City Council

To be approved at 06-26-18 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held June 19, 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, Councilors John LePage and Richard Morey. Also present were City Manager Steve Mackenzie and City Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: NONE Adjustments to the Agenda: Mayor Herring said the City Manager’s report will be moved after all new business items. 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 June 12, 2018  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2018-25:  Accounts Payable: $317,621.26  Payroll (gross): $113,567.42  2018 Licenses & Permits – o Food Vending License:  The Candy Van, James Fitzgerald The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes reported on the following:  Water/sewer bills are due by July 2nd.  Tax bills are scheduled to be mailed out mid-July, with the first due date August 15th, dependent upon the legislature passing a budget and setting the education tax rates. It is looking more likely there won’t be a state budget by July 1st, therefore the Council will discuss possible adjustments to the quarterly tax payment deadlines at next week’s meeting.  The annual window to request grievance hearings with the City Assessor has opened. Any property owner may request a hearing in writing. Requests must be received by 1:00 PM on Tuesday, June 26th. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. Applicant Address Taylor Lawson 87 Ayers Street John Hood 16 Midway Street Catherine Gates & Mark Yorra 30 Keith Avenue Rodney & Joyce Cloutier 10 Pouliot Avenue Wendy Clark 72 Westwood Parkway Liquor Control – Council approved a Request to Cater application from Woodbelly Pizza for a high school reunion at the VT Granite Museum on July 7th from 4:00 – 11:00 PM on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor LePage. Motion carried with Councilor Boutin abstaining. 1 To be approved at 06-26-18 Barre City Council Meeting Council approved a BYOB request for an event at the Old Labor Hall this Saturday, June 23th from 1:00 – 4:00 PM on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried with Councilor Boutin abstaining. Council approved a BYOB request for a family celebration at the Old Labor Hall on Saturday, June 30th from noon – 5:00 PM on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Higby. Motion carried with Councilor Boutin abstaining. Visitors and Communications – Councilor Tuper-Giles gave #BetterBarre T-shirts to Sharon Jacobs, Nick Peloquin, Spencer Sayah, Carter Cochran; a teacher, para-educator and students who collected trash and cleaned up sections of the bike path. He thanked them, and all others who are being generous with their time and donations to make Barre a better place, and encouraged everybody to do so. Old Business – A) Affirmation/Cancellation of Pearl Street Ped-Way Project. Manager Mackenzie said he would like Council direction with regards to continuation of the project, following the recent presentations and discussions. Resident Michael Hellien clarified that his request was to cancel the project. There was discussion on the options to continue, cancel or take time to review. Councilor Boutin made the motion to affirm moving forward with the project as previously approved by the Council. The motion was seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. There was additional discussion on deferral, questions of relevance, development around the project area, the Planning Commission’s recommendation for postponement, and future master plan updates. Council approved the motion as presented with Mayor Herring and Councilors Boutin, Morey and Tuper-Giles voting in favor, Councilors LePage and Batham voting against, and Councilor Higby abstaining. New Business – A) Introduction of Fire Chief Doug Brent. Manager Mackenzie introduced Doug Brent, who will be starting as Fire Chief as of July 9th. Chief Brent recently retired from 16 years as Fire Chief in South Burlington. Before that, he was Barre City Fire Chief from 1992 – 2002. Chief Brent said he is looking forward to coming home to Barre. The Manager thanked Chief Bombardier for his years of service as both fire and police chief, and said Chief Bombardier will continue to serve as Police Chief. Council welcomed Chief Brent. B) Introduction of Civilian Bike Patrol (the “Bees”). This item is deferred to a future meeting. C) Introduction of BCJC One Stop Resource Center. Justice Center executive director Jeannie McLeod, transitional housing coordinator Sara Winters, Barre City social worker Broke Pouliot, and Chief Tim Bombardier said the Justice Center has relocated from Alumni Hall to 30 Keith Avenue, and has opened the One Stop Resource Center, where 14 different partners will be offering connections to services. Ms. McLeod said their official name has been changed to Barre Community Justice Center. There was discussion on responses to addiction and overdoses, outreach through flyers and social media, and partnerships with VT Department of