The Vermont Statutes Online

Title 24 Appendix: Municipal Charters

Chapter 291: Village of Woodstock

• § 1. Village boundaries; residents; Town inhabitants

  (a) That part of the Town of Woodstock, in the County of Windsor, beginning at a stone post standing on the easterly side of the highway leading from the Village of Woodstock to Taftsville, and distant about 70 rods from the present northeast corner of the Village; thence running south 65 degrees east 62 rods to a corner; thence south 40 degrees west 128 rods to the northeasterly corner of the creamery lot; thence the same course 301 rods to the southeast corner of R. E. Townsend’s meadow; thence westerly on Townsend’s land 117 and one-half rods to Harvey H. Lockwood’s east line; thence north 51 and one-half degrees west 96 rods to a stone post standing on the northwesterly side of the highway near Sorrel Lucia’s house; thence same course 78 rods to a corner; thence north 39 degrees east 73 rods to the north-east corner of L. B. Marble’s wood shed; thence same course 304 rods to the south-west corner of Allen W. Thompson’s house; thence south 65 degrees east 64 and a half rods to a stone post standing near the fair ground school house so called; thence same course 171 rods to place of beginning, shall hereafter be known by the name of the Village of Woodstock.

  (b) The corporation hereby created may alter the boundaries and limits of the Village, with the consent of any person or persons to be included or excluded by such alteration; and a record of all such alterations shall be made in the office of the Town Clerk of the Town of said Town of Woodstock. The inhabitants and territory included in the limits of the Village shall belong to the Town of territory of Woodstock, in the same manner as though this charter had not passed.

• § 2. Corporate existence; assessment

  (a) The inhabitants residing in the Village are hereby constituted a body, politic and corporate, by the name of the Village of Woodstock and by that name shall have succession, and may commence, prosecute, and defend suits or actions in all courts whatever; may have a common seal and alter the same; may purchase, hold, and convey real and personal estate for the use of the Village; may tax themselves and levy and collect taxes for the purpose aforethe, or to carry into effect any legal vote or bylaw of the corporation.

  (b) Provided that, no tax shall be assessed, except by vote at a meeting of the inhabitants warned for that purpose.

  (c) The inhabitants of the Village shall hereafter have power to assess and collect taxes on the property situated within the limits of the Village, belonging to nonresidents therein, for the same purposes and in the same manner that taxes may now be assessed and collected on the property situated within the limits of the Village, belonging to residents therein.

• § 3. Annual meeting; election of officers

  A meeting of the inhabitants shall be held annually on the third Tuesday in March for the purpose of electing a Clerk, five trustees, a Treasurer, and a Collector of Taxes, and for the transaction of any business specified in the warning of the meeting, which warning shall be signed by the Clerk, and shall specify such other business to be done at the meeting, besides the choice of officers, as the trustees shall direct, and shall be published in a newspaper in the Village, or posted up in three public places therein, at least 10 days before the meeting. The warning shall be recorded in the office of the Clerk before it is posted.

• § 4. Election of officers; enactment of bylaws

  The Village may elect such officers and enact such bylaws not repugnant of the laws of this State, as the public interests of the Village may require.

• § 5. Breach of bylaws; fines and forfeitures

  The corporation shall have power to assess fines and forfeitures for the breach of any of its bylaws; not exceeding $25.00 for any one offence, to be prosecuted; and recovered by actions of debt, before any justice of peace in the Village, in which action it shall be sufficient to declare generally that the defendant or defendants are indebted to the corporation in the amount of fine, penalty, or forfeiture for the breach of the certain bylaw violated by such party, under which declaration special matter may be given in evidence, and the inhabitants of the Village not otherwise incapacitated may be admitted as witnesses in any suit or action in which the corporation is a party.

• § 6. Clerk; Treasurer; Collector

  The Clerk, Treasurer, and Collector shall be sworn to the faithful discharge of the duties of their respective offices; and the Treasurer and Collector shall give bonds, with sureties, to the corporation, in such sum as the trustees shall direct for the faithful performance of their respective duties.

• § 7. Clerk; duties

  The Clerk shall keep records of all proceedings of the corporation, and give copies of the same when required, and may receive such fees as town clerks are entitled to receive for like services. The Clerk shall also warn meetings of the corporation, both annual and special, agreeably to the directions of the trustees, who are authorized to call special meetings of the corporation, causing the same to be warned in the manner prescribed for warning annual meetings.

