City Council

To be approved at 01-24-17 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held January 17, 2017 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, Councilor Jeffrey Tuper-Giles; from Ward II, Councilors Michael Boutin and Michael Smith; and from Ward III, Councilors Anita Chadderton and Lucas Herring. Also present were City Manager Steven Mackenzie and Clerk/Treasurer Carolyn Dawes. Absent: From Ward I, vacant. Adjustments to the Agenda: Mayor Lauzon said he will be rearranging the agenda to accommodate those in attendance. Approval of Consent Agenda: Council approved the following consent agenda items on motion of Councilor Herring, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Regular meeting on January 3, 2017 o Special meeting on January 7, 2017 o Regular meeting on January 10, 2017  City Warrants as presented: o Ratification of Week 2017-02: (warrants signed 01/10/17 by Mayor Lauzon)  Accounts Payable: $238,787.61  Payroll (gross): $127,729.00 o Approval of Week 2017-03:  Accounts Payable: $347,986.73  Payroll (gross): $112,949.65  Licenses & Permits o 2017 Animal Licenses:  Michael Boutin, 5 Hillside Avenue, 1 ferret o 2017 Food Establishment Licenses:  Planet Rock N’ Metal - downstairs, 123 N. Main Street  Positive Pie, 319 N. Main Street  Mulligan’s Irish Pub, 9 Maple Avenue o 2017 Food Takeout Licenses:  Bella Campo Food Products, 131 S. Main Street  Beverage Baron, 411 N. Main Street o 2017 Food Vending Licenses:  Dell’s Dogs, Wendell Gauthier, 1 van o 2017 Entertainment Licenses:  ReSource Flying Stage, 30 Granite Street o 2017 Taxicab Driver’s Licenses:  R., Brent Gould, Central VT Green Cab o 2017 Pool Table/Video Machine Licenses:  Planet Rock N’ Metal – downstairs, 123 N. Main Street, 1 pool table The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk Dawes reported on the following:  Dog licenses are now available.  Third quarter taxes are due by February 15th.  Deadline for Annual (Town) Meeting public question petitions is Thursday, January 19th.  Deadline for nominating petitions is January 30th.  Information about March 7th Annual (Town) Meeting available on the website, including list of 1 To be approved at 01-24-17 Barre City Council Meeting offices to be elected, nominating petitions and consent of candidate forms. Hard copies are available in the clerk’s office, and they can also be emailed upon request.  Accepting requests for early absentee ballots. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Herring, seconded by Councilor Smith. Motion carried. Applicant Address Spaulding Union High School 155 Ayers Street Heather Henry 17 Foss Street Metro Development One LLC 21 Metro Way Granite City Developers LLC 14 N. Main Street Liquor Control – NONE City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  Land use boards training on January 19th.  Public hearings on Central VT Public Safety Authority proposed FY18 budget 1/19 & 2/2.  City awarded two grants from ANR Environmental Conservation. The grants are for purchase of a new vactor and a new street sweeper, and storm water mitigation projects in the Winter Meadow area. This is in addition to the previously announced $41,000 clean diesel grant towards the purchase of the vactor. Manager Mackenzie said he expects to bill Barre Town for its portion of waste water treatment facility improvements and the North Main Street Reconstruction Project within two weeks. There was discussion on the conditions for accepting the clean diesel grant. The Manager said the current vactor must be taken permanently out of service and cannot be sold to another community. Mayor Lauzon asked that Acting Public Works Director Steve Micheli report on the vactor and street sweeper purchases at a future Council meeting. Manager Mackenzie said staff is working on updating the capital equipment plan, which is expected to be completed in approximately a month. Visitors & Communications – Maplewood Avenue residents Jeffrey & Hollie Friot said they are concerned that the process concerning termination or renewal of their contract with the City for use of City-owned land that abuts their property has stalled. They came to the Council originally in July, and have been communicating with Manager Mackenzie, but have not received new contract terms as promised. Manager Mackenzie said he will get to it in a timely fashion, but it is not a priority. The Mayor said the Manager will craft a draft revised contract, get Council’s approval and have it to the Friots by February 28th. New Business – G) Ambulance Purchase Authorization. Chief Tim Bombardier and Deputy Fire Chief Joe Aldsworth presented a memo recommending purchase of a used 2012 ambulance for $100,000, and up to $38,500 of fit-up costs. The largest portion of the fit- up costs is related to installation of a power load cot retention system, which is recommended by the City’s insurance carrier to help reduce injuries from lifting costs into the back of ambulances. The purchased ambulance would replace the current 2004 ambulance. There was discussion on the maintenance needs of the current ambulance, salvage value of the box on the 2 To be approved at 01-24-17 Barre City Council Meeting current ambulance, and the feasibility of and need for purchasing the cot