City Council

To be approved at 09-04-18 Barre City Council Meeting Special Meeting of the Barre City Council Held August 28, 2018 The Special Meeting of the Barre City Council was called to order by Mayor Lucas Herring at 6:00 PM at BCS Facilities – Alumni Hall, BOR and Auditorium. Buildings and Community Services director Jeff Bergeron gave Councilors a tour of the facilities. In attendance were: From Ward I, Councilors Sue Higby and Jeffrey Tuper-Giles; and from Ward II, Councilor Michael Boutin. Also in attendance was City Manager Steve Mackenzie. Absent: From Ward II, Councilor Brandon Batham; and from Ward III, Councilors John LePage and Rich Morey. The meeting adjourned at 6:45 PM. There is no recording of this meeting. Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held August 28, 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 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: From Ward II, Councilor Brandon Batham. Adjustments to the Agenda: Mayor Herring said new agenda item 10F has been removed. Other agenda items will 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 Morey. Motion carried.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Regular meeting of August 21, 2018 o Special meeting of August 23, 2018  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2018-35:  Accounts Payable: $1,480,366.03  Payroll (gross): $118,770.09  2018 Licenses & Permits – o Parade Permit:  Spaulding Union High School Homecoming Parade, Saturday, September 15th. o Entertainment License:  Downstreet Housing & Community Development/Promise Communities, Mathewson Playground celebrations, Wednesday, September 19th, 4 – 6 PM. The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes reported on the following:  Water/sewer bills are going in the mail the end of the week. They are due by October 1st. 1 To be approved at 09-04-18 Barre City Council Meeting Approval of Building Permits – NONE Liquor Control – NONE City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  The Granite Street storm sewer project will begin on September 4th.  There is an update on this season’s paving projects on the City website.  Four cooling stations have been set up around the City for today and tomorrow. The locations are on the website, Facebook and Front Porch Forum.  The Traffic Advisory Committee is meeting tomorrow evening.  The Budget Committee is meeting Thursday evening.  Jeff Bergeron is working on the fall yard waste drop off schedule, which will be in October.  Council should begin to think about dedications and cover photos for the FY18 annual report.  The Department of Public Works received a letter commending staff for their great work reconstructing sidewalks on Tremont Street. Visitors and Communications – NONE Old Business – NONE New Business – A) Introduction of Jody Norway – Executive Assistant to the City Manager. Manager Mackenzie introduced Ms. Norway, who told the Council about her previous work experience. Councilors welcomed her to the team. B) Spaulding High School Football Team – Rising Tide Program. Members of the SHS football team – Jackson Pearson, Hunter Chase, Rich Herring, Grady Chase, and Eamon Hogan – spoke of the Rising Tide program which does community service and special projects throughout the community. Coach Bob Lamb said they are creating leaders on and off the field. Team members handed out gift bags with tickets and schedules for the upcoming home season. C) Appointment of Kelly Ross and Linda Couture to the Recreation Committee. Kelly Ross shared her interest in serving on the Recreation Committee. Council approved her appointment on motion of Councilor Morey, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. Linda Couture shared her interest in serving on the Recreation Committee. Council approved her appointment on motion of Councilor LePage, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. D) Briefing on Potential K-9 Additional to Police Department. Police Chief Tim Bombardier and John Lyon from Wilkins Harley-Davidson said Wilkins is hosting an event on October 13th to raise funds for the purchase and training of a new police dog. The program is funded in conjunction with the Hometown Foundation, Inc., who will provide the dog and equipment. The October event will feature an exotic and rare car show, chicken BBQ, and motorcycle ride. There was discussion on dog training, tracking and building search skills, and costs associated with having a dog team on the force. Chief Bombardier said costs will be covered within the existing budget. Council voiced its support of the program. H) Regulation of Retail Operations Dealing with Precious Metal Resale and Pawn Shops. Chief Bombardier and Councilor Higby said they have made revisions to their draft ordinance language. Councilor Higby said she spoke with other similarly-sized communities in Vermont, and found that Barre 2 To be approved at 09-04-18 Barre City Council Meeting City seems to have the highest number of such establishments per capita. There was discussion on recordkeeping, length of holding period, establishing a licensing program, and removing language that duplicates statute. The language will come to Council for a first reading in three weeks. E) Overview Briefing of Buildings & Community Services (BCS) Department. BCS director Jeff Bergeron reviewed the history of the creation of the BCS department with the merger of Facilities, Recreation, and Cemeteries & Parks. Mr. Bergeron said approximately 110 acres are mowed each week in the summer, and the overall department budget is $1.1 million. There are 6 full-time employees, and several part-time and seasonal employees are used in the cemeteries and recreation areas. There was discussion on use of the civic center, expanding community garden spaces around the City, and the efficacy of the security cameras at the pool with regards to vandalism. F) Discussion of Air Conditioning of the Auditorium. This item has been removed from the agenda. G) Warn First and Second Public Hearings for Proposed Charter Changes. Clerk Dawes said this is the first public hearing for the proposed charter changes to be voted upon at the November 6, 2018 general election. The Clerk said Council warned this public hearing at its meeting on July 31, 2018, in spite of the way it is listed on the agenda. The hearing opened at 8:20 PM. The Clerk distributed copies of the proposed language. Mayor Herring asked if there were any questions or comments from the Council or public. Hearing none, he closed the public hearing at 8:21 PM. Clerk Dawes said the second public hearing is warned for October 2nd. I) Enhanced Public Awareness about Straw and Shopping Bag Waste. Councilor Higby said she and some artists are working on fun posters to encourage kids to think before using plastic straws or single-use bags. She showed artwork created for the posters, and said she is also working on a cigarette butt campaign. Round Table – Councilor LePage said he is getting phone calls from people who don’t support the zoning changes being drafted by the Planning Commission. The Manager and Mayor encouraged people to attend the next PC meeting on October 13th, and to read the draft revisions on the City website and share comments with the PC or planning staff. Councilor Boutin said he is working with Chief Bombardier on ordinance revisions, and expects to come before Council before the end of October. He reminded people that we have freedom of speech in this country, and that political signs are free speech. Such signs should not be stolen or vandalized. Councilor Morey thanked Mr. Bergeron for taking care of a tree that had fallen on the bike path. He said the new equipment being installed at the Mathewson Playground looks great, and the Rising Tide football players will be reading to kids at Next Chapter Bookstore on Saturday mornings through September. Councilor Higby said we should all give a nod to workers on Labor Day, this coming Monday. The Old Labor Hall is holding an event that day in the bakery they are restoring, and CNN is airing a documentary on Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Mayor Herring reported on the following:  Reminded people of this weekend’s Labor Day celebrations in Northfield.  There are three more neighborhood watch meetings being held for specific neighborhood areas.  Barre Partnership executive director Josh Jerome is stepping down from the organization. 3 To be approved at 09-04-18 Barre City Council Meeting  Schools are back in session, so please be careful of kids along streets, sidewalks and crosswalks. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 8:39 PM on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, 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