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2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 201. Annual and special meetings

§ 201. Annual and special meetings
The annual meeting of the Village shall be held on the first Tuesday in May of each year at such hour as the notice mentioned in this section shall state, in the Town Hall in said Village or at such other time and place as the Village shall hereafter appoint, of which a notice shall be posted in three public places in the Village at least 10 days previous to the meeting, which notice shall be signed by the Clerk of the corporation, and in case of the Clerk’s failure, by the trustees, and for want of the trustees by a majority of the justices of the peace residing in the Village; and whenever five legal voters of the Village shall so request in writing, the Clerk, and upon the Clerk’s neglect or refusal, the trustees, may call a special meeting of the Village, giving notice of the same in like manner, and specifying in the notice the object of the meeting. At the meeting none but inhabitants qualified by law to vote in Town meetings in the Town, and who have resided for one year within the bounds described in section 101 of this charter and established for the Village, shall be entitled to vote. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 262, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 301. Election and appointment of officers

§ 301. Election and appointment of officers
(a) Elected officers. At each annual meeting of said Village there shall be elected the following officers:
(1) one trustee;
(2) one Collector; and
(3) one auditor.
(b) Terms. The elections shall be by ballot if called for, the terms of office of officers elected at the annual meeting shall commence at the time of their election and continue for one year, and until their successors are chosen and qualified, except for the term of office of trustee whose term will be five years and the term of office of auditor whose term will be three years.
(c) Appointed officers. The Village Board of Trustees shall appoint a Village Clerk and Village Treasurer. The Clerk and Treasurer do not need to be residents of the Village. (Amended 2001, No. M-10 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; amended 2023, No. M-5, § 2, eff. May 15, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 302. Terms of officers

§ 302. Terms of officers
The term of office of officers elected at the annual meeting shall commence at the time of their election and continue for one year, and until their successors are chosen and qualified, provided the term of office of trustees shall be five years except as provided in section 301 of this charter. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 263, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 303. Vacancies

§ 303. Vacancies
The trustees shall fill a vacancy occurring in a Village office, and such person so appointed shall serve for the unexpired term unless superseded. But the Village may, at any time before the expiration of such term, supersede such appointment by a new election at a special meeting, duly warned for such purpose, for the remainder of the term.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 304. Presiding officer

§ 304. Presiding officer
The senior member of the Board of Trustees shall preside at Village meetings. The presiding officer in a Village meeting shall have the same power and duties as a moderator in town meetings. (Amended 2001, No. M-10 (Adj. Sess.), § 3.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 307. Treasurer and Collector

§ 307. Treasurer and Collector
The Treasurer and Collector shall have similar powers and duties to those of town treasurers and town collectors. They shall each give bonds to the Village conditioned for the faithful performance of the duties of their respective offices in such sums and with such sureties as the trustees may prescribe. If a Treasurer or Collector does not give such bonds within 10 days after election or appointment, the office shall be vacant.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 308. Auditors

§ 308. Auditors
The auditors shall, previous to each annual Village meeting, examine and adjust the accounts of the Village officers, and report the amounts so adjusted with the items thereof, and also the state of the treasury, to said annual meeting. The auditors shall cause their report to be printed at the expense of the Village and circulated among the taxpayers thereof at least 10 days previous to such annual meeting.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 309. Claims and accounts of Village officers

§ 309. Claims and accounts of Village officers
The auditors shall not allow a claim or account for the personal service of a Village officer except when compensation for such service is fixed by law or by a vote of the Village. The auditors shall include in their report to the Village a statement of the amount of such claims presented and disallowed, with the nature and extent of the services rendered for which such compensation was claimed.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 401. Authority to adopt bylaws

