The Vermont Statutes Online

Title 24 Appendix: Municipal Charters

Chapter 108: Town of Bristol

• Subchapter 001: MERGER TRANSITION PROVISIONS

• §§ 101-103. [Transitional provisions related to the merger of the Village and Town]

• Subchapter 002: GENERAL PROVISIONS

• § 201. Applicability of the general law

  Except when changed, enlarged, or modified by these charter provisions, the Town of Bristol shall have all the powers granted to towns by the Constitution and general laws of the State of Vermont, together with all the implied powers necessary to carry into execution all the powers granted to the Town of Bristol. (Added 1994, No. M-20, § 2, eff. Jan. 1, 1995.)

• Subchapter 003: OFFICERS

• § 301. Officers

  The Town of Bristol shall continue to have the officers as provided for towns by the general laws of the State. However, there shall be added to the existing three members of the Selectboard an additional two members for a total of five. The two additional members shall be first elected at the 1995 Bristol annual Town meeting. The two additional members shall serve for two-year terms except that one of them elected at said 1995 annual Town meeting shall only be elected for an initial one-year term. The Town may vote to discontinue the positions of the two additional members at an annual or special Town meeting warned for that purpose. From the effective date of this merger until the 1995 Bristol annual Town meeting, the two additional members’ positions shall be filled by two of the persons in office as trustees of the Village of Bristol on the day before said effective merger date as designated by the incumbent Board of Trustees of the Village of Bristol. (Added 1994, No. M-20, § 2, eff. Jan. 1, 1995.)

• Subchapter 004: ORDINANCES

• § 401. Ordinances, etc

  (a) The Town of Bristol may adopt, amend, repeal, and enforce any rule, regulation, bylaw, or ordinance to carry into execution all the powers granted to the Town of Bristol.

  (b) Any rule, regulation, bylaw, or ordinance of the Town of Bristol may apply to one or more limited areas and not to the whole Town. This may include the providing of a particular service, such as collection of garbage, to one or more limited areas of the Town and the charging of fees to be paid by the users thereof for the costs of such a service. (Added 1994, No. M-20, § 2, eff. Jan. 1, 1995.)

• Subchapter 005: WATER DEPARTMENT

• § 501. Water Department

  (a) Upon the effective date of this merger, the geographic area formerly covered by the then abolished Village of Bristol shall constitute a Water Department service area for the purpose of providing water services therein. However, said Water Department shall be responsible for continuing the present specific water services already in existence and being provided beyond said geographic area prior to the effective date of this merger.

  (b) The water system taken over from the Village of Bristol and any additions thereto or modifications thereof shall be maintained separate from all other departments of the Town and no part of the rents and revenues therefrom may be used for any other purpose.

  (c) Unless otherwise voted by the Town at a Town meeting, all costs of the Water Department shall be paid by the users thereof and the annual water rents or charges shall be at a rate sufficient to cover annual expenditures, temporary indebtedness, the amortizing of bonded indebtedness, and interest and any dedicated (sinking) funds. Prior to the setting of the annual budget and annual water rents or charges, the water commissioners shall each year hold a public hearing for the purpose of receiving input concerning a proposed annual budget and annual water rents or charges for the Water Department. The public notice for each such public hearing shall be given not less than 15 days prior to the date of the public hearing by the publication of the date, place, and purpose of the hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in the Town of Bristol and by the posting of the same information in one or more public places within the Water Department service area.

  (d) The Selectboard of the Town of Bristol shall be the water commissioners who, in connection with those powers enumerated in the general laws of the State with respect to waterworks and supply, shall have the power to adopt and enforce rules, regulations, or ordinances concerning the control and operation of such water system.

  (e) The Water Department service area may be enlarged or modified by the water commissioners after holding a public hearing on any such proposed enlargement or modification. The public notice for each such public hearing shall be given not less than 15 days prior to the date of the public hearing by the publication of the date, place, and purpose of the hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in the Town of Bristol and by the posting of the same information in one or more public places within the Water Department service area. (Added 1994, No. M-20, § 2, eff. Jan. 1, 1995.)

