24 App. V.S.A. ch. 417, § 33 Fiscal year
33. Fiscal year
The fiscal year of the District shall commence on July 1 and end on June 30 of each year.
Amended 2011, No. M-11 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. July 12, 2012.
Fiscal Affairs
V.S.A. tit. 24 Appendix, ch. 417, subch. 4
in effect24 App. V.S.A. ch. 417, § 34 Preparation of budget
34. Preparation of budget
Annually, on or before December 15th, the Board of Supervisors shall approve and cause to be distributed to the legislative branch of each member municipality for review and comment a proposed budget of the District for the next fiscal year. Included with the proposed budget sent to each member municipality shall be the previous fiscal year’s financial statement. This proposed budget shall include:
(1) deficits or surpluses, or both, from prior fiscal years;
(2) anticipated expenditures for the administration of the District;
(3) anticipated expenditures for the operation and maintenance of any District facilities;
(4) costs of debt service;
(5) payments due on long-term contracts;
(6) payments due to any sinking funds for the retirement of debts;
(7) payments due to any capital reserve funds;
(8) anticipated revenues from tipping fees and other sources, not including assessments levied on the member municipalities;
(9) the necessary appropriations to operate and carry out the District’s functions for the next fiscal year;
(10) the proposed assessment, if any, to each member municipality;
(11) such other estimates as the Board of Supervisors shall deem necessary to propose.
Amended 2011, No. M-11 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. July 12, 2012.
24 App. V.S.A. ch. 417, § 35 Budget hearing
35. Budget hearing
The Board of Supervisors shall hold a public hearing on or before January 7 of each year to receive comments from the legislative bodies of member municipalities and hear all other interested persons regarding the proposed budget. Notice of the hearing shall be the same as that specified under section 46 of this chapter (public hearings). The Board of Supervisors shall give consideration to all comments received and make such changes to the proposed budget as it deems advisable.
Amended 2011, No. M-11 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. July 12, 2012; 2013, No. 34, § 17.
24 App. V.S.A. ch. 417, § 36 Budget adoption, tipping fees, and appropriations
36. Budget adoption, tipping fees, and appropriations
Annually, on or before January 15, the Board of Supervisors shall adopt the budget, appropriate the sums that it deems necessary to operate and carry out the District’s functions for the next ensuing fiscal year, and assess each member municipality for its proportionate share of the sums so appropriated, and adopt a schedule designating when such assessments are due and payable by the member municipalities.
Amended 2011, No. M-11 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. July 12, 2012.
24 App. V.S.A. ch. 417, § 37 Apportionment of assessments
37. Apportionment of assessments
Assessments may be apportioned among the member municipalities on the basis of population, trash generation (relative to the tonnage or volume of solid waste generated by or within each of the member municipalities), or other basis voted by the Board of Supervisors. If, after the first year of operation of any District facility, Board of Supervisors determines that prior assessments were substantially inequitable, it may retroactively adjust prior year assessments such that municipalities overcharged are given a proportionate credit against future assessments and municipalities undercharged are assessed a proportionate surcharge payable over such period as the Board of Supervisors determines will be reasonable. Thereafter, the Board of Supervisors may by a vote of members present and representing two-thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast at a regular meeting, or a special meeting called for that purpose, change the basis of the assessment. The Board may adjust the assessments accordingly, but no retroactive adjustments shall be made. Similar estimates and adjustments shall be made for new member municipalities and for the first time use of a new or different disposal facility. In the event of a proposed change in the method of assessment, the Board of Supervisors shall hold a public hearing on or before December 7th of each year to receive comments from the legislative bodies of member municipalities and hear all other interested persons regarding the proposed method of assessment. Notice of such hearing shall be the same as that specified under section 46 of this chapter, public hearings. The Board of Supervisors shall give consideration to all comments received and make such changes to the proposed method of assessment as it deems advisable.
Amended 2011, No. M-11 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. July 12, 2012.
24 App. V.S.A. ch. 417, § 38 Collection
38. Collection
Annually, on or before January 20, the Treasurer of the District shall issue and present a warrant to the legislative body of each member municipality requiring that the amount of such assessment, if any, be paid to him or her in accordance with the schedule of payments adopted by the Board of Supervisors. The legislative body of each member municipality shall draw an order on the municipal treasury for the amount of such assessment, and the municipal treasurer shall pay to the District Treasurer the amount of such order in accordance with the schedule for payments adopted by the Board of Supervisors. If any member municipality shall fail to pay when due any assessment against it by the District, it may incur the maximum penalty allowed by law plus interest at the maximum rate allowed by law. Such penalty and interest, together with the amount due, court costs, and reasonable attorney’s fees of the District may be recovered by the District in a civil action under this section, notwithstanding the availability of any other remedy available to the District.
