reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 33 - Municipal Officers Generally › § 961. Vacancy or suspension of officer’s duties

§ 961. Vacancy or suspension of officer’s duties
(a) When a municipal officer resigns the officer’s office, has been removed from the office, dies, becomes unable to perform the officer’s duties due to a mental condition or psychiatric disability, or removes from town, the office shall become vacant. Notice of this vacancy shall be posted by the legislative body in at least two public places in the municipality, and in and near the municipal clerk’s office, within 10 days of the creation of the vacancy.
(b) In the event there are so many vacancies on the legislative body that a quorum cannot be achieved, the remaining member or members of the legislative body shall be authorized to draw orders for payment of continuing obligations and necessary expenses until the vacancies are filled pursuant to section 963 of this title.
(c) The legislative body of a county, municipality, or special purpose district may designate a person to perform the duties of an officer whose duties have been suspended as a condition of release pending trial for violating 13 V.S.A. § 2537.
(d) When a municipal officer refuses or neglects within 30 days of election or appointment to take an oath of office pursuant to section 831 of this title, the office shall become vacant. However, the office shall not be deemed vacant until the legislative body of the municipality has warned a regular meeting for that purpose and affords the municipal officer the opportunity to take the oath of office at the meeting. (Amended 1981, No. 239 (Adj. Sess.), § 27; 1993, No. 115 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. March 30, 1994; 2007, No. 169 (Adj. Sess.), § 5; 2013, No. 96 (Adj. Sess.), § 150; 2021, No. 16, § 1.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 33 - Municipal Officers Generally › § 963. Duties of selectboard; special meeting

§ 963. Duties of selectboard; special meeting
(a) When a vacancy occurs in any town office, the selectboard forthwith by appointment in writing shall fill such vacancy until an election is had; except that in the event of vacancies in a majority of the selectboard at the same time, such vacancies shall be filled by a special town meeting called for that purpose.
(b) The selectboard shall file an appointment made under this section in the office of the town clerk and the town clerk shall duly record it in the book of town records.
(c) If there are no selectboard members in office, the Secretary of State shall call a special election to fill any vacancies and for that interim shall appoint and authorize the town clerk or another qualified person to draw orders for payment of continuing obligations and necessary expenses until the vacancies are filled. (Amended 1981, No. 239 (Adj. Sess.), § 28; 1993, No. 115 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. March 30, 1994; 2017, No. 50, § 60.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 33 - Municipal Officers Generally › § 991. Records to be delivered to successor

§ 991. Records to be delivered to successor
When a town or town school district office becomes vacant by expiration of the term of office of the incumbent, or otherwise, and a successor is elected or appointed, on demand, he or she shall be entitled to receive from the last incumbent of the office or anyone having possession of the same the records, files, books, and papers of such office, or property of the town or the town school district, as the case may be. A person having such records, files, books, papers, or other property in his or her possession who refuses for ten days after such demand to surrender the same shall be fined $10.00 for each week’s refusal.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 33 - Municipal Officers Generally › § 992. Annual settlements; penalty

§ 992. Annual settlements; penalty
Not less than 25 days before each annual town meeting, all officials and other persons authorized to receive or disburse money belonging to a town shall settle their accounts with the auditors of such town, and the treasurer shall include in such settlement his or her accounts as town school district treasurer. When an officer refuses or neglects to make such settlement, he or she shall be ineligible to reelection for the year ensuing.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 33 - Municipal Officers Generally › § 993. Money to be paid over; penalty

§ 993. Money to be paid over; penalty
When a person who has served as a town or a town school district officer does not at the expiration of his or her term of office forthwith pay to the proper treasurer all money in his or her hands belonging to the town or town school district, he or she shall be fined not more than $200.00. The town or town school district, as the case may be, may recover such money of such person in a civil action on this statute.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 33 - Municipal Officers Generally › § 1031. Inspector of lumber, shingles, and wood

§ 1031. Inspector of lumber, shingles, and wood
At the request of any party interested, an inspector of lumber, shingles, and wood shall examine and classify the quality of lumber and shingles, measure lumber, shingles, and wood, and give certificates thereof.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 33 - Municipal Officers Generally › § 1091. Pension system

§ 1091. Pension system
A municipality having a population of at least 5,000 according to the latest preceding U.S. census may adopt a pension system for its employees. However, a municipality having a population of less than 5,000 may adopt a pension system for its employees, if such municipality at its annual meeting so votes by a two-thirds vote of the voters present and voting.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 33 - Municipal Officers Generally › § 1092. Insurance contracts

