The Vermont Statutes Online

Title 17 : Elections

Chapter 055 : Local Elections

Subchapter 002 : TOWN MEETINGS AND LOCAL ELECTIONS IN GENERAL

• § 2640a. Representative annual meetings

  (a) A municipality with a population of 5,000 or greater may vote at a special or annual town meeting to establish a representative form of annual or special meeting.

  (b)(1) A representative form of annual or special meeting is a meeting of members elected by district to exercise the powers vested in the voters of the town to act upon articles. However, the election of officers, public questions, and all articles to be voted upon by Australian ballot as required by law or as voted under section 2680 of this title at a prior annual or special meeting, and reconsideration of articles under section 2661 of this title shall remain vested in the voters of the town.

  (2) An organizational resolution to adopt a representative form of annual or special meeting may be made by the legislative body of the municipality or by petition of five percent of the voters of the municipality. An official copy of the organizational resolution shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the municipality at least 10 days before the annual or special meeting at which the vote whether to adopt the organizational resolution shall take place, and copies thereof shall be made available to members of the public upon request.

  (3) An organizational resolution shall include the following:

  (A) a certain number of elected members, a range of elected members, or a ratio of elected members to the number of voters. However, in no case shall the number of elected members be less than 100;

  (B) a certain number of districts and the boundaries of those districts;

  (C) who shall be ex officio voting members, if any, of the meeting;

  (D) the procedure for conducting the representative meeting;

  (E) specific action, if any, to be taken at the representative meeting; and

  (F) a procedure whereby the voters of the municipality may reconsider any action taken at a representative meeting.

  (c) The form of the question of whether to establish a representative form of annual or special meeting shall be substantially as follows: “Shall the [name of municipality] adopt the representative form of annual or special meeting as set forth in the organizational resolution?”

  (d) A vote establishing a representative form of annual or special meeting shall remain in effect until the municipality votes to discontinue or establish a new representative form of annual or special meeting at an annual or special meeting duly warned for that purpose. (Added 2009, No. 125 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)