Title 24, Title 24: Municipal and County Government

§ 1579. Collector’s receipt The town and town school district treasurer shall endorse upon the receipt given by the collector of taxes and lodged with such treasurer all payments thereon made by such collector and such abatements thereof as may be made by the board for the abatem…

§ 1580. Account with collector The town and town school district treasurer shall keep with the collector of taxes a separate account of each annual tax bill by endorsing thereon his or her payments and the abatement allowed by the board for abatement of taxes with the date of eac…

§ 1581. Balance due treasurer When a balance is due a treasurer, the auditors shall draw and deliver to him or her an order therefor on the town treasury.

§ 1582. Outstanding orders; notice to stop interest When a municipality has outstanding interest bearing orders due and payable, the treasurer may give notice that such orders will be paid on presentation at his or her office on or before a day certain named in such notice, and t…

§ 1583. Outstanding orders; publication of notice Such notice shall be given personally or by publication in a newspaper published in the county, or if none is published in the county, in a newspaper published in an adjoining county, at least three weeks successively, the last pu…

§ 1584. Outstanding orders; no interest after day of notice When such notice has been given, by publication as set forth in section 1583 of this subchapter or by written notice signed by the treasurer and delivered to the holder of any such order, such order shall not draw intere…

§ 1585. Unassigned fund balance Monies from a budget approved by the voters at an annual or special meeting that are not expended by the end of a municipality’s fiscal year shall be under the control and direction of the legislative body of the municipality and may be carried for…

§ 1621. Orders for land damages or damages for injuries The selectboard may draw orders on the town treasurer for damages for lands or property taken or improved for a highway or other public use, or for damages settled by agreement or awarded for injuries sustained from the insu…

§ 1622. Town orders; record (a)(1) The chair of the selectboard shall keep or cause to be kept a single record of all orders drawn by the board showing the number, date, to whom payable, for what purpose, and the amount of each order. (2) All other officers authorized by law to d…

§ 1623. Signing orders (a) The selectboard may do either of the following: (1) Authorize one or more members of the board to examine and allow claims against the town for town expenses and draw orders for such claims to the party entitled to payment. (A) Orders shall state defini…

§ 1652. Records of overseers of the poor Effective October 1, 1968, the office of overseer of the poor is abolished. On that day or as soon thereafter as possible the overseer of the poor shall turn all records of the office over to the town clerk of his or her town, who shall th…

§ 1681. Auditors; duties; meeting (a)(1) Town auditors shall meet at least 25 days before each annual town meeting to examine and adjust the accounts of all town officers and all other persons authorized by law to draw orders on the town treasurer. (2) Such auditing shall include…

§ 1682. Report; distribution (a)(1) The auditors shall report their findings in writing and cause the same to be mailed or otherwise distributed to the voters of the town at least ten days before the annual meeting. (2) At a duly warned annual or special meeting, the voters of th…

§ 1683. Contents of report; municipal fiscal years (a) The report shall show a detailed statement of the financial condition of such town for its fiscal year, a classified summary of receipts and expenditures, a list of all outstanding orders and payables more than 30 days past d…

§ 1684. Trust assets; indebtedness The auditors shall make a detailed statement showing: (1) the condition of all trust funds in which the town is interested and a list of the assets of such funds, including the account of receipts and disbursements for the preceding year; (2) wh…

§ 1685. Subchapter application to villages Sections 1681-1684 of this subchapter shall apply to all incorporated villages. (Amended 2017, No. 74, § 86.)

§ 1686. Penalty (a) At any time in their discretion, town auditors may, and if requested by the selectboard, shall, examine and adjust the accounts of any town officer authorized by law to receive or disburse money belonging to the town. (b) If the town has voted to eliminate the…

§ 1687. Notice of orders A bank, trust company, or individual in this State holding orders or other evidences of indebtedness of a municipal corporation shall annually, on or before January 5, send written notice to the chair of the board of auditors of such corporation, stating …

§ 1688. Notice of deposits A bank or trust company in this State having on deposit funds of a municipal corporation shall annually, on or before January 5, send written notice to the chair of the board of auditors of such corporation, stating the balance on deposit to the credit …

§ 1689. Penalty for failure to send notice A bank, trust company, or individual who violates a provision of section 1687 or 1688 of this subchapter shall be fined not less than $10.00 nor more than $25.00. (Amended 2017, No. 74, § 87.)

§ 1690. Certified or public accountant to audit town accounts; warning; form (a) The legislative body of a city, town, or incorporated village may upon its own motion contract with a public accountant, licensed in this State, to perform an annual financial audit of all funds of t…

§ 1691. Terms of employment At an annual or special meeting warned as provided in section 1690 of this title, a town or incorporated village may authorize the employment of a certified public accountant or a public accountant and fix the terms of such employment. Nothing herein s…

§ 1751. Definitions As used in this chapter: (1) “Municipal corporation” shall include a city, town, village, town school district, graded school district, or other incorporated, union, or unified school district or any entity providing educational services which is eligible to r…

§ 1752. Bonds; issuance Debt may be incurred and bonds issued under this subchapter for any improvement, but no bonds shall be issued for the purpose of providing funds for ordinary expenses of any municipal corporation, except as otherwise provided.

