City Council

To be approved at 02-28-17 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held February 21, 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 (arrived 7:19 PM) 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 is reordering the agenda to accommodate those in attendance. Approval of Consent Agenda: Council approved the following consent agenda items on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Smith. Motion carried.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Regular meeting on February 14, 2017  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2017-08:  Accounts Payable: $162,960.92  Payroll (gross): $126,444.28  2017 Licenses & Permits – NONE The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk Dawes reported on the following:  Early absentee voting is available for the Annual (Town) Meeting, which is March 7th. Polls will be open at the auditorium from 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM.  Received 2017 distribution from Semprebon Annuity: $58,768.  Dog licenses are available through April 1st. Clerk Dawes asked if the March 7th Council meeting will be moved to Monday, March 6th because of Town Meeting Day. Mayor Lauzon said the meeting will be moved. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Smith, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. Applicant Address 66 Maple Ave LLC 66 Maple Avenue Williams DaSilva 95 Ayers Street Liquor Control – NONE City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  Negotiating lease renewal for Wheelock House. Will come to Council mid-March for approval.  Received response from Department of Vermont Health Access to the City’s appeal request letter re. ambulance revenue taxes. The appeal was denied. Will research other options.  Attended spring flood seminar.  90% of this year’s salt budget has been used to date.  Received 2 bids for a new street sweeper. Bids are being reviewed, and an award recommendation will come to Council in a couple weeks. Councilor Anita Chadderton arrived during the following. 1 To be approved at 02-28-17 Barre City Council Meeting Visitors & Communications – Azaliah Tillinghast introduced herself and said she is a candidate for the Ward 2 Council seat. Ms. Tillinghast said her three missions are to address the severe drug crisis, support small businesses, and keep taxes as cost effective as possible. She said she supports beginning drug intervention efforts in the schools, and a stronger police presence. New Business – A) CVEDC Executive Director Introduction. CVEDC executive director Jamie Stewart introduced himself and gave a brief biographical history. Mr. Stewart said he started as ED in June, and is working closely with Barre Area Development Corporation and the Barre Partnership. They are working on creating a maker space, and focusing on attracting businesses that can create higher wage jobs. CVEDC has initiated its first revolving loan fund, and is working on another. B) Barre Area Veteran’s Council requesting to use the Barre Auditorium for a Vermont Homeless Veteran Stand Down Event. Veteran’s Council chair Chuck Barney requested use of the auditorium to hold their stand down event in support of homeless veterans on September 23rd, with time on September 22nd and 24th available for set-up and clean-up. Mayor Lauzon said he supports all veterans’ events, and recommended Council approve the request and waive the rental fees. The Mayor suggested Mr. Barney contact Barre Town, Berlin and Montpelier, and request $1,000 donations from each, as a match to the value of the auditorium rental donation being offered by Barre City. Council authorized rent-free use of the auditorium on September 22 – 24, 2017, subject to availability, on motion of Councilor Chadderton, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. C) Barre Area Development Corporation Report. BADC executive director Joel Schwartz gave an update on current and future projects, including:  Received notice today that Granite City Grocery will be receiving grant funds to reimburse expenses. Currently advising them on a prospective location.  Completed amendment of the original 1979 downtown historic district designation. There will be a public hearing in March. Once approved on the state and federal level, the City can apply for expansion of the district.  Barre Historical Society is finalizing funding for the bakery restorations.  Revolving loan funds available for support of local businesses.  Working closely with the Barre Partnership on a number of initiatives.  Article highlighting Barre coming out in national digital publication. A flyer is being developed as a companion piece, which will be an employee recruiting tool.  USDA offering energy grant/loan program. Potential for older buildings. Mayor Lauzon said he would like to see the work product for the expansion of the historic district. The Mayor said he is looking for information on work being done by BADC, including the score card of cold calls, inventory of available space, marketing brochures and collateral pieces. He said the City invests funds in BADC and the Barre Partnership, and he wants to be sure they aren’t duplicating efforts. He said he would like weekly reports from Mr. Schwartz, and would like him to attend the first meeting of each month to report to the Council. D) Council Review of 2016 TIF Certification of Increment and Annual Report. Clerk Dawes said part of the annual certification process calls for presentation to the Council. The annual report and certification are due to VEPC tomorrow. There was a brief discussion on the status of the district, and public infrastructure and private development projects. 2 To be approved at 02-28-17 Barre City Council Meeting E) FY18 Budget Presentation. Manager Mackenzie gave a PowerPoint presentation on the proposed FY18 budget. F) Authorization to Execute VTrans Finance & Maintenance Agreement for Rtes. 14 & 302 Paving Projects. Manager Mackenzie said the paving work is expected to begin mid-May, and most of the work will be done at night. There is no required local share. Council approved the finance & maintenance agreement and authorized the Manager to sign on behalf of the City on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Chadderton. Motion carried. G) Authorization to Accept HMPG Sub-recipient Grant Agreements for 85 & 87 Brook Street Buy-outs. Council approved the sub-recipient grant agreements and authorized the Manager to sign on behalf of the City on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Chadderton. Old Business – A) Review of Ordinances on Entertainment Licenses and License Fees. Mayor Lauzon asked Council to abate the late penalty on the Barre Partnership annual entertainment license. Council granted the abatement on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Chadderton. Motion carried. Mayor Lauzon asked that ratification of the above action be placed on next week’s agenda, as it was not warned for this evening. Clerk Dawes reviewed the highlights of the proposed ordinance changes. They will be placed on next week’s agenda for a first reading. Round Table – NONE Executive Session – Councilor Boutin made the motion to find that premature general public knowledge of the contract issues to be discussed would clearly place the City of Barre at a substantial disadvantage should the discussion be public. The motion was seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. Council went into executive session at 9:10 PM to discuss contract issues under the provisions of 1 VSA sec. 313 on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. Manager Mackenzie was invited into the executive session. Council came out of executive session at 9:30 PM on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Smith. Motion carried. No action was taken. The Council meeting adjourned at 9:30 PM on motion of Councilor Boutin, 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 3