Merger of Town and Village of Bradford; Transition Provisions

V.S.A. tit. 24 Appendix, ch. 106, subch. 1

in effect

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 106, § 101 Merger of the Village and Town

101. Merger of the Village and Town At midnight at the end of November 30, 2004, the Village of Bradford shall merge into the Town of Bradford, and the Village of Bradford shall, except as hereinafter provided, cease to exist as a political entity or body corporate, and its charter shall be abolished. This plan will constitute the charter of the Town of Bradford.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 106, § 102 Properties transferred and liabilities assumed

102. Properties transferred and liabilities assumed Upon the merger specified in section 101 of this charter, all the lands, buildings, easements, funds, uncollected taxes, monies, and other property of the Village of Bradford shall become vested in and become property of the Town of Bradford, and all indebtedness bonded and otherwise of said Village of Bradford shall be assumed by the Town of Bradford, with the exception of bond No. 1996, series 1, 81-0394-01-5, which shall continue to be paid by the Village Special District as set forth in section 206 of this charter.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 106, § 103 Properties held in trust

103. Properties held in trust Any and all properties held in trust by the trustees of the Village of Bradford, or any officer thereof, shall become vested in the Selectboard of the Town of Bradford and its successors, or in the respective officer of the said Town and his or her successor, as the case may be, and shall continue to be held in trust for the same uses as before the merger, all without any further act, deed, or instrument being necessary.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 106, § 104 Settling the affairs of the Village of Bradford

104. Settling the affairs of the Village of Bradford Prior to said merger, the officers of the Village of Bradford shall settle so far as possible their financial affairs and shall, except as hereinafter provided, on said date turn over and deliver to the Clerk of the Town of Bradford all records, books, and documents of the Village of Bradford and to the proper officers of the said Town all property of the Village of Bradford.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 106, § 105 Police Department

105. Police Department Upon the date of merger, the Village Police Department will become a Town Police Department. The Town Police Department budget will be determined annually at Town meeting.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 106, § 106 Finances

106. Finances With the exception of the funds of the Water Department and Sewer Department, and other special service funds and Highway Department funds, the funds of the Village of Bradford shall be added to the General Fund of the Town of Bradford: Highway Department funds of the Village of Bradford shall be added to the highway funds of the Town of Bradford, and Water Department funds and Sewer Department funds of the Village of Bradford shall be added to the proper special fund provided for in section 205 of this charter.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 106, § 107 Water and Sewer Department

107. Water and Sewer Department (a) The services of the Water and Sewer Department of the Town of Bradford shall be fee based, with all costs paid by the users. All water and sewer rates of the Village of Bradford in effect at the time of the merger shall continue in effect until changed as provided in sections 206 and 207 of this charter. Annual water and sewer charges shall be at a rate sufficient to cover annual expenditures, temporary indebtedness, and the amortizing of bonded indebtedness and interest. (b) A Water and Sewer Commission shall be elected as outlined in section 206a of this charter. A Commission report and budget shall be submitted for approval at the annual Town meeting. (c) During the transition period, the Commission will consist of the present Water Board and the trustees who are currently responsible for sewer management. As the trustees finish their terms, they will not be replaced.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 106, § 108 Existing ordinances

108. Existing ordinances (a) The development plan, zoning regulations, subdivision regulations, and official maps of the Town and Village of Bradford shall become and be the development plan, zoning regulations, subdivision regulations, and official maps of the Town of Bradford. (b) All rules, ordinances, regulations, zoning regulations, and bylaws of the Village of Bradford in effect on the day before the said merger shall become and continue in full force and effect as rules, ordinances, regulations, and bylaws of the Town of Bradford for the respective area presently involved unless in conflict with rules, ordinances, regulations, and bylaws of the Town of Bradford already existing, until lawfully amended or repealed. (c) Whenever a power is granted by any such rule, ordinance, regulation, or bylaw to an officer of the Village of Bradford, such power is conferred hereby upon the appropriate officer of the Town of Bradford.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 106, § 109 Election of Selectboard

109. Election of Selectboard On November 30, 2004, the Office of Trustees shall cease to exist. The 2004 duly elected Selectboard shall serve as the merged Selectboard until the Town meeting on March 7, 2005, at which time all Selectboard members shall resign. At the 2005 Town meeting, three Selectboard members shall be elected. One member will be elected for one year, one member will be elected for two years, and one member will be elected for three years.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 106, § 110 Votes required for effect

110. Votes required for effect All sections of this plan of merger shall take effect if this plan is approved as follows: (1) By majority vote of the Town of Bradford that includes qualified voters in Town and Village. (2) By majority vote of the Village of Bradford that includes all qualified voters of the Village. (3) Subject to approval by the General Assembly, the merger shall take effect at midnight at the end of November 30, 2004.

Source: Vermont General Assembly (legislature.vermont.gov)URL: https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/chapter/24APPENDIX/106Fetched: 10/21/2026