Office of the Vermont
Secretary of State -
www.sec.state.vt.us
26 Terrace Street,
Montpelier, VT 05609-1101 : Phone 802-828-2363
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Volume 9,
Number
4 April
2007
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Message from the Secretary |
Table of Contents |
A special welcome to all of our newest local
officials. For many of you this may be your first Opinions
newsletter. The Opinions began as a publication in 1981 as a way to
help local officials and interested citizens navigate the
ever-changing landscape of local government law and practice. I can
tell by the number of e-mails, calls and cards we have received in
response to the Opinions that local officials and citizens continue
to find value in this publication. Perhaps it is because, when we
see our own town’s challenges reflected in the stories of other
communities, we feel less alone in our work.
Though I hope our Opinions are interesting to
read and sometimes help you solve a problem or avoid a mistake, they
are not rulings that are binding on towns or citizens like a
decision of a court. Rather, when we issue opinions they are just
that – our opinions. We have no power to force citizens or officials
to do the right thing, to treat each other civilly, to follow the
law. Rather, through our opinions, Deputy Secretary Bill Dalton,
Director of Elections Kathy DeWolfe, and I share with you what we
believe the law requires based on our best legal judgment and from
our many years of observing Vermont’s local governments and
following the decisions of our courts.
The thoughts expressed in our opinions also
reflect our philosophy of openness and fairness in government and in
the inherent value of local control. Whenever there is a question
about what the law says or what is required of an official, our
advice is conservative. We try to keep you out of trouble by
counseling prudence over risk-taking, openness over secrecy and due
process over bureaucratic expediency.
We believe that by publishing questions and
answers from the previous month, it lets people know what is going
on in local government around the state, and helps officials learn
from the experiences of others. We also hope that this information
will eliminate some of the telephone calls and e-mails that can –
and sometimes still do – consume this office.
The citizen volunteers who run our local
governments in Vermont deserve all the support we can give them. It
is my hope that Opinions offers them that support and, in doing so,
helps to strengthen our town governments.

Deborah L. Markowitz
Secretary of State
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Voice From the Vault
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Civics Behind the Scenes
Checklist Maintenance
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Voice From the Vault
by Gregory Sanford |
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Government: One Big Nuclear Family?
We have long celebrated our government’s system of
checks and balances, achieved in part by apportioning authority among
the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Chapter II, Section
5 of the Vermont Constitution requires that the three branches "shall
be separate and distinct, so that neither exercise the powers properly
belonging to the others."
In reality our system is more a balance, than
separation, of powers. Each branch jealously guards its own
prerogatives; the checks and balances are part of a continuously
unfolding effort to map the border lands between each branch.
While constitutionally separated, not that long ago
the executive and legislative branches went about their business cheek
to jowl within the statehouse. The six executive officers were in the
statehouse alongside 246 representatives and 30 senators. The supreme
court was next door at 111 State Street.
These thoughts emerged while reading records
relating to the construction of a statehouse fallout shelter in 1961.
It was, of course, the depths of the Cold War and Vermonters, who have
occasionally been portrayed as self-absorbed, assumed Montpelier would
be high on the Soviet Union’s target list. We therefore prepared for
the unthinkable and built a fallout shelter so the operations of
government could continue in the event of a nuclear attack.
The shelter was in the basement beneath what was
the senate municipal and corporate institutions committee room (now
the senate appropriations room). Stairs in the committee room led down
to the shelter, which was protected by granite walls and a brick
ceiling. An air supply was hooked up in the "state house shop," which
was a utility space under the old speaker’s office immediately behind
the statehouse. A water line was run into the shelter with the
understanding that Montpelier’s water system was buried deep enough to
prevent contamination by radiation.
There were, from my perspective, some interesting
quirks in the plans. The planners apparently assumed a nuclear attack
would occur in the winter since news stories reported that the ice on
Berlin Pond would protect Montpelier’s water source. A chemical toilet
for the shelter was left above ground, in the committee room; it was
assumed that sandbags in the windows would protect against radiation.
