Village Officers Responsible to Citizens; Village Meetings

V.S.A. tit. 24 Appendix, ch. 225, subch. 1

in effect

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 225, § 1 Authority of citizens

1. Authority of citizens All governmental authority of the Village of Hyde Park rests with the citizens of the Village, who exercise their powers in Village meeting, and to whom the elected and appointed officers of the Village are ultimately responsible. Added 1999, No. M-11 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 9, 2000.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 225, § 2 Village meetings

2. Village meetings (a) An annual Village meeting for the consideration of the budget and other Village business shall be held on the first Tuesday of May according to State law except as hereinafter provided. (b) A special Village meeting: (1) may be called by a majority of the Village trustees; or (2) shall be called by the Village trustees upon receipt of a petition signed by at least five percent of the voters, specifying the business to be transacted at the meeting. The meeting shall be held pursuant to Title 17 of Vermont Statutes Annotated. (c) Whenever an issue or election is to be decided by Australian ballot, the ballot boxes shall be opened no earlier than 6:00 a.m. but no later than 10:00 a.m., as determined by the trustees, and shall close at 7:00 p.m. Added 1999, No. M-11 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 9, 2000.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 225, § 3 Postponement and combining of Village meetings

3. Postponement and combining of Village meetings The trustees may postpone the vote on any question to be voted at a special meeting to the annual meeting if such special meeting would fall within 75 days of the annual meeting. Added 1999, No. M-11 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 9, 2000.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 225, § 4 Australian ballots

4. Australian ballots At an annual or special Village meeting, the voters may decide whether the provisions of the Australian ballot system shall apply pursuant to 17 V.S.A. § 2680. A meeting at which any question is to be decided by Australian ballot shall be preceded by a public hearing for discussion. The warning for the meeting shall include a notice of the time and place of the public hearing. Added 1999, No. M-11 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 9, 2000.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 225, § 5 Warnings

5. Warnings (a) Public notice of every annual or special Village meeting or Village election shall be given by a warning posted in at least three places in the Village at least 30 days but not more than 40 days prior to the meeting; and published at least five days before the meeting, in a newspaper having general circulation in the Village. Except that the warning for the annual meeting need not be published if the warning is published in the Village report and the Village report is mailed or distributed to the voters at least 10 days before the meeting. (b) The warning shall: (1) state the date, time, and place of the meeting; (2) be signed by a majority of the trustees, except for meetings required by this charter to be called by the Village trustees; (3) specifically indicate by separate articles what business is to be transacted at the meeting; (4) contain any article approved by the trustees; and (5) contain any article requested by petition signed by at least five percent of the voters and filed with the Village Clerk at least 40 days prior to the day of the meeting. Added 1999, No. M-11 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 9, 2000.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 225, § 6 Conduct

6. Conduct (a) The President shall preside at all Village meetings, but in the President’s absence, the Village Clerk shall call the meeting to order, and the first order of business shall be the election of a President Pro Tempore to preside for the duration of the meeting. The President, as Moderator, shall conduct every meeting according to this charter, the laws of the State of Vermont, and Roberts’ Rules of Order, Newly Revised, when not in conflict with this charter or the laws of the State of Vermont. The President shall preserve order in the conduct of the business of the meeting and in all things preserve the principles of fairness and openness in Village government. (b) The Village Clerk shall be the presiding officer at all Village elections by Australian ballot and shall cooperate with the Board of Civil Authority to assure that all laws relating to elections are faithfully observed. While the polls are open, the Village Clerk may rule on all questions concerning the conduct of the election and shall not be disqualified from performing any duties by reason of his or her own candidacy for any office. In the Village Clerk’s absence, the members of the Board of Civil Authority who are residents of the Village may designate one of their members to perform the Village Clerk’s duties under this subsection. Added 1999, No. M-11 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 9, 2000.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 225, § 7 Reconsideration of actions taken

7. Reconsideration of actions taken A question considered at any Village meeting or election may not be submitted to the voters for reconsideration or rescission except at a subsequent annual or special meeting or election, specifically warned for the purpose and called by the Trustees by resolution or by the Village Clerk pursuant to a petition requesting reconsideration or rescission except with the approval of the legislative body. The petition must be signed by not less than 10 percent of the voters and filed with the Village Clerk within 30 days following the date of the meeting or election at which the question was first considered. The Village Trustees shall call for a vote in accordance with the petition within 60 days of the date of filing. The manner of reconsideration shall be the same manner by which the question was originally considered. A question voted on or considered shall not be presented for reconsideration or rescission more than one time; provided, however, that after the passing of at least 12 months from the date of any such reconsideration or rescission, the same or a similar question may be newly submitted for consideration. Unless rescinded as provided in this section, any vote or action lawfully taken at a Village meeting or election shall remain in effect indefinitely. A reconsideration or rescission vote shall not be effective unless the number of votes cast in favor of reconsideration or rescission exceeds 65 percent of the number of votes cast for the prevailing side at the original meeting. Added 1999, No. M-11 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 9, 2000.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 225, § 8 Board of Civil Authority

8. Board of Civil Authority (a) The Board of Civil Authority shall consist of the justices of the peace residing within the Village, the Village Clerk, and the trustees. At the first meeting following each annual Village election, the Board of Civil Authority shall elect a Chair from among its members; the Village Clerk shall be the Clerk of the Board. In the event of the absence of either the Chair or the Clerk from any meeting of the Board, the first order of business shall be the election of a Chair or Clerk Pro Tempore to serve for the balance of the meeting. (b) The Board of Civil Authority shall meet prior to every regular or special Village meeting or election to prepare, revise, and post in the manner required by law, an alphabetical list of all the legal voters in the Village. For that purpose, the Board shall have access to any books or lists belonging to the Village, except as provided by law, and may require the assistance of any of the Village officers. The Board shall post in three places an attested copy of the list of voters so prepared and corrected, at least four days prior to the meeting or election, and the said list of voters so prepared and corrected, and no others, shall be used at the meeting or election. In preparing the list of voters, the Board shall record each name in such manner as to identify each voter precisely, so as to avoid any possible confusion. The Board of Civil Authority shall be governed by State laws relating to voter qualification, checklist maintenance, and removal of names from the checklist, as they appear in 17 V.S.A. chapter 43. (c) In addition to any other requirement of law, the Board shall cause at least two notices of the time and place of each of its meetings for the purpose of revising the checklist to be published in the newspaper of general circulation in the Village. Publication shall be at least two and not more than 10 days prior to such meeting, but no notice need be published with respect to an adjourned session of a meeting for which notice has been given. (d) The Board shall assist the Village Clerk and Village President in supervising all Village elections and meetings, and shall take care that all laws and requirements relating to elections and election procedures and Village meetings are fully and faithfully kept. The Board may require the presence of any law enforcement officers it may judge necessary to preserve the integrity of any election or Village meeting. (e) The members of the Board of Civil Authority present shall constitute a quorum for all purposes. Added 1999, No. M-11 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 9, 2000.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 225, § 9 Nomination of candidates

9. Nomination of candidates Unless proceeding by Australian ballot, nomination of persons to fill Village offices shall be from the floor at the Village meeting. Added 1999, No. M-11 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 9, 2000.

Source: Vermont General Assembly (legislature.vermont.gov)URL: https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/chapter/24APPENDIX/225Fetched: 10/21/2026