Vermont § 706 - Council and annual meeting action on budget

§ 706. Council and annual meeting action on budget

• (a) Notice and hearing. (1) The Council shall post and publish the general summary of the budget and proposed
  capital improvements and a notice stating: (A) the times and places where copies of the message and budget are available for inspection
  by the public; and (B) the time and place, not less than two weeks after such posting publication and not
  more than 30 days prior to the annual meeting for a public hearing on the budget. (2) The time and place of the annual meeting shall be posted as set forth in Article 2
  of this charter. (b) Amendment before submission to the voters. After the public hearing, the Council may approve the budget for submission to the
  voters with or without amendment. In amending the budget, it may add or increase programs
  or amounts and may delete or decrease any programs or amounts, except expenditures
  required by law or for debt service or for estimated cash deficit, provided that no
  amendment to the budget shall increase the Manager’s recommended expenditures to an
  amount greater than the total of estimated income. (c) Budget vote. The Council shall warn the budget to the voters for approval at the annual meeting
  held on the first Tuesday in March. The budget vote shall be conducted in accordance
  with the provisions set forth in Article 2 of this charter. If the voters fail to
  approve the budget at the annual meeting, the Council shall reconsider the budget
  and submit a revised budget to the voters prior to June 1 of that same year. The vote
  on the revised budget shall be conducted as set forth in Article 2 of this charter.
  If the voters fail to approve the revised budget, the amounts appropriated for current
  operation for the current fiscal year shall be deemed adopted for the ensuing fiscal
  year on a month-to-month basis, with all items in it prorated accordingly, until such
  time as the Council warns and the voters approve a budget for the ensuing fiscal year.
  Voter approval of the budget shall constitute appropriations of the amounts specified
  therein as expenditures from the funds indicated and shall constitute a levy of the
  property tax therein proposed. (Added 2013, No. M-9, § 3, eff. June 4, 2013.)