§ 1822. Powers; approval of voters

(a) In addition to the powers it may now or hereafter have, a municipal corporation otherwise authorized to own, acquire, improve, control, operate, or manage a public utility or project and to issue bonds pursuant to this subchapter, may also, by action of its legislative branch, exercise any of the following powers:

(1) to borrow money and issue bonds for the purposes of acquiring, improving, maintaining, financing, controlling, or operating the public utility or project, or for the purpose of selling, furnishing, or distributing the services, facilities, products, or commodities of such utility or project;

(2) to enter into contracts in connection with the issuance of bonds for any of the purposes enumerated in subdivision (1) of this subsection;

(3) to purchase, hold, and dispose of any of its bonds;

(4) to pledge or assign all or part of any net revenues of the public utility or project, to provide for or to secure the payment of the principal of and the interest on bonds issued in connection with such public utility or project;

(5) to do any and all things necessary or prudent to carry out the powers expressly granted or necessarily implied in this subchapter, including without limitation those powers enumerated in section 1824 of this title.

(b)(1) The bonds authorized under this section shall be in such form, shall contain such provisions, and shall be executed as may be determined by the legislative branch of the municipal corporation, but shall not be executed, issued, or made, and shall not be valid and binding, unless and until at least a majority of the legal voters of such municipal corporation present and voting at a duly warned annual or special meeting called for that purpose shall have first voted to authorize the same.

(2) The warning calling such a meeting shall state the purpose for which it is proposed to issue bonds, the estimated cost of the project, the amount of bonds proposed to be issued under this subchapter therefor, that such bonds are to be payable solely from net revenues, and shall fix the place where and the date on which such meetings shall be held and the hours of opening and closing the polls.

(3) The notice of the meeting shall be published and posted as provided in section 1756 of this title.

(4) When a majority of all the voters voting on the question at such meeting vote to authorize the issuance of bonds under this subchapter to pay for such project, the legislative body shall be authorized to issue bonds or enter into contracts, pledges, and assignments as provided in this subchapter.

(5) Sections 1757 and 1758 of this title shall apply to the proceedings taken hereunder, except that the form of ballot to be used shall be substantially as follows:

Shall bonds of the (name of municipality) to the amount of $_____ be issued under subchapter 2 of chapter 53 of Title 24, Vermont Statutes Annotated, payable only from net revenues derived from the (type) public utility system, for the purpose of paying for the following public utility project?

If in favor of the bond issue, make a cross (x) in this square ?.

If opposed to the bond issue, make a cross (x) in this square ?.

(c) The bonds authorized by this subchapter shall be sold at par, premium, or discount by negotiated sale, competitive bid, or to the Vermont Municipal Bond Bank.

(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b) of this section, the legislative branch of a municipal corporation owning a municipal plant as defined in 30 V.S.A. § 2901 may authorize by resolution the issuance of bonds in an amount not to exceed 50 percent of the total assets of said municipal plant without the need for voter approval. Nothing in this subsection shall be interpreted as eliminating the requirement for approval from the Public Utility Commission pursuant to 30 V.S.A. § 108, where applicable. (Amended 1989, No. 111, § 6, eff. June 22, 1989; 2019, No. 81, § 1.)