City Meetings; Nomination and Election of Officers

V.S.A. tit. 24 Appendix, ch. 5, subch. 5

in effect

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 5, § 501 City meetings

501. City meetings (a)(1) On the first Tuesday of March in each year, a meeting of the voters of the City shall be held as designated on the warning for such meeting, at a place or places to be appointed by the City Council, and a warning shall be posted in accordance with State statute. (2) Any business or election required by this charter or general law to be transacted at the annual meeting may also be transacted at a special meeting. (b) The warning for annual and special City meetings shall, by separate articles, specifically indicate the business to be transacted, including the offices and the questions to be voted upon. The warning also shall contain any legally binding article or articles requested by 10 percent of the registered voters of the City. The warning shall also include any nonlegally binding articles, including matters of State, national, or international importance requested by five percent of the voters. Petitions requesting that an article be placed on the warning shall be filed with the City Clerk not fewer than 40 days before the day of the meeting. (c) All budgets, elections, and public questions shall be considered by Australian ballot at annual and special meetings. (d) A vote taken at an annual or special meeting shall remain in effect unless rescinded or amended. Amended 2011, No. M-15 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 7, 2012; 2013, No. M-19 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 20, 2014.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 5, § 502 Publishing and posting of articles

502. Publishing and posting of articles When questions involving authorization of public improvements and the incurring of debt to pay for the same are to be referred to the voters at an annual or special City meeting, the articles of the warning for the meeting shall be posted as provided by State statute. Amended 2013, No. M-19 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 20, 2014.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 5, § 503 Special City meetings; special meetings to authorize improvements and incur debt

503. Special City meetings; special meetings to authorize improvements and incur debt (a)(1) The City Clerk, when directed by the City Council or when requested in writing by 10 percent of the voters to do so, shall call a special meeting of the voters of the City in the same manner provided for calling the annual meeting. (2) In case of the failure of the City Clerk to call such special meeting as provided in subdivision (1) of this subsection, that duty shall be performed by the Mayor. (b) Special meetings to authorize public improvements and the incurring of debt to pay for the same shall be warned as provided by general laws of the State. (c)(1) The City Council shall call the special meeting within 60 days of the application being received by the City Clerk. (2) The City Council may rescind the call of a special meeting that it initiated itself, but not a special meeting called upon the petition of 10 percent of the voters. Amended 2011, No. M-15 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 7, 2012; 2013, No. M-19 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 20, 2014.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 5, § 504 Election of officers

504. Election of officers (a) All officers shall be elected by Australian ballot, according to general laws of the State, except when otherwise provided in this charter. (b) Candidates’ names shall appear in order on the ballot as shall be drawn by lot under the direction of the Board of Civil Authority. (c) Provisions for write-in votes shall be available for voters. Amended 2013, No. M-19 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 20, 2014.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 5, § 505 Conduct of elections

505. Conduct of elections The City Clerk and Board of Civil Authority shall conduct elections in accordance with general laws of the State. Amended 2013, No. M-19 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 20, 2014.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 5, § 506 Voter checklists

506. Voter checklists The City Clerk and Board of Civil Authority shall manage voter qualification, registration, checklist, and absentee balloting in accordance with general laws of the State. Amended 2013, No. M-19 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 20, 2014.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 5, § 509 Election of City officers

509. Election of City officers (a) At the annual meeting, Montpelier voters shall elect from among the City voters a Mayor for a term of two years, a City Clerk for a term of three years, a City Council member from each district for a term of two years, and other elective City officers. At the annual meeting there shall be elected from among the City voters members of the Board of School Directors of the Montpelier-Roxbury Unified Union School District as provided in the June 20, 2017 Articles of Agreement between the City of Montpelier and the Roxbury Town School District. (b) Each elected City officer shall hold office until a successor has been duly elected and qualified. Amended 2011, No. M-6, § 3, eff. May 6, 2011; 2013, No. M-19 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 20, 2014; 2017, No. M-18 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 21, 2018.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 5, § 510 Certificates of nomination

510. Certificates of nomination (a) Certificates of nomination for City offices to be filled at annual City meetings shall be filed in accordance with the general laws of the State. (b) A candidate running for City Council needs a certificate signed by 25 or more voters from the specific district in which that candidate resides. (c) A voter shall not sign more than one certificate for the same office except when there are multiple seats to be filled. Amended 2013, No. M-19 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 20, 2014; 2017, No. M-18 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 21, 2018.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 5, § 511 Canvassing of ballots

511. Canvassing of ballots (a) At the close of the balloting at any City election or annual or special City meeting, the City Clerk and the Board of Civil Authority, and such other election officers as may be designated by the Board of Civil Authority, shall canvass the ballots cast for all officers and for any proposals on the ballot. (b) The City Clerk shall report the results in accordance with State statute. (c) The candidate who has received a plurality of the votes cast for each respective City office shall be declared elected to that office. (d) Any election for State or county officers or representatives to the General Assembly shall, in all cases, be conducted according to the general law of the State. Amended 2013, No. M-19 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 20, 2014.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 5, § 512 Vacancies in City offices

512. Vacancies in City offices (a) A vacancy in an elective office occurs upon the death or resignation of the office holder, inability to serve, removal from the City, and in the case of a Council member, removal from the district. (b) Vacancies occurring in an elective office with more than 90 days of unexpired term remaining, excepting a vacancy in the office of Council member or school commissioner, shall be filled by the City Council until the next annual meeting of the City. The unexpired term of any office filled as provided in this subsection shall, at the next annual meeting of the City, be filled by election for the balance of the term in accordance with general law. Amended 2013, No. M-19 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 20, 2014.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 5, § 514 Reconsideration and rescission

514. Reconsideration and rescission (a) Action taken on a warned article at an annual or special meeting may be submitted to the voters at a subsequent annual or special meeting on motion of the City Council or pursuant to a petition requesting reconsideration or rescission signed by not less than 10 percent of the registered voters and filed with the City Clerk within 30 days following the date of the annual or special meeting at which the action was taken. (b) A majority vote in favor of reconsideration or rescission shall not be effective unless the number of votes in favor of reconsideration or rescission exceeds two-thirds of the number of votes cast for the prevailing side at the original meeting. Amended 2011, No. M-15 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 7, 2012.

Source: Vermont General Assembly (legislature.vermont.gov)URL: https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/chapter/24APPENDIX/005Fetched: 10/21/2026