§ 1092. Insurance contracts
By its legislative branch, as defined by section 1751 of this title, a municipal corporation may contract in the name of the municipality with an insurance company authorized to do business in this State to secure the benefits of all forms of insurance for the employees of the municipality, and for all forms of liability insurance but not limited to liability insurance to cover motor vehicles owned and operated by the municipality, and drivers thereof, and for fire, extended coverage, general liability insurance to cover public building, premises, and activities of the municipality, and liabilities which may accrue to the municipality under sections 901 and 902 of this title on any terms and conditions as to contributions and costs as the legislative branch shall determine. Provisions for the insurance heretofore made by a municipality are hereby approved. In addition, a municipal corporation may secure insurance to cover liabilities which may accrue to the municipality under section 901 of this title. (Amended 1959, No. 211, § 2; 1967, No. 266 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. March 6, 1968; 1973, No. 235 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; 1975, No. 122, § 1, eff. April 22, 1975.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 33 - Municipal Officers Generally › § 1121. Authority to adopt

§ 1121. Authority to adopt
(a) A municipality may adopt rules relating to personnel administration, including the following: job classification, tenure, retirement, pensions, leaves of absence, vacations, holidays, hours of work, group insurance, salaries, layoff, reinstatement, promotion, demotion, dismissal, transfer, injury, settlement of disputes, and appeals.
(b) The personnel rules may apply to any or all employees of a municipality, including officers and employees of a fire department or police department maintained by the municipality. Rules adopted by the selectboard of a town under this subchapter shall not apply to employees of a town school district. (Added 1969, No. 170 (Adj. Sess.), § 4, eff. March 2, 1970.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 33 - Municipal Officers Generally › § 1122. Procedure for adoption

§ 1122. Procedure for adoption
Rules adopted under authority of this subchapter shall be deemed to be administrative and may be adopted by majority vote of the legislative body of a municipality. Sections 1971-1975 of this title shall not apply to rules adopted under this subchapter. (Added 1969, No. 170 (Adj. Sess.), § 4, eff. March 2, 1970.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 33 - Municipal Officers Generally › § 1131. Energy coordinator; duties

§ 1131. Energy coordinator; duties
(a) The legislative body of a municipality may appoint, and determine the length of term for, an energy coordinator.
(b) An energy coordinator shall coordinate existing energy resources in the town and cooperate with the municipal planning commission and with those federal, State, and regional agencies of government which are responsible for energy matters.
(c) An energy coordinator may study and evaluate sources of energy which are alternatives to those presently available with a view toward the more efficient and economical utilization of existing and potential energy resources.
(d) An energy coordinator shall make periodic reports of his or her activities to the legislative body as it may require and may perform such other duties, studies, or examinations as may be required by the legislative body. (Added 1975, No. 226 (Adj. Sess.), § 3; amended 2007, No. 1, § 1.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 33 - Municipal Officers Generally › § 1141. Boards or commissions; orders

§ 1141. Boards or commissions; orders
Any decision or order approved for issue by a board, commission, committee, agency, or authority of any municipal corporation, including the legislative body of a municipal corporation, which is required by law to be in writing, may be signed by the chair or vice chair on behalf of the issuing body. (Added 1983, No. 190 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. April 27, 1984.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 33 - Municipal Officers Generally › § 1147. Advisory budget committee creation; duties

§ 1147. Advisory budget committee creation; duties
If a municipality creates an advisory budget committee as provided in 17 V.S.A. § 2646, the committee shall evaluate the municipality’s budget and make recommendations to the selectboard for the budget based on its findings. (Added 2013, No. 106 (Adj. Sess.), § 2.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1151. Certificate of election; oath

§ 1151. Certificate of election; oath
A town clerk shall file with the county clerk a certificate of his or her election or appointment and a copy of his or her official oath on or before six days after election or appointment. The moderator shall sign the certificate if the clerk is elected at an open town meeting. The chair of the board of civil authority shall sign the certificate if the clerk is elected by Australian ballot. The selectboard members shall sign the certificate if the clerk is appointed. (Amended 1989, No. 200 (Adj. Sess.), § 6.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1152. Record of proceedings of meetings

§ 1152. Record of proceedings of meetings
The clerk shall record all proceedings of all town meetings and his or her record shall be deemed to be the true and official record of all action taken at that meeting provided it has been approved and attested by any two of the following town officers present at the meeting: moderator, selectboard members, and justices of the peace. The clerk shall request approval within seven days after each meeting and his or her request shall be given prompt consideration. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit use of tape recorders or other recording devices or stenographic service. (Amended 1969, No. 168 (Adj. Sess.).)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1153. Card indices

