Title 24, Title 24: Municipal and County Government

§ 222. Neglect to settle; penalty A treasurer who refuses or neglects to settle with the auditor, after being notified, shall be fined $20.00, and a like sum for each month’s refusal or neglect thereafter.

§ 223. Statement compared, corrected, and filed The assistant judges shall compare such statement with the record of the county clerk of orders drawn upon the treasurer for such year, and after correcting errors therein shall cause the same to be recorded in the office of the cou…

§ 224. Annual reports; publication; penalty (a) Within 14 days after the receipt of such statement, the assistant judges shall publish annually such a summary as will show the source and amount of the income of the county, the items and amount of expenditures by the treasurer for…

§ 261. County financial audit (a) Biennially, all of the accounts of the county treasurer, including any reserve funds, shall be subject to a financial audit conducted according to the generally accepted government accounting standards as established by the federal government acc…

§ 290. County sheriff’s department (a) A sheriff’s department is established in each county. It shall consist of the elected sheriff in each county and such deputy sheriffs and supporting staff as may be appointed by the sheriff. Full-time employees of the sheriff’s department, p…

§ 290b. Audits (a) [Repealed.] (b) The Auditor of Accounts shall adopt and sheriffs shall comply with a uniform system of accounts, controls, and procedures for the sheriff’s department, which accurately reflects the receipt and disbursement of all funds by the department, the sh…

§ 291. Bond; oath Before entering upon the duties of his or her office, a sheriff shall become bound to the treasurer of the county in the sum of $100,000.00, with two or more sufficient sureties by way of recognizance, before the two assistant judges in such county, or give a bo…

§ 291a. Contracts (a) In the name of the sheriff’s department, the sheriff may enter into written contracts with the State of Vermont, an agency of the United States, one or more towns within or without the county, or any nongovernmental entity, to provide law enforcement or othe…

§ 292. Office vacant When such sheriff neglects to become so bound within 15 days from the beginning of his or her term of office, the office of sheriff shall be vacant.

§ 293. Duties (a) A sheriff so commissioned and sworn shall serve and execute lawful writs, warrants, and processes directed to the sheriff, according to the precept thereof, and do all other things pertaining to the office of sheriff. (b) A sheriff shall maintain a record of the…

§ 294. Sheriff imprisoned If a sheriff is confined in prison by legal process, his or her functions as sheriff shall be suspended. When the sheriff is released from imprisonment during his or her term of office, he or she shall file a certificate of his or her discharge signed by…

§ 296. Transportation of prisoners All commitments to a State correctional facility or to any other place named by the Commissioner of Corrections or committing court shall be made by any sheriff, deputy sheriff, State Police officer, police officer, or constable in the State, or…

§ 296a. Civil liability resulting from escaped prisoner A jailer or other officer who, through negligence, suffers a prisoner in his or her custody, convicted of or charged with a crime, to escape, shall be civilly liable to any person proximately damaged as a result thereof to t…

§ 299. Duties as peace officer A sheriff shall preserve the peace using force only as permitted pursuant to 20 V.S.A. chapter 151. A sheriff may apprehend, without warrant, individuals assembled in disturbance of the peace and bring them before the Criminal Division of the Superi…

§ 300. May require assistance A sheriff or other officer in the discharge of the duties of his or her office, for the preservation of the peace, or the suppression or prevention of any criminal matter or cause, may require suitable assistance.

§ 302. Power to search; return In the daytime, a sheriff may enter and search houses, buildings, or other places for a person for whose apprehension he or she has a warrant, issued in a criminal prosecution, a prosecution for bastardy, or on a bailpiece. He or she may so enter wi…

§ 303. Obstructing sheriff; penalty A person who refuses a sheriff entrance to his or her house or other buildings as provided in section 302 of this title, or threatens him or her or abuses him or her or his or her assistants before or after he or she has entered such buildings,…

§ 304. Liability for misfeasance of deputy Actions for official misfeasance or neglect of a deputy sheriff, or for cause affecting his or her administration of the office, shall be sustained only against the sheriff; but the sheriff shall not be amenable criminally for the conduc…

§ 305. Not to appear as counsel, or make writ A sheriff or deputy sheriff shall not appear in any court as counsel, nor make a writ, complaint, answer, or other precept or process, except in his or her own cause. A writ, complaint, or other process herein prohibited made by him o…

§ 306. Term of office A sheriff shall execute his or her official duties until his or her successor is qualified to act.

