Title 24APPENDIX, Title 24APPENDIX: Municipal Charters

§ 1504. Appropriations The Town at the annual meeting shall adopt a budget that shall include the proposed expenditure of each department for the coming fiscal year, and adoption of a budget at the annual meeting shall be deemed an appropriation to each department of the sum allo…

§ 1505. Amount to be raised by taxation Upon passage of the budget by the annual Town meeting, the amounts stated therein as the amount to be raised by property taxes shall constitute a determination of the amount of the levy for the purposes of the Town in the corresponding tax …

§ 1506. Budget limitations—borrowing (a) The incurring of bonded indebtedness, the issuing of bonds, the making of temporary loans in anticipation of bond sales, and all other matters pertaining to bonded indebtedness shall be controlled by such statutes as are applicable. (b) Th…

§ 1507. Transfers of appropriations At any time during the fiscal year, the Manager may transfer part or all of any unused appropriation balance among the programs within a department, office, or agency. Upon written request by the Manager, the Selectboard may by resolution trans…

§ 1508. Taxation (a) Taxes on real and personal property shall be paid as voted at annual Town meeting. (b) Taxes may be paid with discount if approved at annual Town meeting. (c) Taxes shall be collected as established by law. (d) Delinquent property taxes shall accrue penalty, …

§ 16 Announcing a conflict If a Town officer recognizes that he or she might have a conflict of interest or if another person raises an objection to the participation of any Town officer, the Town officer or the other person shall state the nature of the conflict as soon as may b…

§ 17 Determination of conflict by other than the Town officer If a question of a member’s disqualification under this charter is brought to the attention of any board, commission, or committee by any party or person or by another board, commission, or committee member and the mem…

§ 1701. Separability If any provision of this charter is held invalid, the other provisions of this charter shall not be affected thereby. If the application of the charter or any of its provisions to any person or circumstances is held invalid, the application of the charter and…

§ 1705. Amendment of charter This charter may be amended as set forth by the general law of the State of Vermont, 17 V.S.A. § 2645. (Amended 2021, No. M-17 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. June 7, 2022.)

§ 1706. Reference to statute If any matter mentioned in this charter is said to be controlled by a special statute, the reference to such statute shall include the statute as amended or renumbered, or any statute substituted therefore and having a similar subject matter.

§ 18 Appointment of alternate officers The Selectboard may appoint an alternate Town officer to serve in place of a disqualified Town officer during the period of disqualification or unavailability. (Added 2011, No. M-2, § 2, eff. Feb. 16, 2011.)

§ 19 Notice of vacancy during unexpired term In order to inform citizens of the Town and to afford them the opportunity to participate or serve in Town government, public notice shall be given of municipal vacancies resulting from resignation, death, disability, or change of resi…

§ 2 General law; application Except when changed by the provisions of this charter, all provisions of the statutes of the State of Vermont relating to municipalities shall apply to the Town of Jamaica. (Added 2011, No. M-2, § 2, eff. Feb. 16, 2011.)

§ 20 Newspaper publication The Selectboard may publish notices of vacancies in a newspaper of general circulation in the Town. (Added 2011, No. M-2, § 2, eff. Feb. 16, 2011.)

§ 201. Town meeting (a) Town and School District meeting. All governmental authority for the Town and the School District not vested by law in a particular Town or Town School District officer ultimately rests with Town voters who vote at Town meeting or by Australian ballot. In …

§ 202. Elected officers (a) Local elected offices to be filled by the Town voters shall be only those articulated by this charter. (b) Terms for elected officers shall begin officially when the Town Clerk certifies election returns as final and the elected candidates take their o…

§ 203. Duties of elected officers (a) Selectboard. (1) Terms of office. (A) There shall be a Selectboard consisting of seven members. (B) Terms of office shall be as follows: (i) four members for three years; (ii) three members for two years. (C) Members shall serve until success…

§ 21 Separability If any provision of this charter is held invalid, the other provisions of the charter shall not be affected thereby. If the application of the charter or any of its provisions to any person or circumstances is held invalid, the application of this charter and it…

§ 22 Amendment The amendment of this charter shall be as provided by law. (Added 2011, No. M-2, § 2, eff. Feb. 16, 2011.)