• Subchapter 006: SEWER DEPARTMENT

• § 601. Sewer Department

  (a) Upon the effective date of this merger, the geographic area served by the so-called Bristol core area sewer system of the then abolished Village of Bristol shall constitute a Sewer Department service area of the Town of Bristol for the purpose of providing sewer service therein.

  (b) The Selectboard of the Town of Bristol shall be the sewer commissioners, alternatively known as the sewage system commissioners or sewage disposal commissioners, who, in connection with those powers enumerated in the general laws of the State with respect to sewage systems or sewage disposal systems, shall have the power to adopt and enforce rules, regulations, or ordinances concerning the control and operation of such sewer system.

  (c) Unless otherwise voted by the Town at a Town meeting, all costs of the Sewer Department shall be paid by the users thereof, and the annual sewer charges shall be at a rate sufficient to cover annual expenditures, temporary indebtedness, the amortizing of bonded indebtedness and interest, and any dedicated (sinking) funds. The Sewer Department shall be maintained separate from all other departments of the Town, and no part of the charges and revenues therefrom may be used for any other purpose. Prior to the setting of the annual budget and annual sewer charges, the sewer commissioners shall each year hold a public hearing on the proposed annual budget and annual sewer charges for the Sewer Department. The public notice for each such public hearing shall be given not less than 15 days prior to the date of the public hearing by the publication of the date, place, and purpose of the hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in the Town of Bristol and by the posting of the same information in one or more public places within the general area served by the Sewer Department.

  (d) The Sewer Department service area may be enlarged or modified by the sewer commissioners after holding a public hearing on any such proposed enlargement or modification. The public notice for each such public hearing shall be given not less than 15 days prior to the date of the public hearing by the publication of the date, place, and purpose of the hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in the Town of Bristol and by the posting of the same information in one or more public places within the Sewer Department service area. (Added 1994, No. M-20, § 2, eff. Jan. 1, 1995.)

• Subchapter 007: POLICE DEPARTMENT

• § 701. Police Department

  (a) Upon the effective date of the merger, the geographic area formerly covered by the then abolished Village of Bristol shall constitute a Police Department Special Service District for the purpose of providing police protection therein.

  (b) All costs required to support said Special Service District shall be paid for by the taxpayers receiving said services by a special assessment property tax on the grand list of the property in the area covered by said Special Service District, to be assessed annually by the Selectboard and added to such taxpayers’ regular general property taxes and due as a part thereof at the same time and that shall be a lien on such property and shall be collected in the same manner as such regular general property taxes, including fees and interest charges. The Police Department of this Special Service District of the Town of Bristol shall be maintained separate from all other departments of the Town, and no part of the revenues therefrom may be used for any other purpose than for the Police Department. The Selectboard shall each year hold a special meeting for the purpose of adoption by the voters residing within said Special Service District of the annual budget of the Police Department Special Service District and the amount thereof to be raised by the special assessment property tax.

  (c) The Town of Bristol may adopt and enforce rules, regulations, or ordinances concerning the Police Department, including but not limited to provisions providing for tenure of police officers during good behavior with removal only after hearing and for cause, except for reducing the number of officers for reasons of economic necessity.

  (d) Said Special Service District may be modified with the separate approval of both the voters residing within said District as existing and the voters residing within any area proposed to be enlarged or diminished. Such respective approvals shall be expressed by the affirmative vote of a majority of such voters present and voting at special meetings thereof. However, the voters of the Town of Bristol at an annual or special Town meeting warned for the purpose may vote to abolish said Special Service District in favor of making the Police Department a townwide Police Department whose cost will become a part of the general budget expense of the Town of Bristol.

  (e) The procedure for warning and holding each of the aforementioned special meetings shall be the same as the warning and holding of a special Town meeting, except that the legal voters shall be only those who are entitled to vote at the particular special meeting. (Added 1994, No. M-20, § 2, eff. Jan. 1, 1995.)

• Subchapter 008: SEPARABILITY

• § 801. Separability

  If all or any portion of any provision of these charter provisions is held invalid, the rest of these charter provisions shall not be affected thereby. If the application of any of these charter provisions to any person or circumstances is held invalid, the application thereof to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby. (Added 1994, No. M-20, § 2, eff. Jan. 1, 1995.)