The Vermont Statutes Online

Title 24: Municipal and County Government

Chapter 049: Merger of Municipalities

• § 1481. Definitions

  The term “municipalities” as used in this chapter means cities, incorporated villages, special purpose districts, and school districts. (Added 1965, No. 184, § 3.)

• § 1482. Preliminary plan

  A plan of merger shall be prepared which shall be approved by a majority of the legislative body of each of the parties to the proposed merger before being promulgated. (Added 1965, No. 184, § 2(a).)

• § 1483. Contents of plan

  The plan of merger shall include provisions relating to structure, organization, functions, operation, finance, property, and other appropriate matters; shall include special provisions contained in a charter of any municipality included in the plan, which provisions are peculiar to that municipality, and which it is desired to retain as charter provisions of the consolidated municipality; and shall include adequate provisions for the satisfaction of all obligations of the parties concerned. The plan shall provide that any area or group of voters in the consolidated municipality or town may have special services, not common to all the voters in the municipality or town, provided for them, if so voted. All costs of whatever nature required to support these special services shall be paid for by the taxpayers receiving these services, by a tax on their grand list, to be assessed annually by the selectboard or the equivalent officers of a municipality, or in such other manner as the selectboard or the equivalent officers of a municipality shall determine. If the costs are to be paid by a tax, such tax shall be paid and collected in the same manner as other taxes and such tax assessed on their grand list shall be a lien thereon. (Added 1965, No. 184, § 2(b); amended 1966, No. 31 (Sp. Sess.), § 1, eff. March 12, 1966.)

• § 1484. Notice and hearing

  Not less than 30 days prior to the meetings referred to in section 1485 of this title, copies of the plan of merger shall be posted in three or more public places in each of the areas involved. Two public hearings on the proposed plan of merger shall be held at intervals of two weeks in each of the areas involved. The later hearings shall be held not less than five days before the meetings referred to in section 1485 of this title. Notices of the hearings shall be advertised in at least three issues of a newspaper of general circulation in the town. The last advertisement shall appear not later than three days before the final public hearing. (Added 1965, No. 184, § 2(c).)

• § 1485. Vote of approval

  (a) Adjoining municipalities within a town may merge upon the approval of a plan of merger by a majority vote of each municipality concerned at a meeting duly warned for that purpose and held in each of such municipalities.

  (b) One or more municipalities within a town may merge into the town upon the approval of a plan of merger by a majority vote of the municipality or municipalities and the town at separate meetings duly warned for that purpose and held in each of the areas concerned.

  (c) When approved by Australian ballot by the voters of each of the merging municipalities and approved by the General Assembly under 17 V.S.A. § 2645, that part of the plan of merger containing the permanent provisions required by section 1483 of this title shall become the charter of the consolidated municipality. (Added 1965, No. 184, § 1(a), (b); amended 1966, No. 31 (Sp. Sess.), § 2, eff. March 12, 1966; 1995, No. 108 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)

• § 1486. Notice to Secretary of State

  The clerk or equivalent officer of the municipality into which other municipalities have merged shall so notify the Secretary of State within ten days following the last of the meetings referred to in section 1485 of this title. (Added 1965, No. 184, § 4.)

• § 1487. Alternative merger provisions

  Notwithstanding the existence of any special act authorizing the merger of two or more municipalities, the legislative bodies of those municipalities which plan to merge may elect to proceed either under this chapter or under the special act authorizing the merger. (Added 1966, No. 31 (Sp. Sess.), § 3, eff. March 12, 1966.)