§ 1752a. Privately owned municipality-supported libraries By a majority vote of those present and voting at an annual or special meeting warned for the purpose, a municipality may issue municipal bonds under this chapter for the cost of capital improvements to any privately owned…

§ 1753. Use of bond proceeds (a) If after bonds have been issued and no expenditure of the proceeds has been made for the purpose or purposes for which the debt was incurred, or if a balance remains after the completion of the project or projects for which the debt was authorized…

§ 1754. Validation All outstanding bonds and notes of a municipal corporation issued prior to June 1, 1935, are hereby declared legal and binding obligations in accordance with the terms thereof.

§ 1755. Submission to voters (a)(1) On a petition signed by at least ten percent of the voters of a municipal corporation the proposition of incurring a bonded debt to pay for public improvements shall be submitted to the qualified voters thereof at any annual or special meeting …

§ 1756. Notice of meeting; authorization (a)(1) The clerk of the municipal corporation shall cause notice of such meeting to be published in a newspaper of known circulation in such municipality once a week for three consecutive weeks on the same day of the week, the last publica…

§ 1757. Validation (a) Whenever the qualified voters of a municipal corporation, as defined in this subchapter, have voted by the requisite majority to authorize issuance of bonds to pay for any public improvement, and such proceedings are defective because of failure to comply w…

§ 1757a. Validation of consolidated water or sewer districts and bonds voted for construction (a) No action shall be brought directly or indirectly attacking, questioning, or in any manner contesting the legality of the formation, or the existence as a body corporate and politic,…

§ 1758. Conduct of meetings (a) Meetings of voters in municipal corporations under this subchapter shall be conducted in the same manner as the annual city and town meetings are conducted. The qualifications of voters at such meetings shall be the same as the qualifications of vo…

§ 1759. Denominations; payments; interest (a)(1) Any bond issued under this subchapter shall draw interest at a rate not to exceed the rate approved by the voters of the municipal corporation in accordance with section 1758 of this title, or if no rate is specified in the vote un…

§ 1760. Bonds validated—Over five percent Notwithstanding the interest rate limitation set forth in section 1759 of this title prior to April 14, 1969, if any municipal corporation has prior to that date authorized bonds to bear interest at a rate of interest in excess of five pe…

§ 1761. Higher rates If any municipal corporation has authorized bonds to bear interest at a rate of interest not in excess of six percent prior to March 5, 1970, and any of such bonds remain unsold on that date, the legislative branch of the municipal corporation may approve an …

§ 1762. Limits (a) A municipal corporation shall not incur an indebtedness for public improvements which, with its previously contracted indebtedness, shall, in the aggregate, exceed ten times the amount of the last grand list of such municipal corporation. Bonds or obligations g…

§ 1763. Specifications The legislative branch shall determine the rate of interest or the manner of determining the same, the date, the denominations, the time and place of payment, and the form of bonds and notes to be used by the municipal corporation. The legislative branch ma…

§ 1764. Taxes to meet interest and payments At the time of assessing the general tax levy, in addition to all other taxes, the legislative branch shall provide annually for the assessment and collection each year, until such bonds are paid, of a tax sufficient to pay the interest…

§ 1765. Advertisement (a)(1) Except as provided in section 4650 of this title, bonds issued under this subchapter shall be sold at par, premium, or discount, and accrued interest, after being advertised at least once not less than five nor more than 30 days before the date of sal…

§ 1766. Bonds; by whom signed Such bonds shall be signed by the mayor and treasurer of an incorporated city, by the treasurer and selectboard or trustees, as the case may be, of a town or village, by the treasurer and trustees or prudential committee, as the case may be, of an in…

§ 1767. Computation of amount (a)(1) In determining the amount of municipal indebtedness permitted by this subchapter, obligations created for current expenses, for a water supply or for electric lights, and temporary loans created in anticipation of the collection of taxes and n…

§ 1768. Form of bond and coupon The form of bond issued under this subchapter shall be substantially as follows: FORM OF BOND The (insert name of municipal corporation) in the county of _____ _____ and of Vermont promises to pay to the bearer hereof on the ________ day of _______…

§ 1771. Refunding bonds; authorization A municipal corporation that has outstanding and unpaid orders, notes, bonds, or coupons, lawfully issued, may issue other negotiable notes or bonds to pay or retire the same. Such bonds shall be signed, sold, made payable, and mature in the…

§ 1772. Refunding bonds; procedure and limitations (a) Such municipal corporation by its legislative branch, by resolution or ordinance, shall determine the necessity for issuing refunding bonds, the amount of legal outstanding indebtedness to be refunded, what amount of new bond…

§ 1773. Temporary loans (a) If a municipal corporation votes to issue bonds in accordance with law, the officers authorized to issue the same, upon resolution of the legislative branch of the municipal corporation, may make a temporary loan, in the name of such municipal corporat…

§ 1774. Record by treasurer The treasurer of each governmental unit as defined in section 4551(5) of this title shall keep a record of every obligation assumed by that unit. (Amended 1977, No. 155 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. March 29, 1978; 1999, No. 71 (Adj. Sess.), § 2.)