Title 24APPENDIX, MUNICIPAL CHARTERS

§ 412. Petitions (a) Number of signatures. Initiative and referendum petitions must be signed by at least five percent of the legal voters of the City. (b) Form and content. All papers of a petition shall be uniform in size and style and shall be assembled as one instrument for f…

§ 413. Procedure after filing (a) Certificate of Clerk; amendment. Within 20 days after the petition is filed, the City Clerk shall complete a certificate as to its sufficiency, specifying, if it is insufficient, the particulars wherein it is defective and shall promptly send a c…

§ 414. Referendum petitions; suspension of effect of ordinance When a referendum petition is filed with the City Clerk, the ordinance sought to be reconsidered shall be suspended from taking effect. Such suspension shall terminate when: (1) there is a final determination of insuf…

§ 415. Action on petitions (a) Action by Council. When an initiative or referendum petition has been finally determined sufficient, the Council shall promptly consider the proposed initiative ordinance in the manner provided in this Article or reconsider the referred ordinance by…

§ 416. Results of election (a) Initiative. If a majority of the qualified voters voting on a proposed initiative ordinance vote in its favor, it shall be considered adopted upon certification of the election results and shall be treated in all respects in the same manner as ordin…

§ 501. Appointment; qualifications; compensation of City Manager The Council shall appoint a City Manager for a mutually agreed-upon term and fix the Manager’s compensation. The Manager shall be appointed solely on the basis of executive and administrative qualifications. The Man…

§ 502. Acting City Manager By letter filed with the City Clerk, the Manager shall designate, subject to approval of the Council, a qualified City administrative officer to exercise the powers and perform the duties of Manager during a temporary absence or disability. During such …

§ 503. Removal of City Manager (a) Procedure. The Council may remove the City Manager from office in accordance with the following procedures. (1) The Council shall adopt by affirmative vote of a majority of all its members a preliminary resolution, which shall state just cause f…

§ 504. Powers and duties of the City Manager The City Manager shall be the Chief Administrative Officer of the City. The City Manager shall be responsible to the Council for the administration of all City affairs placed in the Manager’s charge by or under this charter. The City M…

§ 505. City Manager; vacancy in office of In the event of a vacancy in the office of City Manager or the Manager’s incapacity to perform the duties and functions set forth in this article, the powers and duties shall be performed by the Acting City Manager, subject to the provisi…

§ 506. City officers; appointment of (a) General. The officers of the City of Winooski shall be those provided by law for towns, except as otherwise provided or limited by this charter. Such officers shall have all the powers and duties necessary to carry out the provisions of th…

§ 601. Organization (a) The City Council, in consultation with the Manager, may create, modify, or eliminate administrative departments, offices, or agencies that shall be under the direction and supervision of the City Manager, who shall appoint the head of such departments. (b)…

§ 602. Resident engagement (a) [Repealed.] (b) The City Council may appoint additional boards and commissions at its discretion or as required by law. (c) The boards, committees, commissions, and agencies shall exercise all powers and duties as prescribed by law, ordinance, or ad…

§ 603. Personnel system (a) Merit principle. All appointments and promotions of City officers and employees shall be made solely on the basis of merit and fitness demonstrated by examination or other evidence of competence. (b) [Repealed.] (c) [Repealed.] (d) Personnel policies. …

§ 605. Surety bonds All City officers and employees, as directed by the City Council, shall annually give bonds to the satisfaction of the Council for the faithful discharge of their duties, the premiums of which shall be paid by the City. In the event any officer or employee neg…

§ 701. Fiscal year The fiscal year of the City shall begin on the first day of July and end on the last day of June. (Added 2013, No. M-9, § 3, eff. June 4, 2013.)

§ 702. Submission of budget and budget message On or before 60 days prior to the City annual meeting, the Manager shall submit to the Council a budget for the ensuing fiscal year and an accompanying message. (Added 2013, No. M-9, § 3, eff. June 4, 2013; amended 2015, No. M-19 (Ad…

§ 703. Budget message The Manager’s message shall explain the budget both in fiscal terms and in terms of the work programs. It shall outline the proposed financial policies of the City for the ensuing fiscal year; describe the important features of the budget; indicate any major…

§ 704. Budget (a) Budget. Notwithstanding any prior acts of the voters, the General Fund budget for the ensuing fiscal year submitted by the Manager shall clearly define all anticipated operational expenditures for all City departments, offices, or agencies and a sum sufficient t…

§ 705. Capital improvement plan (a) Submission to Council. The Manager shall prepare and submit to the Council a five-year capital improvement program at least 60 days prior to the final date for submission of the budget. (b) Contents. The capital improvement program shall includ…

§ 706. Council and annual meeting action on budget (a) Notice and hearing. (1) The Council shall post and publish the general summary of the budget and proposed capital improvements and a notice stating: (A) the times and places where copies of the message and budget are availabl…

§ 707. Public records Copies of the budget approved by the voters and the capital program shall be public record and shall be made available to the public. (Added 2013, No. M-9, § 3, eff. June 4, 2013.)

