§ 702. Charter Compliance Committee
(a) A Charter Compliance Committee of three members shall be created to hear allegations
from the general public or citizens who feel an elected or appointed board or commission
or an elected or appointed official has violated the charter. The general public or
citizen must first give the elected or appointed board or commission or the elected
or appointed official an opportunity to correct the alleged violation.
(b) The Town Manager and the Superintendent of Schools shall be exempt from this section.
A violation of the charter by the Town Manager will be brought to the attention of
the Selectboard. A violation by the Superintendent will be brought to the attention
of the School Board of Trustees. If the violation is not corrected in a timely manner,
the general public or citizen may take action against the appropriate board.
(c) Biennially, the elected justices of the peace for the Town of Milton shall elect five
of its members to the Charter Compliance Committee.
(d) The Charter Compliance Committee shall meet within 10 days of a complaint received
in writing by the Town Clerk. If the complaint is against the Town Clerk’s office,
the complaint shall be filed with the Clerk of the Selectboard.
(e) The Charter Compliance Committee shall act judiciously in a quasi-judicial capacity.
The board, the commission, or the official must be given certain due process protection,
including due notice, an opportunity to be heard, and a right to insist that the justices
hear the evidence before coming to any conclusion about the nature of the complaint.
(f) After hearing all parties and reviewing the evidence presented, the Charter Compliance
Committee shall issue its facts and findings in a timely manner.
(g) The Charter Compliance Committee shall verify the validity of the allegation. If it
is found that a violation of the charter has occurred, the Charter Compliance Committee
shall publicly notify the board, commission, or public official.
(h) The board, commission, or public official shall have an opportunity to correct the
violation in a timely manner, not to exceed 60 days.
(i) If the board, commission, or public official does not correct the violation, the Charter
Compliance Committee shall award one of the following:
(1) Reprimand (official, board, or commission will be told to abide by the charter).
(2) Public sanction (Public will be made aware of the violation along with the facts and
findings).
(j) Any officer elected under section 202, or appointed official under section 306, of
this charter may be removed from office as follows: A legal petition stating specific
cause as cited by the petitioner signed by not less than 15 percent of the registered
voters shall be filed with the Town Clerk requesting a vote on whether the elected
official shall be removed from the office. The Selectboard, in the case of the Town,
and the School Board of Trustees, in the case of the School District, shall call a
special Town or School District meeting to be held within 45 days of receiving the
petition, to vote on whether the elected officer shall be removed. The officer shall
be removed only if at least one-third of the registered voters of the Town vote and
a majority of that number vote for removal. (Amended 2021, No. M-16 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 31, 2022.)