Vermont Statutes Title 1 Sec. 312a
Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 1 Sec. 312a
- Meeting: means a gathering of a quorum of the members of a public body for the purpose of discussing the business of the public body or for the purpose of taking action. See
- Municipality: shall include a city, town, town school district, incorporated school or fire district or incorporated village, and all other governmental incorporated units. See
- Public body: means any board, council, or commission of the State or one or more of its political subdivisions, any board, council, or commission of any agency, authority, or instrumentality of the State or one or more of its political subdivisions, or any committee of any of the foregoing boards, councils, or commissions, except that "public body" does not include councils or similar groups established by the Governor for the sole purpose of advising the Governor with respect to policy. See
- Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States may apply to the District of Columbia and any territory and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See
§ 312a. Meetings of public bodies; state of emergency
(a) As used in this section:
(1) “Affected public body” means a public body:
(A) whose regular meeting location is located in an area affected by a hazard; and
(B) that cannot meet in a designated physical meeting location due to a declared state of emergency pursuant to 20 Vt. Stat. Ann. chapter 1.
(2) “Hazard” means an “all-hazards” as defined in 20 V.S.A. § 2(1).
(b) Notwithstanding subdivisions 312(a)(2)(D) and (c)(2) of this title, during a declared state of emergency under 20 Vt. Stat. Ann. chapter 1:
(1) A quorum or more of an affected public body may attend a regular, special, or emergency meeting by electronic or other means without designating a physical meeting location where the public may attend.
(2) The members and staff of an affected public body shall not be required to be physically present at a designated meeting location.
(3) An affected public body of a municipality may post any meeting agenda or notice of a special meeting in two publicly accessible designated electronic locations in lieu of the two designated public places in the municipality, or in a combination of a designated electronic location and a designated public place.
(c) When an affected public body meets electronically under subsection (b) of this section, the affected public body shall:
(1) use technology that permits the attendance and participation of the public through electronic or other means;
(2) allow the public to access the meeting by telephone; and
(3) post information that enables the public to directly access and participate in meetings electronically and shall include this information in the published agenda for each meeting.
(d) Unless unusual circumstances make it impossible for them to do so, the legislative body of each municipality and each school board shall record any meetings held pursuant to this section.
(e) An affected public body of a municipality shall continue to post notices and agendas in or near the municipal clerk’s office pursuant to subdivision 312(c)(2) of this title and shall provide a copy of each notice or agenda to the newspapers of general circulation for the municipality. (Added 2021, No. 157 (Adj. Sess.), § 8, eff. July 1, 2022.)