City Council

To be approved at 11-21-17 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held November 14, 2017 The Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council was called to order by Acting Mayor Lucas Herring 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 John LePage (arrived 7:03 PM). Also present were City Manager Steven Mackenzie and Clerk/Treasurer Carolyn Dawes. Absent: Mayor Thomas Lauzon. Adjustments to the Agenda: NONE Approval of Consent Agenda: Council approved the following consent agenda items on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Regular meeting on November 7, 2017  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2017-46:  Accounts Payable: $598,959.66  Payroll (gross): $129,389.61  2017 Licenses & Permits – o Taxi Driver License:  David Stuart Craig, Central VT Green Cab Councilor LePage arrived during the following. The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk Dawes reported on the following:  Second quarter property taxes are due by tomorrow, November 15th.  The winter parking ban goes into effect tomorrow, November 15th. Overnight permits are available in the clerk’s office.  The auditors are continuing their field work this week. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. Applicant Address Gino & Judith Salvatori 15 Downes Avenue Liquor Control – Council approved a special event permit for North Branch Vineyards LLC of Montpelier for the Downtown Holiday Festival at Studio Place Arts on December 2nd on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried with Councilor Boutin abstaining. City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  Working on FY19 budget prep. Expects to have a progress version distributed to the Council by December 1st, and will do a full presentation to Council at the December 19th meeting. Visitors and Communications – NONE 1 To be approved at 11-21-17 Barre City Council Meeting Old Business – A) Sons of the American Legion – Accomplishments for 2016-2017. Stephen England reviewed the national and local accomplishments of the American Legion, Sons of the American Legion and Squadron 10 in their work supporting veterans, children & youth, and community. Mr. England said they will be offering a Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving Day. In past years they have served 450 -500 people, and delivered up to 180 meals. Volunteers are welcome to help with deliveries. B) Stand Down Event Report. Chuck Barney gave a follow-up report on the September 30th stand down event. Mr. Barney said 41 veterans from a wide geographical area were helped by nearly 200 volunteers. The event generated enough funds for the group to cover the cost of renting the auditorium for a day. They still have a large container of donated clothing and boots, and are setting up an executive committee to help provide support to additional veterans in need. There is also a sizable amount of donated food products, which will be turned over to the annual stuff-a-truck event. C) Request for Free Holiday Parking. Barre Partnership executive director Josh Jerome requested Council approve the traditional free parking offered from Thanksgiving through New Year’s. Councilor Boutin made the motion to approve the request, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Councilor Higby said she will support the motion but wanted to share her concerns. She said the Council needs to consider the lost revenue, and that her preference would be for a program that links free parking with shopping. Mr. Jerome said he will look for metrics that equate providing free parking with increased shopping. There was discussion on average monthly meter coin collection, which meters are available for free parking, 2 hour limits on free parking, and parking enforcement during the free parking period. Council voted on the motion as presented. Motion carried. Mr. Jerome asked that Council approve a parade permit for the annual holiday parade scheduled for Saturday, November 25th, beginning at 5:15 PM. He said the parade will begin from the Key Bank parking lot and travel down North Main Street to City Hall Park. Council noted this item was not warned for approval this evening, and if approved, will need to be ratified at next week’s meeting. Council approved the parade permit contingent upon Police Department approval on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. New Business – NONE Round Table – Councilor Batham said he would like an executive session for personnel. Councilor LePage said it was great to address veteran’s issues at this evening’s meeting. Councilor Boutin said he attended the recent Greater Barre Community Justice Center’s board meeting, at which they approved the MOU with the City. Executive Director Jeannie McLeod is coming before Council at the November 28th meeting to discuss the Justice Center and present the MOU for Council approval. Councilor Higby said Studio Place Arts is holding a holiday event on Saturday, November 18th, to highlight the work of their member artists. 2 To be approved at 11-21-17 Barre City Council Meeting Councilor Tuper-Giles said following last week’s meeting he researched what services are available in central Vermont for the homeless and less fortunate. He shared information on the Good Samaritan Haven homeless shelter and the schedule of community meals throughout the area. Acting Mayor Herring said this past weekend’s activities included the downtown 5K race, the Veteran’s Day ceremonies at the Civic Center Auditorium, play performances at Spaulding High School and a concert at the Opera House. He reminded people that Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District is offering free e-waste recycling tomorrow at their North Main Street location. He said the American Legion and Turning Point Center are holding Thanksgiving Day dinners. Executive Session – Councilor Batham made the motion to find that premature general public knowledge of the personnel issue 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 7:44 PM to discuss personnel issues under the provisions of 1 VSA sec. 313 on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. Manager Mackenzie was invited into the executive session. Council came out of executive session at 8:31 PM on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. No action was taken. The Council meeting adjourned at 8:31 PM on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. An audio recording of this meeting is available from the City Clerk. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 3