Vermont § 4 - Purposes and powers

§ 4. Purposes and powers

• (a) The Authority is hereby created for the following purposes and is granted the following
  authority: to purchase, own, operate, or provide for the operation of land transportation
  facilities; and to contract for transit services; to conduct studies; and to contract
  with other governmental agencies, private companies, and individuals. (b) The Authority shall be a body politic and corporate with the powers incident to a
  municipal corporation under the laws of the State of Vermont consistent with the purposes
  of the Authority and shall further have the purposes and powers set forth herein. (c) The Authority is granted the authority to exercise all powers necessary, appurtenant,
  convenient, or incidental to the carrying out of the aforesaid purposes, including
  the following rights and powers: (1) To sue and be sued. (2) To adopt, use, and alter at will a corporate seal. (3) To acquire, purchase, hold, lease as a lessee, and use any franchise or property—whether
  real, personal, or mixed, tangible or intangible—or any interest therein, necessary
  or desirable for carrying out the purposes of the Authority, and to sell, lease as
  lessor, transfer, or dispose of any property or interest therein acquired by it. (4) To fix, alter, charge, and establish rates, fares, and other charges for the services
  and facilities within its area of operation, which rates, fees, and charges shall
  be equitable and just. (5) To acquire and operate, or provide for the operation of local transportation systems,
  public or private, within its area of operation. (6) To make contracts of every name and nature and to execute all instruments necessary
  or convenient for the carrying on of its business. (7) To enter into management contracts with any person for the management of a public
  transportation system controlled by the Authority for such period of time and under
  such compensation and other terms and conditions as shall be deemed advisable by the
  Authority. (8) To accept gifts or grants or loans of money or other property and to enter into contracts,
  leases, or other transactions with any federal agency, the State, any agency of the
  State, or with any other public body of the State, including municipalities, school
  districts, and other authorities. (9) To borrow money and issue evidence of indebtedness as provided by 24 V.S.A. chapter
  53. For the purpose of that chapter, the grand list of the Authority shall be deemed
  to be the total of the grand lists of member municipalities, and the debt limit of
  the Authority shall not be diminished by any obligation incurred by a member municipality
  alone. Obligations incurred under such chapter shall be the joint and several obligations
  of the Authority and of each member municipality but shall not affect any limitation
  on indebtedness of a member municipality. The cost of debt service shall be included
  in the annual budget of the Authority as provided in section 7 of this chapter and
  shall be allocated among the member municipalities as set forth in section 7. Where
  voter approval is required pursuant to 24 V.S.A. chapter 53, the Board of Commissioners
  shall determine the number and location of polling places, and when a majority of
  all the voters present and voting on the question from all of the member municipalities
  at such meeting vote to authorize the issuance of bonds, the Board of Commissioners
  shall be authorized to issue the bonds as provided in chapter 53. The counting of
  ballots shall be conducted by the Board of Commissioners together with the town or
  city clerk from each member municipality or his or her designee. (10) To develop transportation plans and to coordinate its planning and programs with those
  of appropriate municipal, county, and State agencies and other political subdivisions
  of the State. (11) Within Chittenden County and its member municipalities, to acquire by the exercise
  of the power of eminent domain any real property that it may have found necessary
  for its purposes, in the manner provided for the condemnation of land or rights therein
  as set forth in 19 V.S.A. §§ 501-514, and acts amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto. (12) To adopt necessary rules consistent with the provisions hereof. (13) To do all acts and things necessary or convenient for the conduct of its business
  and the general welfare of the Authority in order to carry out the powers granted
  to it by this chapter or any other law. (Added 1973, No. 122, § 4, eff. Feb. 2, 1973; amended 2003, No. 56, § 48, eff. June 4, 2003; amended 2009, No. 71 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. July 1, 2011; 2015, No. 23, § 128.)