City Council

To be approved at 04-24-18 Barre City Council Meeting Special Meeting of the Barre City Council Held April 17, 2018 The Special Meeting of the Barre City Council was called to order by Mayor Lucas Herring at 6:00 PM at Barre City Hall. In attendance were: From Ward I, Councilors Sue Higby and Jeffrey Tuper-Giles (arrived 6:40 PM); from Ward II, Councilors Brandon Batham and Michael Boutin (arrived 6:05 PM); 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 the April 26th ward caucus. Adjustments to the Agenda: NONE Visitors and Communications: NONE New Business – A) Discussion with Granite City Grocery Consultant. Granite City Grocery consultant Ben Sandel, and board members Nick Landry and Clay Whitney spoke about the progress the grocery is making. There was discussion on site requirements, membership numbers, parking, success rates for co-ops, possible partnering with Hunger Mountain or City Market, and start-up costs. The Council meeting adjourned at 6:52 PM on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. An audio recording of this meeting is available from the City Clerk. Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held April 17, 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 the April 26th ward caucus. Adjustments to the Agenda: It was noted that the Aldrich Public Library agenda item has been deferred. 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 April 10, 2018  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2018-16:  Accounts Payable: $178,472.43  Payroll (gross): $132,784.04  2018 Licenses & Permits – o Food Vending:  Mr. Ding-a-Ling Ice Cream truck 1 To be approved at 04-24-18 Barre City Council Meeting o Entertainment:  Maria’s Bagels, 162 N. Main Street, annual license o Taxi Service Operator/Vehicle:  Payless Taxi, 1 vehicle The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk Dawes reported on the following:  Barre City charter changes bill H.925 will be discussed later this week in Senate Government Operations.  The Ward 3 caucus will be held on Thursday, April 26th at 7PM in Alumni Hall. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Higby. Motion carried. Applicant Address Sande & Robert French-Stockwell 13 East Street Liquor Control – Council approved the following liquor licenses on motion of Councilor LePage, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried with Councilor Boutin abstaining. Establishment Address License Espresso Bueno 248 N. Main Street 1st class Maria’s Bagels 162 N. Main Street 1st class Mingle Night Club 214 N. Main Street 1st class Gusto’s 28 Prospect Street 1st class & outside consumption permit The Clerk noted the Mingle and Gusto’s licenses are for the 2018 DLC year. The licenses previously approved for these establishments covered the balance of the 2017 DLC year, which expires April 30th. City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  Novus Energy made its second donation to the Energy Committee Fund; $2,700.  Interim renovations in the old police department are complete and a new meeting space is available.  Police union contract negotiations are at an impasse and will be moving to mediation.  City will begin painting stop bars and crosswalks in the near future.  There are several job openings with the City listed on the website.  The batting cages in the BOR are open for public use this week.  There is a neighborhood watch informational meeting May 9th at Alumni Hall.  The City is developing a volunteer recruitment campaign. Councilor Higby asked to see a pool refurbishment schedule sometime in the next two weeks. Councilor LePage asked about annual lawn debris drop off. Manager Mackenzie said plans are being finalized to allow City residents to once again use the Barre Town stump dump. Once the schedule is completed, it will be posted on the website. Visitors and Communications – Grocery co-op consultant Ben Sandel said Granite City Grocery will hold its annual meeting at the auditorium tomorrow evening, and all are encouraged to attend. Old Business – NONE 2 To be approved at 04-24-18 Barre City Council Meeting New Business – A) Appointment of Representative and Alternate to the CVI Governing Board. Nelson Street resident Elliott Bent spoke about his interest in the new Central Vermont Internet initiative, and his related experiences. Hillside Avenue resident Chris Riddell spoke about his interest in the CVI initiative, and his related experiences. Council approved Mr. Riddell as the Barre City CVI governing board representative, and Mr. Bent as the alternate on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. B) Aldrich Library Grant application approval – Council approval to pursue a Vermont Community Development Program application for the renovation of the Children’s Library. This item is deferred. C) Downstreet Housing Consortium Grant with the Town of Brattleboro – Authorization by Council to accept grant agreement 07110-SS-2016-Brattleboro-00005. Planning Director Janet Shatney reviewed the history of the City partnering with the Town of Brattleboro to apply for a scattered site grant. Approval of resolution 2018-04 will complete the acceptance process. Council approved resolution 2018-104 on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper- Giles. Motion carried. D) Refurbishment of Ball Field at Rotary Park. Cornerstone restaurant co-owner Rich McSheffrey and Buildings and Community Services director Jeff Bergeron reviewed the history and condition of the ball field. Mr. Bergeron said the field hasn’t been used since it was damaged in the 2011 flooding. Mr. McSheffrey said he is interested in making an annual donation from Cornerstone