§ 708. Amendments after adoption (a) Supplemental appropriations. If during the fiscal year the Manager certifies that there are available for appropriation revenues in excess of those estimated in the budget, the Council by resolution may make supplemental appropriations for the…

§ 709. Lapse of appropriations Every appropriation, except an appropriation for a capital expenditure, shall lapse at the close of the fiscal year to the extent that it has not been expended or encumbered. An appropriation for a capital expenditure shall continue in force until t…

§ 710. Administration of budget (a) Work programs and allotments. At such time as the Manager shall specify, each department, office, or agency shall submit work programs for the ensuing fiscal year showing the requested allotments of its appropriation by periods within the year.…

§ 711. Bonds Whenever the City shall vote in the manner prescribed by general law to incur debt by issuance of bonds for the purpose of making improvements, the vote to incur such indebtedness shall authorize the Manager to include in each annual budget a sum sufficient to pay th…

§ 712. Warrants for payment Money shall not be paid out of the City Treasury except on a warrant signed by at least three members of the Council and approved by the City Council, and such approval shall be authenticated by the City Clerk. A full record of all expenditures for all…

§ 713. Tax levy; authority for The City Council shall have the power annually to levy and assess upon the grand list such tax, as set forth in the budget approved by the voters at the annual or a special meeting called for the purpose, and such other tax as may be necessary for t…

§ 714. Credit of the City for current expenses The money raised by taxation and from fines and other lawful sources, including tax increments in excess of sums necessary to pay and secure the City’s tax increment obligations and the costs of managing the City’s tax increment fina…

§ 715. Expenditures not to exceed revenues (a) The City Council shall not exceed in expenditures, except by authority of the legal voters of the City, or to meet obligations imposed by law upon the City, the current revenues of the City during the current fiscal year. If the curr…

§ 716. Authority to pledge credit of City Whenever the legal voters of the City shall authorize the City Council to pledge the credit of the City for any purpose, the City shall have authority to issue negotiable orders, warrants, notes, or bonds, not to exceed the limit prescrib…

§ 717. Tax classification (a) Except for the property of utilities subject to regulation by the Vermont Public Utility Commission, all personal and real property set out in the grand list that is not used as residential property, farmland, and public recreation, conservation, or …

§ 718. Tax increment financing Nothing contained in this Article shall impair, affect, or alter any revenues or sources of revenues now or hereafter existing that are derived from the City’s Tax Increment Financing District created under 2000 Acts and Resolves No. 159, Secs. 37 a…

§ 719. Local option tax (a) If the City Council by a majority vote recommends, the voters of the City may, at an annual or special meeting warned for the purpose, by a majority vote of those present and voting, assess any or all of the following: (1) a one-percent meals and alcoh…

§ 901. Personal financial interest Any City Councilor, officer, or employee who has a substantial financial interest, direct or indirect or by reasons of ownership of stock in any corporation, in any contract with the City or in the sale of any land, material, supplies, or servic…

§ 902. Separability If any provisions of this charter are held invalid, the other provisions of the charter shall not be affected thereby. If the application of the charter or any of its provisions to any person or circumstances is held invalid, the application of the charter and…

§ 903. Oath of office All elective officials of the City shall, before assuming office, take, subscribe, and file with the City Clerk the following oath: “I ________ solemnly swear or affirm, under penalty of law, that I will faithfully execute the Office of ________ of the City …

§ 904. Savings clause The passage of this charter shall not affect any ordinance, resolution, or bylaw lawfully enacted, ordained, and established under the provisions of the Acts hereby amended by this charter, and not inconsistent with the provisions of this charter, but the sa…

§ 905. Title of charter This charter shall be designated as the charter of the City of Winooski. A copy of this charter shall be kept in the office of the City Clerk of the City of Winooski, to which copy shall be affixed a certificate under the hand of the Secretary of State and…

§ 906. Continuation in office The Mayor and Council members of the City, and all City officials holding office therein by virtue of the general laws of this State or the acts hereby amended, shall hold office until expiration of their current terms of office, unless such office s…

§ 907. Amendment of the charter This charter may be altered, amended, or repealed by the General Assembly whenever the public good shall require. A copy of all acts in alteration, amendment, or repeal shall be kept in the office of the City Clerk of the City of Winooski, and the …

§ 908. Penalties; forfeitures or suits not affected This charter shall not affect a penalty or forfeiture incurred under any acts amended by this charter, nor any suit or proceeding had or commenced in a civil or criminal cause before this charter takes effect, but the proceeding…

§ 909. Continuation of acts not amended The provisions of this charter, so far as they are the same as those of acts hereby amended, shall be construed as a continuation of such acts, and not as new enactments. (Added 2013, No. M-9, § 3, eff. June 4, 2013.)

§ 910. Application of State statutes Except when changed or modified by the provisions of this charter, or by any legal regulation or ordinance of the City, all provisions of the statutes of this State, relating to towns or town officers shall apply to the City, and to the severa…

§ 911. Charter effective This charter shall take effect when adopted by the majority vote of the legal voters of the City of Winooski present and voting at an annual or special meeting duly warned for that purpose, and upon legislative approval in accordance with the laws of the …

§ 1. Authority of citizens All governmental authority of the Town of Barre rests with the citizens of the Town, who exercise their powers in Town meeting, and/or Town elections, and to whom the elected and appointed officers of the Town are ultimately responsible.