It was not these quirks, however, that got me
thinking about the separation/balance of power. You see the fallout
shelter could hold 30 people. To quickly recap, the 1961 statehouse
held six statewide officers (and staff), 246 representatives, and 30
senators. If my limited math skills serve me correctly, there seems to
be a significant gulf between the number of statehouse residents and
the capacity of the shelter.
I mentioned this to some senators who failed to see
a problem. Thirty senators, space for 30; what exactly was the
problem? If, after the nuclear attack only the senate survived, well
we had had a unicameral legislature before (1778-1836). I conducted no
such poll among house members.
The record, however, suggests the shelter would
also hold at least some executive officers. For example, the shelter
included extensions to Governor F. Ray Keyser’s phone lines.
This led to speculation about how collegial it
would have been in the shelter. While it may appear quaint to us
today, there once was a time when the relationship between governors
and legislators was strained, each accusing the other of inaction.
This was particularly true in 1961 when the Republican legislature and
Republican governor found themselves at such loggerheads that the
session lasted 209 days, not adjourning until August 1st.
After finding the list of post-attack food
supplies, I began to think determining who got sheltered probably
entailed a lot of self-selection, in the sense of, "No, no; you go."
Denizens of the shelter would survive post-attack Vermont by feasting
on six cases of chopped meat; two cases each of rolled oats and
applesauce; and a case each of powdered milk, cheese, peanut butter,
and yellow cornmeal.
If the list of food seems a tad sparse that is
because it was assumed it would be safe to resume the business of
government outside the shelter within two weeks of the nuclear attack.
This is pure speculation but after two weeks of eating canned chopped
meat the risks of radiation poisoning might have paled in comparison
to staying in the shelter.
I recount this past disaster response planning for
two reasons. First, I would like to commend the City of Montpelier and
the State for the extensive preparations they have made in the event
of a spring flood. We all hope that those preparations will not be
needed. Still, planning is a lot better than hoping. Certainly their
planning seems more thorough than our initial plans for responding to
nuclear attack.
The other reason is to highlight our ongoing work
to make the archives holdings more accessible. We found the 1961
fallout shelter story in the records of Sergeant at Arms Wallace
Whitcomb (by the bye, the sergeant at arms was one of those assigned a
place in the shelter). We did so as we added information to our online
archival record series database. This is a continuous process and I
encourage you to regularly check the database to see what records have
been added and are available for research. The database is at:
http://vermont-archives.org/research/database/series.asp.
The root of archives is ark; that is, a place you
put things (think of Noah’s Ark, Ark of the Covenant, or even of
Raiders of the Lost Ark). For the thousands of years humans have put
their most valuable records in archives the assumption has always been
that people would have to visit a place to do their research. New
technologies, in this case the web, are changing that assumption; we
can now make information broadly available beyond the walls of the
archives. In this case we are making information about our
records available online.
As resources become available we hope to begin
making the records themselves accessible online. Indeed, we have
already begun to do so. The 1777, 1786 and 1793 constitutions are now
available, as are the full texts of gubernatorial inaugural and
farewell addresses, post-1870 proposals to amend the constitution, and
post-1836 veto messages. Again, putting text online is
resource-intensive but we think the fallout will be positive.
Table of Contents |
Past Issues of
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Opinions of
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1. Second place vote getter does not take office
if winner declines office. If the candidate elected to an office
does not want to accept the office to which he or she was elected
(whether from the floor or by Australian ballot) the office is
considered vacant. The selectboard or school board must post a
notice of the vacancy within ten days and may appoint anyone of
their choosing to fill the vacancy (so long as they are legally
qualified to serve). Note that the second place candidate has no
special status.
2. Office is filled by selectboard if no one
accepts a nomination at town meeting. At a town meeting in a
town that does NOT use Australian ballot for election of town
officers, if no one is nominated from the floor, the office remains
vacant and the selectboard must appoint until the next election.
The selectboard or moderator cannot "force" the town meeting to
keep nominating until someone accepts the nomination by stating that
the next article will not be considered until the election has been
had. If there are no nominations for an office, the selectboard
appoints. If at a later date other interest arises in the office,
five percent of the legal voters can always petition for a special
election.
