City Council

To be approved at 03-27-18 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held March 20, 2018 The Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council was called to order by Mayor Lucas Herring 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, Councilor John LePage. Also present were City Manager Steve Mackenzie and City Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: From Ward 3, VACANT. To be filled at a future ward caucus. Adjustments to the Agenda: NONE Approval of Consent Agenda: Council approved the following consent agenda items on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Regular meeting of March 5, 2018  City Warrants as presented: o Affirmation of Week 2018-11:  Accounts Payable: $163,997.31  Payroll (gross): $121,538.43 o Approval of Week 2018-12:  Accounts Payable: $111,850.84  Payroll (gross): $128,849.84  2018 Licenses & Permits – o Food Takeout Licenses:  Champlain Farms, 169 Washington Street  Champlain Farms, 15 S. Main Street  Fastop, 377 N. Main Street  North End Deli Mart, 475 N. Main Street o Entertainment Licenses:  Thunder Road car show and parade, April 28th from 8:00 AM – noon The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk Dawes reported on the following:  Water & sewer bills are due by April 2nd.  2018 dog licenses are available. All dogs must be licensed by April 2nd. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Higby. Motion carried. Applicant Address Jonathan & Jodi Spaulding 397 Prospect Street Wall Street Investments LLP 8 Walker Avenue Benjamin & Kristen Wright 43 Circle Street Liquor Control – Council approved a Special Event Permit application for Zero Gravity Craft Brewery for an in-store beer tasting at Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel on March 30th from 5:00 – 8:00 PM on motion of Councilor Tuper- Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried with Councilor Boutin abstaining. 1 To be approved at 03-27-18 Barre City Council Meeting Council approved a Special Event Permit application for Havoc Mead for the Green Mountain Comic Expo at the Civic Center Auditorium on April 14-15, 2018, from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried with Councilor Boutin abstaining. Council approved the following liquor license renewals on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried with Councilor Boutin abstaining. Establishment Address License AJ Sunoco’s 320 Washington St 2nd class Champlain Farms 169 Washington St 2nd class Champlain Farms 15 S. Main St 2nd class Cumberland Farms 524 N. Main St 2nd class Cumberland Farms 132 S. Main St 2nd class Dente’s Market 406 N. Main St 2nd class Jiffy Mart 350 N. Main St 2nd class Quality Market 155 Washington St 2nd class Walgreens 355 N. Main St 2nd class City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  The National Federation of State High School Associations has created a video on the Barre Civic Center auditorium and posted it on its website.  Skating in the BOR ended last week and the ice is being melted. Batting practice begins next week.  Attended the Civic Center Committee meeting and met promoter Jay Moulton who is presenting the upcoming Comic Expo in April. Mr. Moulton has made a commitment to present shows at the Civic Center, with at least three scheduled for this year.  Salt budget was 98% used through last week, and the expectation is it will go over budget with the recent orders.  There are a number of Barre City employment vacancies and positions posted on the City website.  There is a public hearing this Thursday on the proposed unified development ordinance and zoning bylaw revisions being prepared by the Planning Commission. The hearing is 6:30 PM at Alumni Hall.  The annual egg hunt is Saturday, March 31st in the Rotary Park area. Visitors and Communications – NONE Old Business – NONE New Business – A) Presentation on the 3-4-50 Health Initiative. Vermont Department of Health members Tanya Crawford-Stempel, Karen Nelson, and Joan Marie Misek presented information on the 3-4-50 Health Initiative. They said it is a chronic disease prevention initiative, and they noted the Barre City 2012 municipal plan included strong healthy community components. They invited the City to become a community partner in the program, and said the City has already met the bronze and silver level requirements, and is on its way to meeting the gold level requirements. No other community in Vermont has reached even the bronze level. There was discussion on steps needed to reach the gold level, collaboration with local businesses and organizations, expectations and incentives, and ways the Department of Health can help with positive 2 To be approved at 03-27-18 Barre City Council Meeting promotion. Mayor Herring asked Councilors to fill out the wellness goals section of the 3-4-50 community sign-on form, and consideration of becoming a community partner will be on next week’s agenda for discussion. B) Approval of CY2018 CVHS Stray Animal Holding Agreement. Council approved the stray animal holding agreement on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. C) Authorization to Execute VTrans F&M Agreement – Merchants St Intersection. Manager Mackenzie said there is no local share required for the project, but the City will be responsible for costs associated with moving a water main underneath the street. Council authorized the execution of the F&M agreement on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. D) Distribution and Review of Council On-Boarding Process. There was discussion on the process as developed by Mayor Herring. It was agreed that Council will review the process after the Ward 3 seat is filled and the new Councilor has been through the on-boarding process. Councilors are encouraged to attend the annual VLCT selectboard institute and the Town Fair. E) Review/Acknowledgement of Pertinent Council Policies: i. Email and Generic Address Standard ii. Social Media iii. Conflict of Interest Policy Manager Mackenzie is collecting signatures from Councilors, acknowledging they have received and read the policies. F) Discussion of Council Ground Rules. Mayor Herring asked for feedback on the ground rules he emailed around last week. There was discussion on articulating expectations of each other, having a core understanding that all Councilors are here because they care deeply for the City, staying on topic, and not dominating discussions. G) Approve Date and Warning for Ward 3 Caucus. Clerk Dawes recommended warning the caucus for Thursday, April 26th, at 7PM at Alumni Hall. Council warned the caucus as recommended on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. H) American Gift Fund Pool Refurbishment Enhancement Grant. Mayor Herring noted the City has received word of a $24,000 grant from the American Gift Fund for enhancements to the pool refurbishment project. Council accepted the grant with gratitude on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. Round Table – Councilor Higby said former Barre Partnership executive director Dan Jones has moved to Arizona. She thanked him for being the City’s #1 cheerleader through the Big Dig. Councilor Tuper-Giles said he is interested in having the City upgrade its audio and video equipment so as to stream Council meetings live on social media platforms. This item will be placed on a future Council agenda for discussion. Councilor LePage said there are ways to resolve the opioid crisis. 3 To be approved at 03-27-18 Barre City Council Meeting Councilor Batham congratulated those who were elected or re-elected at the March 6th Annual Town Meeting. He thanked all the candidates and said their candidacies speak of commitment to the community. He has invited State’s Attorney Rory Thibeault to attend a future Council meeting, along with our local representatives and Washington County senators. Mayor Herring thanked the voters for approving all items on the March 6th ballot. The Mayor made the following announcements:  The Barre City and Montpelier City Councils will attend an upcoming Central Vermont Public Safety Authority board meeting to hear about proposed actions for the coming year.  In the wake of the March 6th elections, Council will need to appoint a representative to the Central Vermont Internet board by the end of April.  Other Mayoral and Council appointments will be made by the end of June. There are several committee vacancies, and he encouraged Councilors to recruit new committee members. Executive Session – Councilor Batham made the motion to find that premature general public knowledge of the personnel, litigation and real estate 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 8:26 PM to discuss personnel, litigation and real estate issues under the provisions of 1 VSA sec. 313 on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. Manager Mackenzie was invited into the executive session. Council came out of executive session at 8:57 PM on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. No action was taken. The Council meeting adjourned at 8:57 PM on motion of Councilor Boutin, 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 4