§ 1153. Card indices
All general indices required by law to be kept by a town or city clerk may be kept by the card index system, with the consent and approval of the selectboard or board of aldermen. When so kept, such card index shall provide as full and complete information as is now required by law for the keeping of general indices by a town clerk.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1154. Records; copies

§ 1154. Records; copies
(a) A town clerk shall record in the land records, at length or by accurate, legible copy, in books to be furnished by the town:
(1) deeds;
(2) instruments or evidences respecting real estate;
(3) writs of execution, other writs or the substance thereof, and the returns thereon;
(4) hazardous waste site information and hazardous waste storage, treatment, and disposal certifications established under 10 V.S.A. chapter 159;
(5) underground storage tank information under 10 V.S.A. chapter 59;
(6) municipal land use permits (as defined in section 4303 of this title) or notices of municipal land use permits as provided for in subsection (c) of this section, notices of violation of ordinances or bylaws relating to municipal land use, and notices of violation of municipal land use permits;
(7) denials of municipal land use permits;
(8) permits, design certifications, installation certifications, and other documents required to be filed by the provisions of 10 V.S.A. chapter 64 and the rules adopted under that chapter;
(9) other instruments delivered to the town clerk for recording.
(b) A temporary permit (if defined by the bylaws of the municipality) is not required to be recorded.
(c) A notice of a municipal land use permit or a notice of violation specified in subdivision (a)(6) of this section may be recorded, and if such notice is recorded, it shall list:
(1) as grantor, the owner of record title to the property at the time the municipal land use permit or notice of violation is issued;
(2) as grantee, the municipality issuing the permit, certificate, or notice;
(3) the municipal or village office where the original, or a true, legible copy of the municipal land use permit may be examined;
(4) whether an appeal of such permit, certificate, or notice has been taken;
(5) tax map lot number or other description identifying the lot.
(d) The town clerk shall keep in each book of record an index of reference to the instruments or records in that book. (Amended 1983, No. 148 (Adj. Sess.), § 13; 1985, No. 66, § 2; 1997, No. 125 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 1999, No. 46, § 2, eff. May 26, 1999; 2001, No. 133 (Adj. Sess.), § 8; 2003, No. 138 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1154a. Records; return postage

§ 1154a. Records; return postage
Whenever an instrument listed in section 1154 of this chapter is filed or left for record with the town clerk, the town shall bear the costs of returning the original copy of the instrument to the person who filed or left the instrument for record. (Added 2019, No. 38, § 7.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1155. Record of trust mortgage

§ 1155. Record of trust mortgage
Trust mortgages may be recorded by furnishing the clerk with a printed copy thereof on not smaller than 8 1/4 by 10 3/4 nor larger than 10 1/2 by 16 ledger paper of good quality with good cloth binding which volume after being duly compared with the original mortgage shall be filed, attested by him or her and kept in his or her office as a trust mortgage record. The clerk shall also certify on a blank page of the then current mortgage record book the recording of such mortgage under the provisions of this section and index the same as provided in section 1154 of this title.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1156. Chattel mortgages; conditional sales; discharge of lien

§ 1156. Chattel mortgages; conditional sales; discharge of lien
Within 15 days after a chattel mortgage, a sufficient memorandum of a conditional vendor’s lien, or a memorandum of a discharge of such mortgage or lien has been delivered to a town clerk for recording, accompanied by the recording fee provided in 32 V.S.A. § 1671, such clerk shall record such mortgage, lien, or discharge and return the original to the person entitled thereto. (Amended 2019, No. 38, § 8.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1157. Duties of town clerk as to chattel mortgages

§ 1157. Duties of town clerk as to chattel mortgages
A town clerk shall procure and keep a book of records for mortgages of personal property and shall keep an alphabetical index of mortgagors and mortgagees. The record and index shall be open to public inspection. The clerk shall record in the book any mortgage, transfer, discharge, or officer’s return of sale upon any mortgage. Reference to the volume and page of the record of the mortgage shall be made by the clerk upon the margin of the record of the return, as well as reference on the margin of the record of the mortgage to the volume and page of the record of the return. When requested, the clerk shall give a certified copy thereof on payment of his or her fees as provided in 32 V.S.A. § 1671 and shall certify the time when the same is received and recorded. Mortgages or deeds of trust conveying both real and personal property shall be recorded only as real estate mortgages, but town clerks shall include in their indices of mortgages of personal property a reference to the record thereof. A copy of the personal mortgage, certified as a true and correct copy by the recording clerk, may be pasted or otherwise permanently attached in the record books, provided that space on the back of the sheet to be pasted is allowed for pasting, and when so done the same shall be deemed to be legally recorded, or if a person leaving the mortgage for record so desires, it shall be copied into the records at length by the town clerk. (Amended 1969, No. 40, § 2, eff. April 4, 1969.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1158. Assignment or discharge of mortgage or judgment lien