3. If there is a tie for local office, a runoff
election must be held. In the event that there is a tie during
an Australian ballot vote the law requires a runoff election between
the two candidates who were tied in the original election. The law
does not permit one of the candidates to simply "withdraw" so that
the other candidate can be declared the winner. 17 V.S.A. §2682(e).
4. There is no reconsideration of an election of
officers. While 17 V.S.A. §2661 provides a method for
reconsideration of public questions, and budgets, the election of
officers cannot be reconsidered. The only way to challenge or
contest an election of an officer, is by filing a petition with the
appropriate Superior Court. 17 V.S.A. §2603. The statute sets out
that in order to contest an election, a member of the public must
allege either errors sufficient to change the outcome of the
election, fraud in the process sufficient to change the result, or
that for any other reason, the election is not valid.
5. Voters cannot recall elected officials.
Unless a town or city charter provides otherwise, there is NO RECALL
of selectboard members or other local elected officials in Vermont.
This does not mean that unhappy citizens are without recourse.
Political pressure can be placed on board members to resign, and the
voters can choose to expand a three-member board to five in order to
reduce the influence of the remaining selectboard members. The
voters can also petition for a vote to adopt an ethics ordinance to
help prevent board members from participating in decisions on issues
in which they have a conflict of interest.
6. Voters can petition for special meeting to
increase size of the selectboard or school board. The law
permits the voters of a town or town school district to submit a
petition signed by at least five percent of the voters asking for a
special meeting to be warned to vote on an article to increase the
size of the board to five members. 17 V.S.A.§2650. 16 V.S.A. § 423.
In the petition, the article needs to specify whether the two
additional members serve one-year terms or two-year terms. The law
is specific that "If two additional directors are elected they shall
have terms of the same length, but if the terms are to be for two
years, when the additional directors are first elected, one shall be
elected for one year and the other director for two years."
7. Tax Collectors may be paid salary in lieu
of fees. A town may vote to pay a salary or other compensation
for collection taxes in lieu of fees and commissions to the
collector of taxes or collector of delinquent taxes. An amendment to
24 V.S.A. §1530 effective April 29, 1998, allows towns to vote a
salary for the delinquent tax collector in lieu of fees or
commissions. If this is voted at an annual meeting, the fees and
commissions shall be turned in to the municipal treasurer at least
once a month.
8. First constable serves as collector of taxes
if the town fails to elect one at town meeting. Vermont law
provides that "the first constable shall be collector of state,
county, town and town school district taxes when a collector of
taxes is not elected at the annual town meeting, and shall pay over
the taxes collected agreeably to the warrants for their collection."
24 V.S.A. § 1529. Note that the first constable does not fill other
vacancies in the office of tax collector as the law provides that
"When a collector of town taxes is unable, from sickness or
otherwise, to discharge his duties, and taxes are uncollected on a
tax bill held by him, the selectmen may certify such disability on
the warrant for the collection of such taxes and may appoint a
person as collector, and in such certificate shall authorize and
direct such collector to collect and pay over such taxes." 32 V.S.A.
§ 4674. The law also provides that "when a town is without a tax
collector, the selectmen may hire any qualified person to act as tax
collector for the town. The person hired need not be a resident of
the town and shall have the same power and be subject to the same
duties and penalties as a duly elected collector of taxes for the
town." 32 V.S.A. § 4799. This would apply in situations where there
is a vacancy in office either because there is a vacancy in the
office of first constable as well as tax collector, or because the
tax collector resigns or dies while in office.
9. Position of tax collector and treasurer will
become vacant if these officials do not post a bond. Officials
who handle money for a municipality are asked to post a bond. The
bond is paid for by the town – so in most cases, the town arranges
with a bonding company to cover the officials. However, if the
selectboard, trustees or legislative body of the municipality
believe that the bond purchased by the town is insufficient to cover
the risk posed by a particular officer, the law permits them to
require the official to post an additional bond, at a sum, with
sureties as the board deems necessary. (Again, the town will pay for
the bond.) If the collector or the treasurer does not give such
additional bond within ten days after such notice, his office shall
be vacant. This means that if they cannot find a bonding company
willing to take the risk of bonding them, their office will become
vacant. 32 V.S.A. § 4643. In light of the fact that Vermont law does
not provide for the recall of elected officials this is a way for
selectboards to remove from office a tax collector or treasurer who
poses a risk to the town.
