City Council

To be approved at 05-01-18 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held April 24, 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, Councilor Brandon Batham; and from Ward III, Councilor John LePage. Also present were City Manager Steve Mackenzie and City Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: From Ward 2, Councilor Michael Boutin; and from Ward 3, VACANT. Adjustments to the Agenda: Mayor Herring said agenda items would be rearranged 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 Higby. Motion carried.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Regular meeting of April 17, 2018  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2018-17:  Accounts Payable: $519,751.98  Payroll (gross): $114,321.23  2018 Licenses & Permits – o Food Establishment:  Si Aku Ramen LLC, 237 N. Main Street o Taxicab Driver:  Gabriel Kittell, CV Green Cab The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk Dawes reported on the following:  Fourth quarter property taxes are due by May 15th.  The Ward 3 caucus will be held on Thursday, April 26th at 7PM in Alumni Hall.  Green-Up Day bags are available for pick-up in the Clerk’s office.  The annual Thunder Road car show and parade originally scheduled for this Saturday has been postponed due to the current condition of the track. The car show has been rescheduled for May 5th at the track.  Barre City charter changes bill H.925 was on the Senate calendar for second reading today. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Higby. Motion carried. Applicant Address Matthew Carbonneau 27 East Parkside Terrace Heather Jane Miller 15 Cherry Street Robert Chartier 83 Summer Street Liquor Control – Council approved a Request to Cater permit application from Gusto’s for a 1964 Tribute fundraiser at the auditorium on Saturday, May 5th, from 7:00 – 10:00 PM on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor LePage. Motion carried. Clerk Dawes said there is a temporary suspension notice included for informational purposes in the Council packet. 1 To be approved at 05-01-18 Barre City Council Meeting Visitors and Communications – NONE Old Business – NONE New Business – A) Annual Adoption of the Local Emergency Operating Plan for 2018 including NIMS Certification and Delegation of Authority. Chief Tim Bombardier and Planning Director Janet Shatney said the plan is adopted annually as per Vermont Emergency Management regulations. There was discussion on vulnerable populations, and Councilor Higby suggested the public be invited to register the names and locations of specific individuals that might need special assistance in times of emergency. Council adopted the plan for 2018 and authorized the Mayor and Manager to sign on behalf of the City on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. B) Spaulding High School – Work Based Learning. Spaulding High School principal Brenda Waterhouse and Work Based Learning teacher Michelle LaFrancis explained the WBL program, saying they have established partnerships with 70 local businesses. Students explore, connect, learn and understand what is required to be in the workforce through internships, workshops and panel discussions. The program allows students to see what skills are needed for specific careers, and to decide if a particular career path is right for them. It was noted that Barre City will be participating through internships with Public Works Director Bill Ahearn and Human Resources Director Rikk Taft. C) Vermont Historical Society – New Exhibition. Amanda Gustin and Kate Olney said a new exhibit titled Anything for Speed is opening at the History Center this weekend and will run for a year. The exhibit features 115 years of Vermont racing history including artifacts, oral histories and a racing simulator. Ms. Gustin said the History Center located in the former Spaulding Graded School houses the VHS administrative offices, objects collections, and research library, and the library division will be relocating there in the near future as they complete additional renovations to the building. F) Ratification of Naming of “Cornerstone Park”. Rich McSheffrey said he had no intention at last week’s meeting to bash the Rotary Club; he is a former Rotarian and knows of the good work Rotary Clubs do in their communities. Mr. McSheffrey said he has formed the Cornerstone Foundation and registered it as a non-profit. The board of directors includes Jeff Bergeron, the head of the local baseball organization and himself. The Cornerstone Restaurant will not have any control over funds raised by the Foundation for use in restoring the ball field. He said he has already received $15,000 in donations, and additional donations of an electric score board, lumber, granite, telephone poles, and fill, and all necessary permits have been filed with the City. Barre Rotary Club president Caroline Earl and incoming president Liane Martinelli said the Barre Rotary Club created Rotary Park in the late 1980’s by enhancing the ball field, creating the parking area and building the picnic shelters. There was never a commitment or expectation that the Club would maintain the park. The Club is currently reviewing the work needed at the park as a possible project in the next Rotary year. There was discussion on the naming of the different areas in question, and Mr. McSheffrey said he would be amenable to having the ball field named Cornerstone Field, as opposed to Cornerstone Park, which was approved by the Council at last week’s meeting. Ms. Earl & Ms. Martinelli said the Rotary Club would be pleased to have the picnic shelter area continue to be called Rotary Park. 2 To be approved at 05-01-18 Barre City Council