§ 401. Authority to adopt bylaws
The Village may establish, alter, and repeal bylaws on the following subject matters:
First. Relating to its streets, sidewalks, parks, and public grounds; the cleaning, repairing, and improving of the same; and to compel persons to remove from the sidewalks and gutters adjacent to the premises owned by them snow, ice, dirt, and garbage and other obstructions, and to keep those sidewalks and gutters clean.
Second. Relating to a watch and lighting of the streets.
Third. Relating to slaughterhouses and nuisances generally, and to compel the owner or occupant of an unwholesome, noisome, or offensive house or place to cleanse the same from time to time as may be necessary for the health or comfort of the inhabitants of the Village.
Fourth. Relating to sewers.
Fifth. Relating to a water supply for the protection of the Village against fire and for other purposes.
Sixth. To restrain animals from running at large in said Village.
Seventh. To establish and regulate markets.
Eighth. To erect and regulate location of hay scales.
Ninth. To suppress disorderly and gaming houses of all description of gaming and for the destruction of instruments and devices used for that purpose.
Tenth. To prevent immoderate driving in the streets and cruelty to animals.
Eleventh. To regulate the erection of buildings and to regulate the use of buildings in crowded localities for hazardous purposes.
Twelfth. To regulate the making, alteration, and repair of stovepipes, fireplaces, and other things from which damage by fire may be apprehended and in general to provide for the preservation of buildings from fire by precautionary measures and inspections.
Thirteenth. To regulate the manufacture and keeping of gunpowder and all other combustibles and dangerous materials.
Fourteenth. To regulate and restrain the use and sale of rockets, squibs, firecrackers, toy pistols, or other fireworks within the Village.
Fifteenth. To establish and regulate a fire department and fire and hook and ladder company or companies when necessary.
Sixteenth. To regulate the exhibitions of shows not interdicted by law.
Seventeenth. To license innkeepers and victualers, keepers of billiard and other saloons, peddlers, itinerant vendors, and auctioneers under regulations prescribed by the Village. Monies received for such licenses shall be paid into the Village treasury.
Eighteenth. To prohibit and punish willful injury to trees planted for shade or ornament, convenience, or use, public or private, and to prevent and punish trespassers or willful injuries to or upon public buildings, squares, commons, cemeteries, or other property or properties. And the Village may establish, alter, or repeal other bylaws that it may deem necessary for the well-being of the Village and for the proper regulation of the Village officers and not repugnant to the laws of the State. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 264, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 402. Imposition of forfeitures

§ 402. Imposition of forfeitures
The Village may impose a forfeiture of not exceeding $25.00 for violation of any bylaw. Such forfeiture may be recovered in an action of tort founded on this charter, brought in the name of the Village, and in any such action a general complaint counting on the bylaws shall be sufficient.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 403. Violations

§ 403. Violations
In an action for violation of a bylaw, the process may issue against the body of the defendant and if the defendant is found guilty, and it appears to the court before whom the action is tried that the cause of action arose from willful or malicious act or neglect of the defendant, it shall so adjudge and shall further adjudge that the defendant ought to be confined in close jail and may issue execution against the body of the defendant with a certificate of the finding indorsed on the execution, and the execution with the certificate shall have the same effect as an execution issued on a judgment founded upon tort with a like certificate. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 265, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 501. Grand list

§ 501. Grand list
The grand list of the ratable estate within said Village as made out by the listers of the Town of Alburgh shall be the grand list of said Village, and the trustees shall cause a copy of such list to be made and filed in the office of the Clerk of said Village within 10 days, or as soon thereafter as practicable.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 502. Assessment of tax on grand list

§ 502. Assessment of tax on grand list
The Village may, at any legal meeting, assess a tax on the grand list of the Village for any of the purposes specified in this charter. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 266, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 601. Residency not disqualification to serve

§ 601. Residency not disqualification to serve
No person being a resident or taxpayer of said corporation shall thereby be deemed disqualified to act as judge, justice, juror, sheriff, deputy sheriff, constable, or police officer in any matter, cause, or proceeding in which said corporation shall be interested.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 801. Authority to construct and maintain infrastructure

§ 801. Authority to construct and maintain infrastructure
The Village of Alburgh is authorized and empowered to construct, extend, renew, and maintain a common sewer or sewers in the Village; to build and maintain sidewalks and curbings along the streets and public highways in the Village; to oil and sprinkle the streets in the Village; and to acquire by purchase or construction a lighting system for the use of the Village or its inhabitants. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 267, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 802. Eminent domain authority

§ 802. Eminent domain authority
For any of the foregoing purposes, said Village may take, use, or occupy the land of individuals and corporations on making compensation for the taking, and the trustees in the taking of land and in the awarding of damages shall proceed in the manner prescribed by law for selectboards in the taking of land for public highways and in the awarding of damages. The trustees shall cause to be recorded in the office of the Village Clerk a certificate of their doings, which shall be signed by a majority. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 268, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 803. Procedures for eminent domain authority

