Vermont § 3343 - Organizational meeting

§ 3343. Organizational meeting

• (a) Within 60 days after the Secretary of State notifies the clerks of the member towns
  that the requirements of section 3342 of this title have been met, the voters in the consolidated water district shall meet and organize
  the district. The meeting shall be warned by the chair of the legislative body of
  each town of the district or by a member designated by his or her respective board
  to act in the chair’s stead. The warning shall state the day, hour, and place within
  the district where the meeting will be held and shall be posted in not less than six
  public places in the district, including at least two public places within each member
  town, and shall be published three times in a newspaper circulating in the district,
  the last publication to be at least six days previous to the day of the meeting. The
  meeting shall be called to order by the clerk of the town in which the meeting is
  held, at which time a temporary presiding officer and clerk shall be elected from
  among the qualified voters. At such organizational meeting or an adjournment of the
  meeting, the district shall elect a moderator and a permanent clerk; shall determine
  the number of water commissioners constituting the board of water commissioners; and
  shall elect a board of water commissioners, who shall be the legislative branch, a
  treasurer, and three auditors. All officers elected at the organizational meeting
  shall hold office until others are elected and qualified following the first annual
  meeting. The selectboard of each town may appoint an alternative water commissioner
  for each commissioner elected from that town, whose duty shall be to serve in place
  of the elected commissioner if the latter is unable to serve, resigns, or is unable
  to proceed in office. The total number of water commissioners and the member from
  each member town may be agreed upon by the several member towns in advance of the
  organizational meeting. In the absence of such agreement, the number shall be set
  by the organizational meeting at not less than three nor more than 11 commissioners,
  including at least one from each member town. Changes in the total number of commissioners
  may be made at any annual meeting of the district duly warned for that purpose by
  vote of two-thirds of those present and voting; except that it shall always include
  at least one from each member town. Water commissioners elected at the organizational
  meeting shall be elected from nominations made by the several towns at their most
  recent annual or special meeting, if such nominations have been made. Water commissioners
  to serve on the board of water commissioners of the consolidated district following
  the first annual meeting shall be elected by the member towns at their own annual
  or special meetings. Such elections shall be by Australian ballot in those member
  towns that elect their respective legislative branches by Australian ballot. All other
  consolidated water district officers shall be elected by the consolidated district.
  When there is only one nominee for any of the offices, the voters may, by acclamation,
  instruct an officer to elect that nominee by casting one ballot, and upon the ballot
  being cast the nominee shall be declared to be legally elected. (b) At such organizational meeting or at an adjournment of the meeting, the district may
  further authorize its board of water commissioners to pay any expense incurred by
  or on behalf of the district in the period between the date on which the member towns
  voted to join the district and the first annual meeting of the district. The word
  “expense” as used in this chapter shall include the cost of architects, surveyors,
  engineers, contractors, lawyers, or other consultants or experts as well as current
  operating expenses to be incurred by the district from its organizational meeting
  until its first annual meeting. The district may authorize its board of water commissioners
  to borrow money pending receipt of payments from the member towns as provided in this
  chapter by the issuance of its notes or orders payable not later than one year from
  the date. At the organizational meeting, the district shall further select a name
  for the district, determine compensation, if any, to be paid to its officers, determine
  the date on which its annual meeting shall be held, (which shall not be earlier than
  October 1 or later than December 31), and adopt a seal. A certified copy of the vote
  designating the name of the consolidated water district shall be forthwith filed by
  the clerk of the district with the Secretary of State. (c) All district officers elected at an annual meeting and water commissioners elected
  by their constituent towns shall enter upon their duties on April 1 following their
  election, unless a different date is set at an annual meeting. A vacancy occurring
  in any district office other than commissioner caused by death, resignation, removal
  from the district, or incapacity of an officer to carry his or her duties, shall be
  temporarily filled by the board of water commissioners with a person from the municipality
  from which the vacancy occurs within 10 days after the vacancy occurs and until the
  date when the newly elected officers take office. The vacancy shall be filled at the
  next annual meeting of the district. The term of office of the water commissioners
  and the auditors shall be three years and all other officers one year. At the first
  annual meeting, the terms of office of the commissioners shall be divided by agreement.
  If possible by lot, if not, with one-third expiring after one year, and one-third
  expiring after two years, or as nearly as may be. At said first annual meeting, one
  auditor shall be elected for one year, and one auditor for two years, and thereafter
  for three years or until their successors are chosen and qualified. (d) The fiscal year of a consolidated water district shall be the calendar year. If the
  change in the date of an annual meeting is to be made, a notice of the proposed change
  shall be inserted in the warning of the annual meeting. (Added 1964, No. 20 (Sp. Sess.), § 3, eff. March 10, 1964; amended 1967, No. 209, § 3, eff. April 17, 1967; 2019, No. 131 (Adj. Sess.), § 262.)