Title 24APPENDIX, Title 24APPENDIX: Municipal Charters

§ 11.1. Fiscal year The fiscal year of the Town shall begin the first day of July and end on the last day of June of each calendar year. The fiscal year shall constitute the budget and accounting year as used in this charter. (Amended 2011, No. M-7, § 2, eff. May 17, 2011.)

§ 11.2. Preparation and submission (a) The Town Manager, at least 45 days before the date of the regular annual Town meeting, shall submit to the Selectboard a budget in such form required by them. (b) The budget shall be published not later than four weeks after its submission t…

§ 11.3. Town meeting warning and budget The budget and warning for the annual Town meeting shall be distributed to the legal voters of the Town at least 10 days before the annual meeting. Distribution shall be accomplished by posting the Town report on the Town of Shelburne websi…

§ 11.4. Appropriations From the effective date of the budget, the several amounts therein stated, as approved in accordance with section 11.8 of this charter, become appropriated to the several departments, agencies, entities, and purposes therein named. (Amended 2011, No. M-7, §…

§ 11.5. Amount to be raised by taxation Upon passage of the Town budget in accordance with section 11.8 of this charter, the amount 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 …

§ 11.6. Department budget The budget for all departments shall include all proposed expenditures and the budget approved in accordance with section 11.8 of this charter shall include a gross appropriation for each department for the ensuing fiscal year. The gross appropriation fo…

§ 11.7. Transfers of appropriations The Manager may at any time transfer an unencumbered appropriation balance or portion thereof between general classifications of expenditures within an office, department, or agency. At the request of the Manager and within the last three month…

§ 11.7a. General Fund unrestricted fund balance At the sole discretion of the Selectboard, a General Fund unrestricted reserve may be established in an amount that may not exceed five percent of the General Fund budget being considered by the Selectboard for presentation to the v…

§ 11.8. Adoption of budget (a) An annual budget shall become effective after adoption by a majority vote of the Town’s legal voters present and voting by Australian ballot at the annual Town meeting. If the voters disapprove the proposed budget at the annual Town meeting, the Sel…

§ 11.9. Balloting at Town meetings The Selectboard, at its discretion, shall determine which articles to be submitted to the voters at any annual or special Town meeting shall be voted on by Australian ballot, unless other provisions of this charter or the laws of this State requ…

§ 13.1. Deleted. 2011, No. M-7, § 2, eff. May 17, 2011.

§ 15.1. Water Department The Water Department shall be operated in accordance with the general laws of the State of Vermont. (Amended 2011, No. M-7, § 2, eff. May 17, 2011.)

§ 15.2. Severability The sections of this charter and the parts hereof are severable. If any portion or section of this charter or the application thereof to any person or circumstance shall be held invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remainder of this charter shall…

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

§ 3.2. Elective Officers The elective officers of the Town shall be: (1) five Selectboard members; (2) a Town Clerk; (3) [Repealed.] (4) a Moderator; and (5) a First Constable. (Amended 2011, No. M-7, § 2, eff. May 17, 2011; amended 2015, No. M-21 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 17, …

§ 3.3. Term of office (a) Selectboard. Three members of the Selectboard shall have terms of office of three years; two members shall have terms of office of two years. At each election, one Selectboard member shall be elected for a three-year term and one for a two-year term. All…

§ 3.4. Removal of elected Town officers Elected Town officers may be removed for cause by the Selectboard after hearing. Such hearing shall be public, if the officer so requests. (Amended 2011, No. M-7, § 2, eff. May 17, 2011.)

§ 3.5. Appointive officers (a) The Selectboard shall appoint any other officers required by law or this charter. Such appointment shall be annually, or for such terms established by law. (b) The Selectboard may create such other appointive officers not provided for by this charte…

§ 3.6. Compensation (a) Compensation paid to the Selectboard shall be set by the voters at Town meeting. (b) Subject to subsection (a) of this section, the Selectboard shall fix the compensation of all elective officers and of all officers appointed by the Selectboard. (c) The To…

§ 3.7. Removal of officers appointed by the Board Officers appointed by the Selectboard may be removed by the Selectboard at any time with cause after a hearing. The hearing shall be public if the official so requests. (Added 2011, No. M-7, § 2, eff. May 17, 2011.)

