilities relating thereto; provided, however, that administration of the systems and payment of ex…

§ 28. Street lights The cost for power for all public street lighting shall be paid from the General Fund of the Town of Cavendish.

§ 29. Special districts (a) According to law, the Selectboard may designate areas apart from the rest of the Town as a special service district and may provide that the area of the voters therein shall be provided with special services not common to all the voters of the Town, pr…

§ 3. Properties held in trust Any and all properties held in trust by the trustees of the Village of Proctorsville, or any officer thereof, shall become vested in the Selectboard of the Town of Cavendish and its successors, or in the respective officer of the Town and the officer…

§ 30. Voting procedures for annual water and sewer expenses and extensions (a) The Selectboard shall propose and adopt annual budgets for water and sewer to defray necessary expenses and thereafter set rates for users to pay the same. (b) In case of future extension of water or s…

§ 31. Special funds (a) The Town Treasurer shall keep all money in a special fund in an account or accounts separate from that of any other special fund and from those of the other Town funds, and shall honor no warrant upon it except for the purpose thereof as heretofore enumera…

§ 32. Amendment of plan This merger plan may be amended as set forth by the general laws of this State.

§ 33. Severability If any provision of this plan shall for any reason be held invalid, such invalidity shall not effect the remaining provisions, which can be given effect without the invalid provision. To this end, the provisions of this merger are severable.

§ 34. [Transitional provision relative to approval and ratification.]

§ 4. Settling the affairs of the Village of Proctorsville Prior to the merger, the officers of the Village of Proctorsville shall settle so far as possible their financial affairs and shall except as hereinafter provided, on said date, turn over and deliver to the Clerk of the To…

§ 5. Finances With the exception of special service funds as provided in section 29 of this charter, the funds of the Village of Proctorsville shall be added to the General Fund of the Town of Cavendish.

§ 6. Water rates (a) All water rates of the Village of Proctorsville in effect at the time of merger shall continue in effect until changed by the Selectboard of the Town of Cavendish. All costs of the Water Department shall be paid by the users. (b) Annual water charges shall be…

§ 7. Existing ordinances; municipal maps; regulations (a) The Town Plan, zoning regulations, subdivision regulations, and official maps of the Town of Cavendish and the Village of Proctorsville, as they exist or may exist, all as contemplated by the Vermont Planning and Developme…

§ 8. Election of Selectboard Town Selectboard members in office at the date of adoption of the merger shall continue in office until the end of their respective terms. Village trustees in office at the date of adoption of the merger shall cease to serve as trustees. No further tr…

§ 9. Votes required for effect All sections of this plan of merger shall take effect if this plan is approved as follows: (1) by majority vote of the Town of Cavendish, which includes all qualified voters of the Town; and (2) by majority vote of the Village of Proctorsville, whic…

§ 101. Merger of the Village and Town The Village of Chester and the Town of Chester are hereby consolidated and merged, and the Village of Chester shall, except as hereinafter provided, cease to exist as a political entity or body corporate.

§§ 102-103. [Transitional sections related to the real property, financial and administrative matters pertaining to the termination of the corporate existence of the Village of Chester and its merger into the Town of Chester.]

§ 201. Town powers The Town of Chester may exercise the following powers and functions in addition to those already or otherwise conferred upon it by law: (a) To establish and maintain a Police Department, to provide for the appointment of police officers, who shall be sworn and …

§ 301. Powers of the Selectboard The Selectboard of the Town of Chester, consistent with the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this State, shall have the power and authority to make, establish, alter, amend, or repeal ordinances, regulations and systems of license…

§ 302. Other ordinances and bylaws Said Town may make, establish, alter, amend, or repeal any other bylaws, rules, and ordinances that it may deem necessary for the well-being of said Town, and not repugnant to the Constitution or laws of the State or the United States.

§ 303. Recordation and certificate of prima facie evidence The bylaws, rules, and ordinances of said Town shall be recorded in the office of the Clerk of said Town, and the Clerk’s certificate that such by-laws, rules, and ordinances were adopted at an annual meeting of said Town…

§ 304. Fines and prosecution A fine not exceeding $20.00 and costs of prosecution may be imposed for the breach of any by-law, rule, or ordinance, or of any section of this charter unless some other sum is named in the section. In case such fine and costs are not paid, the altern…

§ 305. Parking ordinances (a) Any person who has violated any ordinance that regulates, restricts, or defines the time or place of parking vehicles in the Town of Chester and who has not been convicted of any such offense more than once prior thereto in the same calendar year may…

§ 401. Adoption of rules and regulations The Selectboard, under the vote and direction of said Town, may make and adopt such rules and regulations concerning the management and use of the water system of said Town, reservoirs, lands, and appurtenances, not inconsistent with law, …

