Title 24APPENDIX, Title 24APPENDIX: Municipal Charters

§ 10. Procedures for charter revision and amendment This charter may be amended in accordance with the provisions of 17 V.S.A. § 2645. (Added 2003, No. M-11 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 3, 2004.)

§ 11. Use of streets by public utilities and private interests Every public utility and private interest that desires to dig up a public street or alley for the purpose of laying pipes or wires shall first obtain from the Selectboard, through its appointee, a written permit stati…

§ 12. Form of government (a) All governmental authority of the Town of Williston rests ultimately with the citizens and voters of the Town who shall exercise their power by Australian ballot at the annual Town meeting in determining: (1) the election of officers of the Town, exce…

§ 13. Town meeting; elections (a) Applicability of general laws. Except as otherwise herein limited, provisions of the general laws of the State related to voter qualifications, warnings, methods of voting, duties of town officers at town meeting and elections, counting of votes,…

§ 14. Local elected officials (a) Elective offices. Local elective offices to be filled by the voters of the Town of Williston shall be only those articulated by this charter, and shall include: (1) Selectboard; (2) Town Clerk; (3) [Repealed.] (4) Lister; (5) Moderator; (6) [Repe…

§ 15. Appointed nonadministrative officials (a) General provisions applying to appointed positions. (1) The appointed positions in subdivisions (b)(1), (2), and (5) of this section shall all be appointed by a majority vote of the Selectboard. (2) Terms of appointment shall begin …

§ 16. The Town Manager (a) Appointment. The Selectboard shall appoint a Town Manager. (b) Qualifications. The Town Manager shall be appointed solely on the basis of his or her executive and administrative skills, based on education, training, and experience relative to the duties…

§ 17. Severability The sections of this charter and the parts thereof are separable. If any portion of this charter or application thereof to any person or circumstance shall be held invalid, the remainder thereof or the application of such invalid portions to other persons or ci…

§ 18. Local options tax The Selectboard is authorized to impose a one percent sales tax, a one percent meals and alcoholic beverages tax, and a one percent rooms tax upon sales within the Town that are subject to the State of Vermont tax on sales, meals, alcoholic beverages, and …

§ 19. Appointment of Fire Chief, Police Chief, and Director of Public Safety The Police Chief, Fire Chief, and Director of Public Safety shall be appointed by the Manager and shall be employed by written contract for a term not to exceed five years nor less than one year, and sha…

§ 2. Application of general law; charter (a) Except when modified by the provisions of this charter, or by any regulation or ordinance of the Town adopted pursuant to special authority granted by this charter, all statutes of the State of Vermont relating to municipalities shall …

§ 20. Host town agreements A facility certified under 10 V.S.A. chapter 159 shall enter into a host town agreement with the Town of Williston to make a compensatory host payment prior to certification or renewal of certification. (Added 2009, No. M-2 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. April…

§ 3. Powers of the Town (a) The Town of Williston shall have all the powers and functions conferred upon towns and villages by the Constitution and general laws of the State and shall also have all implied powers necessary to implement such powers and functions. All powers and fu…

§ 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…

§ 5. Ordinances (a) Town legislation. Town legislation shall be by ordinance, or by bylaw in the case of zoning or subdivision regulation. Ordinances, bylaws, and rules promulgated pursuant thereto shall have the full force of law embodied in this charter. (b) Subjects of regulat…

§ 6. Open meetings; public records (a) The provisions of 1 V.S.A. chapter 5, subchapter 2 shall govern all meetings of boards and commissions, and their subcommittees, of the Town of Williston. (b) The provisions of 1 V.S.A. chapter 5, subchapter 3 shall govern all public records…

§ 7. Ethics (a) Policy statement. Accepting a position as a public official carries with it the acceptance of trust that the official will work to further the public interest. Maintaining that public trust is critical to the continued operation of good government. In addition, pu…

§ 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 Tow…

§ 9. Acquisition and disposition of Town property (a) The Selectboard may dispose of real property in accordance with 24 V.S.A. § 1061 and this charter. (b) The Selectboard may acquire real property in the name of the Town pursuant to law, this charter, or a vote of the Town. (Ad…

§ 1. Authority of citizens All governmental authority of the Town of Windsor rests with the citizens of the Town, who exercise their powers at Town meeting, and to whom the elected and appointed officers of the Town are ultimately responsible.

§ 10. Authority of citizens (a) The Town of Windsor shall have all the powers granted to towns by the Constitution and laws of this State, together with all the implied powers necessary to carry into execution all the powers granted. (b) The Town may enact ordinances not inconsis…

§ 11. Authority of citizens (a) The following officers shall be elected by the voters of the Town of Windsor, and voting for all such officers shall be by Australian ballot: (1) five Selectboard members; (2) one Town Clerk; (3) one Town Treasurer; (4) one Moderator; (5) three lis…

§ 12. Selectboard (a) Except as otherwise provided in this charter, all the powers of the Town shall be entrusted to and exercised by a Selectboard consisting of five members chosen by the voters of the Town of Windsor. Three members shall be elected for terms of three years and …

§ 15. Moderator A Moderator shall be elected for a term of one year and shall perform all duties required by this charter and, to the extent not in conflict with this charter, all duties required by laws of the State of Vermont.

