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Senate committee reviews H.516 proposing residency and attendance rules in Essex charter
Summary
The Government Operations Committee reviewed H.516, which would amend the Town of Essex charter to add residency-based vacancy rules, a 50% attendance threshold, changes to appointment authority and timing for minutes and audits; legislative counsel Tucker Anderson explained the text and answered members’ questions.
Legislative counsel Tucker Anderson briefed the Vermont Senate Government Operations Committee on Feb. 4 on H.516, a bill to amend the charter of the town of Essex with a mix of technical corrections and several substantive governance changes.
Anderson told the committee that much of H.516 is technical cleanup but highlighted section 204(c), which would make a select-board seat vacant if a member changes residence outside the town and would permit the select board to appoint an eligible interim member until the next annual or special meeting. The provision would require a special election if the select board cannot agree on an interim replacement, Anderson said.
The bill would also add incapacity as a basis for vacancy and define incapacity to include "failure by any member of the select board to attend at least 50% of the meetings of the select board in any calendar year," Anderson said. "So if a member fails to attend…
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