Title 24APPENDIX, Title 24APPENDIX: Municipal Charters

§ 212. Authority to declare weeds, underbrush, etc., a nuisance and direct removal The City Council shall have the power and authority to declare weeds, underbrush, or any unsightly or detrimental growth on any lot of land adjacent to any park or street in said City, a nuisance. …

§ 213. Issuance of bonds to provide funds for parks authorized For the purpose of providing necessary funds for the purchase or improvement of lands for park and recreational property, the City of Burlington is hereby authorized and empowered to issue its bonds in such manner and…

§ 214. Bills and expenses to be approved All bills and expenses for parks and recreation purposes shall be approved by the City Council and the Mayor’s warrant drawn upon the Chief Administrative Officer for the payment of the same.

§ 215. Definition of “park property” The term “park property” includes all parks, squares, and areas of land within the management of said Board; and all buildings, improvements, walks, drives, trees, plants, flowers, and other things thereon, and enclosures of the same; and all …

§ 217. Condemnation of land for park and/or recreational purposes authorized The City Council, on behalf of the City of Burlington, shall have power to take by condemnation land for park and/or recreational purposes; and if the City Council cannot for any cause agree with the own…

§ 218. Composition; appointment; terms The Board of Cemetery Commissioners shall consist of five legal voters of said City, who shall be appointed by the City Council with Mayor presiding, to serve for the term of three years and until their successors are appointed and qualified…

§ 219. Duties The City Council shall have such authority and responsibility relating to the management of the Cemetery Department, its services, and facilities, as provided by the general law of this State respecting cemeteries. The City Council may by resolution delegate all or …

§ 22. Ballots For all City or ward or City district elections, and also for the election of justices of the peace in the City, the Chief Administrative Officer shall prepare all official ballots, consistent with the requirements of any regulation adopted under section 5 of this c…

§ 220. Bylaws and regulations of Board to have force of ordinances The bylaws and regulations made by said Board as provided by law shall, when approved by the City Council and published as herein provided for ordinances, have the force of ordinances of said City.

§ 222. Duties The Director of Public Works shall have general management and control of the City water works, water pollution control plants, and solid waste disposal facilities as assigned by the Mayor or by resolution of the City Council, subject to any limitation and restricti…

§ 225. Powers of Board (a) The City Council shall, in addition to the other powers granted to it under this charter, have power to make all necessary repairs, extensions, or improvements to said works, and to provide new supply pipes within the City. (b) The City Council may pled…

§ 226. Composition; appointment; term The Board of Light Commissioners, which Board may also be properly referred to as the Board of Electric Commissioners, shall consist of five legal voters of said City, who shall be appointed by the City Council with Mayor presiding to serve f…

§ 227. Superintendent/General Manager; duties The Superintendent/General Manager shall have the special and immediate care and practical supervision of the said electric light plant and City property in connection therewith, but shall at all times be subject in respect thereto, t…

§ 228. Powers of City (a) The City shall have power to purchase, hire, construct, or otherwise acquire, or acquire an interest in, to maintain, operate, and to sell, lease, or otherwise dispose of any plant or system, located within or outside the State, for the production, distr…

§ 229. Authority to create; powers and duties The City Council may by ordinance provide for the creation and maintenance of a Harbor Commission or a single Harbor Commissioner, and for the appointment of a Superintendent of Harbors, and define and prescribe their powers and dutie…

§ 23. Retained ballots to be delivered to inspectors on demand In case the inspectors of election in any ward for any cause shall require the ballots so belonging to such ward or City district and retained by said Chief Administrative Officer, or any part thereof, they shall noti…

§ 231. Power and duties The City Council shall have the exclusive general management and control of the work on the City streets, sidewalks, sewers, and bridges and shall see that the same are properly constructed and kept in repair, and shall have the same powers in respect to r…

§ 234. Purposes and powers The City Council, except as herein otherwise provided, shall have the same power to lay out, alter, resurvey, and discontinue streets and highways as is vested by law in selectboards of towns; and all proceedings in respect to laying out, altering, resu…

§ 235. Council may lay out certain streets; owners’ petition Streets and highways in said City of less than three rods in width may be laid out, opened, accepted, established, and maintained whenever the City Council shall so provide by resolution or ordinance, provided the owner…

§ 236. Prior actions regarding streets ratified All streets or highways in said City of less than three rods in width heretofore deeded or dedicated to said City for public highways and heretofore accepted; and all such streets or highways laid out or opened by it, are hereby dec…

§ 237. Rights of property owners If any person owning or interested in lands through which a street or highway in said City is laid out, altered, or resurveyed by said City Council, is dissatisfied with the laying out, altering, or resurveying of said street or highway, or with t…

§ 238. Rights of property owners when street discontinued In case the City Council shall decide to discontinue any street or highway in said City, any person owning or interested in the lands abutting said street who is dissatisfied with such decision may, within 60 days thereaft…