Corrections. D) Authorize DOC Grant Amendment #03520-1441 AM1 re. GBCJC Operating Funds. Mayor Herring disclosed he works with the VT Department of Corrections through his state IT job, and 2 To be approved at 06-26-18 Barre City Council Meeting asked if anyone considered that a conflict of interest with regards to him chairing this section of the meeting. No concerns were voiced. Council approved the grant amendment and authorized the Manager to sign on behalf of the City on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. E) Update of Municipal Pool Summer Programs. Buildings and Community Services assistant director Stephanie Quaranta said the pool is scheduled to open this Saturday, June 23rd. She said she will have limited staff that day because of Spaulding High School graduation. There was discussion on pool passes, providing free swimming lessons, designating a lap lane, and public transport access to the pool. Ms. Quaranta said she is looking for additional life guards, and someone to teach swimming to the 0-6 age group. Manager Mackenzie said there will be a presentation next week on the pool refurbishment plans. F) Approve Annual Appointments. Council made some adjustments to the appointments list as presented by the Manager, and then approved the list as amended on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. G) Barre Asset Naming Policy. Councilor Higby reviewed the draft naming policy. Councilor Batham made the motion to approve the policy, seconded by Councilor LePage. There was discussion on using an application process instead of a policy, if there are similar policies in other VT towns, avoiding incidents similar to the recent Cornerstone Field issue, and holding public meetings to discuss possible donors and donations. Amendments were suggested to clarify certain sections of the policy, and to correct typos. Council approved the policy as amended with Councilor Boutin voting against. H) Clerk/Treasurer Compensation for FY2018-2019. Clerk Dawes reviewed her report, and requested a 2% increase in her compensation for FY19. Councilor Tuper-Giles made the motion to increase the Clerk/Treasurer hourly rate by 3% for FY19, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. I) Approval of Vehicle Purchases. Manager Mackenzie reviewed the memo on the proposed purchase of three vehicles:  2012 International plow truck  2019 International replacement haul truck  2019 Ford fire service utility vehicle The Manager said the vehicles will be purchased out of the voter-approved $1.15M bond. Council approved the purchases on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  Encouraged people to take the volunteer survey posted on the City website. 3 To be approved at 06-26-18 Barre City Council Meeting  Thanked the Barre Granite Association and Rock of Ages for their continued underwriting of monument cleaning in the cemeteries.  Noted the City received an American Consulting Engineers Council merit award for the Gunner’s Brook project.  The City needs to explore options for the 85/87 Brook Street lots, now that the buildings have been demolished and the Gunner’s Brook project is complete. Options posed to date include community gardens or parking.  Scheduling Council tours of City departments and facilities, along with department presentations to the Council. Will take place between now and September.  Traffic Advisory Committee meeting scheduled for next Wednesday evening.  In response to recent requests, trash and recycling containers will be placed in and around Charlie’s Playground on a trial basis. Round Table – Councilor Higby reviewed the museum pass opportunities at the Aldrich Library. Councilor Morey said he attended the recent kindergarten graduation and a second grade field trip. He encouraged people to support the young minds being molded at our schools. He said Friday is principal James Taffel’s last day after 45 years of service in education. Councilor Tuper-Giles said everybody owns the #BetterBarre movement, and everybody can do at least one good thing. Councilor Boutin said the Traffic Advisory Committee should review the ordinance on jake brakes. Councilor LePage encouraged people to attend the Concerts in Currier Park on Wednesday evenings throughout the summer. Councilor Batham said he recently made a presentation at Boys State, and he encouraged people to register to vote if they will be 18 years old by the November general election. Mayor Herring said the #BetterBarre initiative creates an atmosphere for volunteerism. He thanked those who participated in the placement of flowers in the downtown, and noted the banners on street lighting have been changed for the season. The Mayor encouraged Councilors to review the priorities list, and to begin thinking about the Manager’s review process. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 9:28 PM on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. An audio recording of this meeting is available from the City Clerk. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 4