§ 803. Procedures for eminent domain authority
In all proceedings under this charter for taking land, rights, or property, the trustees shall pass upon the convenience and necessity for the taking at hearings held by them after giving notice to each owner or interested person of the time, place, and purpose of the hearing. The notice shall give a description of the land, property, or rights to be taken and used. At the hearing, the trustees shall determine the question of convenience and necessity and decide the question of damages and shall pay or tender the amount of the damages to the person or persons entitled to the same, in the same manner as is provided by law for selectboards in taking lands for highways and in awarding damages. A person aggrieved by any act of the trustees in the taking of lands, rights, or property for the foregoing purposes and in the awarding of damages may have the same right of appeal, and in the case of an appeal, proceedings shall be had in the same manner as is provided for appeals from acts of selectboards in taking land and awarding damages for highway purposes. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 269, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 804. Assessments for sidewalks and curbs

§ 804. Assessments for sidewalks and curbs
The Board of Trustees in making, altering, or repairing sidewalks and curbs shall have power, subject to the ordinances and bylaws of the Village, on giving 12 days’ notice to the parties interested, of the time and place of hearing, to assess the owners of the benefited lands or buildings, so much of the expense of making, altering, or repairing the sidewalks and curbs as they shall judge the lands or buildings abutting the sidewalks and curbs to be benefited by the sidewalks and curbs; the assessment not to exceed 50 percent of the cost of making, altering, or repairing the sidewalks and curbs. And when they shall make any assessment, they shall make a report thereof, in writing, setting forth their doings in that respect, and cause the report to be recorded in the Village Clerk’s office; and when so recorded the amount so assessed shall be and remain a lien in the nature of a tax upon the land so assessed until the same shall be paid. From the assessment there shall be the right of appeal to the county court as is provided in case of laying out, constructing, or repairing sewers and drains in the charter of the Village, and the final decision of the county court in the matter of the appeal, where the record of the report is recorded pursuant to this section, shall be a lien upon the lands so assessed, but the appeal shall not delay the making, altering, or repairing of the sidewalks and curbs. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 270, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 805. Recordation and collection of sidewalk and curbing assessments

§ 805. Recordation and collection of sidewalk and curbing assessments
(a) The Board of Trustees shall, as soon as may be after they have caused the report and assessments to be recorded in the Village Clerk’s office of the Village of Alburgh, place a list of the assessments in the hands of the Village Treasurer for collection. The Village Treasurer shall forthwith notify, in writing, the owner or owners of land or buildings so assessed, their agents, or attorneys, stating the amount of the assessment. All such assessments shall be paid to the Village Treasurer within 60 days after the same have been filed for record in the office of the Clerk of the Village of Alburgh, and the assessments and any interest shall be and remain a lien upon the lands and buildings assessed until the same are fully paid.
(b) If an owner or owners of any land or buildings assessed under the provisions of this charter shall neglect or refuse to pay any such assessment, with interest, as provided in this charter, to the Village Treasurer within the time prescribed for the payment, the Village Treasurer shall issue the Village Treasurer’s warrant to the Village Collector of Taxes for the collection of the assessment, which warrant shall be in the form now prescribed by law for collection of town or other taxes, and the Collector shall have authority to sell at public auction so much of the lands as will satisfy the assessments and the legal fees and shall proceed in the same manner and have the same fees as a collector of taxes in a town in selling land for the payment of taxes.
(c) Whenever a description of lands or buildings is required for the purposes of making assessments under the provisions of this charter, reference to the conveyance to the owner, giving date thereof, the name of the person from whom acquired, and the volume and page of the land records in the Town Clerk’s office in which the same is recorded, shall be sufficient. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 271, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 806. Taxation for infrastructure improvements

§ 806. Taxation for infrastructure improvements
The legal voters of the Village of Alburgh, at any annual or special meeting warned for that purpose, may vote a tax upon the grand list of the Village for any of the purposes mentioned in this charter. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 272, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 807. Construction of individual sewer and drain connections