§ 239. Power granted Said City Council in laying out or altering streets and highways shall have power, on giving 12 days’ notice of the time and place of hearing to the parties interested, to assess the owners of lands adjoining such street or highway so much of the expense of o…

§ 24. Record of ballots delivered required; receipts The Chief Administrative Officer shall keep a record of the whole number of ballots so prepared and delivered, and said inspectors of election shall give to said Chief Administrative Officer, whenever any ballots are received b…

§ 240. Estimation of probable expenses authorized If the street or highway shall not have been at the time of making such assessment actually opened, made, or altered, as the case may be, the City Council shall estimate the probable expense of such opening, making, or altering, a…

§ 241. Decisions regarding assessments to be recorded In making assessments as aforesaid, the City Council shall set forth in its decision touching the laying out, altering, or resurveying of any street or highway in said City a full description of all assessments by it made and …

§ 242. Proceedings for objections to assessment In case the City Council shall assess any lands through which a street or highway shall be by it laid out, altered, or resurveyed as provided in the preceding sections, any person owning or interested in such lands who is dissatisfi…

§ 243. Assessment lien suspended until final determination The pendency of such proceedings shall not vacate the lien created upon the lands assessed as aforesaid by City Council, but shall suspend the same until the final determination of such proceedings.

§ 244. Petition for relief not to delay opening or altering of street When the petition in such proceedings shall only pray for relief in the matter of such assessment, the opening, making, or altering of any street or highway shall not be thereby delayed.

§ 245. Copy of final determination to be recorded; assessment to become lien When the proceedings instituted as aforesaid by any person dissatisfied with such assessment shall be finally determined, a duly certified copy thereof shall be duly recorded by the Chief Administrative …

§ 246. Warrant to be issued upon failure to pay assessment; collection If the owner of any lands assessed as hereinbefore provided shall neglect to pay to the Chief Administrative Officer the amount of any such assessment for 90 days after the final record in the matter of making…

§ 247. Court to have jurisdiction to determine questioned assessments In all cases in which proceedings are instituted in the county court within and for the County of Chittenden by any person who is dissatisfied with the laying out, altering, or resurveying of any street or high…

§ 248. Establishment and maintenance authorized; assessments The City Council is authorized, to establish, construct, and maintain public sewers in said City; and it may assess the owners of land or buildings adjoining or abutting said streets or any portion thereof in which such…

§ 249. Establishment and construction through private lands authorized The City Council is also authorized and empowered to establish, construct, and maintain public sewers in and through the lands of individuals and corporations, on making compensation for lands taken therefor, …

§ 25. Requirements generally Special meetings of all the legal voters of said City shall be called by the Mayor upon request by resolution of the City Council or on petition signed by five percent of the legal voters for any legal purpose beyond the jurisdiction of the City Counc…

§ 250. Assessment of landowners authorized The City Council may assess the owners of lands through which such sewers may be established and constructed in the same manner and to the same extent as hereinbefore provided in respect to public sewers established and constructed in th…

§ 251. Assessment proceedings and rights The same proceedings shall be had in respect to such assessments, and the same rights shall exist, as in case of the laying out and establishing of streets and highways; and the same lien shall attach and be enforced in the same manner as …

§ 252. Required; contents Whenever, under the provisions of this charter, the City Council is required to give notice of the time and place of any examination or hearing before it, touching the laying out, altering, or discontinuing of any street or public highway in said City, o…

§ 253. When given Such citation shall be made at least 12 days prior to the time appointed for such examination or hearing, except when otherwise specially provided in this charter.

§ 254. Acceptance of service Service of such citation may be accepted by any or all persons therein named by endorsing their acceptance in writing thereon.

§ 255. Manner of serving Such citation may be served by any sheriff or constable in this State upon any person therein named residing or being in this State in the same manner as an ordinary writ of summons.

§ 256. Service on nonresidents Such citation may be served by such sheriff or constable upon a person not an inhabitant of this State by leaving a true and attested copy of said citation with his or her return thereon endorsed, with, or at the residence of, his or her known agent…

§ 257. Chief Administrative Officer to mail copy of citation to last known address of nonresident Said Chief Administrative Officer shall mail to the last known post office address of such person, in a registered package, a true and attested transcript of such copy so left with h…

§ 258. Return of citation prima facie evidence of service The return of such sheriff or constable upon the original citation, and the certificate of such Chief Administrative Officer and said receipts, shall be prima facie evidence of the service of said citation as herein provid…

§ 259. Proceedings to be postponed until all interested parties notified If at any stage of the proceedings before the City Council, or in any proceedings subsequent thereto, it shall appear that any person owning or interested in such lands shall not have been duly notified, the…

§ 26. Questions at special meeting to be decided by ballot The questions at any such special meeting shall be determined by ballot and the checklist shall be used. There shall be at such meeting a separate polling place, or polling places, for each ward, and as many of the ward o…