City Council

To be approved at 06-13-17 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held June 6, 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, Councilors Sue Higby and Jeffrey Tuper-Giles; from Ward II, Councilors Brandon Batham and Michael Boutin; 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 is not anticipating any adjustments to the agenda. Approval of Consent Agenda: Council approved the following consent agenda items on motion of Councilor Herring, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Regular meeting on May 30, 2017  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2017-23:  Accounts Payable: $114,798.88  Payroll (gross): $122,169.95  2017 Licenses & Permits – o Entertainment Licenses:  SHS Class of 1977, reunion at Granite Museum, Saturday, August 5th, 5:00 – 11:00 PM  Faith Community Church, Currier Park, June 25th & August 27th. 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Worship, BBQ/picnic. The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk Dawes reported on the following:  There are 2 properties scheduled for tax sale this Thursday, June 8th.  The Board of Abatement is holding hearings on Thursday, June 8th beginning at 6:30 PM. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. Applicant Address Mark & Todd McCarthy 48 N. Main Street Liquor Control – NONE City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  Larry Eastman has been hired as the new deputy police chief. Mr. Eastman is a longtime member of the Barre City police department. He will come to next week’s meeting to be introduced to the Council.  The demolition bid RFP for the Harrington Avenue properties has been released.  The Smith Street bike path construction bid RFP has been released.  Pool opening project is ongoing, and the projected opening date is still June 19th.  VTRANS Routes 14/302 paving project has begun with milling from the City/Berlin town line. There was discussion on mowing behind Merchants Row and Enterprise Aly. Manager Mackenzie said staff is behind on mowing due to the rainy weather. There was discussion on security cameras and lighting at the pool. Mayor Lauzon asked that buildings and community services director Jeff Bergeron prepare a memo updating Council on the progress. 1 To be approved at 06-13-17 Barre City Council Meeting Visitors & Communications – NONE The Mayor noted it was too early to hold the warned public hearing, and adjusted the agenda accordingly. New Business – A) Appointment of Ilene Gillander to the Cemetery and Parks Committee. Ms. Gillander expressed her interest in serving on the committee. Council approved her appointment on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Herring. Motion carried. Old Business – A) Warning – Second Reading and Public Hearing 7:15 PM: Ordinance #2017-03 No Smoking. Mayor Lauzon opened the second reading and public hearing at 7:17 PM. Councilor Herring reviewed the proposed ordinance changes. Barre Partnership executive director Josh Jerome reviewed a map showing proposed designated smoking areas for the Heritage Festival. There was discussion on signage, butt containers, the lack of identified smoking areas within the festival boundaries, and enforcement. Ginny Burley from Central Vermont New Directions Coalition said they will have a presence at the festival, and will be concentrating on educating the public on smoking cessation options, second hand smoke, and the environmental impact of cigarette butts. Councilors agreed to concentrate on approving the ordinance language this evening, and have further discussions on the festival smoking areas at next week’s meeting, when Chief Bombardier can attend to discuss enforcement. Clerk Dawes said if approved this evening, the ordinance revisions will be published in the newspaper this Saturday, June 10th, and go into effect 20 days later on June 30th. Hearing no additional questions or comments, the Mayor closed the public hearing at 7:45 PM. Council approved ordinance changes #2017-03 on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Herring. Motion carried with Councilors Boutin and Higby voting against. B) Approval of VTRANS F&M Agreement for Merchants St/Rte. 14 Intersection Reconstruction. Manager Mackenzie said he has reviewed the agreement to ensure there is no local share. He recommended Council approval. Council approved the agreement on motion of Councilor Herring, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. New Business – continued C) Approve Proposal for Annual Report Printing Services. Mayor Lauzon said this item has been deferred. D) Presentation and Approval of Unlicensed Dog Warrant. Clerk Dawes presented the warrant and list of unlicensed dogs. There was discussion on the harshness of the statutory warrant language, and additional ways to contact dog owners about their unlicensed dogs. Council approved the warrant on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Herring. Motion carried. B) Barre Partnership Update. Mr. Jerome gave an update on recent and upcoming activities, including:  Last month’s BBQ and makers fair was a great success.  Parade entry and vendor forms available on the Heritage Festival website.  