§ 807. Construction of individual sewer and drain connections
The owner of property abutting or adjacent to any street or alley in the Village through which a public sewer has been constructed shall construct under the direction of the trustees a suitable sewer or drain from the owner’s property and properly connect the same with said public sewer. If, after 20 days’ notice in writing by the trustees to the owner of the property, of the requirement the owner fails or neglects to construct or connect the sewer the trustees shall enter upon the property and make the connection, assessing for the connection the actual cost of so doing against the property and the owner of the property. The trustees shall file in the office of the Village Clerk of the Village of Alburgh an itemized statement of the costs of constructing and connecting the sewer, and the amount so assessed shall be and remain a lien upon the property and shall be enforced and collected in the same manner as is provided in this charter for the enforcement and collection of assessments. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 273, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 808. Assessment of sewer service fee

§ 808. Assessment of sewer service fee
The trustees of the Village of Alburgh may, on due notice and after hearing, assess against the property connected with the system in such Village a service fee to be used by said Village for the maintenance, upkeep, and repair of the sewage system, which shall not exceed such limit for each owner or tenant occupying the property or any portion thereof as the Village shall from time to time determine by a majority vote at any annual or special meeting duly warned for that purpose.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 203 - Village of Alburgh › App § 809. Funds for sidewalk and curbing repairs

§ 809. Funds for sidewalk and curbing repairs
The selectboard of the Town of Alburgh shall, on or before the first day of November in each and every year, draw its order on the Treasurer of the Town of Alburgh for a sum of money equal to 10 percent of the Village grand list, which shall be used by the Village of Alburgh in building, repairing, and maintaining sidewalks and curbs within the Village. After the passage of this charter, the Town of Alburgh shall be relieved from any liability or expense for building, repairing, and maintaining sidewalks and curbs within the Village of Alburgh; and thereafter the Village of Alburgh shall assume all such liabilities. But the Town of Alburgh shall not be relieved from such liability except upon the payment of the 10 percent. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 274, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 1. Preface

§ 1. Preface
Under authority granted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont, the voters of the Bellows Falls Village corporation hereby adopt a charter for the following purposes:
(1) To clarify the structure and organization of local government.
(2) To define the duties and responsibilities of Village officers.
(3) To provide for the citizens of the Village a unified and convenient reference with respect to the basic laws affecting local government.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 2. Amendment and repeal

§ 2. Amendment and repeal
The present officers of the Village shall hold their respective offices until the next annual meeting of the Village, as provided in its bylaws. And its bylaws now in force, insofar as they do not conflict with the provisions of this charter, shall continue in force until others are adopted in their stead. And, subject to this provision, all acts and parts of acts heretofore passed relating to said corporation are hereby repealed. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 275, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 3. Boundaries and general powers

§ 3. Boundaries and general powers
The inhabitants within the bounds of the original first school district in the Town of Rockingham in the County of Windham, and their successors forever, are hereby constituted a body politic and corporate, by the name of the “Bellows Falls Village Corporation” and by that name may sue and be sued; may have a common seal and alter the same at pleasure; and shall have power to purchase, hold, and convey real estate for the use of the Village, and its departments, and shall have the power to purchase, hold, and convey personal estate through its Board of Trustees, and may tax themselves and levy and collect taxes for the purposes described in this charter or to carry into effect any legal vote or bylaw of the Village, providing that no tax shall be laid or collected without the consent of the majority of the legal voters of said Village present at a meeting duly warned and agreeable to the provisions of this charter. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 276, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 5. Elected officers’ terms and vacancies

§ 5. Elected officers’ terms and vacancies
(a) The officers of said corporation shall be a Moderator, a President, a Clerk, a Treasurer, a Collector of Taxes, four Trustees, and three Auditors of Accounts. No person shall hold office of Treasurer and Auditor of Accounts simultaneously.
(b) All officers of said Village shall be residents and elected at the annual meeting of said Village, except Collector of Taxes, who shall be appointed by the Board of Trustees.
(c) All officers of said Village, except the Trustees, shall hold office for one year and until their successors shall be elected and qualified.
(d) At each annual meeting of said Village, there shall be elected two Trustees who shall hold office for the term of two years and until their successors shall be elected and qualified.
(e) When a vacancy occurs in any of the offices by reason of nonacceptance, death, removal, refusal to act, moved from Village, inability to perform duties due to a mental condition or psychiatric disability, or from any other cause, the corporation may fill the vacancy by a new election, for the unexpired term at any legal meeting. The Board of Trustees may, by temporary appointment, fill any vacancy, and the persons so appointed shall hold office until their successors are elected and qualified. A record of the appointment shall be recorded in the office of the Clerk of the corporation. (Amended 2013, No. 96 (Adj. Sess.), § 167.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 6. Board of Trustees’ duties

