Act 171 (H.875), an Act establishing a municipal ethics framework in Vermont, went into effect on June 10th, 2024. The Act establishes a statewide municipal code of ethics and allows the State Ethics Commission to provide municipalities with free training and advisory services. It also requires municipalities to investigate and record ethics complaints, which can be filed either with the municipality or with the Ethics Commission, to appoint an Ethics Liaison to receive complaints and serve as a point of contact for the Ethics Commission, and for municipal officers to complete a free basic ethics training.
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State of Vermont Municipal Code of Ethics |
| Whistleblower Protections |
| Process for Investigation and Enforcement of Ethical Violations |
State law (24 V.S.A. § 1997) requires municipalities to enact procedures to investigate complaints that allege a municipal officer has violated the Municipal Code of Ethics and to enforce against substantiated complaints, including developing methods of enforcement and available remedies. Below is the City’s Process for Investigation and Enforcement of Ethical Violations and Ethics Complaint Form and the contact information for the Town’s Ethics liaison.
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Canaan's Process for Investigation & Enforcement of Ethical Violations |
Ethics Liaison
Zachary Brown, Town Clerk and Treasurer
To email: Send to clerktreas@canaan-vt.org with “Ethics Complaint” in the subject line.
To mail, address to:
Town of Canaan, VT
Attn: Designated Complaint Recipient
Po Box 159 Canaan, VT 05903
To call for assistance: 802-266-3370
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