City Council

To be approved at 12-12-17 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held December 5, 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, 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 he will adjust 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 Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Herring. Motion carried.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Regular meeting on November 28, 2017  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2017-49:  Accounts Payable: $216,104.05  Payroll (gross): $109,201.53  2017 Licenses & Permits – NONE The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk Dawes reported on the following:  Payment on water & sewer bills is due by January 2, 2018. Approval of Building Permits – NONE Liquor Control – NONE City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  Met with Barre Partnership and Barre Area Development Corporation to discuss budgeting.  Budget Committee is meeting again tomorrow and next week in preparation for presentation of the draft FY19 budget to the Council at the December 19th meeting.  Seeking recommendations from Council for annual report dedication and photos. Visitors and Communications – Buildings and Community Services assistant director Stephanie Quaranta said Santa Claus will be visiting Barre City on Saturday, December 16th to have breakfast at the auditorium. All are welcome to join him from 8:00 – 9:30 AM. There is additional information on the City website. Mayor Lauzon reminded Councilors they are holding their dollar drop this Saturday. Funds raised will be divided between the Salvation Army Christmas for Kids program and the BCEMS child support services. New Business – A) Barre Snobees Requesting Permission to Groom Through Cow Pasture. Mike Perrigo, member of the Snobees and the Cow Pasture Committee, requested permission to groom trails through the Cow Pasture. Council granted permission and authorized the Mayor to sign on behalf 1 To be approved at 12-12-17 Barre City Council Meeting of the City on motion of Councilor Herring, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. B) Barre City Shared Use Path – Committee Update. Ms. Quaranta and Bike Path Committee member Scott Bascom gave a Powerpoint presentation on the recently completed Smith Street segment of the path. Mr. Bascom said the goal is to connect with pathways running from Barre Town to Montpelier, where it will join with the Cross Vermont Trail from the Champlain Valley to the Connecticut River. There was discussion on the proposed path route through the City, plans for the Prospect Street segment, adding markings & signage on the Smith Street segment to define the path from the roadway, celebrations in the spring to highlight the new segment, and educating the public on shared use of the roadways and paths by vehicles, bikes and pedestrians. F) Authorize the Execution of WTF Propane Tank Replacement Contract with Blue Flame Gas Co. Mayor Lauzon reviewed the draft contract, and recommended revisions with regards to disposal of the tanks being replaced and guarantee of vaporization. Director of Public Works Bill Ahearn will see that the contract is revised. Council authorized execution of the contract as revised, and authorized the Manager to sign on behalf of the City on motion of Councilor Herring, seconded by Councilor Tuper- Giles. Motion carried. D) Public Input Meeting #4 Regarding Municipal Pool Refurbishment or Replacement Planning. Resident Michael Hellein said it’s important to have a pool, and an indoor facility would be a good investment that would increase property values in the areas within walking distance of the facility. Mr. Hellein said it would be important to site the facility in a property-dense downtown area, and it would be an appropriate use of tax increment financing. Councilor Boutin said he would support a not-for-profit or for-profit organization taking over the Civic Center and building an indoor facility on site. There was discussion on pool hours and length of season, different refurbishment options, and juxtaposing proposed pool expenses against other capital needs and budget challenges. Resident Mats Trojbom said he is a swimming instructor, and he would love to see a public 50 meter pool, as there are none in Vermont. Mr. Trojbom said such a pool could be profitable and provide economic benefits to the community by hosting regional swim competitions, and would give children a year-round opportunity to learn how to swim. There was discussion on reaching out to neighboring committees to explore options for a regional facility, and exploring public/private joint ventures. Mayor Lauzon said he will draft a possible path forward for Council discussion at next week’s meeting. C) Central Vermont Internet Discussion. Norwich professor and Berlin Selectboard member Jeremy Hanson gave a Powerpoint presentation on creating a communications union district. State statute allows creation of districts for the purpose of operating a high-speed internet provider service. Mr. Hanson said the plans call for offering speeds of 100mb/sec throughout the union district. He said statute prohibits any tax dollars being used. Operations and debt service are paid through subscriber fees only. Such a district would provide for local accountability, local tech support, and cheaper rates. Mr. Hanson is asking proposed member towns to place an article on their Town Meeting ballots, asking the voters to have their town join the district. Once at least two towns have voted to join, the district will be created, form a board and begin feasibility planning. There was discussion on infrastructure, leasing space on existing power poles, and no risk to Barre City citizens or government. E) Approval of Ecosystem Restoration Grant for Park St – Winter Meadows Stormwater Reduction System. Manager Mackenzie said Council approval is needed to accept the grant, which was previously presented 2 To be approved at 12-12-17 Barre City Council Meeting to Council. Council approved accepting the grant on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Higby. Motion carried. Old Business – A) Infrastructure Needs & Funding Update & Planning Discussion – Continued. Manager Mackenzie reviewed his updated matrix of infrastructure needs and funding options. The Manager said will present a final version with the budget presentation at the December 19th Council meeting. He said he will likely recommend Council include ballot items for capital needs on the Annual Town Meeting ballot. The Mayor asked about creating an enterprise fund budget. The Manager said that will be presented to Council after the general fund budget is completed. Round Table – Councilor Higby said everybody should be promoting downtown small businesses on a regular basis, and encouraged people to do their holiday shopping locally. Councilor Tuper-Giles encouraged people who need help through the holiday season to give him a call. Councilor Herring said he will not be at next week’s Council meeting. He announced a slew of holiday events over the next two weeks. Councilor LePage said poverty and addiction are caused by a paucity of community connections, and he encouraged everybody to build connections. Councilor Batham wished everybody a Happy Chanukah, which starts next Tuesday. Mayor Lauzon reminded everyone of the Council’s dollar drop on Saturday morning on North Main Street in front of Domino’s. Executive Session – Councilor Boutin made the motion to find that premature general public knowledge of the personnel 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 9:30 PM to discuss personnel 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 10:00 PM on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. No action was taken. The Council meeting adjourned at 10:01 PM on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Herring. Motion carried. An audio recording of this meeting is available from the City Clerk. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 3