10. A successor tax collector has full authority
to collect all outstanding taxes. Vermont law provides that "if
a collector having in his hands uncollected taxes dies, removes from
the state, or becomes otherwise incapacitated after commencing tax
collection proceedings, a successor of such collector may complete
such proceedings or collect such taxes. An unpaid tax not collected
by a former collector may be collected under the same warrant by any
successor." 32 V.S.A. § 4673.
11. Delinquent tax records can be kept on
computer. Some delinquent tax collectors have been under the
misimpression that they could not keep their records of payment of
taxes on a computer because the law requires them to keep a record
in triplicate in a bound book. Specifically, the law provides that
"A collector of taxes for a town or municipality within it shall
receipt for every payment made to the collector on account of
delinquent taxes. Such receipt shall be written in triplicate in a
bound book or other permanent record . . ." So long as the
computer database creates a permanent record and includes the date
of the payment, the name of the person making the payment, the name
of the person against whom was assessed the tax on which the payment
is to be applied, the year in which such tax was assessed and if a
partial payment on an annual tax bill, whether applied on poll,
personal property or real estate taxes, and a receipt is printed off
for the clerk and the person who paid the tax, the computer
receipt/record will comply with the law. 32 V.S.A. § 5137.
12. Every town has a board of abatement. One
citizen called wondering why her town did not have a board of
abatement. However, every town has one - it is made up of a
combination of officials, and it only meets if there is a request
for abatement by a taxpayer or some other person on behalf of a
taxpayer. The board of abatement is made up of the board of civil
authority, with the listers and the town treasurer. 24 V.S.A. §
1533. The law provides that an act of a majority of a quorum at a
meeting shall be treated as the act of the board. The above
requirement in respect to a quorum need not be met if the town
treasurer, a majority of the listers and a majority of the selectmen
are present at the meeting.
13. Revised budget vote must be held in the same
way as the original vote. When a school district has previously
voted to adopt its budget by Australian ballot, and the budget is
rejected at an Australian ballot election, the school board shall
prepare a revised budget, and shall establish a date for another
Australian ballot vote on the revised budget. 17 V.S.A.§2680(c).
The next vote on the revised budget must be by Australian
ballot, even if the voters approved an article to discontinue the
use of the Australian ballot during the annual meeting at which the
budget was rejected. All votes on the revised budget must be by
Australian ballot until a budget is passed for that year. It is only
after this budget is passed that subsequent budget votes would be by
floor vote in accordance with the decision at town meeting.
14. Vote to discontinue Australian ballot is a
public question. The question of whether to adopt or discontinue
voting a budget by Australian ballot is a public question and must
be considered by voice vote from the floor, unless a town or
district has already voted to consider all public questions or this
specific public question by Australian ballot. 17 V.S.A. §2680.
15. BCA may lower or increase assessment on
appeal. As tax appeal time nears, remember that on appeals from
the listers decision to the Board of Civil Authority (BCA), the BCA
may increase, decrease or sustain the appraisal. 32 V.S.A. §4409.
Once the taxpayer raises the issue of the property’s valuation, the
BCA must make findings to support what the BCA believes to be the
correct valuation of the property, even if that is an increase. The
same is true for further appeals to the State Board of Appraisers or
the Superior Court.
16. Taxpayer who wins appeal may get a credit
toward future tax obligations. If a taxpayer succeeds on appeal,
and it is determined that the taxpayer has been over-assessed, then
the taxpayer is entitled to a credit from the municipality. If the
municipality has voted to collect interest on delinquent taxes, then
the taxpayer must also be repaid interest at the same rate. 32 V.S.A.
§4469, §5136. A municipality can choose to pay the taxpayer
in a lump sum, but the statute only mandates a credit.