Third mix and pitch event is tomorrow at Espresso Bueno.  Second road pitch event is scheduled for August 3rd at the Granite Museum.  Currier Park summer concert series and farmers market began last week. There will be a series of special events featured as part of the farmers market this season.  Continuing to work with the Barre Energy Committee following last year’s pilot Efficiency Vermont 2 To be approved at 06-13-17 Barre City Council Meeting energy project. Looking to offer workshops to young homeowners, owners of multifamily units and potential investors.  Marketing campaign being developed. There was discussion on the challenges of filling vacant downtown spaces. Mr. Jerome said bringing buildings into ADA compliance is a challenge, along with subdividing larger commercial spaces into smaller spaces. E) Review of Responses to Tax Anticipation Note RFP. Clerk Dawes reviewed the responses to the FY18 TAN RFP, and said she will be accepting the investment offer from Community Bank, formerly Merchants Bank. She said the note paperwork will come to the Council for approval at the June 20th meeting. F) Clerk Compensation for FY2017-2018. Clerk Dawes reviewed her memo outlining her compensation history and the past year’s work in the clerk, finance and election departments. She requested Council approve a 2% per hour salary increase for FY2017- 2018. Councilor Tuper-Giles made the motion to approve a 3.5% increase, seconded by Councilor Herring. The Clerk thanked the Councilors for their support, and requested that the motion be withdrawn. She said her 2% request is consistent with the increase included in her staff’s contract. The mover and seconder withdrew the motion. Council approved the Clerk’s 2% per hour salary increase on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. Councilor Higby suggested there be a mid-year review of the Clerk’s compensation as compared to other clerk/treasurers in the state. The Clerk said that information will be available from the VT League of Cities and Towns later this year. G) Updates to Funding Request Policy. Clerk Dawes said the policy needs to be revised to reflect the recent charter change increasing the percentage of voter signatures required on petitions to place items on the ballot. The Clerk reviewed the draft language. Council approved the revisions on motion of Councilor Herring, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. There was discussion on this being the first step towards creating a community fund to which organizations that serve Barre City may apply for funding support on an annual basis. H) Authorization for Reconciliation of Inter-Fund Due From/Due To Balances. Clerk Dawes said she is continuing the work begun last year to reconcile the due from/due to balances as reflected in the annual audit, and to establish procedures for proper accounting of interfund borrowing, reconciliation and reporting. The Clerk requested Council approval to perform journal entries deemed necessary to continue these reconciliations. Councilor Tuper-Giles made the motion to grant authorization to the Clerk/Treasurer to execute journal entries as necessary to resolve historical due from and due to balances that exist on the general ledger without supporting documentation or prior Council approval. The motion was seconded by Councilor Herring. Motion carried. Round Table – Councilor Higby said the City has received a Promise Communities Grant, which will benefit children under 6 years old. There are several organizations participating in the grant, including the Barre City Recreation Department, Aldrich Library, Friends of Mathewson Playground, and Studio Place Arts. She also said Studio Place Arts is holding an opening this Thursday. 3 To be approved at 06-13-17 Barre City Council Meeting Councilor Tuper-Giles announced the ham radio field days June 24th & 25th at the Barre Town athletic fields. He said radio operators compete during the field days, and points are given if elected officials attend. Councilor Herring reminded people of this Wednesday’s events, including the Barre Partnership mix and pitch, concerts in the park and farmers market. Councilor Batham said there will be an LGBTQIA march in Montpelier on Saturday. He also asked drivers to be careful around the City’s street work zones. Councilors Boutin and Tuper-Giles requested an executive session for personnel, contracts and possible litigation issues. Executive Session – Councilor Boutin made the motion to find that premature general public knowledge of personnel, contracts and possible litigation 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 8:59 PM to discuss personnel, contract and potential litigation issues under the provisions of 1 VSA sec. 313 on motion of Councilor Chadderton, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. Manger Mackenzie and Clerk Dawes were invited into the executive session. Council came out of executive session at 9:09 PM on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. No action was taken. The Council meeting adjourned at 9:10 PM on motion of Councilor Batham, 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 4