§ 3 Powers of the Town (a) The Town of Jamaica shall have all the powers granted to towns and municipal corporations by the Constitution and laws of this State and this charter, together with all the implied powers necessary to carry into execution all the powers granted. The Tow…

§ 301. Appointed officers (a) Town Manager. The Town Manager shall be the chief executive officer of the Town appointed by a majority of the Selectboard. The Town Manager shall be selected with special reference to training, experience, education, and ability to perform the execu…

§ 301. Generally The officers of the Town of Hardwick 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 provided by law.…

§ 302 Duties of appointed officers; Town Manager Town Manager. The duties of the Town Manager shall include: (1) The Manager shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Town and shall carry out policies established by the Selectboard to whom the Manager shall report. The Manager …

§ 302. Elective officers (a) The officers elected and their compensation fixed by the Town at its annual meeting shall be: (1) five Selectboard members; (2) Town Meeting Moderator; (3)-(4) [Repealed.] (5) Town Clerk and Treasurer; (6)-(7) [Repealed.] (8) cemetery trustees; (9) li…

§ 303. Terms of office; Selectboard members (a) Three Selectboard members shall be elected for a three-year term and two Selectboard members for a one-year term. (b) All Selectboard members shall be elected at large. The persons with the largest number of votes for office of equa…

§ 304. Other elective offices (a) [Repealed.] (b) The Town Meeting Moderator shall be elected and shall perform those duties prescribed by the general law of this State. (c) The Town Clerk and Treasurer shall be elected for a three-year term and shall carry out the duties of the …

§ 306. Appointed officers (a) The Selectboard may appoint any officers required by the Town’s personnel regulations or this charter. (b) The Town Manager shall function as the personnel officer of the Town. (1) The Zoning Administrator shall be appointed in accordance with 24 V.S…

§ 307. Vacancies and appointments (a) When the term of any member of the Development Review Board, the Planning Commission, or any other Town board, commission, or formal committee expires, or when the term of any officer appointed by the Selectboard or the Town Manager expires, …

§ 308. Bonding of officers All officers of the Town required to be bonded by State law shall be so bonded.

§ 309. Oath of office All elective officials and all municipal police officers of the Town shall, before assuming office, take, subscribe, and file with the Town Clerk and Treasurer the following oath: “I, ______ , solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Off…

§ 310. Town Clerk and Treasurer The Clerk, auditors, and Treasurer of the Town shall perform those duties imposed upon them by the general law of this State.

§ 311. Recall of elected officials (a) Any elected Town officer may be removed from office as follows: A petition signed by not less than 25 percent of the registered voters shall be filed with the Selectboard, requesting a vote on whether the elected officer shall be removed fro…

§ 4 Reservation of powers to the Town Nothing in this charter shall be construed in any way to limit the powers and functions conferred on the Town of Jamaica, the Selectboard of the Town, or its elected and appointed officials by general or special enactments of State statutes o…

§ 401 Miscellaneous (a) Conflict of interest. The Selectboard and the School Board and School Superintendent shall each maintain comprehensive conflict of interest policies that shall apply to their respective Town and School District employees, elected and appointed officials, a…

§ 5 Open meetings Meetings of all Town boards and commissions shall be open and held in accordance with the general law of this State relating to public meetings. The record of all official proceedings shall be available for public inspection and copying as provided by the genera…

§ 501. Powers and duties (a) The members of the Selectboard shall constitute the legislative body of the Town of Hardwick for all purposes required by law and except as otherwise herein specifically provided and shall have all powers and authority given to and perform all duties …

§ 502. Organization (a) After the election and qualification of the Selectboard, the Selectboard shall organize and elect a Chair and Vice Chair by a majority vote of the entire Board. (b) The Selectboard shall conduct its business in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order. The …

§ 504. Jurisdiction over offices and employees Neither the Selectboard nor any of its members shall direct or request the appointment, by any officer or employee of the Town, of any person to office or employment, or their suspension or removal therefrom, or in any manner take pa…

§ 6 Generally The officers of the Town of Jamaica shall be those provided by law for towns, except as otherwise provided by this charter. Officers shall have all the powers and duties necessary to carry out the provisions of this charter as well as those provided by law. (Added 2…

§ 7 Elected officers The following officers of the Town and such other Town officers as are provided by law and previous vote of the electorate as to number, length of term, and manner of election at an annual meeting shall be elected from the floor, as required by law, unless ot…

§ 701. Appointed by Selectboard The Selectboard shall appoint a Town Manager upon such conditions as they may determine.

§ 702. Manager nonpartisan (a) The Manager shall be chosen solely on the basis of his or her executive, administrative, and professional qualifications. (b) The Manager shall not take part in the organization or direction of a political party, serve as member of a party committee…

§ 703. Oath and bond Before entering office, the Manager shall be sworn to the faithful performance of his or her duties by the Town Clerk and shall give a bond to the Town in such amount and with such sureties as the Selectboard may require.

§ 704. Duties of the Manager (a) The Manager shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Town and shall carry out the policies established by the Selectboard, to whom the Manager shall be responsible. (b) The Manager shall attend all meetings of the Selectboard, except when compe…

§ 705. Compensation The Manager shall receive such compensation as may be fixed by the Selectboard.

§ 706. Absence In the event of a temporary absence or disability, the Town Manager may, with the consent of the Selectboard, designate by letter filed with the Town Clerk a qualified person to perform the Manager’s duties. If the Manager fails to make the designation, the Selectb…