Meeting Barre Town resident Jeff Blow said he was a member of the Barre Rotary Club for more than 30 years. Mr. Blow said the park was originally created when Barre Rotarian George Milne Sr. left a bequest of $25,000 to develop the picnic area and ball field. The project was expanded by the Rotary Club, and the final cost was approximately $40,000. There was no expectation of ongoing maintenance to be provided by the Rotary Club. Councilor Batham made the motion to approve naming the ball field Cornerstone Field contingent upon approval of a naming policy. The motion was seconded by Councilor LePage. Barre City resident Renita Marshall said she supports what the Cornerstone is doing, and that a lot of Barre City parks are named after people. Ms. Marshall said the Council should move the project forward and let the work begin. There was discussion on the differences between commercial and private naming of public resources, process & procedure, growing community involvement, allowing time to go through the process, and development of a policy providing fairness to the naming process. Mayor Herring asked that Councilor Batham’s motion be withdrawn, as the warned agenda item called for Council to ratify last week’s action to approve the name Cornerstone Park. There was discussion on what action is and isn’t allowed based on what is on the agenda and Vermont Open Meeting laws. Council voted on Councilor Batham’s motion. Motion did not carry with Councilor Batham voting in favor, Councilors LePage, Higby and Tuper-Giles voting against, and Mayor Herring abstaining. Councilor LePage made the motion to ratify last week’s action to approve the name of Cornerstone Park, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion did not carry with Mayor Herring and Councilors Tuper- Giles and LePage voting in favor, and Councilors Batham and Higby voting against. Mayor Herring said he will place this item on next week’s agenda for continued discussion. Councilor Batham left at 8:45 PM. E) Presentation of FY17 Audit. Sullivan Powers PC partner Fred Duplessis reviewed the FY17 audit deliverables. Mr. Duplessis said the City received a qualified opinion because the North Main Street Project accounting between the City and VTRANS is still being reconciled. The hope is to settle the matter before the FY18 audit is completed, which will remove the qualification. There were no findings in the single audit. There was discussion on the current fund deficit and Council’s ongoing actions to address the deficit, grant accounting, and the new Finance Director position included in the FY19 budget. Mr. Duplessis said they also provided some training and simplification as part of this year’s audit. Council accepted the FY17 audit as presented on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Higby. Motion carried. D) Ratification of Purchase Authorization of Police Dept. Voice Recording System. Manager Mackenzie reviewed his memo regarding purchase of the recording system. Council ratified the purchase on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor LePage. Motion carried. Barre City Ward 3 resident Margaret Ferguson said she will be at Thursday’s Ward 3 caucus to seek to fill the Council vacancy. Ms. Ferguson said she is interested in seeing the empty downtown storefronts used as display or advertising space, and windows should be washed. 3 To be approved at 05-01-18 Barre City Council Meeting G) Resolution for Climate Pledge Coalition. Mayor Herring read resolution #2018-05. Council approved the resolution on motion of Councilor LePage, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  Police contract mediation begins on Monday.  There are several job openings listed on the City website.  The City will host a bike safety rodeo for kids at the Auditorium parking lot on May 5th.  There is a neighborhood watch informational meeting at Alumni Hall on May 9th. Round Table – Councilor LePage said the Vermont Granite Museum is opening for the season on May 5th. He said World Tai Chi Day is being celebrated in Currier Park on April 28th. Councilor Higby said it’s spring cleaning time. She said compost bins are available through Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District, and she gave the hours for the CVSWMD location on N. Main Street. Councilor Tuper-Giles reminded people of the bike safety rodeo on May 5th. He reminded people that Barre City cemetery rules prohibit artificial flowers beginning May 15th. Mayor Herring said he attended the ribbon cutting at Si Aku Ramen last Saturday, and the food is great. The Mayor said he and the Manager met with their Montpelier counterpoints to discuss Central Vermont Public Safety Authority. There will be a joint meeting soon to discuss the future of the CVPSA. The Mayor reminded people of the Ward 3 caucus on April 26th. He reminded people that the Thunder Road car show has been rescheduled to May 5th and will be held at the track. Executive Session – Councilor Tuper-Giles 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 LePage. Motion carried. Council went into executive session at 9:17 PM to discuss legal and personnel issues under the provisions of 1 VSA sec. 313 on motion of Councilor LePage, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. Manager Mackenzie was invited into the executive session. Council came out of executive session at 9:35 PM on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Higby. Motion carried. No action was taken. The Council meeting adjourned at 9:35 PM on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Higby. Motion carried. An audio recording of this meeting is available from the City Clerk. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 4