Title 24APPENDIX, Title 24APPENDIX: Municipal Charters

§ 801. Fiscal year The fiscal year of the Town shall begin on 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 2013, No. M-4, § 2, eff. May 8, 2013.)

§ 802. General Fund budget preparation and submission (a) The Town Manager, at least 50 days before the annual Town meeting, or at such previous time as may be directed by the Selectboard, shall submit to the Selectboard a financial report containing: (1) an estimate of the finan…

§ 803. Publication The proposed budget shall be published in the Town report and copies made available at least 10 days before the annual meeting.

§ 804. Appropriations From the effective date of the budget, the several amounts stated therein, as approved by the annual Town meeting, become appropriated to the several agencies and purposes therein named.

§ 805. Amount to be raised by taxation The Town shall annually consider an article to raise by taxes on the grand list an amount equal to those expenditures to be paid by taxes which amount was appropriated by the voters at Town meeting and which expenditures are not met by funds…

§ 901. Taxes on real property Taxes on real property shall be due in four equal installments on dates established annually by the Selectboard, provided the first payment in each fiscal year is not earlier than 30 days after the date tax bills for that fiscal year are mailed to ta…

§ 902. Interest An additional charge of two percent of the unpaid tax shall be imposed per month for each month or fraction of the month as interest on any tax not paid on or before the dates specified in section 901 of this charter. (Amended 2003, No. M-13 (Adj. Sess.), § 3; 200…

§ 903. Board of Abatement The Board of Civil Authority (the Selectboard members and justices of the peace) with the listers shall constitute a Board of Abatement as provided by law. (Amended 2001, No. M-7, § 2, eff. May 21, 2001; 2013, No. M-4, § 2, eff. May 8, 2013.)

§ 1. Corporate existence retained The inhabitants of the Town of Underhill, within the corporate limits as now established, shall continue to be a municipal corporation by the name of the Town of Underhill. All existing property of the Town shall remain vested in it and all its e…

§ 2. General law; application Except when changed, enlarged, or modified by the provisions of this charter, all provisions of the statutes of this State relating to municipalities shall apply to the Town of Underhill.

§ 21. Property taxes Real and personal property taxes shall be paid in four installments to the Town Treasurer for each tax year on dates and months set by the Selectboard.

§ 22. Tax collections The Town Treasurer shall collect real and personal property taxes and penalty and interest charges. The Town shall not elect other collectors of current or delinquent taxes. The Town Treasurer shall deposit all taxes, penalties, and interest charges in the T…

§ 23. Penalty All taxes due or payable and not paid within the time specified in section 21 of this charter shall be deemed delinquent and shall bear interest at the maximum rate allowable by State statute on the amount delinquent. In addition, a collection fee of the maximum amo…

§ 3. Powers of the Town The Town shall have all the powers granted to towns and municipal corporations by the constitution and laws of this State together with all the implied powers necessary to carry into execution all the powers granted. Any mention of specific powers in this …

§ 31. Fiscal year The fiscal year of the Town shall begin on the first day of July and end on the last day of June of the next calendar year.

§ 32. [Transitional provision omitted]

§ 41. Auditors The auditors shall meet within 30 days of the close of the fiscal year, examine and adjust the accounts of the Town and Town School District, and otherwise follow the auditing provisions of Title 24 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated.

§ 42. Reporting The auditors shall report their findings in writing and cause the same to be printed and distributed to the legal voters of the Town prior to the annual Town meeting. They shall, at the same time, deliver to the Town Clerk the copies required under the provisions …

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

§ 52. Ordinances and regulations All ordinances and other Town legislation now in effect shall remain in effect until altered or repealed, except where contrary intent appears in this charter.

§ 53. Separability The sections of this charter and the parts thereof are separate. If any portion of this charter or its application to any person or circumstances shall be held invalid, the remainder thereof or the application of such invalid portions to other persons or circum…

§ 61. Recall of elected town officers Any elected Town officer may be removed from office subject to the following conditions and procedures: (1) A written petition that is signed by not less than 15 percent of the registered voters of the Town seeking the removal of the Town off…

§ 1. Corporate existence retained The inhabitants of the Town of Waitsfield, within the corporate limits as now established, shall constitute and continue to be a municipal corporation by the name of the Town of Waitsfield. (Added 2015, No. M-8, § 2, eff. May 18, 2015.)

