Calais Policies, Plans, and Guidelines
Policies, Plans, and Guidelines
A policy is a guiding principle or procedure that is adopted by the Selectboard to establish clear-cut, systematic methods for handling internal town operations. Policies do not have the regulatory enforcement authority that ordinances do, but they are useful in that they set reasonable expectations for town employees and officials.
Plans and Guidelines are similar to policies in that they do not have the regulatory enforcement of ordinances but instead provide guidance and parameters for town officials.
A Town Plan is a document in which towns describe the current state of various aspects of the town and create goals for the next eight years and beyond. A town plan forms the basis for any land use regulations and capital budgets. Town plans are generally aspirational, non-binding documents, but they have quasi-regulatory effect on development projects that require an Act 250 permit, where compliance with town plans is mandatory.
Please note: As of June 10, 2024, legislators have put in place a statewide Municipal Code of Ethics, which you can find on our VT Municipal Code of Ethics & Open Meeting Law page. The Calais Conflict of Interest Policy is a supplemental document to that Code.