Title 24APPENDIX, Title 24APPENDIX: Municipal Charters

§ 15.7. Vacancies (a) In case of vacancy for any cause in any appointive office, such vacancy shall be filled in the manner herein provided for the appointment thereto, but only for the unexpired term of the office. In case of vacancy for any cause in an elective office, exceptin…

§ 15.8. Conflicting offices The Mayor, Aldermen, and members of the Board of School Commissioners shall not hold any other City office, either appointive or elective, except as otherwise provided.

§ 15.9. Compensation The Board of Aldermen shall fix the annual compensation for all City officers except as otherwise provided.

§ 15.10. Bonds of City officers (a) All employees of the City who receive or disburse any of the funds of the City shall annually, before entering upon the duties of their office, give bonds to the City in an amount satisfactory to the Board of Aldermen, for the faithful discharg…

§ 15.11. Oath of officers All officers of the City shall, before assuming office, take, subscribe, and file with the City Clerk the following oath: “I solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office (duty or trust) of __________ of the City of Rutland, to the best of my …

§ 15.12. Residency requirement (a) The application of a residence requirement upon commencement of employment with the City of Rutland may be applied to those employees or appointed officials where it is established that a rational basis therefore exists. (b) The Board of Alderme…

§ 16.1. Duties The City Clerk shall perform for the City the same duties devolving under the law of this State upon town clerks, except insofar as the same are changed or modified by the provisions of this charter; the Clerk shall be the ex officio Clerk of the Board of Aldermen,…

§ 16.2. Public records (a) Public records shall not be taken out of or away from the City Clerk’s office except upon the order or process of a court of competent jurisdiction, but the Board of Aldermen may by ordinance or by law regulate the removal from said office of all papers…

§ 16.3. Certification of publication Whenever any notice signed by the Mayor, Board of Aldermen, or any City officer or officers, or any advertisement, ordinance, resolution, or bylaw shall have been published in some newspaper or publicly posted under the provisions of the gener…

§ 17.1. City Purchasing Agent (a) The City Purchasing Agent shall be a City employee under the direction of the Board of Finance. (b) The City Purchasing Agent shall contract for and purchase all supplies, materials, equipment and contractual services required by any department, …

§ 17.2. Contractual authority The City Purchasing Agent is authorized to enter into contracts for the City, except that any contract calling for payment, either totally, or in installments, of a sum exceeding $1,000.00 shall be signed by the Mayor.

§ 17.3. Requisitions (a) All purchases made under section 17.1 of this charter shall be made upon written requisitions therefor upon the Purchasing Agent. The Purchasing Agent shall immediately proceed to purchase under the provisions of the ordinances the property so required an…

§ 17.4. Bidding procedures (a) No board or officer of the City shall incur any indebtedness or enter into any contract on behalf of the City requiring the payment of money, unless such indebtedness or contract is provided for in the previous appropriations of the Board of Alderme…

§ 17.5. Specifications The department head shall prepare specifications for all supplies, materials, and equipment needed by said department, in consultation with the City Purchasing Agent. Any disagreement regarding said specification shall be resolved by the Mayor.

§ 17.6. Professional services (a) For contracts requiring professional services or specialization, or expertise in a particular field, the Board of School Commissioners shall authorize the Superintendent to invite proposals for such services. The Superintendent, acting as Purchas…

§ 18.1. Duties The City Attorney shall be Corporation Counsel, Chief Union Negotiator, and shall prosecute and defend on behalf of said City all suits in which the City is interested; and may prosecute all violations of the City ordinances and bylaws. The City Attorney is also au…

§ 18.2. Grand juror and Assistant City Attorney The City Grand Juror shall prosecute violations of ordinances, regulations, and bylaws of the City of Rutland; may prosecute and defend criminal matters occurring within the limits of the City of Rutland; and also shall act as Assis…

§ 19.2. Duties of the Director of Emergency Management The Emergency Management Director is responsible for coordinating and supervising public and private informational programs to familiarize the public with emergency management activities.

§ 19.3. Duties of the Equal Employment Opportunity Officer The Equal Employment Opportunity Officer is responsible for managing the organization, implementation, and all continuing aspects of the City’s affirmative action plan.

§ 19.5. Duties of the Community Development Director The Community Development Director is an administrative staff position assisting the Mayor and the Board of Aldermen and various City boards in a variety of assignments that include the management of community development effor…

§ 2.1. City election (a) On the first Tuesday in March of odd numbered years, the legal voters of the City shall elect, from among their number, a Mayor, a City Treasurer, a City Assessor, and six aldermen at large, each for a term of two years. (b) On the first Tuesday in March …

§ 2.2. Special City meetings (a) The Mayor shall call a special meeting of all the legal voters of the City, when petitioned to do so by not less than five percent of the legal voters of the municipality, but only for any legal purpose beyond the jurisdiction of the Board of Alde…

§ 2.3. General and primary elections General and primary elections shall be conducted in the wards of the City pursuant to the provisions of Vermont Statutes Annotated. Ward officials shall perform all and the same duties in regard to certifying the results of elections in their …

§ 2.4. Method of conducting elections All annual and special City elections, and all special meetings, shall be held in the several wards at times designated by the Board of Aldermen as directed by State statutes.

