VERMONT – All members of legislative bodies; quasi-judicial bodies; chief administrative officers; mayors; and town and city managers are required to complete training on the new statewide municipal code of ethics. Municipal officers who are in office on January 1, 2025, must complete the training no later than September 25, and every three years thereafter. Municipal officers who start after January 1, 2025, must complete the training within 120 days of the start of their position, and every three years thereafter.
While training is required only for the municipal officers listed above, it is recommended that all municipal officers subject to the statewide Municipal Code of Ethics take the training. Municipal officers subject to the code are: members of municipal legislative bodies, members of municipal quasi-judicial bodies, advisory budget committee members, auditors, building inspectors, cemetery commissioners, chief administrative officers, tax collectors, department heads, first constables, listers, assessors, town clerks, treasurers, mayors, department heads, moderators, planning commission members, road commissioners, town or city managers, village or town trustees, trustees of public funds and water commissioners.
The training covers the statewide Municipal Code of Ethics, the State Ethics Commission’s role in the municipal ethics complaint process and the services that are available to municipalities through the State Ethics Commission. It is approximately 45 minutes long.
When training is finished, participants will be asked to complete a form that asks for name, municipal title, municipality, email address, and email address of an additional municipal contact, to answer questions to check understanding of the training. A notification email will be sent at the completion of ethics training to the email addresses provided. The notification should be saved as documentation of completion of the training.
Information and links for the training can be found at ethicscommission.vermont.gov/training