Amended 2011, No. M-11 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. July 12, 2012.
24 App. V.S.A. ch. 417, § 39 Limitations of appropriations
39. Limitations of appropriations
Actions or resolutions of the Board of Supervisors for the annual appropriations of any year shall not cease to be operative at the end of the fiscal year for which they were adopted, except as otherwise provided by the laws of the State of Vermont. Appropriations made by the Board of Supervisors for the various estimates for the budget, as defined in section 34 of this chapter, shall be expended only for such estimates, but by majority vote of the Board of Supervisors, the budget may be amended to transfer funds between or among such estimates, except as otherwise limited in this chapter. At the end of the fiscal year, should actual revenues exceed actual expenditures, the Board of Supervisors may, by a vote of members present and representing two-thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast at a regular meeting or a special meeting called for that purpose, choose to reimburse member communities, add to a reserve fund, make capital purchases, make any improvements needed at that time, or refund members in the manner provided by law. At the end of a fiscal year, should actual expenditures exceed actual revenues, the Board of Supervisors, by a vote of members present and representing two-thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast at a regular meeting or a special meeting called for that purpose, will determine how to pay the deficit in future fiscal years. The amount of any deficit at the end of the fiscal year may be paid out of a reserve fund or may be included in and paid out of the operating budget and appropriations in the next fiscal year or may be resolved in any other manner by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Supervisors present and voting at a regular or special meeting thereof. For these actions, each member of the Board of Supervisors shall cast one vote.
Amended 2011, No. M-11 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. July 12, 2012.
24 App. V.S.A. ch. 417, § 40 Indebtedness
40. Indebtedness
(a) Short-term borrowing. The Board of Supervisors may borrow money through the issuance of notes of the District for the purpose of paying current expenses of the District. Such notes must mature within one year. The Board of Supervisors may also borrow money in anticipation of grants-in-aid from any source and any revenues other than assessments through the issuance of notes of the District. Such notes must mature within one year, but may be renewed as provided by general law. The Board of Supervisors may also borrow money in anticipation of assessments in an amount not to exceed 90 percent of the amount assessed for each year, and may issue notes of the District that must mature within one year. The Board of Supervisors may also borrow money in anticipation of bond proceeds that have been authorized as provided in this chapter. The Board of Supervisors may engage in capital asset financing by any other means allowed by law.
(b) Long-term indebtedness; long-term contracts.
(1) Submission to voters. On a petition signed by at least 10 percent of the voters of the District, the proposition of incurring a bonded debt or other indebtedness to pay for public improvements or of authorizing a long-term contract shall be submitted by the Board of Supervisors to the qualified voters thereof at a special meeting to be held for that purpose. In the alternative, when the Board of Supervisors, at a regular or special meeting of the Board of Supervisors called for such purpose, shall determine by resolution passed by a vote of a majority of members present and voting that the public interest or necessity demands improvements or a long-term contract, it shall order the submission of the proposition of incurring bonded debt or other indebtedness or of authorizing a long-term contract to the qualified voters of the District at a meeting to be held for that purpose. A “long-term contract” means a contract in which the District incurs obligations for which the costs are too great to be paid out of the ordinary annual income and revenues of the District, in the judgment of the Board of Supervisors. The terms “long-term contract” and “debt” or “indebtedness” shall not include any contract that is subject to annual renewal or extension at the election of the District or any contract pursuant to which payment by the District shall be subject to annual appropriations in accordance with the annual budget or any contract for services or the purchase or lease of equipment, materials, or supplies needed in the ordinary course of business of the District. The term “public improvements” shall include improvements that may be used for the benefit of the public, whether or not publicly owned or operated. Bonded debt or other indebtedness may be authorized for any purpose permitted by 24 V.S.A. chapter 53, or any other applicable statutes for any purpose for which the District is organized. The Board of Supervisors may not submit to the voters more than twice in the same calendar year the proposition of incurring bonded or other indebtedness to pay for the same or similar public improvement or of entering the same or similar long-term contract.
(2) Sale of evidence of indebtedness. Any bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness of the District may be sold at par, premium, or discount at public or private sale or to the Vermont Municipal Bond bank as the District, by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Supervisors, shall determine. For this action, each member of the Board of Supervisors shall cast one vote. Such indebtedness shall constitute a joint and several general obligation of the District and its members.
