Title 24APPENDIX, Title 24APPENDIX: Municipal Charters

§ 23. Local elected officials (a) Local elective offices to be filled by the registered voters of the Town shall be only those articulated by this charter and shall include: (1) Selectboard; (2) [Repealed.] (3) Moderator; (4) Library Trustees; (5) Cemetery Commissioners; (6) [Rep…

§ 24. Appointed nonadministrative officials (a) General provisions applying to all appointed positions. (1) The appointed positions herein shall all be appointed by a majority vote of the Selectboard. (2) Terms of appointment shall begin immediately upon Selectboard action and ru…

§ 3. Powers of the Town (a) The Town shall have all the powers and functions conferred upon municipalities by the Constitution and general laws of the State, all implied powers necessary to implement those powers and functions, and any additional powers conferred by this charter …

§ 31. The Town Manager (a) Appointment. The Selectboard shall appoint, with no fewer than four (4) affirmative votes, a Town Manager. (b) Qualifications. The Town Manager shall be appointed solely on the basis of the person’s executive and administrative skills, based on educatio…

§ 32. Administrative departments (a) [Repealed.] (b) Department heads. Each Town department shall have a designated department head appointed by the Town Manager who shall supervise and control the department and employees of the department. The Town Manager may, at any time, ass…

§ 33. Administrative code (a) The administrative code shall include the following: (1) a copy of the Town charter; (2) a properly indexed and codified volume of all Town ordinances; (3) a copy of the Town’s employee handbook, classification, and pay plan; (4) a copy of the Town’s…

§ 34. Administrative and policy functions prescribed by charter (a) Department of Assessment. (1) There shall be the Department of Assessment as prescribed by charter and State statute, with any staff as may be recommended by the Town Manager and approved by the Selectboard. (2) …

§ 4. Intergovernmental relations The Town may exercise any of its powers, or perform any of its functions, and may participate in the financing thereof, jointly or in cooperation, by contract or otherwise, with any other towns, cities, and school systems, or one or more states or…

§ 41. Fiscal year of the Town government The fiscal year of the Town government shall be fixed by the Selectboard. (Amended 2021, No. M-13 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 16, 2022.)

§ 42. Town Manager’s proposed budget timetable and preparation (a) Submission of timetable. At least five months before the scheduled date of Town meeting, the Town Manager shall prepare and present to the Selectboard and Budget Advisory Committee a proposed timetable that shall …

§ 43. Capital expenditure program (a) Preparation and submission. The Town Manager, after consultation with department heads, shall submit a proposed five-year capital expenditure program to the Selectboard, with a copy provided to the Budget Advisory Committee, at least three mo…

§ 44. Reserve funds (a) The Selectboard may raise and appropriate money for the establishment of reserve or equipment reserve funds for the financing of all or part of: (1) the construction, reconstruction, or acquisition of a specific capital improvement, or the acquisition of a…

§ 45. Board review and final action Board review. (1) The Selectboard shall schedule one or more meetings, as it deems appropriate, for the review and discussion of the proposed budget and comments from the Budget Advisory Committee. (2) Upon completion of its review, the Selectb…

§ 46. Special appropriations In response to a request, or upon its own initiative, should the Selectboard so judge, the appropriation relative to a special element of Town business may be placed on the warning as a special appropriation by a majority vote of the Board Selectboard…

§ 47. Budget Advisory Committee; budget process The Selectboard shall appoint a Budget Advisory Committee that shall be composed of not less than five and not more than nine registered voters of the Town at least six months before the scheduled date of the annual Town meeting. Th…

§ 48. Appropriation; budget (a) Gross appropriation fixed and levy. (1) No appropriation may be voted unless such action was duly warned. (2) As of the effective date of the budget, all amounts stated therein are appropriated (for the specified agency’s or department’s purpose). …

§ 49. Financial administration and Town budget (a) Finance Director. (1) The Town Manager may appoint, upon merit alone, a person who shall serve as the Finance Director. (2) The Finance Director shall be a member of the Town administration and be subject to all rules and regulat…

§ 5. Ordinances (a) Town legislation. Town legislation shall be by ordinance. Ordinances and rules adopted pursuant to ordinances shall have the full force of law embodied in this charter. (b) Legislative body. (1) The Selectboard shall constitute the legislative body of the Town…

§ 50. Trust funds (a) Trust funds of the Town shall be accounted for separately and kept apart from other Town funds. (b) Trust funds shall be the responsibility of the trustees of public funds in accordance with this charter and State law, unless the trust document specifies oth…

§ 51. Taxation and collection (a) [Repealed.] (b) Responsibility for taxation and collection. (1) The Town Treasurer shall be responsible for tax collection. (2) [Repealed.] (3) The Collector of Taxes or Delinquent Taxes may charge and collect such fees and interest as may be fix…

§ 52. Debt and bonded debt for Town improvements (a) Authorization for any long-term debt shall be granted by the voters at an annual or special Town meeting duly authorized for that purpose. As used in this section, “long-term” means a period of indebtedness greater than five ye…

§ 7. Potential or actual conflict of interest; personal financial interest The Selectboard shall adopt and maintain a conflict of interest policy. (Amended 2021, No. M-13 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 16, 2022.)

