City Council

To be approved at 10-03-17 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held September 26, 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, one seat vacant. Adjustments to the Agenda: Mayor Lauzon said he would be rearranging the agenda items 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 Herring. Motion carried.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Regular meeting on September 12, 2017  City Warrants as presented: o Affirmation of Week 2017-38:  Accounts Payable: $246,071.52  Payroll (gross): $124,718.10 o Approval of Week 2017-39:  Accounts Payable: $123,680.40  Payroll (gross): $137,840.10  2017 Licenses & Permits – o Animal License:  Mark Whitney, 15 Brooklyn St, 37 reptiles, 9 chickens, 1 chinchilla, 1 guinea pig. The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk Dawes reported on the following:  Water/sewer bills are due by October 2nd.  Board of Civil Authority property tax assessment appeal hearings continue on October 12th.  Ward 3 caucus warned for Thursday, October 19th at 7:00 PM at Alumni Hall. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Herring, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried with Mayor Lauzon abstaining. Applicant Address Richard & Heidi Ibey 21 Franklin Street Thomas & Karen Lauzon 86 Brook Street Liquor Control – NONE City Manager’s Report –  Met with VTRANS re the Quarry Street intersection project. They are in the right-of-way acquisition phase, with construction tentatively scheduled for 2020.  Met with Green Mountain Transit to review bus stops along North Main Street.  New Camel vactor truck has arrived. Clean diesel grant calls for the old vactor to be decommissioned, but will explore options for keeping it in service to help communities who don’t have a vactor truck. 1 To be approved at 10-03-17 Barre City Council Meeting  Routes 302/14 paving project is essentially complete.  Smith Street bike path project and Gunner’s Brook flood mitigation project nearing completion.  Annual water system flushing will run October 1-15.  Lawn debris drop off schedule is posted on City website. Mayor Lauzon said he is setting up a meeting with the Senior Center and Green Mountain Transit to discuss regular bus service to the center. Visitors & Communications – NONE New Business – A) Council Feedback Re: Barre Partnership Holiday Lighting Proposal. Barre Partnership executive director Josh Jerome and Manager Mackenzie reviewed the proposed plans for holiday lighting along North Main Street, and noted the cost of the proposed plan is approximately $28,000 - $30,000. The proposal calls for the City to pick up the majority of the cost, with the balance being paid through fundraising and merchant donations. Lighting fixtures would be purchased to install on the street light poles along North Main Street. There was discussion on sponsorships to help pay for the fixtures, getting a sample fixture to look at, reaching out to local artists to have original art work created in lieu of or in addition to the lighting fixtures, soliciting support from surrounding communities, phasing in the project to allow for spreading the cost over several years, reviewing the expense division between City/fundraising/merchants, getting an overview of increased pedestrian traffic through the holiday season, and storage options for off-season. Councilor Higby will work with Mr. Jerome to explore soliciting original art work pieces for display on the light poles. Mr. Jerome will come back to Council in the near future with additional information. B) Civic Center Digital Sign Quotation and Semprebon Allocation Request. Buildings and Community Services director Jeff Bergeron, and members of the Civic Center Committee – Jon Valsangiacomo, Art Dessureau, and Brent Gagne – addressed the Council with regards to the proposed digital sign. Mr. Bergeron said the quote on the sign is $27,568.75. Mayor Lauzon reviewed the funding options available through the Semprebon Bequest Fund or the Semprebon Annuity Fund. There was discussion on remote access to the sign in cases of emergency, and securing the system from potential hacking. Council approved the purchase of the sign, with funds to come from either the Semprebon Bequest Fund or the Semprebon Annuity Fund, as to be determined by the Clerk/Treasurer, on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Herring. Motion carried. C) Recommendation re: Police Department CALEA Certification Program. Chief Tim Bombardier said the certification program would require 1-2 staff people who have intimate knowledge of the department’s policies & procedures. They would work over a 4 year period of time to review department rules & regulations to determine compliance with certification requirements. The cost would be approximately $19,000 - $20,000/year for four years. There was discussion on the unbudgeted costs, VLCT/PACIF policies & procedures, and why so few VT departments are pursuing certification. Chief Bombardier said he is not recommending Barre City pursue certification at this time. Council may continue to discuss. 2 To be approved at 10-03-17 Barre City Council Meeting D) Authorization for AVAYA IPOffice Emergency Services Phone System. Chief Bombardier said the current phone system is deteriorating, and that repairs are becoming more difficult as parts are not available. The system is losing functionality with regards to voice mail, email, and remote access. The proposed new system is compatible with Montpelier’s system. It is both hard wired and VoIP. The cost is $32,701.98. There was discussion on sole sourcing, reaching out to other vendors for competitive pricing on equipment, and built in redundancies. Council authorized the Manager to purchase a phone replacement system, price not to exceed $32,701.98, after researching other potential vendors, on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Tuper- Giles. Motion carried. E) Approval of Resolution 2017-02: Merchants Row Redevelopment Municipal Planning Grant (MPG) Application. Manager Mackenzie said required matching funds are in the budget. Council approved the resolution on motion of Councilor Herring, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. F) Approval of Towing Bid. Council approved awarding the annual towing bid to Putney’s Garage at the same price as last year on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Herring. Motion carried. Old Business – A) Review/Discussion Annual Meeting Funding Requests: Application & Policy. Council reviewed the draft documents and made suggestions for final edits. The application and policy will come to Council for approval at next week’s meeting. Round Table – Councilor Herring said he attended Municipal Day, and noted very few Vermont communities have economic development committees. He suggested Barre City explore creating such a committee. He said he visited Florida after the recent hurricanes and witnessed first-hand the devastation and relief efforts. He participated in last week’s Big Shots for Little Shots fundraiser for OUR House. Councilor Tuper-Giles reminded bicycle users that bikes are not allowed on City sidewalks. He said he will work with the police department to offer a bike safety event in the spring. Councilor Higby said Studio Place Arts will be offering an open house for SunCommon on October 12th. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 8:29 PM on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. An audio recording of this meeting is available from the City Clerk. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 3