2011 Vermont Code
Title 24 Appendix Municipal Charters
Chapter 123A TOWN OF HARTFORD
§ 201 Town meeting

§ 123A-201. Town meeting

(a) Town operational and school district meeting. All governmental authority for the town of Hartford and the Hartford school district ultimately rests with voters within the boundaries of the town who exercise their duty and power at town meeting and Australian ballot election. In this tradition, the Hartford annual town meeting will combine town operational and school district warnings, meetings, and elections into a single entity.

(b) Standing town/school district meeting committee. Responsibility for organization, (including comfort, presentation, publicity, program, refreshments, entertainment), budget discussion/candidates night meeting and town/school district meeting, other than as stated in this chapter and state statute, shall rest with a committee of five registered voters of the town. Appointing authority by: Town Clerk-one for two years; Selectboard-one for two years, one for three years; School District-one for two years, one for three years. The appointing authority may work with the committee but may not self appoint.

(c) The method for identification and designation of eligible voters in the town and school district shall be established by the board of civil authority.

(d) Polling places. Locations of annual or special town or school district meetings for the purpose of election of officers and voting all questions to be decided by Australian ballot shall be established by the board of civil authority.

(e) Meetings, dates, times, votes, ballots:

(1) Budget discussion/candidates night meeting. On the last Monday night in February at 7:00 p.m. at a place determined by the town and school district meeting committee, a town and school district budget discussion and candidates night meeting shall be called for the purpose of:

(A) explanation and citizen comment upon town and school district budgets;

(B) introduction of candidates, presentation by candidates, and opportunity for citizen questioning of candidates;

(C) any other appropriate informational matters or discussion of articles to be voted on by Australian ballot.

(2) Australian ballot/election day. Australian ballot/election day shall be the first Tuesday after the 1st Monday in March, at which time any business, budgets, and candidate election involving Australian ballots will be transacted beginning at 7 a.m. until closing at 7 p.m. The town operational budget as warned by the selectboard and the school district budget as warned by the school district shall be submitted to the electorate at this town election. A majority vote shall be the majority of votes cast in this election. Under this subdivision:

(A) The time and place of a recount or a new vote (other than town and school district budgets) shall be determined by the board of civil authority preceded by warning notice and public hearing. A tie vote for town and school district budgets (interpreted as a "no" vote by Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised) shall be determined pursuant to subdivision (3) of this subsection.

(B) Absentee ballots shall be available 30 days prior to the election and may be mailed to a voter, hand carried by voter, or the voter may vote in the town clerk's office. A team of two board of civil authority members from different political parties may take a ballot to a voter in the voter's home or health care facility if he or she needs assistance voting. Ballots shall be returned to the town clerk by the close of polls on election day and counted along with all other ballots.

(3) Annual town/school district meeting. The annual town and school district meeting shall be called for the first Monday night four full weeks after Australian ballot/election day held under subdivision (2) of this subsection. If the town or school district budget fails in the Australian ballot, deciding votes at the annual town and school district meeting shall be according to Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised and state statute. In addition to budget votes, the town and school district meeting shall consider:

(A) the state of the town and of the school district;

(B) long-range planning, capital improvement projections;

(C) other business not determined at Australian ballot election.

(f) Special town and school district meeting. A special town or school district meeting may be called at any time by a majority of the applicable board, by the decree of the town clerk upon receipt of a petition signed by no less than 350 registered voters. A special town or school district meeting, called within 30 days of receipt of the filed petition, shall be held within 30 days from the date of the official call to meeting and warned 10 days prior to the meeting.

(g) Warnings. Warnings for town or school district meetings shall be posted on the town or school district websites, printed in area newspapers, and posted in at least 12 public places in the town at least 40 or not less than 30 days before town meeting. The warning shall be signed and recorded by the town clerk before it is posted. Budgets and other applicable reports shall be available not later than 10 days prior to the budget informational meeting as established under subdivision (e)(1) of this section.

(h) Presiding officials:

(1) A moderator shall preside at town and school district budget discussion and candidates night meetings, annual town and school district meeting, and special town or school district meetings. In the moderator's absence, the town clerk shall call the meeting to order and the first order of business shall be the election of a moderator pro tempore to preside for the duration of meeting.

(2) Town and school district meetings shall be conducted in accordance with state statute, this chapter, and Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised.

(3) The town clerk shall be the presiding official at all Australian ballot elections and, in cooperation with the board of civil authority, shall ensure that all laws related to elections are faithfully observed.

(4) In the absence or a disability of the town clerk, should it occur before an election, the board of civil authority shall designate an acting clerk for the duration of the election. Should the absence or disability occur on election day, the board of civil authority shall designate an on-site temporary officer to preside for the duration of the election.