City Council

To be approved at 11-28-17 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held November 21, 2017 The Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council was called to order by Mayor Thomas Lauzon at 7:02 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, Councilors Lucas Herring and John LePage. Also present were City Manager Steven Mackenzie and Clerk/Treasurer Carolyn Dawes. Absent: NONE Adjustments to the Agenda: Mayor Lauzon said the first item under new business is deferred to next week. He said he will be adjusting the order of agenda items 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 November 14, 2017  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2017-47:  Accounts Payable: $221,505.00  Payroll (gross): $119,028.21  2017 Licenses & Permits – NONE The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk Dawes reported on the following:  Second quarter property taxes were due by November 15th. The delinquency rate is 5.04%.  The office is busy with annual renewals of business & animal licenses, and parking permits. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Herring, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. Applicant Address Alexandria Buck 45 Bassett Street Anne Marie Bosher, Jean-Claude Lessard & Dennis Lessard 90 Circle Street Aubuchon Realty Co Inc. 214 N. Main Street (2 permits) Bruce English 186 Elm Street Liquor Control – Council approved a special event permit for Old Route Two Spirits Inc. of Barre Town for the Barre Merry Holidays event at Morse Block Deli on December 2nd on motion of Councilor Tuper- Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried with Councilor Boutin abstaining. City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  Winter parking ban went into effect November 15th.  The annual holiday luncheon is scheduled for Tuesday, December 19th at the Steak House.  Working on FY19 budget prep. Will distribute the latest draft to Council tomorrow. Met with school superintendent John Pandolfo to coordinate budgets.  The Manager’s office is working on creating an official Barre City Facebook page.  City staff met with representatives from the schools to discuss bus routes and snow plowing.  The City was notified it will receive a municipal planning grant for Merchant’s Row planning. The grant will cover $16,000 of the $20,000 project. 1 To be approved at 11-28-17 Barre City Council Meeting Visitors and Communications – NONE Old Business – NONE New Business – A) Informational Presentation on Safe Families for Children. This item is deferred. B) Ratification of Council Approval of Barre Partnership Holiday Parade Permit. Council ratified last week’s approval of the holiday parade permit on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. Mayor Lauzon presented a copy of his Mayoral Proclamation naming Saturday, November 25th as “Small Business Saturday”, and encouraged people to support local small businesses and downtown merchants. D) Authorization to Execute BCFD Gamewell System Loan Agreement with the VT History Center. Manager Mackenzie said the agreement will codify the current arrangement, whereby the City has lent the fire department’s Gamewell system to the History Center in perpetuity. There was discussion on insurance coverage, and adjusting coverage levels for the historic firehouse weathervane. Council approved the agreement on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. C) Authorization to Purchase Auditorium Floor Temporary Covering System. Buildings and Community Services director Jeff Bergeron passed around a sample of the floor covering system proposed by Sherwin Williams, the sole bidder for the project. The non-skid, carpet-like covering comes in sheets that will be laid on the auditorium floor to protect it. Mr. Bergeron said the funding for the purchase will come from the general fund auditorium maintenance line item, and funds received through sponsorships for banners and dasher boards. He recommended Council approve the purchase. Council approved the purchase on motion of Councilor Herring, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. E) Public Input Session Regarding Municipal Pool Planning. Barre Town resident and Barre City property owner Samantha Hiscock said the current pool is an underutilized asset. She said she would love to see an indoor facility or repairs to the current facility, and would like to see a kiddie pool or walk-in component incorporated into the pool. She also suggested extending the hours. There was discussion on options including closure, refurbishment or building a new facility; inclusion of splash pads; comparison to the Aquatic Center in White River Jct.; alternate ways to raise funds; establishing a community committee to explore options; posting a survey on the website; and holding additional public input sessions. Mayor Lauzon gave a PowerPoint presentation on the existing facility, and financial ramifications of the various options. The Mayor talked about the work needed on the current facility. He reviewed possible timelines, offsetting funding sources through maturing bonds, facility lease fees and membership/user fees. A local options tax was discussed as a possible revenue source. 2 To be approved at 11-28-17 Barre City Council Meeting Manager Mackenzie said he will bring a cost estimate for refurbishment to next week’s meeting. There was discussion about a possible non-binding referendum question on the 2018 Annual (Town) Meeting ballot. Additional public input sessions will be held at the November 28th and December 5th meetings. Round Table – The Mayor and Councilors wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Councilor LePage reminded people of the Thanksgiving Day meal at the American Legion. He said he has volunteered to deliver meals that day. Councilor Herring said Turning Point is also offering a meal on Thanksgiving Day. He said he is working with the Career Center and Downstreet on a possible housing partnership. He also said there has been a lot of discussion on Facebook about the winter parking ban. Councilor Tuper-Giles thanked the owners of Smolder Mist Pub for going above and beyond in support of the community. He said there will be an Opera House performance of a new musical based on A Christmas Carol, presented by the Vermont Youth Theater, featuring local performers including him. Councilor Higby said she attended her first parking committee meeting. She said the committee is working on including additional parking information on the City website. Mayor Lauzon reminded people of Saturday’s holiday parade, and Small Business Saturday. He thanked Councilor Herring for filling in as acting mayor for the last two meetings, and at the Veterans Day ceremonies. Executive Session – Councilor Boutin 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 8:46 PM to discuss personnel issues under the provisions of 1 VSA sec. 313 on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Herring. Motion carried. Council came out of executive session at 8:53 PM on motion of Councilor Herring, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. No action was taken. The Council meeting adjourned at 8:53 PM on motion of Councilor Herring, 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