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

§ 5.2. Organization (a) Forthwith after their election and qualification, the Selectboard shall organize and elect a Chair and Vice Chair by a majority vote of the entire Board and file a certificate of such election for record in the office of the Town Clerk. (b) The Chair of th…

§ 5.3. Vacancies When a vacancy occurs on the Selectboard, the remaining members shall fill the vacancy until the next annual meeting when the Town shall fill the vacancy for any remaining portion of the term of the Selectboard member who created the vacancy. (Amended 2011, No. M…

§ 5.4. Meetings (a) As soon as possible after the election of the Chair and Vice Chair, the Board shall fix the time and place of its regular meetings and such meetings shall be held at least once a month. (b) The Board shall determine its own rules and order of business. (c) The…

§ 5.5. Record of proceedings (a) It shall be the duty of the Selectboard to keep official records of its proceedings, which shall be open for public inspection. (b) The minutes of each meeting shall be approved by the Board at its next meeting and the official copy authenticated …

§ 7.1. Appointment and compensation (a) The Selectboard may appoint a Town Manager. (b) The Manager shall receive such pay as may be fixed by the Selectboard. (Amended 2011, No. M-7, § 2, eff. May 17, 2011.)

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

§ 7.3. Oath; bond Before entering upon his or her duties, 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 surety as the Selectboard may require. (Amended 2011, No. M-7, § …

§ 7.4. Removal The Selectboard may remove the Town Manager by a majority vote of its members. At least 30 days before such removal shall become effective, the Selectboard shall by a majority vote of its members adopt a preliminary resolution stating the reason for his or her remo…

§ 7.5. Absence To perform his or her duties during his or her temporary absence or disability, the Manager may, with the consent of the Board, designate by letter filed with the Town Clerk a qualified administrative officer of the Town. In the event of the failure of the Manager …

§ 7.6. Powers and duties The Town Manager shall be the chief executive officer and the head of the administrative branch of the Town government and shall be responsible to the Selectboard for the proper administration of all affairs of the Town. The Manager shall have all powers …

§ 9.1. Taxes on real and personal property Taxes on real and personal property shall be paid in three equal payments, with one-third of the annual tax bill for each taxpayer due and payable on dates as determined by the Selectboard by June 30 of each year. (Amended 2011, No. M-7,…

§ 9.2. Penalty and interest Interest will be added to any tax not paid on or before its due date for each month or a fraction thereof after the date on which the tax payment was due. Prior to a commencement of a new fiscal year (July 1st), the Selectboard shall determine by resol…

§ 9.3. Local option tax The Town Selectboard shall be authorized to levy a one percent tax on sales, meals and alcoholic beverages, and rooms. Any tax imposed under the authority of this section shall be collected and administered pursuant to 24 V.S.A. § 138. (Added 2023, No. M-1…

§ 1. Corporate existence retained (a) Pursuant to the authority granted by the General Assembly, there is hereby enacted a charter to govern the organization and operation of local government in the Town of South Hero. (b) The inhabitants of the Town of South Hero, within the geo…

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

§ 3. Appointed officers (a) ln 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 i…

§ 4. Auditor The Selectboard shall annually appoint a Town Auditor, who shall perform all the duties of Town Auditors as required by State statute and those additional duties specified by the Selectboard. The Town Auditor need not be a resident or voter of South Hero and shall se…

§ 5. Severability If any provision of this charter is held invalid, the other provisions of the charter shall not be affected thereby. (Added 2023, No. M-21 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. April 16, 2024.)

§ 6. Ordinances The Town of South Hero may adopt, amend, repeal, and enforce any rule, regulation, bylaw, or ordinance to carry into execution all the powers granted to the Town of South Hero. (Added 2023, No. M-21 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. April 16, 2024.)

§ 7. Local option tax (a) The Selectboard is authorized to impose a one percent local option tax on any or all of the following: rooms, meals, or alcoholic beverages. (b) Any local option tax imposed under this section shall be collected and administered, and may be rescinded, as…

§ 1. Incorporation The inhabitants of the Town of Springfield shall continue to be a body politic and corporate under the name of “Town of Springfield” and as such shall enjoy all rights, immunities, powers, and privileges and be subject to all the duties and liabilities now appe…

§ 10. Emergency powers (a) Declaration of public emergency. The Selectboard may, upon a two-thirds vote with at least three members present, declare a state of public emergency that threatens life, property, or the public health or welfare. (b) Condemnation; eminent domain. In th…

§ 11. Procedures for charter revision and amendment (a) The procedures and process for charter amendment in subsection (b) of this section may be initiated either by a vote of four members of the Selectboard or by a citizen initiative (petition) of at least five percent of the vo…

§ 12. [Transitional procedures]

§ 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…