28 V.S.A. § 2: Construction

(a) The provisions of this title shall be liberally construed in order to effectuate the general purposes stated in section 1 of this title.

(b) The discretionary powers authorized by this title shall be exercised in accordance with the criteria stated in the title. If these criteria are not dispositive in a particular instance, the general purposes established in section 1 of this title shall be controlling.