City Council

To be approved at 12-20-16 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held December 13, 2016 The Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council was called to order by Mayor Thomas Lauzon at 7:00 PM at Barre City Hall. In attendance were: From Ward I, Councilors Paul Poirier and Jeffrey Tuper-Giles; from Ward II, Councilors Michael Boutin and Michael Smith; and from Ward III, Councilor Lucas Herring. Also present were City Manager Steven Mackenzie and Clerk/Treasurer Carolyn Dawes. Absent: From Ward III, Councilor Anita Chadderton. Adjustments to the Agenda: Mayor Lauzon said he will be rearranging the agenda to accommodate those in attendance. New Business – B) Recognition of First Responders for Outstanding Performance. Mayor Lauzon read a letter from grandparents, thanking Barre City police, fire and ambulance first responders for saving the life of their two year old granddaughter. The child’s mother, Chantel Deyo, personally thanked the following for saving the life of her daughter: Patrolman Joel Pierce Firefighter David Rublacaba Patrolman James Pontbriand Firefighter Benjamin Shaw Patrolman Steve Rounds Lieutenant Michael Charbonneau Corporal Randall Tucker Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Aldsworth A standing ovation was given to the first responders for their exemplary service. Approval of Consent Agenda: Council approved the following consent agenda items on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Regular meeting on December 7, 2016.  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2016-50:  Accounts Payable: $274,281.33  Payroll (gross): $117,929.72  Licenses & Permits o 2017 Animal Licenses  Zachary Tillinghast, 31 Hall Street, 5 chickens  Bruce Landry, 85 Blackwell Street, 15 chickens o 2017 Food Establishment Licenses  Dunkin Donuts, 283 N. Main Street  Quarry Kitchen & Spirits, 210 N. Main Street  American Legion, 320 N. Main Street  Mutuo Inc., 20 Beckley Street  Mr. Z’s, 379 N. Main Street  Community Kitchen Academy, Capstone, 20 Gable Place  Delicate Decadence, 15 Cottage Street  Domino’s Pizza, 322 N. Main Street  Bamboo Gardens, 115 S. Main Street  Hollow Inn & Motel, 278 S. Main Street o 2017 Food Takeout Licenses  Quality Market, 155 Washington Street o 2017 Entertainment Licenses: 1 To be approved at 12-20-16 Barre City Council Meeting  Mulligan’s Pub, 9 Maple Avenue  Old Labor Hall, 46 Granite Street  American Legion, 320 N. Main Street  Barre Opera House, 6 N. Main Street o 2017 Pool Tables/Video Machines Licenses  American Legion, 320 N. Main Street, 1 pool table, no video machines The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk Dawes reported on the following:  Water bills are due by the end of December.  Three properties are scheduled for tax sale on Thursday, December 15th.  The Council annual dollar drop raised $2,745.12, plus additional donations totaling $2,500 to benefit the Christmas for Kids program. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Smith, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. Applicant Address Hooker & Whitcomb Funeral Service 5 Academy Street Herbert Heath 205 S. Main Street John McArdle 28 Webster Street Sande & Robert French-Stockwell 13 East Street Liquor Control – Council approved a temporary outside consumption permit application for the Elks Club for a New Year’s Day event on motion of Councilor Smith, seconded by Councilor Herring. Motion carried with Councilor Boutin abstaining. Council approved a Request to Cater application from Morse Block Deli for an office holiday party at People’s United Bank on December 15th, on motion of Councilor Herring, seconded by Councilor Smith. Motion carried with Councilor Boutin abstaining. City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  Development of the new website is progressing. Staff is currently reviewing a beta test site, and the actual site is expected to go live by the end of the month.  The employee holiday luncheon is this Thursday, December 15th. Visitors & Communications – NONE Old Business – NONE New Business, continued - A) SnoBees Request for Permission to Groom a Trail Through the Cow Pasture. Mike Perrigo from the SnoBees requested permission to groom a trail through the cow pasture. Council approved the request and authorized the Mayor to sign on behalf of the City on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Herring. Motion carried. C) Good Samaritan Haven Address to Council. Good Samaritan Haven executive director Brooke Jenkins gave a PowerPoint presentation on the Haven. Ms. Jenkins said they celebrated their 30th anniversary this summer. They recently conducted an agency assessment and amended their bylaws so they are no longer faith-based. They are outsourcing their fiscal management and payroll to Downstreet Housing and Community Development, and have added a second case coordinator. GSH is the only homeless shelter in central Vermont; they have 30 beds and 14 2 To be approved at 12-20-16 Barre City Council Meeting overflow beds at Hedding Methodist Church. Their program limits people’s stays to 90 days, and there is currently no daytime use of the building allowed under their zoning permit. They are requesting a zoning permit amendment from the Development Review Board in January. In the past two years they have housed 442 unique individuals for a total of 16,233 bed nights and meals. The majority of their guests are from Washington County. They partner with local agencies for services and housing, and work closely with the Barre City Community Outreach Coordinator, Brooke Pouliot. D) Discussion of Charter Changes and Timeline. Clerk Dawes reviewed the timeline associated with placing proposed charter changes on the March Annual (Town) Meeting ballot. The Clerk said there are a number of possible charter changes being considered and worked on by staff, and recommended at next week’s meeting Council warn the 1st public hearing for January 24th, and the 2nd public hearing for February 7th. Council agreed to place the public hearing warnings on next week’s agenda. E) First Reading 2016-06: Revisions to Rules Governing Meetings. Mayor Lauzon reviewed his interpretation of City charter and ordinance related to Robert’s Rules, what constitutes a quorum and how many votes are necessary to approve Council action. There was discussion on the effect of abstentions, meeting management, and setting a higher approval threshold for votes that obligate City funds. Councilor Boutin made the motion to approve the first reading of ordinance change 2016-06, seconded by Councilor Smith. Councilor Poirier said he wanted to offer an amendment to change the proposed language so that four votes would be needed only when the Council is committing funds. There was additional discussion, and the motion, second and proposed amendment were withdrawn. Councilor Boutin will work on a revised draft of the proposed ordinance change and bring it back for a new first reading. Round Table – NONE Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 8:22 PM on motion of Councilor Smith, seconded by Councilor Tuper- Giles. Motion carried. An audio recording of this meeting is available from the City Clerk. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 3