§ 6. Board of Trustees’ duties
(a) The Board of Trustees shall have charge of all prudential affairs of said corporation and perform the duties enjoined upon it by said corporation.
(b) The Board shall direct the expenditure of all monies belonging to the Village, and no money shall be expended in any department of the Village except upon the order of said Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees shall enforce the Village bylaws and regulations and direct prosecutions for the breach of a bylaw or regulation. The trustees shall have power to regulate the excavating of streets and the laying of pipes in the streets and they may issue licenses for these purposes.
(c) In case of the illness or absence of the Clerk, it shall be the duty of the Board of Trustees to warn meetings of said corporation.
(d) No member of the Board of Trustees shall hold the position of Superintendent of Sewerage and Water, Chief of Police, Fire Chief, or Manager.
(e) It shall be the duty of the Board of Trustees to annually make a list of the names of such persons resident within the limits of said corporation as are legal voters at Town meeting of the Town of Rockingham, at least 15 days before the annual meeting of said corporation, and shall immediately cause copies thereof to be posted in two or more public places in said corporation, and a copy to be filed with the Clerk thereof and said list shall be revised by the Board of Trustees in the same manner as is now provided by law for the revision of check lists of voters in town meeting. The Clerk, or in the Clerk’s absence, one of the trustees of the Board of said corporation, shall have such list present at any meeting of said corporation, and the same shall be used in the same manner as provided by law for the use of town check lists. And no person whose name is not on such list shall vote at any meeting of such corporation in which such list is used, and the vote of no person whose name is on such list shall be rejected if a resident of said corporation on the day on which such meeting is held. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 278, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 7. President’s duties

§ 7. President’s duties
By virtue of the office, the President shall be a member of the Board of Trustees and shall preside over meetings of the Board of Trustees. In the absence of the President, the Trustees shall elect a chair from among their number.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 8. Clerk’s duties

§ 8. Clerk’s duties
It shall be the duty of the Clerk to warn all meetings of said corporation, both annual and special, agreeable to the direction of the Board of Trustees, and to keep accurate records of the proceedings of said corporation, to furnish certified copies of the same when required, and the Clerk shall receive compensation as determined by the trustees. The Clerk shall also be ex-officio Clerk of the Board of Trustees.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 9. Moderator

§ 9. Moderator
It shall be the duty of the Moderator to preside at all annual and special meetings of said corporation, and he or she shall have the same powers as a moderator of town meetings. In the absence of the Moderator, the meeting shall be called to order by a member of the Board of Trustees and the meeting shall elect a Moderator Pro Tempore.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 10. Treasurer’s and Collector’s duties

§ 10. Treasurer’s and Collector’s duties
The Treasurer and Collector shall perform the same duties for said corporation as by law is required of a town treasurer and a collector of town taxes respectively; and shall have the same powers, proceed in the same manner, and be subject to the same liabilities; and shall give bonds to said corporation, conditioned for the faithful performance of their respective duties, with such sureties and in such sums as the Board of Trustees shall direct. And a failure or neglect on the part of either of said officers for more than 20 days after election or appointment to furnish satisfactory bonds shall create a vacancy in such office.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 11. Auditors’ duties

§ 11. Auditors’ duties
It shall be the duty of the auditors of accounts to audit the accounts of the Collector and Treasurer of said corporation; they shall carefully examine the vouchers of the Treasurer and all other records of public funds prior to each annual meeting, and shall have access to the books and records of all corporation officers, and shall make a written report of their doings, with criticisms and recommendations as they deem best, to said corporation at its annual meeting.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 12. Disqualifications

§ 12. Disqualifications
A person being a resident or taxpayer of said corporation shall thereby not be disqualified, solely on that basis, to act as judge, justice, juror, sheriff, deputy sheriff, constable, or police officer in any matter or proceeding in which said corporation shall be a party to or have an interest in.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 13. Bylaws and regulations