§ 1158. Assignment or discharge of mortgage or judgment lien
An assignment or discharge of a mortgage or judgment lien shall be duly recorded in the records of the town. A mortgage or judgment lien may be discharged by the mortgagee, judgment creditor, or assignee of such mortgage or judgment lien in writing on the margin of the mortgage record or judgment lien notice. A satisfaction or assignment of the mortgage or judgment lien recorded elsewhere shall bear a marginal notation of the book and page of the mortgage or judgment lien record and a corresponding cross-reference shall be made on the margin of the mortgage or judgment lien notice record. (Amended 1979, No. 67, § 4.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1159. Indorsement of time of receiving instruments

§ 1159. Indorsement of time of receiving instruments
(a) An instrument shall be deemed recorded when the town clerk:
(1) receives the instrument, the recording fee provided in 32 V.S.A. § 1671, and all supporting documents required by statute; and
(2) indorses a certificate of the date and time of reception on the instrument.
(b) Within three days following the date an instrument is indorsed, the clerk shall enter the name or names of the parties, the type of instrument, the date of the instrument, and the date and time of recording in a day book, printed index, or digital index that is open to public inspection. A town clerk may extend the time for entering the information for good cause shown, including reasons related to illness or absence of the clerk. (Amended 2019, No. 38, § 9.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1160. Acknowledgements; oath

§ 1160. Acknowledgements; oath
(a) A town clerk, commissioned as a notary public pursuant to 26 V.S.A. chapter 103, may take acknowledgements of deeds and other instruments throughout his or her county.
(b) In his or her county, he or she may administer oaths in all cases where an oath is required, without being commissioned as a notary public pursuant to 26 V.S.A. chapter 103.
(c)(1) Each town clerk may designate from among the members of his or her staff at least one notary public to be available to perform notarial acts for the public in the town clerk’s office during normal business hours free of charge.
(2) Each individual designated by the town clerk under this subsection shall be commissioned as a notary public pursuant to 26 V.S.A. chapter 103 and shall be exempt from the notary public application fee under that chapter. (Amended 2019, No. 30, § 26.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1161. General index

§ 1161. General index
(a)(1) A town clerk shall keep a general index of transactions affecting the title to real estate wherein he or she shall enter in one column, in alphabetical order, the name of the grantor to the grantee and, in a parallel column, the name of the grantee from the grantor, of every deed, conveyance, mortgage, lease, or other instrument affecting the title to real estate, and each writ of attachment, notice of lien, or other instrument evidencing or giving notice of an encumbrance on real estate which is filed or recorded in the town clerk’s office, with the name of the book, volume, or other manner of recording and the page of record in the following form:
(2) If the instrument is executed on behalf of or to convey the interest of another party, the same shall be indexed in the name of the other party as grantor. In case the instrument is executed by more than one grantor and to more than one grantee, the name of each grantor and each grantee shall be indexed. When the party is a natural person the name shall be indexed under the first letter of such person’s surname, and when the party is a corporation the name shall be indexed under the first letter of the first word of its name disregarding articles and initials. For purposes of this section, a defendant against whose property a writ of attachment is filed or a person against whose property a lien is asserted shall be considered a grantor, and a plaintiff filing a writ or a person asserting a lien shall be considered a grantee. The general index may be kept electronically.
(b) For the purposes of this section, “transactions affecting title to real estate” shall include the instruments described in subsections 1154(a) and (b) of this title. Each owner of record title to the property at the time such an instrument is issued shall be listed as the grantor. The State of Vermont shall be listed as the grantee for instruments described in subdivisions 1154(a)(4), (5), and (8) of this title. The municipality issuing the instrument shall be listed as the grantee for instruments described in subdivision 1154(a)(6) of this title. (Amended 1969, No. 235 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 1997, No. 125 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; 1999, No. 46, § 3, eff. May 26, 1999; 2001, No. 133 (Adj. Sess.), § 9; 2007, No. 96 (Adj. Sess.), § 11; 2009, No. 91 (Adj. Sess.), § 15, eff. May 6, 2010.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1162. Indices; liability of clerk and town

§ 1162. Indices; liability of clerk and town
A town clerk who neglects to keep in his or her office the indices required by law to be kept by him or her shall be fined $20.00 for each six months’ neglect. A town which, upon such neglect of its town clerk, delays for six months to cause such an index to be completed and kept, shall be fined $50.00 for each six months it so neglects.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1163. Index of attachments