§ 2.5. Warnings (a) All warnings for all meetings for the elections of City or ward officers, and for special meetings of all the legal voters of said City, for any purpose, shall be issued by the Mayor and published in the manner and for the length of time designated by law. (b)…

§ 2.6. Checklists Checklists of voters for the City and for each of the City’s wards shall be compiled and maintained pursuant to Title 17 Vermont Statutes Annotated. (Amended 1997, No. M-17 (Adj. Sess.), § 3.)

§ 2.7. Qualifications of voters—penalties (a) Voting qualifications for the right to vote in any City election or meeting shall be the same as those required by State statutes for municipal meetings. (b) The penalties for illegal voting at any City election shall be the same as t…

§ 2.8. Ward officers (a) The ward officers shall be a Clerk and a First, Second, and Third Inspector of Elections, and any other officers required by law of the State for each polling place at an election. One of said Inspectors shall be a member of the minority party casting the…

§ 2.9. Duties of ward officers (a) It shall be the duty of the clerk of each ward to preside at the polling place of the ward, to keep a record of all elections held therein, and immediately after any election in such ward, to return to the City Clerk a statement of the votes cas…

§ 2.10. Qualifications of candidates for municipal and/or ward office Any registered voter from the City of Rutland qualified to vote for a candidate for municipal or ward office may be nominated as a candidate for any municipal or ward office except as hereinafter limited or as …

§ 20.1. Membership and duties (a) The Mayor, the President of the Board of Aldermen, and the City Treasurer shall constitute the Board of Finance; the Mayor shall be Chair. (b) The Board of Finance shall establish, and each department shall adopt, such system of accounting and au…

§ 20.2. Custody of public buildings (a) The Board of Finance shall also have the care and control of all public buildings not specifically in charge of any other department of the City. They shall appoint such janitors or employ such persons as may be required for the proper care…

§ 20.3. Records The Board of Finance shall cause full and accurate records of all meetings thereof and all business transacted by the Board to be kept by the Clerk of the Board. The records and books of the Board shall be public records. The Board shall monthly submit to the Boar…

§ 21.1. Requirements (a) All officers, boards, and departments of the City shall be subject to audit as follows: (1) at the close of each fiscal year; (2) at the expiration of the term of office of any officer, board, or department; (3) at such other times as may be directed by t…

§ 22.1. Police Commission and Police Department The Police Commission shall consist of five legal voters appointed to serve for a term of three years, unless otherwise provided herein, and until their successors are appointed and qualified. Upon creation, two members shall be app…

§ 22.2. Powers and duties of Police Commission The Police Commission shall have the jurisdiction and control of the Police Department and of the police force of the City of Rutland. It shall have the power to make such rules and regulations as are necessary to govern its own acti…

§ 22.3. Eligibility of police commissioners No person shall serve as a police commissioner who has an immediate relative employed by the Rutland City Police Department. Immediate relative shall include spouse, children, stepchildren, parents, stepparents, brothers, sisters, mothe…

§ 22.4. Chief, appointment, removal The Police Commission shall appoint a Chief of Police who shall hold that position during good behavior, and for a term not to exceed five years, and so long as the Chief shall render efficient service to the City unless sooner removed as herei…

§ 22.5. Powers and duties of Chief Subject to the authority of the Police Commission, the Chief of Police shall have jurisdiction and control of the administration, disposition, and discipline of the Police Department and of the police force of the Department. Except as herein ot…

§ 22.6. Temporary absence of Chief In the event of temporary absence of the Chief of Police, the duties of Chief shall fall upon the subordinate officers, according to their rank, as established by the rules and regulations of the Police Department.

§ 22.7. Regular police officers; appointment (a) All applicants for positions on the police force, except for the position of Chief of Police, shall file with the Chief their applications in writing, together with proof of graduation from an accredited high school or graduate equ…

§ 22.8. Tenure All members of the regular police force, now serving or who shall hereinafter be appointed other than the Chief, shall be retained as such, unless discharged for good cause or due to economic reasons.

§ 22.9. Special police officers In addition to the regular police force, the Chief of Police shall have the power to appoint such special police officers as he or she may consider desirable and that present funding will support with approval of the Police Commission. The term “sp…

§ 22.10. Compensation The compensation of all members of the Police Department, including that of Chief of Police, shall be fixed by the Board of Aldermen and all fees accruing to them under the laws of the State or the provisions of this charter shall belong to the City and shal…

§ 22.11. Suspension The Chief of Police shall have the power, for disciplinary purposes, to suspend any member of the Department, without pay, for a period not to exceed six weeks. The Police Commission shall have the power to suspend the Chief of Police for a period not to excee…

§ 22.12. Service of criminal process All police officers shall have the authority in criminal causes returnable before the Rutland District or Superior Court, to serve and return within the State said criminal process. For such duties the Police Department shall be allowed the fe…