The Vermont Statutes Online

Title 24 : Municipal and County Government

Chapter 060 : Municipal Code of Ethics [Effective January 1, 2025]

• § 1992. Conflicts of interest [Effective January 1, 2025]

  (a) Duty to avoid conflicts of interest. In the municipal officer’s official capacity, the officer shall avoid any conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest. The appearance of a conflict shall be determined from the perspective of a reasonable individual with knowledge of the relevant facts.

  (b) Recusal.

  (1) If a municipal officer is confronted with a conflict of interest or the appearance of one, the officer shall immediately recuse themselves from the matter, except as otherwise provided in subdivisions (2) and (5) of this subsection, and not take further action on the matter or participate in any way or act to influence a decision regarding the matter. After recusal, an officer may still take action on the matter if the officer is a party, as defined by section 1201 of this title, in a contested hearing or litigation and acts only in the officer’s capacity as a member of the public. The officer shall make a public statement explaining the officer’s recusal.

  (2)(A) Notwithstanding subdivision (1) of this subsection (b), an officer may continue to act in a matter involving the officer’s conflict of interest or appearance of a conflict of interest if the officer first:

  (i) determines there is good cause for the officer to proceed, meaning:

  (I) the conflict is amorphous, intangible, or otherwise speculative;

  (II) the officer cannot legally or practically delegate the matter; or

  (III) the action to be taken by the officer is purely ministerial and does not involve substantive decision-making; and

  (ii) the officer submits a written nonrecusal statement to the legislative body of the municipality regarding the nature of the conflict that shall:

  (I) include a description of the matter requiring action;

  (II) include a description of the nature of the potential conflict or actual conflict of interest;

  (III) include an explanation of why good cause exists so that the municipal officer can take action in the matter fairly, objectively, and in the public interest;

  (IV) be written in plain language and with sufficient detail so that the matter may be understood by the public; and

  (V) be signed by the municipal officer.

  (B) Notwithstanding subsection (A) of this subdivision (2), a municipal officer that would benefit from any contract entered into by the municipality and the officer, the officer’s immediate family, or an associated business of the officer or the officer’s immediate family, and whose official duties include execution of that contract, shall recuse themselves from any decision-making process involved in the awarding of that contract.

  (C) Notwithstanding subsection (A) of this subdivision (2), a municipal officer shall not continue to act in a matter involving the officer’s conflict of interest or appearance of a conflict of interest if authority granted to another official or public body elsewhere under law is exercised to preclude the municipal officer from continuing to act in the matter.

  (3) If an officer’s conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest concerns an official act or actions that take place outside a public meeting, the officer’s nonrecusal statement shall be filed with the clerk of the municipality and be available to the public for the duration of the officer’s service plus a minimum of five years.

  (4) If an officer’s conflict of interest is related to an official municipal act or actions considered at a public meeting, the officer’s nonrecusal statement shall be filed as part of the minutes of the meeting of the public body in which the municipal officer serves.

  (5) If, at a meeting of a public body, an officer becomes aware of a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest for the officer and the officer determines there is good cause to proceed, the officer may proceed with the matter after announcing and fully stating the conflict on the record. The officer shall submit a written nonrecusal statement pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection within five business days after the meeting. The meeting minutes shall be subsequently amended to reflect the submitted written nonrecusal statement.

  (c) Authority to inquire about conflicts of interest. If a municipal officer is a member of a public body, the other members of that body shall have the authority to inquire of the officer about any possible conflict of interest or any appearance of a conflict of interest and to recommend that the member recuse themselves from the matter.

  (d) Confidential information. Nothing in this section shall require a municipal officer to disclose confidential information or information that is otherwise privileged under law. (Added 2023, No. 171 (Adj. Sess.), § 22, eff. January 1, 2025.)