retention system. Mayor Lauzon asked the Manager to look into the cot retention system with Chief Bombardier and Deputy Chief Aldsworth and report back to the Council before Council authorizes purchase. Council approved purchase of the 2012 ambulance and fit-up costs except the power load cot retention system as recommended by staff on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Chadderton. Motion carried. B) Approval of 2017 Certificate of Highway Mileage. Mayor Lauzon said there have been no changes to the certificate. Council approved the certificate on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Chadderton. Motion carried. Old Business – A) Continuing Discussion of Proposed Charter Changes. Clerk Dawes reviewed the latest draft language and asked for Council’s guidance on which items should be moved forward for voter consideration. Council informally agreed to ask the voters to approve the following:  Remove the Recreation Board from the charter  Raise the petition signature threshold for placing public questions on ballots  Establish local option taxes on rooms, meals and alcohol At the Clerk’s recommendation, Council informally agreed to remove draft language that would name the Board of Abatement as the appeal body for water & sewer bill appeals. The Clerk said it is common practice in other communities, and the City Attorney has issued an opinion stating that having the BOA serve as the appeal body is in keeping with statute. There was discussion on adding language that would tie Council compensation to attendance. Mayor Lauzon said he would prefer to develop policies that guide Council behavior, and create a statement of values that each Councilor would sign. The Mayor said he will work on drafting such a document. New Business – continued: A) Approval of FY18 Budget Proposal. Manager Mackenzie reviewed the latest draft of the proposed FY18 budget, and noted the projected municipal tax rate increase is zero. When combined with the projected school tax rate, the overall tax rate increase is 1.19%. The Manager reviewed highlights of the budget including continuation of the yard waste programs, summer bee bike patrol, annual salary & benefits adjustments, improvements to the pool, Alumni Hall and the auditorium, and one full time additional staff person in the finance department. There was discussion on the impact of voter approval of the local option tax on the budget and tax rate. D) Approval of Kiwanis Club Coin Drop Request. Council approved the coin drop request for May 6, 2017 on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Chadderton. Motion carried. F) VLCT Special Business Mtg. re: Municipal Policy Adoption: Delegate Designation. Council appointed Manager Mackenzie as the delegate on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Chadderton. Motion carried. E) Discussion of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations – Chargepoint Contract. Clerk Dawes reviewed her memo on the EV charging stations, and noted the stations cost the City $1,916 3 To be approved at 01-24-17 Barre City Council Meeting in FY16, and only generated $102.10 in revenue. The cost is for the ChargePoint contract at $1,120 and electricity at $796. The Clerk said her initial intention was to recommend not renewing the ChargePoint contract, however upon further reflection she is now recommending renewal for one year. During the year she will continue to review performance of the stations, and perhaps make adjustments to fees and charges. The Clerk said ChargePoint has been wonderful to work with, and the reporting options on their website are great. C) Update on Semprebon Bequest, Trust and Bike Path Funds. Clerk Dawes reviewed her memo on the accounst, the balances of funds available, and the status of various projects. There was discussion about possible uses for available funds, including the municipal pool and Vermont Youth Conversation Corps summer work teams. The Clerk said the only funded project that hasn’t begun is the Boy Scout sculpture. She reported that a fundraising committee has begun raising money, and is expecting to erect the sculpture in 2018. Council asked that the committee report successful completion of the fundraising by December 31, 2017, and that the project is moving forward. If they aren’t done by the December 31st deadline, they will be invited to a Council meeting to discuss the future of the project. Round Table – Councilor Herring asked that the City’s policies be put up on the website. Manager Mackenzie said that is in the works. The Councilor also asked that there be a presentation to Council of the new website. The Manager will get that on the schedule. Councilor Herring said he has been reviewing the City’s master plan, and would like to have the Council review the goals and benchmarks included in the plan. Councilor Smith said there will be a presentation on cold climate heat pumps at the library tomorrow evening. Councilor Tuper-Giles reminded people to license their dogs. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 9:28 PM on motion of Councilor Herring, seconded by Councilor Smith. Motion carried. An audio recording of this meeting is available from the City Clerk. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 4