Title 24APPENDIX, Title 24APPENDIX: Municipal Charters

§ 903. Sewage collection and disposal; duties of Selectboard It shall be the responsibility of the Selectboard, acting as sewer commissioners, to provide adequate collection and disposal for domestic and industrial sewage within those parts of the Town served by a Town-owned sewa…

§ 904. Electric Department commissioners (a) The Town of Hardwick may own and operate municipal electric plants as provided in 30 V.S.A. chapter 79, the management, operation, and administration of which shall be vested in a Board of Electric Utility Commissioners consisting of f…

§ 905. Fire Department; appointments (a) A slate of Fire Department officers, including the Fire Chief, shall be provided to the Town Manager by the Town Fire Department prior to Town Meeting as a recommendation for election by the voting residents of the Town. (b) The Fire Chief…

§ 906. Police Department; appointments Whenever the Town of Hardwick shall maintain a police department, the Police Chief shall be appointed by the Town Manager. (Amended 2021, No. M-17 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. June 7, 2022.)

§ 907. Fire and Police Departments; general provisions (a) Members and officers of the Town Fire and Police Departments shall satisfactorily complete such courses of instruction and training as shall be required generally of fire department members and police officers by the laws…

§ 908. Cemetery Commission Responsibilities and powers shall be as established by law.

§ 909. Board of Health The Selectboard shall act as and constitute the Town Board of Health, the responsibilities and powers of which shall be as established by law.

§ 1. Corporate existence (a) Pursuant to the authority granted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont, there is hereby enacted a charter to govern the organization and operation of local government in the Town of Jericho, Vermont. (b) The inhabitants of the Town of Jeric…

§ 10. Effective date This charter shall take effect upon passage by the General Assembly, and all appointed offices that were formerly elected offices (Town Treasurer and listers) shall thereupon become appointed offices, even if nominating petitions have been filed for election …

§ 2. General provisions (a) General law application. Except when changed, enlarged, or modified 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 Jericho. (b) Powers of the Town. (1) Gen…

§ 3. Elected officers (a) Except as otherwise provided by this charter, the elected officers of the Town of Jericho shall be those required for towns by State law, and they shall be elected by Australian ballot. (b) The officers shall exercise all powers and perform all duties ne…

§ 4. Additional Selectboard members The Town of Jericho may vote by Australian ballot to elect not more than two additional members of the Selectboard, as provided in 17 V.S.A. § 2650; provided, however, that a vote to authorize the election of additional members or to reduce the…

§ 5. Appointed officers (a) In addition to all other offices that may be filled by appointment by the Selectboard, pursuant to State law, or this charter, the Selectboard shall appoint the following Town officers, who shall serve for such terms as the Selectboard may establish in…

§ 6. Removal of elected Town officers Any elected Town officer may be removed from office subject to the following conditions and procedures: (1) A written petition, signed by not less than 15 percent of the registered voters of the Town, seeking the removal of such Town officer …

§ 7. Conflict of interest (a) No elected or appointed officer or employee of the Town or member of any Town board or commission shall be beneficially interested directly or indirectly in any matter requiring the discharge of his or her public office. The purpose of this section i…

§ 8. 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…

§ 9. Amendment The amendment of this charter shall be as provided by Vermont law. (Added 2005, No. M-9 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. Feb. 24, 2005.)

§ 1. Charter; general law application There is hereby created the Town of Ludlow charter, which shall provide the Town of Ludlow with all the rights and duties as provided by Vermont Statutes. (Added 2023, No. M-10, § 2, eff. June 8, 2023.)

§ 2. Powers of Select Board Except as otherwise specifically provided by law or by a vote of the citizens of the Town at an annual or special meeting, the Select Board may determine the articles to be voted upon by Australian ballot at a special or annual Town meeting and shall i…

§ 1. Merger of the Town of Lyndon and the Village of Lyndonville The Village of Lyndonville is hereby merged into the Town of Lyndon. The Town of Lyndon shall be the surviving municipal corporation. The name of the Town shall remain “Town of Lyndon.” All of the former Village’s t…

§ 11. Adoption, amendment, or repeal of ordinances by the Selectboard The Selectboard may adopt, amend, or repeal an ordinance as provided in and consistent with the procedures of 24 V.S.A. chapter 59. (Added 2023, No. M-14, § 2, eff. July 1, 2023.)

