Special District Meeting

V.S.A. tit. 24 Appendix, ch. 405, subch. 5

in effect

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 405, § 43 Special meetings

43. Special meetings The Board of Commissioners may call a special meeting of the District when it deems it necessary or prudent to do so, and shall call a special meeting of the District when action by the voters of the District is necessary under this chapter or under any applicable law. In addition, the Board of Commissioners shall call a special meeting of the District if petitioned to do so by not less than five percent of the legal voters of the District. The Board of Commissioners may rescind the call of a special meeting called by it but not a special meeting called on application of five percent of the legal voters of the District.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 405, § 44 Places of meetings

44. Places of meetings At any special meeting of the District, voters of each member municipality shall cast their ballots at such polling places within the municipality of their residence as shall be determined by the Board of Commissioners of the District in cooperation with the board of civil authority of each member municipality.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 405, § 45 Public hearings

45. Public hearings Not less than three nor more than 14 days prior to any special meeting called by the Board of Commissioners, at least one public hearing shall be held by the Board of Commissioners at which time the issues under consideration shall be presented and comments received. Notice of such public hearing shall include the publication of a warning in a newspaper of general circulation in the District at least once a week, on the same day of the week, for three consecutive weeks, the last publication not less than five nor more than 10 days before the public hearing.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 405, § 46 Warnings required

46. Warnings required The Board of Commissioners of the District shall warn a special meeting of the District by filing a notice with the town clerk of each member municipality and by posting a notice in at least two public places in each municipality in the District, and in or near the office of the clerk of each municipality, not less than 30 nor more than 40 days before the meeting. In addition, the warning shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the District once a week on the same day of the week for three consecutive weeks before the meeting, the last publication to be not less than five nor more than 10 days before the meeting.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 405, § 47 Signing of warning

47. Signing of warning The original warning of any special meeting of the District shall be signed by a number of the Board of Commissioners equal to a majority of the total votes entitled to be cast and shall be filed with the District Secretary before being posted.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 405, § 48 Warning contents

48. Warning contents The posted notification shall include the date, time, place, and nature of the meeting. It shall, by separate articles, specifically indicate the business to be transacted and the questions to be voted upon. The warning also shall contain any article requested by petition signed by not less than five percent of the voters of the District and filed with the District Secretary not less than 40 days before the date of any District meeting.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 405, § 49 Australian ballot

49. Australian ballot The Australian ballot system shall be used at all special meetings of the District when voting is to take place.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 405, § 50 Qualifications and registration of voters

50. Qualifications and registration of voters All legal voters of the member municipalities shall be legal voters of the District. The member municipalities shall post and revise checklists in the same manner as for municipal meetings prior to any District meeting at which there will be voting.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 405, § 51 Conduct of meeting

51. Conduct of meeting At all special meetings of the District, the provisions of 17 V.S.A. chapter 51 regarding election officials (subchapter 1), voting machines (subchapter 3), polling places (subchapter 4), absent voters (subchapter 6), process of voting (subchapter 7), count and return of votes (subchapter 8), recounts and contest of elections (subchapter 9), and jurisdiction of courts (subchapter 10) shall apply except where clearly inapplicable. The District Secretary shall perform the functions assigned to the Secretary of State under chapter 51. The Chittenden Superior Court shall have jurisdiction over petitions for recounts. Election expenses shall be borne by the District.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 405, § 52 Reconsideration or rescission of vote

52. Reconsideration or rescission of vote (a) A question considered or voted on at any special meeting of the District shall not be submitted to the voters for reconsideration or rescission, except at a subsequent special meeting duly warned for that purpose, and called by the Board of Commissioners on its own motion or pursuant to a petition requesting such reconsideration or rescission signed and submitted in accordance with subsection (b) of this section. (b) Where a petition signed by not less than five percent of the qualified voters of the District requesting reconsideration or rescission of a question considered or voted on at a previous special meeting is submitted to the Board of Commissioners of the District within 30 days following the date of that meeting, the Board of Commissioners shall provide for a vote by the District in accordance with the petition within 60 days of the submission at a special meeting duly warned for that purpose. (c) A vote taken at a special meeting shall remain in effect unless rescinded at a special meeting called and warned in accordance with this section. (d) A question voted on or considered shall not be presented for reconsideration or rescission at more than one subsequent meeting except with the approval of the Board of Commissioners.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 405, § 53 Validation of District meetings

53. Validation of District meetings When any of the requirements as to notice or warning of a special District meeting have been omitted or not complied with, the omission or noncompliance, if the meeting and the business transacted at it is otherwise legal and within the scope of the District powers, may be corrected and legalized by vote at a special meeting of the District called and duly warned for that purpose. The question to be voted upon shall substantially be, “Shall the action taken at the meeting of this District held on (state date) in spite of the fact that (state the error or omission), and any act or action of the District officers or agents pursuant thereto be readopted, ratified, or confirmed.” Errors or omissions in the conduct of an original meeting that are not the result of an unlawful notice or warning or noncompliance within the scope of the warning may be cured by a resolution of the Board of Commissioners of the District by a vote of two-thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast at a regular meeting or a special meeting called for that purpose, stating the defect was the result of an oversight, inadvertence, or mistake. When an error or omission of this nature has been thus corrected by resolution, all business within the terms of the action of the qualified voters shall be as valid as if the requirements had been initially complied with upon condition, however, that the original action thereby corrected by the Board of Commissioners was in compliance with the legal exercise of its corporate powers.

24 App. V.S.A. ch. 405, § 54 Priority

54. Priority When a special meeting of the District is called to act upon a proposition to incur bonded or other indebtedness, the special meeting procedures outlined in subchapter 4 of this chapter shall control over the meeting procedures outlined in this article in the event of conflict.

Source: Vermont General Assembly (legislature.vermont.gov)URL: https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/chapter/24APPENDIX/405Fetched: 10/21/2026