§ 1163. Index of attachments
A town clerk shall keep a book in which shall be alphabetically indexed all attachments of personal property lodged in his or her office. Such index shall show the names of the parties to the action in which the attachment is made, the court and date of the court to which the attachment is returnable, and the amount of debt or damages claimed in the writ.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1164. Certified copies; form

§ 1164. Certified copies; form
(a) A town clerk shall furnish certified copies of any instrument on record in his or her office, or any instrument or paper filed in his or her office pursuant to law, on the tender of fees therefor, and his or her attestation shall be a sufficient authentication of the copies, except that the town clerk shall redact the word “illegitimate” from any copy of a birth certificate he or she furnishes.
(b) A town clerk shall furnish a certified copy of a vital event certificate only if authorized and as prescribed under 18 V.S.A. chapter 101. (Amended 1959, No. 329 (Adj. Sess.), § 27, eff. March, 1, 1961; 1975, No. 8, § 1; 1979, No. 142 (Adj. Sess.), § 18; 2017, No. 46, § 60, eff. July 1, 2019.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1167. Certification of votes

§ 1167. Certification of votes
When at an annual or special meeting a town votes to raise a tax, to borrow money, or to make any appropriation of money, the clerk of such town, within five days thereafter, shall certify such vote to the treasurer of the town and to the chair of the selectboard.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1168. Return of names of listers to Director of the Division of Property Valuation and Review

§ 1168. Return of names of listers to Director of the Division of Property Valuation and Review
After each annual meeting, a town clerk shall report forthwith electronically to the Director of the Division of Property Valuation and Review the name of each lister in the town, his or her post office address, and the length of his or her term of office. In like manner, a town clerk shall notify the Director of the Division of Property Valuation and Review of any lister appointed to fill a vacancy. (Amended 1977, No. 105, § 14(b); 2017, No. 73, § 2, eff. June 13, 2017; 2017, No. 113 (Adj. Sess.), § 155.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1170. Appointment of assistant clerk

§ 1170. Appointment of assistant clerk
After his or her election, a town clerk shall forthwith appoint one or more assistant clerks, for whose official acts he or she shall be responsible, who shall hold office during his or her term of office, or until such appointment is revoked by him or her. Such appointments and revocation shall be recorded in the office of the town clerk. (Amended 2017, No. 74, § 70.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1171. Duties of assistant clerk

§ 1171. Duties of assistant clerk
(a) The assistant clerk shall be sworn and is authorized to perform the recording and filing duties of the town clerk, to issue licenses and certified copies of records, and, in the absence, death, or disability of the town clerk, is further authorized to perform all other duties of the clerk.
(b) If there is a vacancy in the office of town clerk, the authority of the assistant town clerk to perform the duties of the town clerk shall continue until a successor is appointed by the selectboard under section 963 of this title. (Amended 1967, No. 107, eff. April 14, 1967; 2017, No. 74, § 71; 2017, No. 130 (Adj. Sess.), § 11.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1172. Assistant clerk; record to county clerk

§ 1172. Assistant clerk; record to county clerk
Such assistant clerk shall deposit with the county clerk a copy of the record of his or her appointment, duly certified by the town clerk making such appointment, and shall also deposit a copy of his or her official oath signed by himself or herself, with a certificate of the magistrate administering the same that he or she has taken such oath. (Amended 2017, No. 74, § 72.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1173. Town or village reports

§ 1173. Town or village reports
The clerk of a municipality shall supply annually each library in such municipality with two copies of the municipal report, upon its publication. The clerk shall also send to the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration one copy thereof in a manner prescribed by the State Archivist. Officers making these reports shall supply the clerk of the municipality with the copies necessary for him or her to comply with the provisions of this section and section 1174 of this title. (Amended 1959, No. 329 (Adj. Sess.), § 27, eff. March 1, 1961; 1999, No. 147 (Adj. Sess.), § 4; 2005, No. 174 (Adj. Sess.), § 55; 2009, No. 123 (Adj. Sess.), § 32; 2009, No. 156 (Adj. Sess.), § I.30; 2011, No. 153 (Adj. Sess.), § 37, eff. May 16, 2012; 2013, No. 108 (Adj. Sess.), § 4, eff. April 22, 2014; 2015, No. 23, § 148; 2017, No. 50, § 61.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1175. Permanent service records

§ 1175. Permanent service records
Town clerks shall record the honorable discharges or certificates of service of all members of the Armed Forces of the United States, by photographic copy or on forms approved by the Adjutant General of a size and with a margin to permit binding. Upon making such record, the town clerk shall forthwith forward a certified copy thereof to the office of the Adjutant General. Such records shall be arranged or indexed alphabetically, bound, and made a permanent record. Town clerks shall receive a fee of 50 cents for so recording each honorable discharge or certificate of service, as hereinbefore provided, to be paid by the town.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1176. Manuscripts