§ 12. Adoption of ordinances by initiative (a) An ordinance may be enacted by vote of the Town according to the following procedure: (1) A petition requesting enactment of the ordinance signed by not less than 10 percent of the Town’s registered voters shall be filed, along with …

§ 13. Repeal of ordinances by referendum All Town ordinances, except those specified in section 16 of this charter, may be repealed by vote of the Town if a petition signed by not less than 15 percent of the registered voters, specifying the particular ordinance on which the vote…

§ 14. Covered bridges; increased penalty for violation of legal limits resulting in damage Notwithstanding 23 V.S.A. § 1434(c), the Town may adopt an ordinance governing operator damage to covered bridges that provides for a civil penalty of not more than $10,000.00 or an amount …

§ 15. Record book of ordinances The Town Clerk shall prepare and keep in the Clerk’s office and in the Cobleigh Library a single book of ordinances that shall contain each ordinance, together with an index of the ordinances arranged according to subject matter. The Clerk’s failur…

§ 16. Nonapplicability to zoning and subdivision regulations Sections 12 and 13 of this charter shall not apply to the enactment, amendment, or repeal of any zoning or subdivision bylaw nor to the enactment, amendment, or repeal of any municipal plan or vote on a comprehensive re…

§ 2. Applicability of general law Except when changed, enlarged, or modified by the provisions of this charter, or by any lawful regulation or ordinance of the Town, all provisions of the statutes of the State of Vermont relating to municipalities, as the same may be amended from…

§ 21. General The officers of the Town of Lyndon shall be those provided by law, except as otherwise provided in this charter. Town officers shall have all of the powers and duties necessary to carry out the provisions of this charter as well as those provided by law. (Added 2023…

§ 22. Elected officers The municipal officers elected by the Town shall be: (1) five members of the Selectboard; (2) one Moderator; (3) five Trustees of the Cobleigh Library; (4) three, four, or five listers, as determined by the Selectboard; (5) one Town Agent; (6) one Town Cler…

§ 23. Qualifications of officers All elected officers shall be legally qualified voters of the Town, with the exception that one of the five Trustees of the Cobleigh Library may live outside the Town. All elected officers shall hold office for the terms specified in this charter …

§ 24. Election of officers by Australian ballot All officers identified in section 22 of this charter shall be elected by Australian ballot. (Added 2023, No. M-14, § 2, eff. July 1, 2023.)

§ 25. Vacancies in Town offices When an elected officer identified in section 22 of this charter resigns, moves the officer’s residence outside the Town, dies, or becomes incapacitated, that office shall become vacant. In addition, if a member of the Selectboard fails to attend a…

§ 26. Selectboard; terms of office (a) Each member of the Selectboard shall be elected for a term of three years. In the first election after this charter is approved by the General Assembly, two members of the Selectboard shall be elected for terms of three years, two members sh…

§ 27. Other elected Town officers; terms of office (a) Moderator. The Moderator shall be elected annually and shall perform those duties prescribed by State law. (b) Cobleigh Library Trustees. The Trustees of the Cobleigh Library shall be elected and shall have the powers identif…

§ 28. Recall of elected officers (a) Any elected officer identified in section 22 of this charter may be removed from office by recall according to the following procedure: (1) A petition signed by not less than 15 percent of the Town’s registered voters requesting a vote on whet…

§ 29. Bonding of officers All Town officers required to be bonded by State law shall be bonded at the expense of the Town. The Selectboard may require that other Town officers be bonded at the expense of the Town. (Added 2023, No. M-14, § 2, eff. July 1, 2023.)

§ 3. Powers of the Town (a) The Town shall have all of the powers granted to towns by the Constitution and laws of the State of Vermont and this charter, together with all of the implied powers necessary to carry out all of the powers expressly so granted. The Town may enact any …

§ 31. Selectboard; powers and duties (a) The Selectboard shall constitute the legislative and administrative body of the Town for all purposes and shall have all powers and authority given to, and perform all duties required of, municipal legislative bodies under the Vermont Cons…

§ 32. Selectboard; organization (a) Immediately after the annual Town meeting, the Selectboard shall elect a chair and a vice chair by vote of the majority of the entire Selectboard. (b) The Chair, or in the Chair’s absence the Vice Chair, shall preside at all meetings of the Sel…

§ 33. Selectboard meetings (a) As soon as possible after the election of the Chair and Vice Chair, the Selectboard shall fix the time and place of its regular meetings. The Selectboard shall meet at least twice each month, except when the Selectboard determines that the then-pend…

§ 34. Record of Selectboard meetings (a) The Selectboard shall keep an official written record of all of its meetings, which shall be open for public inspection at the Town Clerk’s office at all times during normal business hours. (b) The minutes of each meeting shall be approved…

§ 35. Compensation of Town officers The Selectboard shall fix the compensation of all elected officers, except the Town Clerk, and all officers appointed by the Selectboard. (Added 2023, No. M-14, § 2, eff. July 1, 2023.)

§ 36. Budget The Selectboard shall submit a proposed budget to the voters to be voted on at the annual Town meeting as provided in subchapter 7 of this charter. The vote of the Town shall constitute the approval of the total amount of the budget. The Selectboard may reallocate th…

§ 41. Town meetings and elections; application of general law Those provisions of State law relating to voter qualification, warnings, method of voting, the duties of Town officers at Town meetings and elections, and all other matters relating to preparation for, conducting, and …

§ 42. Town meetings (a) An annual Town meeting for the consideration of the budget, election of officers, and other Town business shall be held according to State law. Special meetings may be called by the Selectboard to consider any business for which State law requires, or for …

§ 43. Eligible voters Subject to the requirements of Title 17 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated, the Board of Civil Authority shall establish and enforce the method for identifying the voters eligible to vote at a Town meeting and all elections. (Added 2023, No. M-14, § 2, eff. J…