§ 2. General law application Except when changed, enlarged, or modified by the provisions of this charter, all provisions of the statutes of this State relating to municipalities shall apply to the Town. Prior acts or enactments of the Town shall not be affected by this charter, …

§ 3. Powers of the Town (a) The Town shall have all the powers granted to towns and municipal corporations by the Constitution and laws of this State together with all the implied powers necessary to carry into execution all the powers granted. The Town may enact ordinances not i…

§ 4. Elected officers (a) The elected officers of the Town shall be those required for towns by State law and they shall be elected by Australian ballot. (b) Elected officers shall comply with all applicable rules, policies, and ordinances of the Town, including any conflict of i…

§ 5. Appointed officers (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 4(a) of this charter to the contrary, the Selectboard shall appoint the following officers to terms of not less than one year nor more than three years: (1) Town Clerk; (2) Town Treasurer; (3) all Town offic…

§ 6. Severability The provisions of this charter are severable. If any portion or section shall be held to be invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remainder of this charter shall not be affected thereby and shall continue in full force and effect. (A…

§ 1. Local option tax The Town Selectboard is authorized to levy a one percent tax on sales, meals and alcoholic beverages, and rooms. A tax imposed under the authority of this section shall be collected and administered by the Department of Taxes pursuant to 24 V.S.A. § 138. (Ad…

§ 2. Municipal Manager; authority The Municipal Manager shall have the authority to hire, appoint, discipline, and remove all Town employees, subject to the provisions of personnel rules approved by the Selectboard. The Municipal Manager may authorize a department head to hire, a…

§ 1. Town Treasurer (a) The Selectboard shall appoint a Town Treasurer, in the manner set forth in subsection (b) of this section. The appointee shall be competent in the keeping of records, investments, and accounting, and shall serve at the pleasure of the Selectboard. The pers…

§ 1. General provisions The Town of Westford shall have all the powers granted to towns and municipal corporations by the Constitution and laws of the State of Vermont and by this charter, together with all the implied powers necessary to carry into execution all the powers grant…

§ 2. Elected officers (a) Except as otherwise provided by this charter, the elected officers of the Town of Westford shall be those required for towns by State law and they shall be elected by Australian ballot. (b) Elected officers shall perform all duties and responsibilities n…

§ 3. Appointed officers (a) In addition to all other offices that may be filled by appointment by the Selectboard pursuant to State law, the Selectboard shall appoint the following officers: (1) Town Treasurer; (2) listers or an assessor; (3) Delinquent Tax Collector; and (4) cem…

§ 4. Independent audit The Selectboard shall provide for an independent audit of all Town accounts as it deems necessary. Such audits shall be made by a certified public accountant or firm of such accountants who have no personal interest, direct or indirect, in the fiscal affair…

§ 5. Removal of elected Town officers Any elected Town officer may be removed from office in the following manner: (1) A petition must be filed with the Town Clerk seeking the removal of the elected Town officer or officers. The petition must be signed by at least 15 percent of r…

§ 6. Conflict of interest (a) A Town officer shall recuse himself or herself or be disqualified from any proceeding in which his or her impartiality might reasonably be questioned. (b) If anyone thinks a Town officer has a conflict in a case before a board, commission, or committ…

§ 7. Severability 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…

§ 1. Applicability of the general law (a) All provisions of the constitutional and general laws of the State of Vermont relating to towns and their officers shall apply to the Town of Westminster. (b) The Town of Westminster shall have all the powers now or hereafter conferred up…

§ 2. Officers The Town of Westminster shall have the officers as provided for towns by the general laws. (Added 2009, No. M-14 (Adj. Sess.), § 9, eff. March 17, 2010.)

§ 3. Ordinances Any ordinance, regulation, zoning regulation, or bylaw of the Town of Westminster may apply to a limited area of the whole Town, notwithstanding that the ordinance, rule, regulation, zoning regulation, or bylaw might also have been applied to another area or areas…

§ 4. Special districts (a) The Selectboard may designate areas apart from the rest of the Town as special service districts and may provide the inhabitants therein with special services not common to all of the inhabitants of the Town, provided that the majority of the voters res…

§ 101. 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 Weybridge. (b) The inhabitants of the Town of Weybridge, within the geo…

§ 102. General provisions (a) Except when changed, enlarged, or modified by the provisions of this charter, all provisions of the statutes of the State relating to municipalities shall apply to the Town. (b) The Town shall have all the powers granted to towns and municipal corpor…

§ 103. 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…

§ 104. Separability If any provision of this charter is held invalid, the other provisions of this charter shall not be affected thereby. (Added 2015, No. M-9, § 2, eff. May 26, 2015.)