Title 24APPENDIX, Title 24APPENDIX: Municipal Charters

§ 362. Purposes and powers (a) Subject to the orders and ordinances of the City Council, the Human Resources Department shall be responsible for the administration of human resources policies and services. (b) In furtherance of its purpose, the Human Resources Department shall, s…

§ 363. Department to be under supervision of Director The management, direction, and control of the Human Resources Department shall be vested in the Director, subject to the orders and ordinances of the City Council.

§ 37. Manner of convening All meetings of the City Council with Mayor presiding shall, unless otherwise provided, be convened in the same manner as herein provided for calling special meetings of the City Council.

§ 370. Creation of Department of Permitting and Inspections There is hereby created in the City of Burlington the Department of Permitting and Inspections that shall combine the permitting and inspection functions of the previously existing Planning and Zoning Department, Inspect…

§ 371. Purposes and powers (a) Subject to the orders and ordinances of the City Council, the Department of Permitting and Inspections shall provide a single location to obtain permits and inspection services for all zoning, building, plumbing, electrical wiring, and minimum housi…

§ 372. Department to be under supervision of Director The management, direction, and control of the Department of Permitting and Inspections shall be vested in the Director, subject to the orders and ordinances of the City Council. (Added 2019, No. M-6, § 2 eff. May 23, 2019.)

§ 373. Powers, duties, and responsibilities of Zoning Administrative Officer (a) The Zoning Administrative Officer shall have all of the powers, duties, and responsibilities as are provided in the Vermont Planning and Development Act to an administrative officer. The Director of …

§ 38. Regular meetings Regular meetings of the City Council shall be held based on a schedule adopted by the City Council for the fiscal year and generally on Mondays once or twice each month. The schedule may be amended by action of the Council. (Amended 2017, No. M-9, § 2, eff.…

§ 39. Special meetings Special meetings of the City Council may be called at any time by the Mayor, and shall be called by the Chief Administrative Officer on petition signed by a majority of the City Council then in office and filed with the Chief Administrative Officer. Notice …

§ 4. Election of School Commissioners (a) The legal voters of each ward and City district of the City shall elect, from among the legal voters of their respective wards and City districts, School Commissioners to serve for terms hereinafter provided. (b) Election of School Commis…

§ 40. Quorum; attendance of certain officers may be required A majority of the City Council elect shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, but a smaller number may adjourn from time to time, and may compel the attendance of absent members in such manner and enfo…

§ 401. Revisions effective without publication The ordinances contained in any general revision of the ordinances of the City of Burlington shall take effect upon the passage of said ordinances by the City Council of said City, without publication in a newspaper.

§ 405. Authority to establish system (a) The City Council of the City of Burlington is hereby authorized to establish and create a fund or funds for the purpose of providing, either for City employees or appointive officers of said City, or both, in lieu of all existing provision…

§ 406. Authority to appoint boards and officers, appropriate funds, provide rate of contributions, and designate sums payable The City Council of said City is hereby authorized by ordinance to appoint and employ such boards and officers as may be necessary to administer, control,…

§ 407. Direction to budget funds for system The City Council of said City shall provide in the annual budget, beginning with the annual budget next following the due enactment and publication of an ordinance providing for such retirement benefits, disability benefits, and death b…

§ 408. Existing provisions to remain valid until new provisions adopted The existing retirement and pension provisions of the City charter of said City shall remain in force and effect until the powers granted by this article are exercised by the City Council by the due enactment…

§ 41. Meetings to be public; except All meetings of the City Council and all meetings of the City Council with Mayor presiding are declared to be public meetings open to the public at all times. Provided, that executive sessions of such bodies shall be permitted in accordance wit…

§ 415. Authority to construct and maintain an electric plant (a) The City of Burlington is hereby authorized and empowered to construct and maintain an electric plant for the purpose of lighting the streets, walks, public grounds, and public buildings of the City, and may furnish…

§ 416. Authority to construct, maintain, and operate a gas-generating and distribution plant (a) The City of Burlington is hereby authorized and empowered to construct, maintain, and operate a plant for the generation and distribution of manufactured gas and may furnish such gas …

§ 417. Authority to acquire property for purposes of sections 415 and 416 of this charter For any and all of the purposes set forth in sections 415 and 416 of this charter, said City may acquire and hold within and without the limits thereof by gift, grant, purchase, or by the ri…

§ 418. Authority to sell services, merchandise, and equipment incidental to use of electricity or gas (a) Said City, when engaged in the business of distributing and selling electricity or gas, is hereby authorized and empowered, as part of such business, to engage in the sale, i…

§ 419. Operation of gas business Whenever said City does acquire any gas plant, gas distribution system, business, and goodwill (hereinafter referred to as the gas business) in accordance with the foregoing sections, such gas business shall be operated and maintained as a separat…

§ 42. Composition; meetings The Mayor, City Council, and assessors shall constitute a Board for the Abatement of Taxes and also for the Abatement of Special Assessments, or any part thereof, for sewers and street improvements, whenever the same are illegal or in the judgment of t…

