Vermont § 7 - Conflict of interest

§ 7. Conflict of interest

• (a) No elected or appointed officer or employee of the Town or member of any Town board
  or commission shall be beneficially interested directly or indirectly in any matter
  requiring the discharge of his or her public office. The purpose of this section is
  to prohibit the use of public office for financial or other advantage, whether direct
  or indirect, by any means or methods. (b) No elected or appointed officer of the Town shall be beneficially interested directly
  or indirectly, in any contract with the Town, regardless of the amount or furnish
  any material or perform any labor, except in the discharge of his or her official
  duties, unless the contract shall have been awarded upon bids advertised for publication.
  The publication shall be at least two times in a newspaper having general circulation
  in the Town; the second and subsequent publications shall be at least seven days prior
  to the opening of such bids. (c) No officer or employee of the Town shall take part in any decision concerning the
  business of the Town in which he or she has a direct or indirect financial interest
  greater than any other citizen or taxpayer in the Town aside from his or her salary
  as an officer or employee. This provision shall not apply in the event of any emergency
  where immediate action shall be deemed more important to the Town than receipt of
  formal bids. (d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the Town to take bids on contracts
  generally, under circumstances wherein no officer or employee has a direct or indirect
  interest in the contract. (Added 2005, No. M-9 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. Feb. 24, 2005.)