§ 1176. Manuscripts
All books and manuscripts belonging to a town or a town school district, except town histories, published under the authority of a town, shall be kept in the office of the town clerk, unless otherwise provided and shall not be sold or disposed of. (Amended 1969, No. 289 (Adj. Sess.), § 9.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1178. Safes; vaults

§ 1178. Safes; vaults
A town not already provided with a fireproof safe or vault of a sufficient size for the effectual preservation of the files and records now in the office of the town clerk, or that may hereafter accumulate there, shall forthwith procure such safe or vault.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 35 - Town Clerks › § 1179. Reporting of fees received

§ 1179. Reporting of fees received
Within 30 days after the completion of a town’s fiscal year, each town clerk shall disclose to the public the total amount of fees received as part of his or her compensation during the fiscal year immediately preceding. (Added 1979, No. 161 (Adj. Sess.), § 15.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 36 - Municipal Administrative Procedure Act › § 1201. Definitions

§ 1201. Definitions
As used in this chapter:
(1) “Contested hearing” means one of the following:
(A) A case in which an applicant for a land use permit under 10 V.S.A. chapter 151 is required to obtain local Act 250 review of municipal impacts by a municipality that has taken steps required under section 4420 of this title to allow it to conduct that local review.
(B) A hearing, under chapter 117 of this title, which will be subject to review on the record, as determined under procedures established in that chapter.
(C) A hearing which a provision of law requires to be heard according to procedures established in this chapter.
(D) A hearing by a municipal body which is not required by law to be conducted according to procedures established in this chapter, but which the municipality elects to conduct in accordance with this chapter.
(2) “Directly or indirectly interested” means a financial or personal involvement in the contested hearing or with any party.
(3) “Local board” means the entity authorized to conduct a contested hearing.
(4)(A) “Party,” for purposes of proceedings under chapter 117 of this title, other than those related to local Act 250 review of municipal impacts, means “interested person,” as defined by subsection 4465(b) of this title.
(B) “Party,” for purposes of local Act 250 review of municipal impacts, means a person whose interests, under relevant provisions of 10 V.S.A. § 6086(a) being reviewed at the municipal level, may be affected by a proposed development or subdivision, as those terms are defined in 10 V.S.A. chapter 151. “Party” for purposes of other proceedings under this chapter, shall have the meaning established under statutes controlling those proceedings.
(C) “Party,” for purposes of other proceedings under this chapter, shall have the meaning established under statutes controlling those proceedings. (Added 1993, No. 232 (Adj. Sess.), § 44, eff. March 15, 1995; amended 2003, No. 115 (Adj. Sess.), § 76, eff. Jan. 31, 2005.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 36 - Municipal Administrative Procedure Act › § 1202. Application

§ 1202. Application
(a) This chapter shall be used by local boards conducting contested hearings, where required by law, and may be used by local boards conducting contested hearings, even where not required by law. Local determinations to use this chapter, unless otherwise provided by law, shall be made by majority vote of those voting at a duly warned special or annual municipal meeting, or may be made on behalf of the municipality by the legislative body.
(b) This chapter creates only procedural rights and imposes only procedural duties. They are in addition to those created and imposed by other statutes.
(c) This chapter provides the minimum due process rights of parties in contested hearings. A local board may grant additional rights to parties so long as the rights of other parties are not substantially prejudiced.
(d) A local board may adopt additional procedural rules not inconsistent with this chapter governing its hearings. The ordinance adoption process established by chapter 59 of this title shall be used for this purpose. (Added 1993, No. 232 (Adj. Sess.), § 44, eff. March 15, 1995.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 36 - Municipal Administrative Procedure Act › § 1203. Conflicts of interest

§ 1203. Conflicts of interest
Local boards shall comply with the provisions of 12 V.S.A. § 61(a) when they conduct contested hearings and make findings under this chapter. For purposes of this section, prohibitions referring to those within the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity shall refer to the person’s spouse, as well as to the person’s and the spouse’s: parent, child, brother, sister, grandparent, or grandchild. (Added 1993, No. 232 (Adj. Sess.), § 44, eff. March 15, 1995.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 36 - Municipal Administrative Procedure Act › § 1204. Notice