(3) Warnings of meeting. The warning calling the special meeting of the District to incur bonded debt or other indebtedness or to authorize a long-term contract shall state the object and purpose for which the indebtedness or long-term contract is proposed to be incurred or authorized, the estimated cost of the improvements or service, the amount of bonds or other evidence of indebtedness proposed to be authorized, a summary of the terms of any contract proposed to be authorized, and means of raising or apportioning costs entailed thereby for debt service or payments under a long-term contract. The warning shall fix the places where and the date on which the meeting shall be held and the hours of opening and closing the polls. The Board of Supervisors, in cooperation with the board of civil authority of each member municipality, shall determine the number and location of polling places; provided, however, there shall be at least one polling place in each member municipality.
(4) Notice of meeting. The Clerk of the District shall cause notice of such special meeting to be published in a newspaper of known circulation in the District once a week for three consecutive weeks on the same day of the week, the last publication to be not less than five nor more than 10 days before such meeting. Notice of the meeting shall also be posted in at least two public places within each member municipality at least 30 and not more than 40 days before the meeting and be filed with the clerk of each member municipality and the clerk of the District prior to posting.
(5) Informational hearing. The Board of Supervisors shall call, notice, and conduct at least one public informational hearing preceding the date of the special meeting in the manner provided in section 46 of this chapter.
(6) Authorization. When a majority of all the voters present and voting on the question from all the member municipalities at such special meeting vote to authorize the issuance of bonds or other evidence of indebtedness or to authorize a long-term contract, the District shall be authorized to issue the bonds or other evidence of indebtedness as provided in 24 V.S.A. chapter 53 or other applicable statutes or to enter into the long-term contract. The ballots cast in each member municipality shall be counted by the election officials of each member municipality, preserved and secured with the checklist, and thereafter the results shall be certified to the District Clerk within 48 hours, who shall then certify the aggregate votes in favor and opposed to the proposition. Subchapter 5, sections 50 (Australian ballot), 51 (Qualifications and registration of voters), 52 (Conduct of meetings), 53 (Reconsideration or recession of vote), and 54 (Validation of District meetings) of this chapter shall apply to any District meeting called to incur long-term debt or to authorize a long-term contract.
(7) Assessment. The cost of debt service or of payments under a long-term contract shall be included in the annual budget of the District, and shall be allocated among the member municipalities as provided in sections 36 and 37 of this chapter unless otherwise provided by applicable law and in the vote authorizing the same. The applicable provisions of 24 V.S.A. chapter 53, or other enabling law under which debt is incurred, or long-term contracts authorized, shall apply to the issuance of bonds or other evidence of indebtedness by the District, and for that purpose, the District shall be deemed a “municipal corporation” the Board of Supervisors shall be deemed a “legislative branch,” and the District Treasurer shall be deemed a “municipal treasurer” within the purview of that chapter. Bonds or other evidence of indebtedness and long-term contracts shall be signed by the Treasurer and Chair of the Board of Supervisors of the District.
Amended 2011, No. M-11 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. July 12, 2012.
24 App. V.S.A. ch. 417, § 41 Sinking fund
41. Sinking fund
The Board of Supervisors may establish and provide for a sinking fund, however denominated, for the retirement of bond issue or other debt, or to provide security for the payment thereof. When so established, it shall be kept intact and separate from other monies at the disposal of the District, and shall be accounted for as a pledged asset for the purpose of retiring or securing such obligations. The cost of payments to any sinking fund shall be included in the annual budget of the District.
Amended 2011, No. M-11 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. July 12, 2012.
24 App. V.S.A. ch. 417, § 42 Capital reserve fund
42. Capital reserve fund
The Board of Supervisors shall establish and provide for a capital reserve fund to pay for public improvements, replacement of worn-out buildings and equipment, and planned and unplanned major repairs of a facility, in furtherance of the purpose for which the District was created. Any such capital reserve fund shall be kept in a separate account and invested as are other public funds, and shall be expended for such purposes for which established. The cost of payments to any capital reserve fund shall be included in the annual budget of the District.
Amended 2011, No. M-11 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. July 12, 2012.
24 App. V.S.A. ch. 417, § 43 Disposal fees and service charges
43. Disposal fees and service charges
The Board of Supervisors shall establish and periodically adjust disposal fees and service charges for the District’s own facility or facilities for the purpose of generating revenues for the District’s services in the management of solid waste from sources other than assessments to member municipalities.
Amended 2011, No. M-11 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. July 12, 2012.
Source: Vermont General Assembly (legislature.vermont.gov)URL: https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/chapter/24APPENDIX/417Fetched: 10/21/2026