§ 13. Bylaws and regulations
(a) The corporation may enact such bylaws and regulations as are expedient, including those that relate to vehicle traffic and parking of motor and other vehicles on the streets of the Village; to streets, sidewalks, lanes, and commons, and shade and ornamental trees on public ways and places; to nuisances; to lighting the streets of the Village; and to restraining animals from running at large.
(b) Said corporation shall have the authority to prosecute ordinances through its Village Attorney. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 279, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 14. Penalties; charter and bylaws

§ 14. Penalties; charter and bylaws
Fines, forfeitures, and penalties imposed for violations of any of the provisions of this charter or of the Village bylaws may be prosecuted for and recovered in and by an action founded on this section in the Vermont District Court or the Windham Superior Court. The allegation that the acts constituting the offense charged are contrary to the form of this charter or bylaws, in such case made and provided, shall be sufficient reference to this charter or bylaws. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 280, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 15. Taxes

§ 15. Taxes
The Village may, at any annual or special meeting called in whole or in part for that purpose, lay a tax on the grand list of the Town of Rockingham, and the Board of Trustees shall make out a rate bill of all taxes voted by the Bellows Falls Village corporation, in making the list of the Town, to designate in the grand list such of the rateable estate of the Town as shall be within the limits of the Village. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 281, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 16. Tax abatement

§ 16. Tax abatement
The Board for the Abatement of Taxes shall consist of the Board of Trustees, President, Clerk, and Treasurer, and justice of the peace and listers residing in the Village. The act of a majority of a quorum at a meeting shall be treated as the act of the Board. The above requirement in respect to a quorum need not be met if the President, Clerk, Treasurer, and a majority of the trustees are present at the meeting. The Board shall have the power to abate taxes assessed by vote of the Village, and the power of the Board to abate taxes shall be subject to the same limitations, and may be exercised for the causes, as stated in 24 V.S.A. § 1535. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 282, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 17. Police Department

§ 17. Police Department
(a) The Board of Trustees, and in its stead, the Village Manager, when appointed pursuant to 24 V.S.A. chapter 37, and as may be amended, may establish and maintain a Police Department. Such Police Department shall consist of one Chief of Police and subordinate officers as deemed necessary. Such officers, including the Chief of Police, shall take an oath to faithfully perform their respective duties as such police officer, which instrument shall be recorded by and in the office of the Clerk of said corporation. Such police officers shall have the same powers as sheriffs in criminal matters and the enforcement of the law and in serving criminal process and such special authority as may be provided in any bylaw or ordinance of said corporation enacted under authority of Vermont statutes.
(b) The direction and control of the entire Police Department, except as otherwise provided, shall be vested in the Chief of Police. If the Chief of Police is absent or disabled, or if the office of Chief of Police is vacant, the appointing authority may appoint another officer to discharge the duties of the Chief of Police.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 18. Fire Department

§ 18. Fire Department
The Board of Trustees, and in its stead, the Village Manager when appointed pursuant to 24 V.S.A. chapter 37, and as the same may be amended, may establish and maintain a Fire Department for the protection of life and property. Such Fire Department shall consist of one Fire Chief appointed by the Manager and subordinate officers and employees appointed by the Manager, upon the recommendation of the Fire Chief, in accordance with the Bellows Falls Village Corporation Personnel Plan. The trustees shall empower the Fire Chief to provide for such number of firefighters as deemed necessary.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 19. Water Department

§ 19. Water Department
The Village may maintain a Water Department for the purpose of supplying its inhabitants, and as incident to that service, the inhabitants of adjoining towns and the Town of Rockingham, with water for domestic and other purposes, and may purchase and hold all necessary real and personal estate for that purpose, and may issue its corporate bonds to secure any present or future indebtedness for the establishing, enlarging, and extending of its water works; it may take, hold, and use such land adjacent to and surrounding the pond known as “Minard’s Pond,” now owned by the Village, as may be necessary for the protection of the water of the pond from defilement, and may for that purpose enclose the pond or land so taken, by suitable fences, and whenever it shall be deemed necessary by the corporation to increase its supply of water for its Water Department, it may take and hold waters of any additional ponds, springs, or streams of water for that purpose, together with such lands surrounding and adjacent to the same as may be deemed necessary for the use and protection of the water of such ponds, springs, or streams from defilement, and may enclose the ponds, springs, or streams by suitable fences for the purpose of protection. The corporation may, by aqueduct, conduct the waters of the ponds, springs, or streams that may be taken in pursuance of this charter into “Minard’s Pond,” or the waters of “Minard’s Pond,” and the ponds, springs, or streams to the Village of Bellows Falls and through the streets of the Village. And, for that purpose, may enter upon such lands as may be necessary, and may dig, lay, and from time to time repair aqueducts. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 283, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 20. Water rates