§ 1204. Notice
(a) Initial public notice of any hearing under this chapter shall be provided in accordance with applicable statutes. All parties and interested persons shall be given an opportunity for hearing after reasonable notice.
(b) At any hearing held under this chapter, opportunity shall be given to all parties to respond and present evidence and argument on all issues involved.
(c) If a hearing is to reconvene at a later date, it shall be deemed sufficient to constitute proper notice of that later session, if an announcement made before adjournment of the previous session of the hearing specifies the time, date, and place of that later session. (Added 1993, No. 232 (Adj. Sess.), § 44, eff. March 15, 1995.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 36 - Municipal Administrative Procedure Act › § 1205. Procedure at hearing

§ 1205. Procedure at hearing
(a) The chair or vice-chair of the local board shall preside at the hearing. If neither is available, the board shall elect a temporary chair.
(b) The presiding officer may conduct all or part of the hearing by telephone, television, or other electronic means, if each participant in the hearing has an opportunity to participate in, hear, and, if technically feasible, to see the entire proceeding as it is taking place.
(c) The presiding officer shall cause the proceeding to be recorded. (Added 1993, No. 232 (Adj. Sess.), § 44, eff. March 15, 1995.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 36 - Municipal Administrative Procedure Act › § 1206. Evidence

§ 1206. Evidence
(a) All testimony of parties and witnesses must be made under oath or affirmation.
(b) Irrelevant, immaterial, or unduly repetitious evidence shall be excluded. The rules of evidence as applied in civil cases in the Superior Courts of this State shall be followed. When necessary to ascertain facts not reasonably susceptible of proof under those rules, evidence not admissible under those rules may be admitted if it is of a type commonly relied upon by reasonably prudent people in the conduct of their affairs.
(c) When a hearing will be expedited and the interests of the parties will not be prejudiced substantially, any part of the evidence may be received in written form, to expedite the presentation of direct testimony of a witness, provided the witness is available for direct testimony and cross-examination at the hearing on this evidence.
(d) Documentary evidence may be received in the form of copies or excerpts, if the original is not readily available. Upon request, parties shall be given an opportunity to compare the copy with the original. (Added 1993, No. 232 (Adj. Sess.), § 44, eff. March 15, 1995.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 36 - Municipal Administrative Procedure Act › § 1207. Ex parte communications

§ 1207. Ex parte communications
(a) A presiding officer shall not communicate, directly or indirectly, with any party, party’s representative, party’s counsel, or any person interested in the outcome of the proceeding, on any issue in the proceeding, while the proceeding is pending, without notice and opportunity for all parties to participate.
(b) No other members of a local board sitting in a contested hearing shall communicate on any issue in the proceeding, directly or indirectly, with any party, party’s representative, party’s counsel, or any person interested in the outcome of the proceeding, while the proceeding is pending.
(c) A presiding officer who receives an ex parte communication on any issue relating to the proceeding and a member who receives any ex parte communication shall place on the record all written communications received, all written responses to those communications, and a memorandum stating the substance of all oral communications received, all responses made, and the identity of each person making the ex parte communication. (Added 1993, No. 232 (Adj. Sess.), § 44, eff. March 15, 1995.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 36 - Municipal Administrative Procedure Act › § 1208. Qualification of members

§ 1208. Qualification of members
(a) Members of a local board in a contested hearing shall not participate in the decision unless they have heard all testimony and reviewed all other evidence submitted for the board’s decision.
(b) Members who have not attended every session of the board in a contested hearing may participate in the decision if they have listened to the recording of the testimony they have missed (or read transcripts of this testimony) and reviewed all exhibits and other evidence, prior to deliberation. (Added 1993, No. 232 (Adj. Sess.), § 44, eff. March 15, 1995.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 36 - Municipal Administrative Procedure Act › § 1209. Decisions

§ 1209. Decisions
(a) A final decision in a contested hearing shall be in writing and shall separately state findings of fact and conclusions of law.
(b) Findings of fact shall explicitly and concisely restate the underlying facts that support the decision. They shall be based exclusively on evidence of the record in the contested hearing.
(c) Conclusions of law shall be based on the findings of fact.
(d) The final decision in any case involving local Act 250 review of municipal impacts shall include notice that it constitutes a rebuttable presumption under the provisions of 10 V.S.A. chapter 151, and notice that presumption may be overcome in proceedings under 10 V.S.A. chapter 151.
(e) The presiding officer shall cause copies of the decision to be delivered to each party.
(f) Transcriptions of the proceedings of contested hearings shall be made upon the request and upon payment of the reasonable costs of transcription by any party. (Added 1993, No. 232 (Adj. Sess.), § 44, eff. March 15, 1995.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 37 - Town, City, or Village Managers › § 1231. “Town” construed; officers

