The Vermont Statutes Online

Title 24 Appendix : Municipal Charters

Chapter 107 : Town of Brattleboro

Subchapter 002 : Organization of Town Government

• § 2.4. Representative Town Meeting

  (a) Description:

  (1) In the event of a discrepancy between this section of the charter and 1959 Acts and Resolves No. 302, the provisions set forth in this charter shall prevail.

  (2) The Representative Town Meeting consists of up to 140 elected voters and youth voters. It is a guiding body for the Town and a source of ideas, proposals, and comments, elected by district as defined by the Board of Civil Authority. It exercises exclusively all powers vested in the voters of the Town. In addition to the elected members, the following shall be members ex officio: the members of the Selectboard, the School Directors, the Treasurer, the Clerk, the Moderator, and those State Senators and State Representatives who reside in Brattleboro. Representative Town Meeting shall act upon all articles on the Town meeting warning except those that relate to the election of officers, referenda, and other matters voted upon by Australian ballot.

  (3) The Representative Town Meeting shall convene annually on the third Saturday after the first Tuesday in March. Such date shall be confirmed at the preceding annual Representative Town Meeting and shall remain the same until changed by the Representative Town Meeting.

  (b) Ratifications:

  (1) The Representative Town Meeting shall:

  (A) [Repealed.]

  (B) Ratify or reject the appointment by the Selectboard of a Town Clerk for a term of one year whose term shall run from annual Representative Town Meeting to annual Representative Town Meeting. The Town Clerk shall have all rights and duties of the office of town clerk as prescribed by Vermont statutes.

  (C) Ratify or reject the appointment by the Selectboard of a Town Treasurer for a term of one year whose term shall run from annual Representative Town Meeting to annual Representative Town Meeting. The Town Treasurer shall have all the rights and duties of the office of town treasurer as prescribed by Vermont statutes.

  (D) Ratify or reject the appointment by the Selectboard of a Town Attorney (which may be a law firm) for a term of one year whose term shall run from annual Representative Town Meeting to annual Representative Town Meeting.

  (E) Ratify or reject the recommendations of the Selectboard and the school directors regarding administrative and functional organization of the Town or School District.

  (c) [Repealed.]

  (d) Finance Committee: The Representative Town Meeting shall establish a Finance Committee for the general purpose of reviewing proposed and actual expenditures by the Town, Town School District, and other budgets that affect the taxpayers of the Town of Brattleboro, including Brattleboro Union High School District 6. A review will include making recommendations to the Representative Town Meeting and the voters. The Committee will work with the Town Finance Director, School Finance Director, and other Town officials in assessing the recommendations and impact of the proposed annual budget and all finance policy, including fund balances, debt management, capital improvements, and the capital plan. It is also recommended that the Committee review all auditor’s reports and other matters of financial import that impact the voters of the Town. The Representative Town Meeting shall fix and from time to time may alter the number of members, the manner of their selection, their terms of office, their compensation if any, and other duties and functions. The Committee may choose its own officers. Pursuant to the rules established by Representative Town Meeting, appointment or election of Finance Committee members shall be made at each annual Representative Town Meeting. (Amended 2003, No. M-6, § 2; 2011, No. M-10 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. April 27, 2012; amended 2023, No. M-15, § 2, eff. June 20, 2023.)