• § 8. Trustees; duties

  It shall be the duty of the trustees to make out and deliver to the Collector an assessment or rate bill of all taxes that shall be laid by the corporation; to see that all the bylaws of the corporation are duly executed; and to direct all prosecutions for all breaches of them and, generally, to take care of all the prudential concerns of the corporation and to perform all duties that shall be legally enjoined on them by the corporation and all powers, by this act vested in the trustees, may be exercised by a majority of them; and in case of the death, removal, absence, or incapacity of the Clerk, the trustees may designate one of their number to perform the duties of Clerk and fill any temporary vacancy in any office in the Village.

• § 9. Fire wardens

  The fire wardens of the Village of Woodstock, and such persons as shall, pursuant to the bylaws of the Village, be elected fire wardens, and having with them some distinguishing badge of their office, designated by such bylaws, may, in times of fire, demand and require assistance from any of the inhabitants of the Village to extinguish and prevent the spreading of such fire, and remove goods and effects from any building or other place endangered by fire; and a majority of the fire wardens may cause to be pulled down, blown up, or removed such dwellings or the buildings as they may deem necessary to prevent the spreading or progress of such fire; and the fire wardens may require and demand assistance from any of the inhabitants of the Village to pull down and remove any building whenever it shall be judged necessary by a majority of the fire wardens present; and the fire wardens may suppress any disorder or tumults and direct the labors of all persons present during such fire; and if any resident of the Village, so present as aforesaid, shall refuse to obey the orders of any fire wardens in any manner authorized by this act, the offender shall, on conviction thereof, before any justice proper to try the same, forfeit and pay a fine not exceeding seven dollars to the Treasurer of the Village. Provided that the offender be prosecuted by action of debt, brought by any wardens, in the name of the Treasurer, within 90 days from the time of committing the offence.

• § 10. Hiring of money

  The Village of Woodstock shall have authority to hire money from time to time for the purposes of carrying into effect the object of this charter and for other legal purposes of the Village.

• § 11. Contract with aqueduct company

  (a) The Village of Woodstock is hereby authorized and empowered to contract with the Woodstock Aqueduct Company, or any other aqueduct company, from time to time, for supplying the Village with water for fire purposes, for watering the streets, and for other purposes, for such length of time and upon such terms as the Village at its annual meeting, or at any special meeting duly called for that purpose, shall direct.

  (b) All contracts made by the Village with the aqueduct company, or companies, as provided for by subsection (a) of this section, shall be legal and binding of the Village; and the Village may vote, levy, and collect taxes for fulfilling such contract or contracts.

• § 12. Construction; sidewalks; sewers; drains

  The Village shall have the right to construct sidewalks, sewers, and drains within the limits of the Village and make such bylaws and regulations in respect thereto as the Village shall think best, not inconsistent with the laws of this State.

• § 13. Highway district; construction agents

  (a) The Village of Woodstock shall constitute a highway district, by itself, and the construction and repairs of the highways and sidewalks, within the limits of the Village, shall be under the direction of the trustees of the Village.

  (b) The trustees shall annually appoint one or two (as they shall think best) agents for the construction and repair of highways and sidewalks, and remove them if they think proper, and appoint others in their stead, who shall have charge of the expenditure of the highway money in the Village, under the direction of the trustees.

• § 14. Highway taxes

  Two-thirds of the highway taxes assessed by the Selectboard, or voted by the Town, upon the grand list of the inhabitants of the Village, and upon the ratable estate of nonresidents situated within the limits of the Village, shall be paid by the Treasurer or the Selectboard of the Town to the Treasurer of the Village, to be expended in the maintenance and repair of highways and sidewalks in the Village, as provided in section 13 of this charter.

• § 15. Sewer system

  (a) The Village shall have power to establish a system of sewerage.

  (b) The Village may take all real estate, right-of-way, or any other interest in real estate, required for the construction of such system of sewerage, having first notified the owner thereof of its purpose so to do; and upon further condition that in the event that the Village and the owner are unable to agree as to the damage that shall be paid therefor to the owner, the same shall be determined, and the same proceedings had, as is provided for in determining damages in laying out highways.

• § 16. Legislative authority

  The Legislature of this State reserves the power hereafter to alter, amend, or repeal this charter.