17. A lister can be a justice of the peace, but lister/justice of
the peace cannot participate in tax appeal hearings. Many small
towns have difficulty finding people to serve in various offices. It
is legally permissible (i.e., there is no statutory conflict or
prohibition) for a person to be elected as both a lister and as a
justice of the peace. The lister can take an active role in election
duties, except when the person is in a contested race for his lister
office. However, the lister cannot sit on the BCA for the purposes
of tax appeals because the appeal is from the lister’s determination
of value.
18. The time for dog licensing and tags is here.
Just a brief reminder that the dog must wear the "license" tag
required by the Vermont statutes, and that is sufficient proof that
the dog has been vaccinated for rabies. An additional "rabies" tag
is not required. 20 V.S.A. §3581(a).
19. Selectboard can raise taxes to pay off a
deficit. Although boards are loathe to do it, the law gives the
selectboard the authority to pay off a deficit by adding "a tax of
five percent or such multiple of five in addition to the tax vote
already authorized by law, to be levied upon the grand list of such
town as will provide sufficient revenue to liquidate such deficit."
In the alternative the voters can vote a special tax to make up the
deficit. 24 V.S.A. § 1523.
20. School district must add deficit to its
report for the purpose of calculating education spending.
Because it matters how much a school district spends under Act 68,
the law provides that "When a school district at the end of the
fiscal year . . . has a deficit, unless the voters have voted to
borrow funds to repay the deficit over a term of three years or
less, or unless the deficit has been refunded pursuant to chapter 53
of this title, the school board shall add an amount sufficient to
pay the deficit to its next adopted budget and report the total to
the commissioner of education for purposes of calculating education
spending."
21. Employment contracts and payroll is a public
record. Although personal personnel records are exempt from
disclosure under the public records law, employment contracts and
information about pay and benefits are public. One of the hazards of
working in the public sector is that everyone will know what you
earn – but ultimately, it makes sense since the public is paying the
bill! Laws protect information about a person’s medical conditions
so if a contract includes that level of personal detail, it should
be redacted (blacked out) prior to a copy of the contract being
given out. Also, while a contract is being negotiated it is not
public. It only becomes a public record once it is accepted by the
board. 1 V.S.A. § 316, 317.
22. Board members may participate by speaker
phone. In the event that a board member is unable to attend a
board meeting, he or she can still participate in the meeting by
speaker phone. So long as the board member can hear what is going on
and can be heard by those present, their vote will count. It doesn’t
matter that they are at home sick in bed, or on vacation in Florida.
1 V.S.A. § 312(a).
23. Incomplete minutes won’t invalidate a meeting.
The law requires minutes to be taken of every public meeting of a
board. At a minimum the minutes must cover all topics and motions
that arise at the meeting and give a true indication of the business
of the meeting, and they must include the names of the members of
the public body who are present and all other active participants in
the meeting, all motions, proposals and resolutions made and what
happened to them, and the results of any vote, with a record of how
board members voted if a roll call vote is taken. Note that there
are two purposes of minutes. One is to let the public know what
occurred at a meeting, and the other is to create a record of what
action a board has taken. Failure to keep minutes will not
invalidate board action, except perhaps in an extreme circumstance
in which a board is purposefully not keeping minutes in order to
keep the public from knowing what is going on in its meetings.
Rather, if there were ever a lawsuit against the town and the
minutes were incomplete in some way the court would consider this as
it tried to determine what action was taken at the meeting.
24. The law doesn’t require approved minutes.
Most boards will approve the minutes of the previous meeting as its
first order of business. Failure to do so will not invalidate the
minutes of a meeting or the actions taken at that meeting. Vermont
law does not refer at all to "approving" minutes. Boards go through
the routine of approving minutes because this will make them better
evidence of what occurred at a meeting because it shows that the
board judged them to be a fair representation of what occurred at
the earlier meeting at a time that was close to when the meeting
took place (while memories were still fresh).