§ 8. Licenses; fees; charges; user fees; fees for service (a) The Selectboard shall have the sole authority for the setting of all fees, charges, user fees, or fees for services, related to Town government, except those prescribed by State statute relating to the Office of the To…

§ 9. Acquisition and disposition of Town property (a) The Selectboard shall pass a policy governing the acquisition or disposition of Town property, which shall outline procedures for the handling of these matters. (b) The Selectboard may acquire or dispose of real property in ac…

§ 1. Corporate existence retained The inhabitants of the Town of St. Albans, within the corporate limits now established, shall continue to be a municipal corporation by the name of the Town of St. Albans. (Added 2013, No. M-3, § 2, eff. May 14, 2013.)

§ 2. General law; application The Town of St. Albans 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 therein gr…

§ 3. Local option tax (a) If the Selectboard of the Town of St. Albans by a majority vote recommends, the voters of the Town may, at an annual or special meeting warned for the purpose, by a majority vote of those present and voting, assess any or all of the following: (1) a one-…

§ 4. Planning Commission members; appointment (a) Members of the Planning Commission shall be appointed and any vacancy filled by the Selectboard in accordance with 24 V.S.A. § 4323(a). (b) The length of term of the Planning Commission members shall be determined by the Selectboa…

§ 5. Recall Any elected officer of the Town may be recalled from office as follows: (1) A petition signed by not less than 15 percent of the registered voters shall be filed with the Selectboard requesting a vote on whether the elected officer shall be removed from office. (2) Th…

§ 101. Additional Town powers In addition to powers otherwise conferred by law, the Town of St. Johnsbury is authorized to adopt, amend, repeal, and enforce ordinances: (1) relating to collection and removal of garbage, ashes, rubbish, refuse, waste, and scrap by the Town and est…

§ 102. Initiative; advisory votes The voters of the Town have the power to petition for a nonbinding advisory vote to reflect public sentiment. The petition shall be signed by at least five percent of the voters of the Town and shall state that it is advisory only. The Select Boa…

§ 201. Elective officers (a) The elective officers of the Town shall be five Select Board members elected from the Town at large at a duly warned annual town meeting; a Town Clerk; a Treasurer; and a Moderator, unless by a majority vote of the Town the Moderator becomes an appoin…

§ 202. Appointive officers (a) The Select Board members shall annually appoint a Constable and other officers required by law or this charter, the appointments to be made as vacancies occur in the elected positions. (b) The Select Board members may create appointive officers not …

§ 203. Compensation (a) Compensation paid to the Select Board members shall be set by the voters at Town meeting. (b) Subject to subsection (a) of this section, the Select Board shall fix the compensation of all elective officers and of all officers appointed by the Select Board.…

§ 204. Offices abolished The Office of Fence Viewer; Inspector of Lumber, Shingles, and Wood; Second Constable; and Weigher of Coal are all hereby abolished. Except as otherwise provided in this charter, the Town Manager or his or her designee shall exercise the powers, duties, a…

§ 205. Recall Any Town officer, as defined by 17 V.S.A. § 2646, may be recalled by the following process: (1) A petition shall be filed with the Town Clerk signed by not less than 25 percent of the number of registered voters at the time the petition is submitted. (2) The petitio…

§ 301. Select Board; legislative body The Select Board shall constitute the legislative body of the Town and shall have all powers and authority necessary for the performance of the legislative function. (Added 2023, No. M-27 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 30, 2024.)

§ 302. Additional powers of the Select Board In addition to powers otherwise conferred by law, the Select Board is authorized to adopt, amend, repeal, and enforce ordinances: (1) regulating the parking and operation of motor vehicles, including, in accordance with any other provi…

§ 303. Further powers of the Select Board In addition to powers otherwise conferred by law, the Select Board members shall also have the power to: (1) create, consolidate, or dissolve departments as necessary or relevant for the performance of municipal services; (2) create, cons…

§ 304. Organization of the Select Board (a) Forthwith after the annual meeting of the town, the Select Board members shall organize and elect a Chair and Vice Chair. (b) The Chair of the Board, or in the Chair’s absence, the Vice Chair, shall preside at all meetings of the Board …

§ 401. Appointed by the Select Board The Select Board members shall appoint a Town Manager for an indefinite term and upon such conditions as they may determine. (Added 2023, No. M-27 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 30, 2024.)

§ 402. Town Manager nonpartisan (a) The Town’s interests in preserving integrity and efficiency in the execution and management of its government are best served by a Town Manager who is prohibited from the fact and appearance of political partisanship in the operation of the off…

§ 403. Oath and bond Before entering upon the Manager’s duties, the Town Manager shall be sworn to the faithful performance of the Manager’s duties by the Town Clerk and shall be bonded in an amount and with sureties as the Select Board may require. (Added 2023, No. M-27 (Adj. Se…

§ 404. Duties for Manager (a) The Town Manager shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Town and shall: (1) Carry out the policies established by the Select Board, to whom the Town Manager shall be accountable. (2) Attend all meetings of the Select Board, except when the Manag…

§ 405. Compensation The Town Manager shall receive such compensation as may be fixed by the Select Board. (Added 2023, No. M-27 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 30, 2024.)

§ 406. Appointments Except for those appointments made by the Select Board as provided for in this charter, the Town Manager shall appoint and remove all Town employees, including Chief of the Fire Department, Chief of Police, Director of Public Works, Assistant Town Manager, Fin…