The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2025 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
(Cite as: 18 V.S.A. § 601)
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§ 601. Local health officials
(a) The Commissioner shall appoint, upon recommendation of the selectboard, a local health
officer for each town or city, and the Commissioner shall give such officer a certificate
of appointment. The Commissioner may appoint one or more deputy local health officers
for a town or city upon written request of the local board of health. In case the
selectboard neglect or refuse to recommend to the Commissioner a local health officer,
the Commissioner after 30 days’ notice in writing to the selectboard shall appoint
a local health officer.
(b) With the approval of the Commissioner, towns and cities may combine to form health
districts. The towns and cities in such districts, through their selectboards, may
recommend to the Commissioner the appointment of a district health officer. They may
establish an advisory district board of health and provide for appointment and terms
of service of members who shall be representative citizens of the towns in the health
district. The district health officer may perform the duties of local health officer
in any town or city in the district at any time after written notice to the selectboard.
The district health officer, when authorized by the selectboard of each town or city
in the health district and with the advice of the district board of health, may employ
such persons as may be necessary to assist such officer in carrying on a preventive,
protective, and promotional health program in his or her district. Towns in a district
may use local tax revenues for the support of the district health officer, advisory
board, employees, and programs, and the district board of health may accept grants
for those purposes.
(c) The Commissioner may remove a local health officer at any time for cause. Vacancies
shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment was made. (Amended 1959, No. 329 (Adj. Sess.), § 27, eff. March 1, 1961; 1961, No. 39; 1985, No. 267 (Adj. Sess.), § 17.)