City Council

To be approved at 02-06-18 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held January 30, 2018 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, Councilor Michael Boutin; and from Ward III, Councilors Lucas Herring and John LePage. Also present were City Manager Steve Mackenzie and City Clerk/Treasurer Carolyn Dawes. Absent: From Ward II, Councilor Brandon Batham. Adjustments to the Agenda: Mayor Lauzon said he will 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 of January 25, 2018  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2018-04:  Accounts Payable: $163,443.29  Payroll (gross): $113,548.97  2018 Licenses & Permits – NONE The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk Dawes reported on the following:  2018 dog licenses are available.  Second quarter taxes are due by February 15th.  Accepting early absentee ballot requests for all elections being held this year. Approval of Building Permits – NONE Liquor Control – NONE City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  The Times Argus is hosting a forum on the opioid crisis on February 12.  Will report on this season’s salt usage at next week’s meeting. Visitors and Communications – NONE Old Business – NONE New Business – B) Consideration of Project Independence Coin Drop Request. Council approved the request from Project Independence to hold a coin drop on September 15th on motion of Councilor Herring, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. C) Proposal for Community Garden. Buildings and Community Services director Jeff Bergeron and Central Vermont Career Center teacher Amanda Garland reviewed the proposal for community garden space on City land adjacent to Elmwood Cemetery. Ms. Garland said the CVCC Natural Resources and Sustainability Program planted a raspberry patch in a nearby location in 2015, and the class is proposing to create the community garden space this summer. Mr. Bergeron said 1 To be approved at 02-06-18 Barre City Council Meeting past collaborations between the City and the CVC NRSP have included an inventory of City trees and mulching in City parks. There was discussion on interaction between the community and students, size of plots, limiting access to those in the neighborhood, access to City water, and mindfulness around the cemetery. Council voiced its support of the project without taking formal action. A) Public Hearing – 7:16 PM: Proposed Charter Changes. Mayor Lauzon opened the public hearing at 7:19 PM and invited questions and comments from the Council and public. Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce president Bill Moore said the Chamber wished to express its opposition to the proposed local options tax. There was discussion on the Chamber’s opposition and the makeup of the Chamber’s membership. Mr. Moore said the CVCC’s current membership is 96, with approximately 11 members in related fields of hospitality, food and beverage. There was discussion on the use of LOT funds for infrastructure improvements to streets and sidewalks; the percentage of non-Barre City people who visit City restaurants, bars and motels; collection and distribution of taxes to the municipality; and outreach around the proposed charter changes through social media. Mayor Lauzon said he and Mr. Moore are holding a televised forum on local options taxes on February 7th. Clerk Dawes reviewed the other charter change being considered by voters at the March 6th Annual Town Meeting; an administrative change in the City Manager’s duties & responsibilities to remove the dollar amount from the section on contract negotiation, and tie such negotiations to the Council-adopted procurement policy. Mayor Lauzon asked for any additional questions or comments. Hearing none, the Mayor closed the public hearing at 7:52 PM. E) Review of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Program and Approval of Chargepoint Contract Renewal. Clerk Dawes reviewed her memo on usage and expenses associated with hosting the EV charging stations in the Merchants Row and Pearl Street parking lots. There was discussion on costs, possible increase of charging fees to help offset expenses, making the use of the chargers free and installing meters, and potential impact of not renewing the Chargepoint contract. Clerk Dawes will put together a more extensive report on the EV charging stations for late spring discussion. Council approved renewal of the contract on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Herring. Motion carried with Councilor Boutin voting against. D) Review and Discussion of Proposed Marijuana Licensing Ordinance and Application. Mayor Lauzon reviewed H.511, the recently passed legislation making it legal for Vermonters to cultivate and store marijuana. The Mayor reviewed his draft ordinance for licensing growers. There was discussion on public safety, lack of enforcement in the law, issues of theft, TLC levels, and use of grow lights for indoor cultivation. Mayor Lauzon said he will pass the draft ordinance along with Councilors Boutin and Herring, as the Council committee on ordinances. They will review, revise and bring back to Council for further discussion. G) Finalization of Council Business Card Protocol. Council agreed without formal action to have their business cards mirror the printing protocol established for City employees. F) Finalization of Council Email Protocol. Council discussed having the City assign official email addresses to Councilors upon election. The email addresses will follow a standard format, and will be housed on the City’s server, but will not be viewed or accessible to anyone other than the assigned Councilor. There was discussion on emails being public records, and subject to 2 To be approved at 02-06-18 Barre City Council Meeting public records requests. When a Councilor leaves the Council, their emails on the City server will be archived and available for future public records requests. Council agreed to the protocol as presented without formal action. H) Councilor Onboarding. Councilor Herring said he distributed a draft onboarding process via email, and it will be discussed more fully at next week’s meeting. Round Table – Councilor LePage said he supports use of cannabis and other natural methods for treatment of health issues. Councilor Herring said the gun show is this weekend at the auditorium. Councilor Higby said there is a new parking section on the City website. The section is still in the development phase, and the public is encouraged to visit the site and offer feedback. Mayor Lauzon said he is participating in this weekend’s penguin plunge to benefit Special Olympics. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 9:38 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