§ 402. Water rents All water rents with the charges for making water connections and piping shall be chargeable to and may be collected of the owners of property supplied with the same, and such owners and all such rents with charges for making water connections and piping shall …

§ 403. Taking of water and land for water system Said Town is hereby authorized and empowered under any vote hereafter had for that purpose, through the Selectboard, to take, in addition to the water rights and appurtenances thereof, already owned or acquired by said Town, the wa…

§ 404. Aqueduct and reservoir; laying of pipes The said Town is hereby authorized and empowered through its Selectboard to maintain its present aqueduct and reservoir to conduct the water thereof to and distribute the same and for this purpose may enter upon and use any land thro…

§ 405. Petition to contest compensation for taking or use of land When any person shall be dissatisfied with the award of the Selectboard as made in any of the cases mentioned in the two preceding sections, or if a person disputes the necessity of taking of any lands or streams f…

§ 406. Providing water to Chester and other municipalities Said Town may sell and furnish water to any person or corporation for domestic or other purposes, except power for manufacturing and mechanical purposes, within or without said Town and lay all pipes necessary to furnish …

§ 407. Malicious damage to water system Any person who shall maliciously disturb or injure said aqueduct, reservoir, springs, streams, or fountains, named or referred to in this charter, or swim or bathe in the waters of said reservoir, springs, streams, or fountains supplying su…

§ 1001. Amendment of charter This charter shall be reviewed at a maximum five-year interval by a committee appointed by the Selectboard and may be amended in accordance with State law. (Amended 2017, No. M-5, § 2, eff. May 17, 2017.)

§ 1002. Existing ordinances and contracts The passage of the charter herein enacted shall not affect any act or contract executed or liability incurred prior to its effective date or affect any suit or prosecution pending or to be instituted, to enforce any right, rule, regulatio…

§ 1003. Continuation of existing officers’ terms Officers and members of the board and commissions of the Town in office at the time of the taking effect of this charter shall continue in office until expiration of their term of office or until a vacancy occurs.

§ 101. Corporate existence retained The area and inhabitants within the current boundaries of the Town of Colchester shall continue to be a municipal corporation by the name of the Town of Colchester. (Amended 2015, No. M-1, § 2, eff. Jan. 27, 2015.)

§ 102. General law; application Except when changed or modified by this charter, or by any lawful regulation or ordinance of the Town of Colchester, all of the statutes of the State relating to municipalities shall apply to the Town of Colchester.

§ 103. Powers of the Town (a) The Town shall have all the powers granted to towns by the Constitution and laws of the State together with all the implied powers necessary to carry into execution the powers granted; it may enact ordinances consistent with the Constitution and laws…

§ 104. Additional powers In addition to powers otherwise conferred upon it by law, the Town is authorized: (1) To adopt and enforce ordinances relating to making and installing local improvements including curbs, sidewalks, storm drains, and water and sanitary waste systems; appo…

§ 105. Ordinances; enforcement; adoption (a) The Selectboard may provide monetary penalties or injunctive relief for the breach of any ordinance authorized by general law or this charter; may prosecute any person violating the same through the Town legal counsel or police officer…

§ 106. Introduction; first and second readings; public hearing (a) Every ordinance, repeal of an ordinance, or amendment to an ordinance shall be introduced in writing. The enacting clause of all ordinances shall be “The Selectboard of the Town of Colchester hereby ordains...”. I…

§ 107. Further consideration; final passage After the hearing, the Selectboard may finally pass such ordinance with or without amendment, except that if the Selectboard makes an amendment, it shall cause a summary of the amended ordinance to be published at least once together wi…

§ 108. Effective date Every ordinance shall become effective 21 days after passage unless a petition for overrule is filed in accordance with section 305 of this charter; or, if the ordinance is conditioned upon approval of the voters of the Town, then upon a favorable vote of a …

§ 109. Filing The Town Clerk shall prepare and keep in the Town Clerk’s office the original signed copy of all ordinances and/or any changes, adopted by the Selectboard. This original file shall be indexed by subject matter and shall note in the record procedural information rela…

§ 110. Annual Town report The annual Town report shall be made available for general distribution not later than 10 days prior to the annual meeting.

§ 111. Reservation of powers to the Town Nothing in this subchapter shall be so construed as in any way to limit the powers and functions conferred upon the Town of Colchester and the Selectboard of said Town by general or special enactments in force or effect or hereafter enacte…

§ 201. Officers generally The officers of the Town of Colchester shall be those provided by law for towns, except as otherwise provided by this charter. Such officers shall have all the powers and duties necessary to carry out the provisions of this charter as well as those provi…