towards fixing up the field, and to coordinate donations of materials and labor to do the work for field repairs and ongoing operations. He is seeking to have the field named Cornerstone Park in recognition of the donations and coordination efforts. Councilor Boutin made the motion to allow Mr. McSheffrey to move forward with the refurbishment of the ball field, and to rename as Cornerstone Park. The motion was seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Councilors Batham and Higby asked if the City has a policy on naming opportunities for publicly owned spaces. Manager Mackenzie said there is no such policy. There was discussion on other named properties including Charlie’s Playground, Wobby Playground and Tarquinio Field; and developing a policy before approving any namings. Council voted on the motion as presented. The motion did not pass with Councilors Boutin, LePage and Tuper-Giles voting for and Mayor Herring and Councilors Batham and Higby voting against. Councilor Batham made the motion to allow Mr. McSheffrey to move forward with the planning and implementation of the field repairs, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Councilor LePage said he would be abstaining from the vote because he voted against the previous motion. Motion carried with Councilor LePage abstaining. Councilor Batham made the motion to approve naming the field Cornerstone Park pending Council adoption of a naming policy, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. Councilors Batham and Higby said they will work on a draft naming policy and bring it back for 3 To be approved at 04-24-18 Barre City Council Meeting consideration in two weeks. E) Request approval to purchase a used 2007 International 2 WD Plow truck fully equipped with wing and Side Dump body with sander for $38,750. Public Works director Bill Ahearn reviewed the details on the proposed truck. Mr. Ahearn said the truck is coming from Essex Town and has been well maintained. Council approved the purchase on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. F) Request approval to purchase a 2019 International Truck extended chassis for installation of an existing City of Barre Tandem Dump Body at a price of $72,112. Council approved the purchase on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. Mayor Herring adjusted the agenda order to allow time to retrieve the drawings for agenda item (G). H) Disposition of Acadia Settlement Check. Manager Mackenzie asked Council to approve applying the settlement check to the capital equipment fund. Council approved that application on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper- Giles. Motion carried. G) Consideration/Decision re: Donation of Historic Urban Renewal Concept Drawings to VT History Center. Councilor Boutin held up the drawings from the 1960’s urban renewal project. The drawings show two possible traffic bypasses through downtown Barre. He said he spoke with the Vermont History Center and they are willing to accept the donations. Councilor Boutin made the motion to donate the drawings to the Vermont History Center, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Clerk Dawes said these may be considered City records, and it might not be possible for the City to donate them to the History Center. The Clerk said she will reach out to the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration to see if the drawings must be kept by the City or can be donated. Councilor Boutin amended his motion to include approval from VSARA. The seconder agreed to the amendment. Motion carried as amended. Round Table – Councilor Higby said the Studio Place Arts BASH fundraiser is this Friday. Councilor Tuper-Giles said the bike rodeo will be held May 5th in the parking lot behind the auditorium. Councilor Boutin said he won’t be here next week. He reminded people of the cash mob being planned for June 16th, and the Aldrich Library constitution series which continues next week. Councilor LePage said the new Mingle Night Club is hosting its first band this Thursday. Councilor Batham said the Aldrich Spring Fling fund raiser is April 28th. He said he recently moved, and wanted to acknowledge Stone & Browning, the property management company he worked with. They sent him a welcome packet that included gift certificates to local businesses, which had been donated by those businesses, and those actions showed a strong commitment to community. He said he enjoyed last weekend’s comic expo at the aud. 4 To be approved at 04-24-18 Barre City Council Meeting Mayor Herring said the charter group met and will be bringing proposed changes to Council for discussion in the near future. The Mayor said the naming policy being developed by Councilors Batham and Higby should address things other than parks, including streets and monuments. Other policies that need review are the tax stabilization policy and the voter approved assistance policy. He listed upcoming events including the Granite City Grocery annual meeting, and Green Up Week. Executive Session – Councilor Boutin made the motion to find that premature general public knowledge of the legal and 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 Batham. Motion carried. Council went into executive session at 8:34 PM to discuss legal and personnel issues under the provisions of 1 VSA sec. 313 on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. Manager Mackenzie was invited into the executive session. Council came out of executive session at 8:46 PM on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. No action was taken. The Council meeting adjourned at 8:46 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 5