§ 1231. “Town” construed; officers
The word “town” as used in this chapter may be construed to include a city or an incorporated village. Where powers are given to or duties imposed upon a selectboard with reference to a town, the trustees of a village and mayor and board of aldermen of a city shall have the same powers and perform like duties in relation to their respective village or city.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 37 - Town, City, or Village Managers › § 1232. Appointment; union of towns

§ 1232. Appointment; union of towns
The selectboard of a town adopting the provisions of this chapter shall forthwith appoint a general town manager, who may or may not be a resident of the town for which he or she is appointed. Two or more towns may vote to form a union to employ the same manager.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 37 - Town, City, or Village Managers › § 1233. Qualifications; authority of selectboard

§ 1233. Qualifications; authority of selectboard
Such a manager shall be selected with special reference to his or her education, training, and experience to perform the duties of such office and without reference to his or her political belief. In all matters he or she shall be subject to the direction and supervision and shall hold office at the will of such selectboard, who, by majority vote, may remove him or her at any time for cause.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 37 - Town, City, or Village Managers › § 1234. Oath; bond

§ 1234. Oath; bond
Before entering upon a manager’s duties, a manager shall be sworn to the faithful performance of the manager’s duties and shall have crime insurance coverage or give a bond to the town in the amount and with the sureties as the selectboard may require. (Amended 2021, No. 179 (Adj. Sess.), § 23, eff. July 1, 2022.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 37 - Town, City, or Village Managers › § 1237. Examination of departments

§ 1237. Examination of departments
The selectboard may cause the affairs of any town office or the conduct of any officer or employee thereof to be examined. It may compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of books, papers, and other evidence. The manager shall have access to all town books and papers for information necessary for the proper performance of his or her duties.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 37 - Town, City, or Village Managers › § 1241. Petition; warning

§ 1241. Petition; warning
When voters, in number equal to five percent of the registered voters in town, petition the selectboard in writing to adopt or rescind the town manager form of governance, the warning for the annual or special meeting that shall be called upon such petition shall contain an article in substantially the form set forth in section 1243 of this chapter. (Amended 1985, No. 196 (Adj. Sess.), § 13; 2019, No. 67, § 21.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 37 - Town, City, or Village Managers › § 1242. Revocation

§ 1242. Revocation
A town that has adopted the provisions of this chapter may reject the same by a majority vote of the legal voters present and voting at a special or an annual meeting, provided a proper article therefor is inserted in the warning of such meeting. If approved, such a vote shall become effective 30 days after the date of its adoption. (Amended 1985, No. 198 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 37 - Town, City, or Village Managers › § 1243. Method of voting

§ 1243. Method of voting
A town may vote at an annual or special meeting to adopt or rescind the provisions of this chapter A vote on the question shall be in substantially the following form:
“Shall the [town name] [adopt/rescind] the town manager form of governance in accordance with the provisions of chapter 37 of Title 24 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated?” (Amended 2019, No. 67, § 21.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 39 - Incorporated Villages › § 1301. Establishment of villages

§ 1301. Establishment of villages
Upon a petition of a majority of the voters in town meeting residing in a village containing 30 or more houses, the selectboard shall establish the bounds of such village and cause a description thereof, by its name and bounds, to be recorded in the office of the town clerk and posted in two or more public places in such village. The residents in such village shall thereupon become a body politic and corporate with the powers incident to a public corporation, be known by the name given in such description, by that name may sue and be sued, and hold and convey real and personal estate for the use of the corporation.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 39 - Incorporated Villages › § 1302. Alteration of boundaries

§ 1302. Alteration of boundaries
Such corporation may alter the boundaries of such village, with the consent of the persons included in or excluded from the same by such alteration, and a record of such alteration shall be made by the town clerk. The inhabitants included within the limits of such village shall remain inhabitants of the town the same as though a corporation had not been formed.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 - Municipal and County Government › Chapter 39 - Incorporated Villages › § 1304. First meeting; officers

§ 1304. First meeting; officers
(a) Within 60 days after record of its name and bounds has been made, the voters in such village shall meet in the village. Notice of the day, hour, and place of the meeting, signed by the town clerk, or, upon his or her default, by a selectperson, shall be posted in four public places in the village and published once in each newspaper published therein, at least ten days previous thereto. The meeting may be called to order by the officer signing the notice.
(b) At such meeting, or at an adjournment thereof, the corporation shall elect a presiding officer, a clerk, five trustees, a treasurer, and a collector of taxes and may elect a tree warden and chief engineer who shall hold their offices until the first annual meeting and until others are elected and qualified. Any qualified and eligible voter of the town in which such village is situated may be elected as such tax collector, chief engineer, clerk, treasurer, or presiding officer. (Amended 1961, No. 11, eff. March 3, 1961; 2003, No. 90 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)