§ 3080. Special meetings
(a) The board may call a special meeting of the district when it deems it necessary or
prudent to do so and shall call a special meeting of the district when action by the
voters is necessary under this chapter. In addition, the board shall call a special
meeting upon receipt of a petition signed by at least five percent of the registered
voters within the district, or upon request of at least 25 percent of district members
evidenced by formal resolutions of the legislative bodies of such members or by petitions
signed by at least five percent of the member’s registered voters. The board may rescind
the call of a special meeting called by it but not a special meeting called as provided
in this subsection. The board may schedule the date of such special meetings to coincide
with the date of annual municipal meetings, primary elections, general elections,
or similar meetings when the electorate within the district members will be voting
on other matters.
(b) At any special meeting of the district, voters of each district member shall cast
their ballots at such polling places within the municipality of their residence as
shall be determined by the board of the district in cooperation with the boards of
civil authority of each district member.
(c) Not less than three nor more than 14 days prior to any special meeting, at least one
public hearing shall be held by the board at which time the issues under consideration
shall be presented and comments received. Notice of such public hearing shall include
the publication of a warning in a newspaper of general circulation in the district
at least once a week, on the same day of the week, for three consecutive weeks, the
last publication not less than five nor more than 10 days before the public hearing.
Such notice may be included in the warning called for in subsection (d) of this section.
(d) The board shall warn a special meeting by filing a notice with the clerk of each district
member and by posting a notice in at least five public places in each municipality
in the district not less than 30 nor more than 40 days before the meeting. In addition,
the warning shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the district
once a week on the same day of the week for three consecutive weeks before the meeting,
the last publication to be not less than five nor more than 10 days before the meeting.
(e) The original warning of any special meeting of the district shall be signed by a majority
of the board and shall be filed with the clerk before being posted.
(f) The posted and published warning notification shall include the date, time, place,
and nature of the meeting. It shall, by separate articles, specifically indicate the
business to be transacted and the questions to be voted upon.
(g) The Australian ballot system shall be used at all special meetings of the district
when voting is to take place. Ballots shall be commingled and counted under the supervision
of the district clerk.
(h) All legal voters of the district members shall be legal voters of the district. The
district members shall post and revise checklists in the same manner as for municipal
meetings prior to any district meeting at which there will be voting.
(i) At all special meetings, the provisions of 17 V.S.A. chapter 51 regarding election
officials, voting machines, polling places, absentee voting, process of voting, count
and return of votes, validation, recounts and contest of elections, reconsideration
or rescission of vote, and jurisdiction of courts shall apply except where clearly
inapplicable. The clerk shall perform the functions assigned to the Secretary of State
under that chapter. The Washington Superior Court shall have jurisdiction over petitions
for recounts. Election expenses shall be borne by the district, unless within 30 days
following the date of such resolution there is filed with the clerk of the district
a request to call a special district meeting under this section to consider a proposition
to rescind such resolution. (Added 2015, No. 41, § 20, eff. June 1, 2015; amended 2023, No. 85 (Adj. Sess.), § 442, eff. July 1, 2024.)