§ 20. Water rates
For the purpose of the support of said Water Department, and to ensure the payment of the annual principal and interest upon any water bonds issued by said corporation, the Board of Trustees shall establish rates to be charged and paid by the users of said water, at such times and in such manner as shall be determined by the Board of Trustees, and may, from time to time, alter, modify, amend, increase, or diminish such rates, and extend them to any description of property or use, as the Board of Trustees may deem proper. Such rates shall be chargeable to and may be collected of the owners of the property so supplied, unless otherwise agreed upon by the Board of Trustees and said owners, and shall be a lien and charge upon the buildings, lots, and other property so supplied and may be collected in an action at law in the name of the corporation. The Board of Trustees may order water rents to be paid in advance and may make all necessary provisions and orders relating to the supply or stoppage of water as the Board of Trustees may think expedient to ensure such advance payments.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 21. Application of water management

§ 21. Application of water management
The rents and receipts of said corporation for the use of water shall first be applied to pay the annual principal and interest as it becomes due upon water bonds issued by said corporation, and whenever such rents and receipts shall exceed the amount required to pay such principal and interest, and the interest of any other water bonds of said corporation, it shall be the duty of said corporation to pay such excess, in the necessary repairs, management, and addition to said water works; and the balance of such excess, if any, shall be applied to Water Department operations for ensuing years. Any deficit shall also be applied to Water Department operations for ensuing years.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 22. Minard’s Pond

§ 22. Minard’s Pond
It is hereby declared to be unlawful for any person or persons to go upon or into the waters of Minard’s Pond or other ponds, streams, or springs from which the Village derives its supply of water; or to remove fish from Minard’s Pond; or to enter upon the land adjacent to and bordering upon the pond for the purpose of fishing, swimming, camping, hunting, skating, snowmobiling, ATV riding, or cutting wood. Pet owners shall be responsible for properly restraining their pets from entering upon or into the waters of Minard’s Pond. This area shall be closed to unauthorized motor vehicles between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Any person or persons violating any of the provisions of this section shall upon conviction be fined not less than $25.00, nor more than $500.00, or restitution for damages resulting from violations, or both. The Board of Trustees or any police officer of the Village may make complaint and prosecute offenders in the name of the Village as is provided for the prosecution of other offenses. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 284, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 23. Streets and sidewalks

§ 23. Streets and sidewalks
(a) Lighting and the regulation of the highways, streets, and sidewalks located within the corporate limits of said corporation shall be within the control of the Board of Trustees and the corporation shall have the right to use said highways, streets, and sidewalks for sewer and water purposes and for other municipal purposes, all as provided elsewhere in this charter and as may be amended from time to time.
(b) The trustees shall have no power to control or direct the expenditure of funds for the purpose of maintaining the highways, bridges, and culverts located within the corporate limits. The trustees may, on behalf of the corporation, petition the Selectboard of the Town of Rockingham to make repairs to highways, bridges, and culverts within the corporate limits, or to lay out, alter, or discontinue highways within said limits. Upon receipt of such a petition, the Selectboard shall take appropriate action thereon as if the petition had been submitted in accordance with Title 19, chapter 7 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated and the trustees may appeal the actions of the Selectboard and exercise any other rights of an interested person with respect to said petition.
(c) The Board of Trustees of said corporation shall have the power to regulate, improve, beautify, light, repair, or sustain the parks and commons of said corporation. Said Board of Trustees may cause to be trimmed or removed any tree, obstruction, or vegetation in any street, sidewalk, or right-of-way in said corporation when said trustees shall deem the same to be necessary to the free use and occupancy of the streets and sidewalks, or to the proper lighting of the same.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 24. Sewerage Department

