Title 24APPENDIX, Title 24APPENDIX: Municipal Charters

§ 56. Penalty The penalty, which may be so voluntarily paid by any person so violating any ordinance regulating, restricting, or defining the time and place of parking vehicles in the City of Vergennes, shall be set by the City Council subject to the limits set forth in 23 V.S.A.…

§ 57. Collection All money so collected by said Court in any one month shall be covered into the Treasury of the City of Vergennes on the first day of the following month with a statement of the names of the persons from whom the money was collected, provided that said Court may …

§ 6. Mayor and Aldermen The Mayor shall preside at all meetings of the City except freeman’s meetings, with the power of moderator in Town meetings, and at meetings of the City Council. The Mayor, together with the aldermen, shall constitute a Board of City Council and shall have…

§ 61. Water system authorized The City of Vergennes is hereby authorized and empowered to construct and maintain a water system, with necessary structures, appliances, pipe lines, aqueducts, pumps, pump house, filtration basin or basins, reservoir or reservoirs, water tower, or t…

§ 62. Powers Said City is authorized and empowered to borrow money and issue its negotiable bonds and notes to an amount not exceeding $160,000.00, maturing, in installments as may be determined by the special committee authorized by section 64 of this charter, within a maximum p…

§ 63. Bonding; vote required The City, by a two-thirds vote of the legal voters present and voting at a meeting duly warned and holden in whole or in part for that purpose, may vote to lay, construct, and maintain said system of water works as contemplated by this subchapter, and…

§ 64. Special committee Pursuant to such vote of the City, a special committee including the Mayor and chosen by the Chamber of Commerce of the City and confirmed by the City Council shall have charge of the borrowing of the money as hereinbefore provided and shall lay out and co…

§ 65. Damages; procedure for determining If in any case the damages caused by taking the water or by taking the land, or any right, title, or interest therein, or for entering upon and using any land as aforesaid, are not adjusted by agreement of the parties affected thereby, or …

§ 66. Authority to furnish water Said City may sell or furnish water to any person or corporation for fire, sanitary, domestic, or other purposes not in conflict with the public service laws of the State, within or without said City, and lay all pipes necessary to furnish water t…

§ 67. Rules The City Council shall make and establish all necessary rules and regulations for the government and operation of the water works, and may draw orders upon the Treasurer of said City for the necessary expenses of the same; may establish rates or rents for the use of t…

§ 68. Taking; notice (a) Whenever a notice is required to be given for the taking of land or any right therein or the awarding of damages therefor, a citation shall be issued, signed by the Clerk or City Attorney of said City, and containing the names of all persons to whom notic…

§ 69. Penalty A person who shall willfully disturb or injure said aqueduct, reservoir, filtration basin, or any of the connecting appurtenances, or works thereof, or pollutes the water thereof shall be liable to be prosecuted therefor by a Grand Juror of said City, or the State’s…

§ 7. Duties of the Clerk, etc The Clerk of said City shall be, ex officio, Clerk of the City Council and, as such, shall have the custody of all books, papers, and records of said City; keep a record of the proceedings of the Board; certify copies thereof; and, except as otherwis…

§ 8. Duty of auditors (a) The accounts of the several officers shall be closed and in the hands of the auditors at least two weeks before the annual meeting; any officer failing to so report shall not be eligible to re-election to said office for the ensuing year. (b) It shall be…

§ 9. Appointments by City Council (a) The City Council, at its first meeting of each fiscal year, shall appoint a City Manager who shall have all the duties and responsibilities of a town manager as set forth in 24 V.S.A. chapter 37, as amended from time to time; a Treasurer, who…

§ 101. Corporate existence retained; form of government (a) The City of Winooski as constituted by 1921 Acts and Resolves No. 314, as amended, is hereby continued to be incorporated as a body corporate and politic. The boundaries of the City are depicted on a plan recorded as Sli…

§ 102. Powers of the City The City of Winooski shall have all powers possible for a City to have under the Constitution and laws of this State as fully and completely as though they were specifically enumerated in this charter. (Added 2013, No. M-9, § 3, eff. June 4, 2013.)

§ 103. Construction The powers of the City under this charter shall be construed liberally in favor of the City, and the specific mention of particular powers in the charter shall not be construed as limiting in any way the general power stated in this article. The City shall hav…

§ 104. Intergovernmental relations The City 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 the State and any one or more of the political subdivisions of the Sta…

§ 105. Power over water resources (a) No person, association of persons, corporate entity, or municipality, or any combination thereof, may develop, conserve, or use in whole or in part the water resources of the Winooski River as it flows through the City of Winooski for a water…

§ 201. City meetings The annual City meeting shall occur on the first Tuesday in March and shall be warned in the manner provided by general law. Special City meetings shall be called and warned as provided by general law. All elections, voter registration and qualifications, abs…

§ 202. Qualified voters (a) Voter registration, absentee voting, and conduct of elections at all annual and special meetings shall be as provided by general law. The qualifications of voters in State and federal elections shall be as provided by general law. The qualifications of…

§ 203. Special meetings The City Clerk shall, when directed by the City Council on its own motion or upon receipt of a proper petition, call a special meeting of the City at such time and place as the City Council may direct. The warning for such special meeting shall state the p…

§ 204. Reconsideration and rescission Actions taken at an annual or special meeting may be reconsidered or rescinded in the manner provided by general law. (Added 2013, No. M-9, § 3, eff. June 4, 2013.)