§ 420. Procedure for exercising eminent domain right In exercising the right of eminent domain to acquire any property or some easement or other limited right in property required by the City for the purposes authorized by this article, said City shall proceed by petition to the …

§ 421. Issuance of bonds authorized In case of any purchase that the City Council may approve and determine to make of any existing electric or gas plant and distribution system and any gas or electric business and the goodwill thereof and any franchises and rights-of-way in conn…

§ 422. Rates sufficient to pay for services and bonds to be charged (a) Whenever bonds are issued pursuant to this article, said City shall charge and collect adequate rates and charges for electric energy and for gas and all other services, facilities, and commodities sold, furn…

§ 423. Bond issuance to be approved by voters The City Council shall not issue any bonds under the provisions of this article for any of the purposes thereof unless previously authorized so to do by a majority of the legal voters of said City voting on the question at any annual …

§ 43. Composition; Board for Registration of Voters; duties; appointments; offices (a)(1) The City Council with Mayor presiding shall constitute the Board of Civil Authority for the City, except that all duties with respect to preparing checklists of voters and making additions t…

§ 431. Definitions The following terms when used in this article shall have the following meaning: (1) The term “City” shall mean the City of Burlington. (2) The term “electric plant” shall mean the complete municipal electric generating, transmission, and distribution system now…

§ 432. Electric plant; improvement of The City is hereby authorized and empowered to improve its electric plant for the purpose of lighting the streets, walks, public grounds, and buildings of the City, for the furnishing of electric or gas services within or without the corporat…

§ 433. Bonds; issuance of (a) The City is hereby authorized and empowered to issue negotiable bonds, from time to time, for the purpose of financing the cost of any improvement to the electric plant. Said bonds and the interest thereon shall be payable solely and exclusively from…

§ 434. Same—payment of In order to secure the payment of any of the bonds, issued pursuant to this article, the interest thereon, or in connection with such bonds, the City shall have power as to such bonds, to the extent not inconsistent with the mandatory provisions of this art…

§ 435. Same—pledge of revenues (a) Any pledge hereunder shall be valid and binding and shall be deemed continuously perfected for the purposes of the Uniform Commercial Code from the time when the pledge is made; unless otherwise provided in the resolution making the pledge, the …

§ 436. Same—refunding The City may issue refunding bonds for the purpose of paying any of its bonds issued hereunder at maturity or upon acceleration or redemption. The refunding bonds may be issued at such time prior to the maturity or redemption of the refunded bonds as the Cit…

§ 437. Same—Anticipation notes Unless otherwise provided in the authorizing proceedings, if bonds are authorized under this article, temporary notes may be issued in anticipation thereof. The Board of Light Commissioners may delegate the sale of temporary notes to an officer or o…

§ 438. Same—regulation (a) The Public Utility Commission shall exercise its regulatory powers in such a manner as to permit the City to fulfill all of its obligations, including its obligations to the holders of the bonds issued hereunder. (b) The Public Utility Commission shall …

§ 439. Same—rights of holders Any holder or holders of bonds, including a trustee or trustees for holders of such bonds, shall have the right in addition to all other rights: (1) by mandamus or other suit, action, or proceedings in any court of competent jurisdiction to enforce h…

§ 44. Authorized At all meetings of the Board of Civil Authority, the Board for the Abatement of Taxes, and also of the City Council for the appointment of officers or for the removal of such officers, except for the meeting for the appointment of those officers identified in Art…

§ 440. Same—right of City (a) The City shall have power by resolution of its Board of Light Commissioners to confer upon any holder or holders of a specified amount or percentage of bonds, including a trustee or trustees for such holders, the right in the event of an “event of de…

§ 441. Rates; payment by municipal agencies The City Council or other board or agency of the City operating the electric plant may charge the City and all departments, agencies, instrumentalities, officers, or employers thereof for any electric service furnished to them, at the r…

§ 442. Bonds; proceeds All monies received from the issue of bonds (other than refunding bonds) shall be used solely to defray the cost of improving the electric plant of the City. The cost of improving the electric plant shall include all cost of acquisition, or improvement, inc…

§ 443. Energy conservation facilities The City is hereby authorized and empowered to provide or finance energy conservation facilities within the customer service area of its electric plant. The term “energy conservation facilities” includes facilities or improvements to faciliti…

§ 444. Construction of article The powers conferred by this article shall be in addition and supplemental to the powers conferred by any other law. Bonds may be issued hereunder for the improvement of the electric plant of the City notwithstanding that any other law may provide f…

§ 445. Same This article is remedial in nature and the powers hereby granted shall be liberally construed to effectuate the purposes hereof, and to this end the City shall have power to do all things necessary or convenient to carry out the purposes hereof in addition to the powe…

§ 446. Same; invalidity It is hereby declared that the sections, clauses, sentences, and parts of this article are severable, are not matters of mutual essential inducement, and any of them shall be exscinded if this article would otherwise be unconstitutional or ineffective; it …

§ 447. Ratification (a) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this article, and except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, no bonds shall be issued under this article unless and until more than 50 percent of the legal voters of the City present and voting thereon…