25. Selectboard can delegate signing orders to one or more board
members. Because bills often come due in between board meetings,
the law permits the selectboard to authorize one or more members of
the board to look at the bills and then to draw orders so the bills
(or the payroll) can be paid. These orders must state definitely the
purpose for which they are drawn and they will serve as full
authority to the treasurer to make the payments. Whenever this is
done, the full selectboard must be given a record of the orders
drawn so that they know what money is being paid out on behalf of
the town. 24 V.S.A. § 1623(1) In the alternative the board can
"Submit to the town treasurer a certified copy of those portions of
the selectboard minutes, properly signed by the clerk and chair or
by a majority of the board, showing to whom, and for what purpose
each payment is to be made by the treasurer. The certified copy of
the minutes shall serve as full authority to the treasurer to make
the approved payments." 24 V.S.A. § 1623(2)
In our monthly Opinions, we provide what we
believe the law requires based upon our legal judgment, years of
observing Vermont's local government practices, and Vermont Court
decisions. This information is intended as a reference guide only
and should not replace the advice of legal counsel.
Table of Contents | Past Issues
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Civics Behind the Scenes
by Missy Shea |
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High School Voter Registration Week
High School Voter Registration Week has been slated
for May 14 -18 this year. The Secretary of State’s Office designates a
special week each spring, with the expectation that schools will use
that time to either hold a voter registration drive, or plan for one
in the future. The rationale goes something like this: High Schools
are a place of learning, a place where adolescents develop and prepare
for the future. Regardless of their individual plans to head off to
further education, work, or the armed services, each student will
emerge from high school as a young adult, a citizen with an important
role to play in our democratic society. Students who are informed
about their civic rights and responsibilities, and familiar with the
process, are far more likely to participate, thus ensuring a brighter
future for all of us.
At least one high school in Vermont includes a
voter registration drive as part of a long-standing tradition to
include it as part of the graduation ceremonies. At some high schools
around the state, the administration heads the drive. At others,
dedicated teachers, often from the Social Studies Department,
facilitate the voter registration process. Many of the most successful
high school voter registration drives in Vermont are organized by
students themselves.
It doesn’t matter who does it. What does matter is
that it gets done. Did you know that any high school student can
register to vote? S/he simply completes the registration form and
signs it in front of the Notary Public helping with the drive. The
paperwork must then be filed with the local town clerk. Anytime after
the student turns 18, s/he goes to the town clerk to take the Voters'
Oath, and is then eligible to vote. Provided the student has reached
the age of majority, this can even be done at the polls on Election
Day.
Local town clerks and groups like the Vermont
League of Women Voters are often available to help with voter
registration drives, and they, or other people who work in the school,
are also usually Notary Publics, which can really streamline the
process.
The Office of the Secretary of State has everything needed to run a
successful voter registration drive at your local high school (or
anywhere else!) Please contact Missy Shea, Civic Education and Voter
Outreach Coordinator, via email at
mshea@sec.state.vt.us, or by calling her directly at 802.828.1296.
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Checklist Maintenance |
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One of the primary purposes of the
Help America Vote Act of 2002 was to give local clerks and local
election boards more "tools" to improve the maintenance of voter
registration checklists. Now that the general election and March town
meetings are concluded, most towns and cities can begin reviewing the
checklist to see who listed on the checklist no longer resides within
your town.
In March a detailed Election Bulletin was sent to
each town/city clerk reviewing the different techniques that can be
used to find voters on your checklist who have moved to another town
or city in Vermont or moved to another state. It is VERY IMPORTANT
that all of these techniques be implemented to remove voters who no
longer live in your town or city.
Each board of civil authority should meet to review
the names of voters on your checklist and to authorize your town clerk
to send challenge letters to voters that board members have reason to
believe may have moved.
State and federal law also authorizes the town
clerk to remove names immediately upon notice that the voter has
registered to vote in another Vermont town or city or another state.
Clerks can also remove names immediately upon notice of death, or upon
any written notice from the voter.
We suspect that most town and city checklists have
between five percent and 20 percent of voters on the list that should
have challenge letters sent to the voter because the voter has moved
to another jurisdiction. We need your help in taking action to send
challenge letters to these voters who have not provided written notice
to the town or city clerk already.
Please work actively with your town or city clerk to challenge or
remove all voters who have left your town or city.
