Municipal Code of Ethics
Here is a summary of Vermont’s Municipal Code of Ethics.
In compliance with the law, the following information also is provided:
– Vermont’s Municipal Code of Ethics.
– Woodbury’s personnel policy for Highway Department employees covers conflict of interest.
– Information about filing an ethics complaint.
– Woodbury’s form for filing an ethics complaint.
– Woodbury’s procedure for handling an ethics complaint is as follows:
That such a complaint be directed to the town’s liaison to the state Ethics Commission, who shall investigate the complaint, and report the findings to the Select Board and Auditors.
– For Woodbury town officials, here is information about required Municipal Code of Ethics training and self certification.
Open Meetings Law
Here are General Provisions about Public Information and Access to Public Records.
The Vermont Legislature passed Act 133 (S.55) that amended Vermont’s Open Meeting Law, 1 V.S.A. effective July 1, 2024.
Highlights of Act 133 (S.55) include:
– permits “advisory bodies” – those that do not have supervision, control, or jurisdiction over legislative, quasi-judicial, tax, or budgetary matters – to meet electronically without a physical meeting location (i.e., remotely);
– requires all other public bodies (i.e., “nonadvisory bodies”) to record, in audio or video form, their meetings and post the recordings in a designated electronic location for a minimum of 30 days following the approval and posting of the official minutes of the meeting which was recorded;
– allows all public bodies to meet remotely in response to a state of emergency or “local incident”;
– requires all public bodies to provide local residents, members of the press, or members of the body itself electronic/telephonic or in-person meeting access options to a regularly scheduled meeting, if requested (unless it causes an undue hardship);
– requires a municipality to post on its website:
– an explanation of the procedures for submitting notice of an Open Meeting Law violation to the public body or the Attorney General.
– Here is text of the Act, 1 V.S.A. § 314.
– imposes annual training requirements on selectboard chairs, town managers, and mayors.
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For Woodbury town officials: Information about using Zoom and recording a meeting on an iPhone.