§ 16. Town Clerk (a) The Town Clerk shall be elected for a three-year term and shall: (1) receive fees for filing copies of records and other instruments and shall cause these fees to be paid to the General Fund of the Town; (2) maintain a record of all action taken at special or…

§ 17. Town Treasurer (a) The Town Treasurer shall be elected for a three-year term, and shall: (1) receive taxes, assessments, charges, and levies and maintain a record of monies collected and uncollected; (2) serve in the capacity of collector of current taxes and collector of d…

§ 14. Board of Listers (a) The Board of Listers shall consist of three listers, one elected each year for a term of three years. The Board of Listers shall have the same powers and duties prescribed for listers under the laws of the State of Vermont and this charter. (b) The list…

§ 19. Town Manager (a) The Selectboard shall appoint a Town Manager in accordance with the provisions of State law and this charter. The Town Manager: (1) may serve for a fixed or an indefinite term at the discretion of the Selectboard of the Town; (2) before entering upon his or…

§ 2. Town meetings (a) An annual Town meeting for the consideration of the budget and other Town business shall be held according to State law except as hereinafter provided. (b) A special Town meeting: (1) may be called by a majority of the Selectboard; or (2) shall be called by…

§ 21. Fiscal year The fiscal year shall begin the first day of July and end the last day of June, unless another date is fixed by the voters at any annual Town meeting.

§ 22. Budget preparation (a) The Town Administrator shall submit a proposed budget for the ensuing year to the Selectboard at least 60 days before the annual Town meeting. It shall contain all information required by the Selectboard. (b) A Budget Committee of at least five but no…

§ 23. Appropriations (a) All amounts specified in the budget and approved by the voters at the annual Town meeting are appropriated for the purposes specified. The Selectboard may transfer appropriated amounts between general classifications of expenditures. All unexpended and un…

§ 24. Purchasing policy The Town Administrator may expend an amount determined by the Selectboard, and the Selectboard may expend up to one-half of one percent of the then current General Fund budget for any established program without requesting competitive bids. Any other expen…

§ 25. Taxes (a) All real and personal property taxes shall be paid to the Town Treasurer in full or in not more than four equal installments as set forth by specific article in the Town warning. Taxes shall be considered late as established by vote at an annual Town meeting. Taxe…

§ 26. Tax abatements The Board of Civil Authority, along with the Treasurer and the listers, shall constitute the Board of Abatement. The Chair and the Clerk of the Board of Civil Authority shall serve as the Chair and Clerk of the Board of Abatement. The Board of Abatement shall…

§ 27. Meetings; open government It shall be the policy of the Town of Windsor to afford to all its citizens the opportunity to participate in the government of their Town as fully and completely as may be possible. To this end, all meetings of agencies, boards, citizen committees…

§ 28. Ordinances (a) Town ordinances or rules may be adopted, amended, repealed, or enforced as provided by law or this charter. The Selectboard shall have the power to enact any ordinance or rule that it specifically finds necessary and desirable for the promotion of the public …

§ 29. Appointed officers (a) The Selectboard, by a majority vote, shall appoint the following Town officers for the terms indicated: (1) Town Attorney for a term of one year, to fulfill the duties prescribed by law for the grand juror and town agent of a town, except as provided …

§ 3. Postponement and combining of Town meetings (a) The Selectboard may postpone the vote on any question to be voted at a special meeting to the annual meeting or November federal elections if the special meeting would fall within 75 days of the annual meeting or November feder…

§ 30. Compensation and fees (a) The Town meeting shall annually vote the compensation to be paid to the following officers: (1) Selectboard; (2) [Repealed.] (3) Moderator. (b) The Selectboard shall annually consider and from time to time shall set the compensation of the followin…

§ 31. Conflict of interest (a) If there is a specific written complaint of conflict of interest, the Selectboard shall conduct an investigation in accordance with the ordinance that states the procedure and arrive at a decision. (b) No elected or appointed officer or employee of …

§ 32. Public lands (a) With approval of the voters given at any duly warned special or annual Town meeting, the Selectboard may sell any portion of real estate owned by the Town and not needed for Town purposes, or change the use of any real property owned by the Town. Such autho…

§ 33. Application of general law All provisions of the laws of the State of Vermont relating to towns, town officers, and elections shall apply to the Town of Windsor and its officers except as altered, enlarged, or modified by the provisions of this charter, or by any current or…

§ 34. Severability If any provision of this charter is held invalid, the other provisions of this charter shall not be affected. If the application of this charter or any of its provisions to any person or circumstances is held invalid, such application of this charter and its pr…

§ 35. Officers—appointive All offices in the Town of Windsor not required by Vermont statute to be filled by election or according to specific provision of this charter shall be deemed appointed offices to be filled by a majority vote of the Selectboard. The terms of such appoint…

§ 36. Terms of office All officers under this charter shall hold their respective offices until their successors are chosen. No officer shall be qualified until ready to assume the normal duties of his or her office.