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Secretary of State's Homepage
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Tip of
the Month |
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A creative
technique to get a head start on your challenge letters!!
Vermont has quite a number of small colleges in towns around the
state. Here’s a timely spring suggestion from Nora Wilson,
Town Clerk in Marlboro:
I have developed a way of dealing with the continual flow of
college students through our checklist. I would not presume to
suggest that it would be feasible for UVM or other very large
institutions but it works pretty well here in Marlboro.
In April I get in touch with the College to get a list of
graduating seniors then send them each a letter asking them if they
will be moving on or if they will be maintaining their voter
registration in Marlboro. I enclose a pre-paid postcard for them
to fill out and return to let me know. I do get a lot of
responses from these spring letters. It works much better than
waiting to send challenge letters to college addresses that I know are
not good and then having to wait the two federal elections to get the
names off the list.
Please send your tips to
Clyde Jenne, Hartland Town Clerk,
at
hartlandvtclerk@vermontel.net
or 802-436-2444.
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Municipal Calendar |
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APRIL 2007
April 1 (Sunday)
Last day for dog or wolf-hybrid licensing.
20:3581(a)
Base date for setting appraisal value and
determining ownership of real and personal property. 32:3482, 9610
Last day for town clerk to furnish listers
with transfer book for preceding 12-month period. 32:3485(a)
April 4 (Wednesday)
Last day a run-off election may be held
(twenty-two days after warning; warning within seven days after
election). 17 V.S.A. § 2682(e)
April 5 (Thursday)
Last day for voters to file petitions for
reconsideration or rescission of articles voted on at town meeting
(within 30 days of the meeting). 17 V.S.A. § 2661(b)
April 15 (Sunday)
Last day for U.S. congressional candidates to
file FEC quarterly reports for the April quarter (Jan. 1-Mar. 30). 2
U.S.C. § 434(a)(2)
Last day for legislative body to notify
Commissioner of Social Welfare of appointment of Town Service Officer.
33:2102(a)
April 20 (Friday)
Last day for return of property inventories
to Listers. 32:4004
April 25 (Wednesday)
State Withholding Tax Return is due (actual
date by which return must be postmarked is shown on the printed form)
if reporting less than $2,500 per quarter. More than $2,500 requires
monthly report; more than $9,000 requires semi-weekly report. 32:5842
April 30 (Monday)
Last day for Listers to receive applications
for tax exemption due to disabled veteran status. 32:3802(11)
Last day to file Form 941 (Quarterly
Withholding Return) with the IRS.
MAY 2007
May 15 (Tuesday)
(Last day for Town Clerk to remit to State
Treasurer an accounting of dog and wolf-hybrid licenses sold and remit
the license fee surcharge for a rabies control program. 20:3581(f)
May 28 (Monday)
Memorial Day. 1:371(a)
The Municipal
Calendar is provided by the Vermont League of Cities and
Towns/Chittenden Bank and the Secretary of State's Office.
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Quote of the Month |
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Count your joys instead of your
woes; count your friends instead of your foes.
- Irish Proverb
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Mailing List Updates |
Help us
keep our mailing list up to date!
Let us know if:
- your address needs to be updated
- your name is misspelled, or
- you'd rather receive Opinions a week early via e-mail
Send us a note via fax: 802-828-2496,
email:
gcolbert@sec.state.vt.us,
or post: 26 Terrace St., Montpelier, VT 05609-1101 and be
sure to include what your current Opinions mailing label says
as well as any changes that you would like to have made!
Thank you for helping us keep Opinions running efficiently!
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List of
Services Available to Local Government |
The Secretary of State’s Office wants all newly elected officials to
know that we are here to help. We have many resources available to
assist you in your job. Please do not hesitate to contact us!
Education and Training - See below for upcoming sessions
• Leadership workshops for local board chairs.
• Training for boards of civil authority on tax appeals,
abatement, marriage and civil unions, oaths of office, etc.
• Election workshops – training for election workers.
• Onsite and regional workshops on a variety of topics from A
(authority of local officials) to Z (zoning and planning).
