City Council

To be approved at 03-13-18 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held March 5, 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 were City Manager Steve Mackenzie and City Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: NONE Adjustments to the Agenda: Mayor Lauzon said he would be adding a few items for discussion at the end of the meeting. 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 February 27, 2018  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2018-10:  Accounts Payable: $1,593,384.79  Payroll (gross): $125,874.38  2018 Licenses & Permits – NONE The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk Dawes reported on the following:  Annual Meeting polls at the auditorium will be open tomorrow from 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM.  There will be an open house in recognition of Mayor Lauzon’s twelve years of service at the Cornerstone Pub & Kitchen on Thursday, March 8th, from 3:00 – 5:00 PM. All are welcome to drop by.  Water & sewer bills have been mailed, and are due by the end of the month.  2018 dog licenses are available. Due to a conflict of interest, Mayor Lauzon stepped aside for the following agenda item, and Councilor Herring assumed the chair. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried with Mayor Lauzon and Councilor Tuper-Giles recusing themselves from the discussion and vote. Applicant Address The Reynolds House LLC 102 S. Main Street Mayor Lauzon returned to chairing the meeting. Liquor Control – NONE City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  As of last Monday, 96% of the salt budget had been expended.  Information on the Annual Town Meeting ballot items is on the City website.  Green Mountain Transit is holding a public hearing on the NextGen Transit Plan on Wednesday evening in the Council Chambers.  Manager Mackenzie said he found the last eight years of working with Mayor Lauzon to be enjoyable, challenging, and rewarding. 1 To be approved at 03-13-18 Barre City Council Meeting Visitors and Communications – NONE Old Business – NONE New Business – A) Public Hearing: All Public Question Articles on Annual Meeting Ballot. Mayor Lauzon said statute requires a public hearing on all ballot questions. The Mayor opened the hearing at 7:18 PM and asked for any questions or comments. The Mayor said he would leave the public hearing open through the remainder of the new business section of the meeting. B) Consolidated Review of Town Mtg Day Ballot Items II – V. Mayor Lauzon gave a Powerpoint presentation on the first seven ballot items:  City Budget  City Paving & Sidewalks funding  Bond vote for capital items  Bond vote for swimming pool refurbishment  Charter change for Local Option Tax  Charter change for Manager’s responsibilities re. purchases  Joining the Central Vermont Internet communications union district. There was discussion on the voter assistance ballot items, the Central VT internet, transportation planning, and making the City more walkable. Mayor Lauzon asked for any additional questions or comments on the public question articles. Hearing none, he closed the public hearing at 7:39 PM. Mayor Lauzon said he has a number of initiatives he hopes the Council will take up in the near future, and he is willing to work on them. His suggestions included:  Acknowledgement and memorialization of Charles Semprebon’s gifts to the City.  Acknowledgement of Tom Davis and Chet Briggs and their dedication to the City.  Creating a memorial wall or cobbles to honor citizens. Round Table – Councilor Higby said she agreed with finding a way to honor Charles Semprebon and Chet Briggs. She suggested people access the VLCT website for their legislative updates and newsletters. Councilor Tuper-Giles encouraged people to get out and vote tomorrow. Councilor Herring said he participated in this past weekend’s Freezing Fun for Families. Twenty thousand dollars was given to families dealing with childhood illness. Councilor Boutin said he has appreciated working with the Mayor, and he would be honored to continue to serve on the Council, should he be re-elected tomorrow. Councilor LePage said Barre City has an obligation to be an example to the rest of Washington County. Councilor Batham spoke individually to Mayor Lauzon, Councilor Boutin, Councilor LePage and Councilor Herring about his experiences working with each of them over the past year. Mayor Lauzon said ending his service as Mayor is a surreal thing, and he doesn’t know how he will “turn it off”. He hopes he will be remembered for building a strong foundation for the future. He said he hopes Councilor Boutin will be re-elected. 2 To be approved at 03-13-18 Barre City Council Meeting Executive Session – Councilor Boutin made the motion to find that premature general public knowledge of the litigation 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 Herring. Motion carried. Council went into executive session at 8:00 PM to discuss a litigation issue under the provisions of 1 VSA sec. 313 on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. Manager Mackenzie was invited into the executive session. Council came out of executive session at 8:12 PM on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. No action was taken. The Council meeting adjourned at 8:12 PM on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper- Giles. Motion carried. An audio recording of this meeting is available from the City Clerk. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 3