§ 24. Sewerage Department
The Village may maintain a Sewerage Department for the purposes of providing its inhabitants, and as incident to that service, the inhabitants of adjoining towns and the Town of Rockingham, with sewerage systems for domestic and other purposes, and may purchase and hold all necessary real and personal estate for that purpose, and may issue its corporate bonds to secure any present or future indebtedness for the establishing, enlarging, and extending of its sewerage. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 285, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 25. Sewerage rates

§ 25. Sewerage rates
For the purpose of the support of said Sewerage Department and to ensure the payment of the annual principal and interest upon any sewerage bonds issued by said corporation, the Board of Trustees shall establish rates to be charged and paid by the users of said sewer system, at such times and in such manner as shall be determined by the Board of Trustees, and may, from time to time, alter, modify, amend, increase, or diminish such rates, and extend them to any description of property or use, as the Board of Trustees may deem proper. Such rates shall be chargeable to, and may be collected of, the owners of the property so provided, unless otherwise agreed upon by the Board of Trustees and said owners, and shall be a lien and charge upon the buildings, lots, and other property so provided and may be collected in an action at law in the name of the corporation. The Board of Trustees may order sewerage rents to be paid in advance and may make all necessary provisions and orders relating to said sewerage as the Board of Trustees may think expedient to ensure such advance payments.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 26. Application of sewerage management

§ 26. Application of sewerage management
The rents and receipts of said corporation for the use of sewerage shall first be applied to pay the annual principal and interest as it becomes due upon sewerage bonds issued by said corporation, and whenever such rents and receipts shall exceed the amount required to pay such principal and interest, and the interest of any other sewerage bonds of said corporation to pay such excess, in the necessary repairs, management, and addition to said sewerage; and the balance of such excess, if any, shall be applied to Sewerage Department operations for ensuing years. Any deficit shall also be applied to Sewerage Department operations for ensuing years.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 27. Drains and sewers

§ 27. Drains and sewers
The Board of Trustees of said corporation may lay out, grade, alter, maintain, and discontinue any sewers or drains in said corporation, and may appraise and settle the damages therefor, causing their proceedings to be recorded in the office of the Clerk of the Town of Rockingham, provided that any person or persons aggrieved by the appraisal of said Board shall have the like opportunity for applying to the Superior Court for the County of Windham to obtain redress, as is or may be allowed by the law to those aggrieved with the proceedings of selectboards in similar cases.
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 28. Refuse disposal

§ 28. Refuse disposal
The Village is hereby authorized and empowered by and with the consent of the majority of the legal voters of the Village at a meeting legally warned and held for the purpose, to establish, maintain, and operate a dumping ground, for the reception and disposal of leaves, trees, and like materials and to take by lease or purchase and hold such property, either real or personal, or both, as may be necessary for those purposes, inside or outside the limits of the Village; and the Village shall have authority, by and with the consent of the majority of the legal voters of the Village at a meeting legally warned and held for the purpose, to borrow and appropriate money, to raise taxes, and to issue its corporate bonds for the purpose of purchasing, establishing, constructing, extending, enlarging, and maintaining the dump or refuse disposal plant. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 286, eff. July 1, 2023.)
2023 Vermont Statutes › Title 24 Appendix - Municipal Charters › Chapter 207 - Village of Bellows Falls › App § 29. Electric utility authorization

§ 29. Electric utility authorization
The Village is authorized and empowered by and with the consent of a majority of the legal voters of the Village, at a meeting legally warned and held for that purpose, to purchase or establish an electric light plant, and for that purpose may purchase, have, hold, and convey personal and real estate inside or outside the limits of the Village corporation for the purpose of lighting the highways and streets of the Village, and furnishing electric lights, electric heat, and electric motive power to persons and parties within the corporate limits of the Village, on terms and subject to rules and regulations that may be agreed upon between the Village and the persons and parties, and for the purposes described in this section, may run electric lines along, over, or under highways, streets, or public grounds, inside or outside the corporate limits, provided public travel shall not be unnecessarily affected or impeded, and subject to all lawful ordinances and regulations as to the use of highways and streets; and the Village corporation shall have authority to hire and appropriate money, raise taxes, and issue its corporate bonds for the purchasing, establishing, constructing, extending, enlarging, and maintaining of its electric light plant. (Amended 2023, No. 6, § 287, eff. July 1, 2023.)