§ 205. Nominations in general Nominations for the office of Mayor and Councilor shall be made by petition, prepared and filed in accordance with the provisions of 17 V.S.A. §§ 2681 and 2681a. The petitions shall contain no party designations. The City Clerk shall cause the names …

§ 206. Nomination of incumbent No person may be permitted to seek the nomination for the Office of Mayor or Councilor while a member of the City Council, unless his or her present term of office expires on or before the annual March meeting next to be held. If a member of the Cit…

§ 207. Voting machines The Council may provide for the use of mechanical or other devices for voting or counting the votes not inconsistent with law. (Added 2013, No. M-9, § 3, eff. June 4, 2013.)

§ 301. Composition; eligibility; election and terms (a) Composition. There shall be a City Council consisting of a Mayor and four Councilors elected by the qualified voters of the City at large. (b) Eligibility. Only qualified voters of the City shall be eligible to hold the offi…

§ 302. Compensation; expenses The Mayor and councilors shall receive as compensation for official services such sums, if any, as the legal voters of the City present and voting at an annual or special meeting duly warned and held for that purpose shall order paid. The Mayor and c…

§ 303. Mayor and Deputy Mayor; election, terms, and duties At the annual City meeting to be held on the first Tuesday of March, commencing March 3, 2015, and every three years thereafter, the Mayor shall be elected for a term of three years and until the Mayor’s successor takes o…

§ 304. General powers and duties (a) General powers. All powers of the City shall be vested in the Council, except as otherwise provided by law or this charter, and the Council shall provide for the exercise thereof for the performance of all duties and obligations imposed on the…

§ 305. Prohibitions; conflict of interest (a) Holding other office. Except where authorized by law, no councilor shall hold any other City office or City employment during the term of election to the Council. (b) Appointments and removals. Neither the Council nor any of its membe…

§ 306. Vacancies; forfeiture of office; filling of vacancies (a) Vacancies. The office of a Councilor shall become vacant upon the death, resignation, removal from office in any manner authorized by law, or forfeiture of office. (b) Forfeiture of office. A Councilor shall forfeit…

§ 307. Judge of qualification The Council shall be the judge of the election and qualifications of its members and of the grounds for forfeiture of their office and for that purpose shall have power to subpoena witnesses, administer oaths, and require the production of evidence. …

§ 308. Clerk of the City Council The City Council shall designate the City Clerk, or such other person as the City Council shall appoint or designate, as the Clerk of the Council who shall give notice of Council meetings to its members and the public, keep the journal of its proc…

§ 309. Investigations The Council may make investigations into the affairs of the City and the conduct of any City department, office, or agency and for this purpose may subpoena witnesses, administer oaths, take testimony, and require the production of evidence. Any City officia…

§ 310. Independent audit The Council shall provide for an independent annual audit of all City accounts and may provide for such more frequent audits as it deems necessary. Such audits shall be made by a certified public accountant or firm of such accountants who have no personal…

§ 311. Procedure (a) Meetings. The Council shall meet regularly at least once in every month at such times and places as the Council may prescribe by rule. Special meetings may be held on the call of the Mayor or of two or more members and, whenever practicable, upon no less than…

§ 401. Action requiring an ordinance In addition to other acts required by law or by specific provisions of this charter to be done by ordinance, those acts of the City Council shall be by ordinance that: (1) provide for a fine or other penalty or establish a rule or regulation f…

§ 402. Ordinances in general (a) Form. Every proposed ordinance shall be introduced in writing and in the form required for final adoption. No ordinance shall contain more than one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in its title. The enacting clause shall be “The City of W…

§ 403. Emergency ordinances To meet a public emergency affecting life, health, property, or the public peace, the Council may adopt one or more emergency ordinances, but such ordinances may not levy taxes, grant, renew, or extend a franchise or regulate the rate charged by any pu…

§ 404. Codes of technical regulations (a) Adoption by reference. The Council may adopt any standard technical, building, life safety, housing, and construction code by reference thereto in an adopting ordinance. The procedure and requirements governing such an adopting ordinance …

§ 405. Authentication and recording; codification; printing (a) Authentication and recording. The City Clerk shall authenticate by signature and record in full, in a properly indexed book kept for the purpose of, all ordinances and resolutions adopted by the Council. (b) Codifica…

§ 406. Ordinance; enforcement (a) The violation of an ordinance, regulation, or bylaw adopted by the City, including zoning and subdivision bylaws adopted pursuant to 24 V.S.A. chapter 117, as the same may be amended from time to time, may be processed as a criminal or civil acti…

§ 407. Court authorized to order abatement In any prosecution for a nuisance resulting in a judgment or conviction, the court before which the nuisance action has been brought shall order the nuisance or offense complained of to be removed or abated and shall determine the expens…

§ 408. Offenders may be liable in damages A person violating any ordinance, regulation, or bylaw of the City shall be liable in damages to the City or to the person who shall sustain damage as the direct result of the violation; such damages may be recovered in an action declarin…