Telephone Inquiries
Every year we answer thousands of calls from local officials
and citizens about municipal laws and practices. You can call us
at 1-800-439-8683.
Opinions Newsletter
A monthly newsletter sent to local officials and members of the
public that includes articles on municipal issues and "opinions"
on legal and practical questions concerning local government. Also
available at
http://www.sec.state.vt.us/municipal/opinions.htm
Publications
We publish numerous free handbooks and pamphlets on topics of
municipal law and practice from the Law of Libraries, to the Rules
on School Governance, to the Tax Appeal Handbook and more. The
publications are available in hard copy as well as electronically
on our website at
http://www.sec.state.vt.us/municipal
_______________________________________________________________________
We would like to extend a warm welcome to new town clerks. They
include:
Robin Wilcox - Arlington
Andrew R. McLean - Dover
Grace Mason- Barton
Therese Kirby - Bristol
Lucie Fillion - Lemington
Tammy Legacy - Roxbury
Julie Blake - Woodbury
Kim Record - Grafton
Anna Bourden - St. Albans Town
Claire Van Buren - New Haven
We would also like to thank those of you who will no longer be in
the position of town clerk. Your service has meant a great deal to
your fellow Vermonters. They include:
Katherine White - Barton
Penny Sherwood - Bristol
Norman Tallmage - Lemington
Gloria Gerdes - Roxbury
Marcia McGlynn - Woodbury
Mary Lou Raymo - Dover
Gordon DeLong - Pittsford
Cynthia Gibbs - Grafton
Kathy Middlemiss - St. Albans Town
Barbara Torian - New Haven (remains as town treasurer)
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Upcoming Training Opportunities |
62nd Annual Town Officers’ Education Conferences
This same program is offered at four locations around the state:
April 5, 2007 Lyndon State College, Lyndonville
April 9, 2007 St. Michael’s College, Colchester
April 18, 2007 Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee
April 24, 2007 Holiday Inn, Rutland
Contact: Katherine Forrer (katherine.forrer@uvm.edu)
Phone: 802-223-2389 x 25
REGISTRATION:
http://www.regonline.com/toec07
Price: $50.00
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Vermont Notary Trainings
2 hours of MCLE!
Registration deadline is seven days prior to event.
Thursday, May 3, 2007; 6:00-8:00 PM
Rutland Superior Court
83 Center Street
Rutland, VT
Tuesday, May 8, 2007; 6:00-8:00 PM
Contois Auditorium, City Hall
149 Church Street
Burlington, VT
Thursday, May 10, 2007; 3:00-5:00 PM
Springfield Municipal Offices
95 Main Street
Springfield, VT
Wednesday, May 16, 2007; 3:00-5:00 PM
Caledonia Superior Court
1126 Main Street
St. Johnsbury, VT
CONTACT: Kathy Watters
(kwatters@sec.state.vt.us)
PHONE: 802-828-2308
REGISTRATION:
http://vermont-archives.org/notary/pdf/NotaryRegistration07.pdf
PRICE: $25.00
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Board of Civil Authority Trainings
This workshop will provide an overview of your duties with a
heavy emphasis on the tax appeal process and tax abatement. Newly elected
selectboard members, justices of the peace, and listers are encouraged to
attend.
Thursday, May 3, 2007; 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Rutland Superior Court
83 Center Street
Rutland, VT
Tuesday, May 8, 2007; 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Contois Auditorium, City Hall
149 Church Street
Burlington, VT
Thursday, May 10, 2007; 5:30 - 7:00 PM
Springfield Municipal Offices
95 Main Street
Springfield, VT
Wednesday, May 16, 2007; 5:30 - 7:00 PM
Caledonia Superior Court
1126 Main Street
St. Johnsbury, VT
Registration fee of $25.00 or $50.00 for three or more
attendees from the same town.
Call (802) 828-2148 or email Ginny Colbert:
gcolbert@sec.state.vt.us for more information. You may download
a registration form at:
http://www.sec.state.vt.us/municipal/BCA_Trainings.htm
Please submit a separate registration form
for each attendee.
Make check payable to: VT Secretary of State.
Register early as space is limited.
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