§ 307. Deputy sheriffs; appointments and revocation (a) A sheriff may appoint deputies who need not be legal residents of the State, one or more of whom shall be a woman. The duties of deputy sheriffs shall be the same as those imposed by law on sheriffs and other peace officers …

§ 308. Deputy sheriffs; no compensation for appointment; penalty (a) A sheriff shall not ask of or receive from his or her deputies any pay, compensation or reward by way of deputation fee, or otherwise, for such appointments. (b) A sheriff who violates a provision of this sectio…

§ 309. Bonds of deputies; liability of sheriff; deputy’s powers and duties A sheriff shall be liable for the official acts and neglects of his or her deputies, and may take bonds of indemnity from them. Such deputies may, and when required, shall perform any official duty which m…

§ 311. Training requirements No person may receive an appointment as a deputy sheriff unless he or she has been awarded a certificate by the Executive Director of the Criminal Justice Training Council attesting to his or her satisfactory completion of an approved basic training p…

§ 312. Jurisdiction of sheriffs The powers of sheriffs with respect to criminal matters and the enforcement of the law may be exercised statewide. (Added 1987, No. 122 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. Jan. 26, 1988; amended 1991, No. 257 (Adj. Sess.), § 5; 2015, No. 2, § 3, eff. March 12,…

§ 313. Conflict of interest; appearance of conflict of interest (a) Sheriffs and deputy sheriffs are considered public servants for the purposes of 3 V.S.A. § 1202(1). A conflict of interest may also exist when a member of a sheriff’s or deputy sheriff’s immediate family or house…

§ 331. Oath; bond Before entering upon the duties of his or her office, a high bailiff shall be sworn and give a bond such as may be required by the assistant judges. The cost of such bond shall be paid by the county.

§ 332. Powers and duties A high bailiff may serve writs which the sheriff is incompetent to serve, and his or her fees shall be the same as those of the sheriff.

§ 333. Confinement of sheriff; vacancy A high bailiff by virtue of a writ or other process directed to him or her against the sheriff may commit the sheriff to the Commissioner of Corrections. While the sheriff remains in confinement, or in case of vacancy in the office, the func…

§ 361. General duties (a) A State’s Attorney shall prosecute for offenses committed within his or her county, and all matters and causes cognizable by the Supreme and Superior Courts on behalf of the State, file informations and prepare bills of indictment, deliver executions in …

§ 362. Full-time State’s Attorneys; private law practice Elected State’s Attorneys shall devote full time to their duties and during their terms shall not engage in the private practice of law nor be a partner or associate of any person practicing law. The State’s Attorneys of Es…

§ 363. Deputy State’s Attorneys (a) A State’s Attorney may appoint as many deputy State’s Attorneys as necessary for the proper and efficient performance of the State’s Attorney’s office and may remove them at pleasure. The Executive Committee of the Department of State’s Attorne…

§ 364. Investigator (a)(1) A State’s Attorney may appoint an investigator and, with the approval of the Governor, shall fix the investigator’s pay not to exceed that of a noncommissioned officer of the Department of Public Safety, and may remove the investigator at will. (2) An i…

§ 365. Penalty for taking bribe A State’s Attorney who, directly or indirectly under color of his or her office, unlawfully receives to his or her use, or the use of another person, money or other valuable thing, shall be fined not less than $300.00 and shall be incapable of hold…

§ 366. Deputy sheriffs; police school Subject to the approval of the Attorney General, a State’s Attorney may enroll a deputy sheriff in a police school for the purpose of receiving training in crime prevention, detection, and apprehension. The officer so enrolled shall receive c…

§ 367. Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs (a) There is established a Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs, which shall consist of the 14 State’s Attorneys and 14 sheriffs. The State’s Attorneys shall elect an Executive Committee of five State’s Attorneys from am…

§ 1031. Inspector of lumber, shingles, and wood At the request of any party interested, an inspector of lumber, shingles, and wood shall examine and classify the quality of lumber and shingles, measure lumber, shingles, and wood, and give certificates thereof.

§ 1032. Weigher of coal A weigher of coal shall be sworn and shall not be directly or indirectly interested in the sale of coal. Upon request of the seller or purchaser, he or she shall weigh all coal sold in his or her town.

§ 1033. Inspector of wiring A municipality may authorize the selectboard, mayor and board of aldermen, or trustees to appoint an inspector of electric wiring and fix his or her compensation.

§ 1061. Conveyance of real estate (a)(1) If the legislative body of a town or village desires to convey municipal real estate, the legislative body shall give notice of the terms of the proposed conveyance by posting a notice in at least three public places within the municipalit…

§ 1091. Pension system A municipality having a population of at least 5,000 according to the latest preceding U.S. census may adopt a pension system for its employees. However, a municipality having a population of less than 5,000 may adopt a pension system for its employees, if …

§ 1092. Insurance contracts By its legislative branch, as defined by section 1751 of this title, a municipal corporation may contract in the name of the municipality with an insurance company authorized to do business in this State to secure the benefits of all forms of insurance…

§ 1121. Authority to adopt (a) A municipality may adopt rules relating to personnel administration, including the following: job classification, tenure, retirement, pensions, leaves of absence, vacations, holidays, hours of work, group insurance, salaries, layoff, reinstatement, …

§ 1122. Procedure for adoption Rules adopted under authority of this subchapter shall be deemed to be administrative and may be adopted by majority vote of the legislative body of a municipality. Sections 1971-1975 of this title shall not apply to rules adopted under this subchap…

§ 1131. Energy coordinator; duties (a) The legislative body of a municipality may appoint, and determine the length of term for, an energy coordinator. (b) An energy coordinator shall coordinate existing energy resources in the town and cooperate with the municipal planning commi…

§ 1141. Boards or commissions; orders Any decision or order approved for issue by a board, commission, committee, agency, or authority of any municipal corporation, including the legislative body of a municipal corporation, which is required by law to be in writing, may be signed…