Municipal Code of Ethics Adopted in Vermont
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 (complaints filed with the Ethics Commission will be referred to the municipality for investigation); to appoint an Ethics Liaison (an existing employee or select board member) 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, which is available through the Ethics Commission’s website.
The primary purpose of the bill is to set minimum statewide standards while allowing municipalities to adopt supplemental (or maintain existing) ethics policies that do not conflict with the statewide code, and develop individualized policies and procedures related to complaint investigation and tracking. Many municipalities may already have such policies or procedures in place. The majority of the provisions of the bill related to municipal ethics, including the municipal code of ethics and the training requirement, do not go into effect until January 1, 2025 or later.
What does this mean for Grand Isle?
On January 27, 2025, the Grand Isle Selectboard appointed Lynda Morgan Gardiner as our community liaison to help ensure all municipal employees and volunteers complete the now required training on the Municipal Code of Ethics. Lynda is available by email at , and when you complete your training, please forward your certificate to her by email.
On March 3, 2025, the Grand Isle Selectboard unanimously approved a Code of Ethics Investigation and Enforcement Ordinance, the signed copy of which is available here.
As a result of this Ordinance, Grand Isle now has a process in place for investigating and enforcing ethical violations.
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 Town of Grand Isle’s Process for Investigation and Enforcement of Ethical Violations and Ethics Complaint Form and the contact information for the Town of Grand Isle’s Ethics liaison.
THE TOWN OF GRAND ISLE
PROCESS FOR INVESTIGATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF ETHICAL VIOLATIONS
- Reporting Violations
- Who Can Report: Any employee, official, or member of the public.
- How to Report:
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- Submit a complaint using the Town of Grand Isle’s Ethics Complaint Form via email to the Ethics Commission Liaison.
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- Alternatively, use the VT State Municipal Ethics Commission Complaint Form, available here. The Vermont State Ethics Commission is a nonpartisan, independent State agency empowered to accept, review, refer, and track complaints related to ethical conduct in State and municipal government.
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- If there are alleged violations of the Vermont Municipal Code of Ethics. 3 V.S.A. § 1223(b), the complaint should be made to the VT State Municipal Ethics Commission using the form above.
For complaints reported to the Town of Grand Isle, this is the process:
- Initial Review
- Who Reviews: Municipal Ethics Commission Liaison
- What Happens:
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- Check if the complaint is valid and under the policy’s scope.
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- Decide if an investigation is needed or dismiss the case with an explanation.
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- The Ethics Liaison will seek advice if needed from the State Municipal Ethics Commission in making these determinations.
- Investigation
- Who Investigates: A neutral investigator or team.
- Steps:
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- Collect evidence and talk to involved parties.
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- Keep everything confidential as much as possible.
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- Wrap up within 30 days, if possible.
- Findings and Actions
- What Happens Next:
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- Investigator presents findings to the Town of Grand Isle Selectboard.
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- The Selectboard decides on actions, which could include warnings, training, suspension, or other penalties.
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- Notification: Inform the accused and complainant about the decision.
- Appeals
- How to Appeal:
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- The accused can appeal within 10 days,
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- The Selectboard reviews the case and makes the final decision.
- Recordkeeping
- Save all reports and decisions securely while following confidentiality and public record laws.
Municipal Code of Ethics
Municipal Officers may contact the Ethics Commission for confidential ethics advice at the following information:
Vermont State Ethics Commission
6 Baldwin St.
Montpelier, VT 05633-7950
802-828-7187