City Council

To be approved at 02-13-18 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held February 6, 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, Councilors Brandon Batham and Michael Boutin; and from Ward III, Councilors Lucas Herring and John LePage. Also present was City Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: City Manager Steve Mackenzie. Adjustments to the Agenda: Councilor Tuper-Giles said Councilor Herring would be leading the discussion on the email policy and protocol, which is on the agenda as item D under new business. 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 of January 30, 2018  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2018-06:  Accounts Payable: $361,415.50  Payroll (gross): $120,700.68  2018 Licenses & Permits – o Animal Licenses:  Hollie Friot, 22 Maplewood Avenue, 3 chickens o Food Establishment Licenses:  Planet Rock n’ Metal, 123 N. Main Street  Delicate Decadence, 15 Cottage Street o Entertainment Licenses:  Planet Rock n’ Metal, 123 N. Main Street o Pool Table/Video Machine Licenses:  Planet Rock n’ Metal, 123 N. Main Street, 1 pool table o Taxi Cab Operator and Vehicle Licenses:  Central VT Green Cab, 1 vehicle The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk Dawes reported on the following:  New assistant treasurer, Kathy Adams, started yesterday.  Second quarter taxes are due by February 15th.  Accepting early absentee ballot requests for all elections being held this year. Expect to have ballots available starting next week.  2018 dog licenses are available. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permit on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Higby. Motion carried. Applicant Address 22-24 Richardson Place LLC 22 Richardson Road Liquor Control – NONE City Manager’s Report – NONE 1 To be approved at 02-13-18 Barre City Council Meeting Visitors and Communications – Kris Pavek gave an update on fundraising for the Pathways to Accessibility project at the BCEMS community garden. They have raised about 2/3 of the funding necessary, with $4,800 still to be raised. Mayor Lauzon offered a challenge to the community; if $3,800 can be raised by Town Meeting Day, his family will donate the final $1,000. Councilor Batham volunteered to set up a GoFundMe page. There was a question from someone in attendance, wanting to know if the Council would be discussing the proposed marijuana growing and storage licensing ordinance again this week. Mayor Lauzon said it likely would not be discussed again until after Town Meeting Day. Old Business – A) Councilor Onboarding Protocol. Councilor Herring reviewed the draft onboarding process, which includes information on oaths, emails, training opportunities, parking permits, policies, charter & ordinances, organization charts, Robert’s Rules of Order, financial reports, and budgets. New Business – A) Approval of Lions Club Coin Drop Request for August 25, 2018. Council approved the coin drop request on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. B) Approval of No Appeal or Suit Pending Certificate for 2017 Grand List. Council approved the certificate on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. C) Municipal Certification of 2017 TIF Annual Report. Clerk Dawes reviewed the annual report. There was discussion on expenses for both public infrastructure improvements and private developments. Council approved certification of the report on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Herring. Motion carried. D) Review and/or Approval of Council Email Policy/Protocol. Councilor Herring reviewed the draft policy and protocol, and recommended Council review it and put it on next week’s agenda for further discussion and approval. There was discussion on length of time emails must be archived after a Councilor’s term ends, and turning emails over to the City for archiving. Clerk Dawes will check with the VT State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA). Round Table – Councilor Batham announced the Aldrich Library annual fundraiser dinner at the Elks Club on March 3rd. Councilor LePage said the annual seed swap will take place at the Aldrich library. He thanked Dustin Poitras at Maria’s Bagels for his ongoing community support. Councilor Herring said the Boy Scout monument committee it meeting on March 5th as they continue to fundraise for the monument. The committee may request some cobblestones from the City to be used as part of the base. The Boy Scouts are planning a large parade to be held in conjunction with the Veteran’s Day parade this fall. The joint parade will be held on the first Saturday in November, along with the annual 5K race. Councilor Higby reminded people about the Promise Grant received by the Barre community. Information on grant programs is listed on the Barre Promise Community Facebook page. 2 To be approved at 02-13-18 Barre City Council Meeting Mayor Lauzon said he is participating later this week in a taped discussion with Central VT Chamber of Commerce president Bill Moore on the topic of local option taxes. The taping will be broadcast multiple times on cable access. The Mayor said he participated in last weekend’s penguin plunge; a fundraiser for Special Olympics. He thanked those who have told him they plan on writing in his name for mayor on the Town Meeting ballot, but he said he has made his decision not to seek reelection, and he encourages people to vote for one of the named candidates. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 8:16 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