City Council

To be approved at 10-23-18 Barre City Council Meeting Special Meeting of the Barre City Council Held October 16, 2018 The Special Meeting of the Barre City Council was called to order by Mayor Lucas Herring at 6:15 PM at AllEarth Rail Facility/Northern Power in Barre Town. In attendance were: From Ward I, Councilor 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 Nick Charyk from AllEarth Renewables. Absent: From Ward I, Councilor Sue Higby; and from Ward III, Councilor Rich Morey. Nick Charyk of AllEarth Renewables gave a tour of the Budd rail cars to those in attendance. Mayor Herring adjourned the special meeting at 6:35 PM. There is no recording of the meeting. Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held October 16, 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, Councilor 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 I, Councilor Sue Higby; and from Ward III, Councilor Rich Morey. Adjustments to the Agenda: Mayor Herring said the sale of the BGA building will be taken up later in the agenda, and the salt vendor item will be deferred to next week. 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 October 9, 2018  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2018-42:  Accounts Payable: $134,705.71  Payroll (gross): $142,508.89  2018 Licenses & Permits – o Taxi Driver Licenses:  Tuvia Daniel Feldman, Central VT Green Cab  Steve Arguin, Central VT Green Cab The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes reported on the following:  Early voting is ongoing for the November 6th General Election. Ballots for the Act 46 school merger vote will be available later this week, and will be sent to those who have already received the general election ballot. Clerk Dawes said the City was the sole bidder at the September 7, 2017 tax sale of 5 Second Street. The property has not been redeemed and will be deeded to the City in the near future. The Clerk said she 1 To be approved at 10-23-18 Barre City Council Meeting would like to discuss possible options for the property in executive session either this week or next. Councilors agreed to put an executive session on next week’s agenda. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. Applicant Address Spaulding High School 120 Ayers Street Liquor Control – NONE City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  Water line flushing has been completed.  The fall yard waste drop off schedule runs October 13 – 28.  Received notification from Blue Cross Blue Shield of 2019 rates. Preliminary review shows an increase of approximately 3.3%.  Attended recent Central Vermont Public Safety Authority meeting. Following last week’s discussion at Council, CVPSA has decided to take the collapsed dispatch option off the table. They are pulling together information to define service improvements associated with a dispatch merger. The City is working on assessing costs associated with operating the jail, offering 24/7 coverage, and infrastructure costs associated with maintaining our own equipment should the City leave the authority.  There continue to be issues with the traffic signal at the Ayers/Hill/South Main Streets intersection. The City is researching options for repairs and ongoing maintenance. Visitors and Communications – NONE New Business – A) Budd Cars Overview. Nick Charyk from AllEarth Renewables said they have 12 self-propelled Budd rail cars being refurbished for local use. The goal is to get community rail service going. Mr. Charyk said he welcomes the public and groups to come look at the cars. Mayor Herring thanked him for the tour and rides in one of the cars earlier this evening. B) Department of Health 3-4-50 Program 6-month Check-up. Joan Marie Misek and Karen Nelson from the Vermont Department of Health gave an update on Barre City’s progress in the 3-4-50 program. Barre City is the state’s first and only gold level municipality. Ms. Misek reviewed recent and upcoming activities and events in the City. Ginny Burley from Central Vermont New Directions distributed signage options available through the state highlighting non- smoking and “no tobacco products” areas. Ms. Nelson said the City has developed a Routes and Trails Work Group that’s looking into development of walking school bus routes, changes to school bus and GMT bus stops, linkages with the bike path, crosswalk and sidewalk distribution, traffic calming measures, review of the municipal plan, and creation of an overlay map. Old Business – A) Approval of Deed Conditions re: Sale of BGA Property. Councilor Batham noted for the record that he sits on the vestry board of one of the churches located next door to the Barre Granite Association property at 51 Church Street. Councilor Tuper-Giles noted for the record that he sits on the board of the church on the other side of the BCA property at 51 Church Street. Mayor Herring said he did not see any conflicts of interest in those relationships with regards to this discussion. 2 To be approved at 10-23-18 Barre City Council Meeting Clerk Dawes distributed a history of the building, and the 1945 Council decision to sell the former schoolhouse to Rock of Ages, who later sold it to the BGA. City Attorney Oliver Twombly reviewed similar past situations, such as the recent sale of the firehouse building and the conditions placed on the deed. Mr. Twombly said the restrictions placed on the 51 Church Street deed were likely there to maintain the character of the City Hall Park area, and are more restrictive than zoning ordinance. He said he saw no reason not to grant the removal of the restrictions, and said it might be done through a deed or other manner of conveyance. There was discussion on any legal notification requirements related to the removal of the restrictions and sale of City-owned property, and allowing time for public reaction. Councilor Batham said he will vote in favor of removing the restrictions, but encourages the Development Review Board to use discretion in considering any applications related to the property that might be brought before it. Council approved authorizing the Manager to work with the City Attorney and the BGA attorney to remove the deed restrictions in a legal manner on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. New Business, continued – C) Barre Partnership Update. Councilor Tuper-Giles presented the update to the Council in his capacity as Barre Partnership president. He said the BP board is conducting a search to fill the executive director vacancy. They received 15 viable resumes and are conducting interviews. He noted he is one of the candidates for the position. He spoke of the following upcoming events:  Halloween Window Decoration Contest, through October 31st. Councilors will tour downtown before the October 30th Council meeting, and announce the winning displays at the meeting.  4th annual 5K Run for Veterans, November 3rd. This year’s beneficiary is the Veterans Home in Northfield.  Employee Appreciation Dinner, November 6th.  Holiday Parade, November 24th. The Partnership is asking the City to allow free parking again this year from the day after Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day. The request will be on next week’s Council agenda for approval.  Horse-drawn carriage rides during holiday season. The rides will be Saturdays or Sundays from Thanksgiving through Christmas. There was brief discussion of the Partnership’s interest in using the Wheelock House. D) Ratification of Submission of LWCF Pool Project Grant Pre-Application. Manager Mackenzie said the City submitted a pre-application yesterday for a $350,000 Land and Water Conservation Fund grant, and asked the Council to ratify that submission. Council approved ratification on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. E) Selection of Salt Vendor. This item is deferred until next week. Round Table – Councilor Tuper-Giles said he was encouraged by the positive comments he heard about Barre City from other communities while attending last week’s downtown retreat. He encouraged people to attend this weekend’s performance of “You Can’t Take it With You” at the Granite Museum, and noted he is featured in the cast. 3 To be approved at 10-23-18 Barre City Council Meeting Councilor LePage encouraged people to shop locally, especially during the upcoming holiday season. Councilor Batham encouraged people to vote in the November 6th elections, and noted you can vote early through the Clerk’s office. He also encouraged people to register to vote. Mayor Herring said he attended White Cane Awareness Day, which gave him a new appreciation for what it takes to navigate through a community if you are blind or visually impaired. He noted public skating starts at the BOR this weekend. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 8:38 PM on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. An audio recording of this meeting is available from the City Clerk. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 4