City Council

To be approved at 11-20-18 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held November 13, 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 Rich Morey. Also present were City Manager Steve Mackenzie and City Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: NONE Adjustments to the Agenda: NONE 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 November 5, 2018  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2018-46:  Accounts Payable: $208,951.61  Payroll (gross): $128,775.33  2018 Licenses & Permits – NONE The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes reported on the following:  November 6th election results are posted on the City website. Participation was 54.5% of the voter checklist.  Barre Town voters have submitted a petition to reconsider the Act 46 school merger vote. The tentative date for the re-vote is January 8th.  Second quarter taxes are due by November 15th.  Assistant Treasurer Kathy Adams is leaving for a position at Downstreet Housing and Community Development. Her last day is 11/15. She will be missed, and we wish her well. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. Applicant Address David Raymond 40 Foster Street Liquor Control – Council approved a BYOB birthday party at the Old Labor Hall from 7:00 11:50 PM on December 8th on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried with Councilor Boutin abstaining. Council approved a Request to Cater application from The Pub in Williamstown for the AFC fight at the Barre Civic Center Auditorium on December 15th, from 5:00 PM – 1:00 AM on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Higby. Motion carried with Councilor Boutin abstaining. City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  There was a municipal swimming pool site inspection in advance of submitting a grant application to help fund the refurbishment project. 1 To be approved at 11-20-18 Barre City Council Meeting  Finance Director Dawn Monahan is scheduled to begin on January 2nd. She is currently the controller with Burlington Telecom.  The Budget Committee is down to one active member. Other members are still interested in serving, but have scheduling conflicts through the current budget season. Additional members are welcome.  The fall yard waste pickup is scheduled to begin this week. Due to today’s wintery weather, pickup will likely run into next week.  The traffic signal contractor will be working on the Ayers Street light over the next few days to try to isolate and repair a wiring fault.  There is a joint Barre City/Montpelier City Councils meeting tomorrow evening, 6:30 PM in Montpelier. Manager Mackenzie said the storm sewer project on Granite Street is complete, and the City has the necessary matching funds to cover expenses. The Manager said he is waiting for approval from the state on the City’s requests for a grant extension and funding increase to complete the North Main Street portion of the project next construction season. The Manager said the Bike Path/Multiuse Path Committee is seeking additional members. N.B. At this point in the meeting, the power went out in the building, and throughout a large portion of the City. There is no audio or video recording from this point forward. The Council decided to abbreviate the agenda. Visitors and Communications – City resident Ed Stanak said Fecteau Residential Inc. is planning a large housing development in Barre Town, accessible from Beckley Hill and Richardson Road. Mr. Stanak said the number of housing units is estimated between 90-117. The related traffic study speaks of the impact at the North Main Street intersections of Beckley Hill and Richardson Road, but does not address the North Main Street/Berlin Street intersection nearby. There is an Act 250 permit hearing on November 29th, and Mr. Stanak suggested the City send a representative to the hearing. Mr. Stanak said he will forward copies of the reports to the Manager for distribution. Old Business – NONE New Business – A) Briefing re: Local Cost Considerations of Regional Dispatch Operations. Police Chief Tim Bombardier, Fire Chief Doug Brent and Deputy Police Chief Larry Eastman were present for the discussion. Manager Mackenzie reviewed his memo summarizing the report from the Central Vermont Public Safety Authority. The report said there will be some joint savings associated with merging dispatch services, but also some additional local costs depending on what services are added to fill service voids created by moving dispatching services to a centralized location. Chief Bombardier said the cost for backfilling services could run from $160,000 to $400,000, depending on what services are replaced. There was discussion on lack of information about capital costs, concerns about transporting prisoners, housing prisoners at the Barre Public Safety Building, who would perform other administrative work currently being performed by dispatchers, seeking public safety funding support from the state, and possible statewide changes in dispatching. The chiefs will be in attendance at tomorrow’s joint city councils meeting in Montpelier. 2 To be approved at 11-20-18 Barre City Council Meeting B) Review of Council FY 19 Priorities. This item is deferred due to the blackout. C) Discussion re: Appointment of Students to Council Committees and/or Work Groups. This item is deferred due to the blackout. D) Approve December 1st date for City Council Dollar Drop. This item is deferred due to the blackout. E) Discussion re: Vacant, Abandoned & Blighted Properties in Barre. This item is deferred due to the blackout. Round Table – Councilor Higby spoke of talking with her father about his memories of Armistice Day parades in Detroit. She said she attended Sunday’s ceremony at the Youth Triumphant memorial, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, and noted the memorial is a plea for world peace. Councilors expressed their enjoyment working at the polls last week. Councilor LePage encouraged people to drive carefully in winter weather. Councilor Batham thanked those who voted last week. He said he will be out of town for the next two weeks, and will participate in the meetings by phone. Mayor Herring said the Barre City legislative representatives will be attending the December 18th Council meeting, and he will invite the new Washington County senator to attend a future meeting, also. The Mayor said the City received its 2,000th issue of Front Porch Forum earlier this evening. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 8:14 PM on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. There is an abbreviated audio recording of this meeting is available from the City Clerk. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 3