City Council

To be approved at 11-27-18 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held November 20, 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; and from Ward III, Councilors John LePage and Rich Morey. Also present were City Manager Steve Mackenzie and City Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: From Ward II, Councilors Brandon Batham and Michael Boutin. Adjustments to the Agenda: Mayor Herring said all old agenda items will be taken up after the new agenda items. Approval of Consent Agenda: Council approved the following consent agenda items on motion of Councilor LePage, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Regular meeting of November13, 2018 o Special meeting of November 14, 2018  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2018-47:  Accounts Payable: $423,247.94  Payroll (gross): $124,219.95  2018 Licenses & Permits – NONE The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes reported on the following:  Second quarter taxes were due by last Thursday, November 15th. The delinquency rate is currently 4.71%, however, she has received notification of some bounced payments, so the delinquency rate will increase.  Currently advertising to fill the assistant treasurer vacancy.  Charter change election information and results have been sent to the State Archivist and Legislative Counsel as required by statute. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. Applicant Address David Berry 140 Berlin Street Liquor Control – Council approved a BYOB Christmas party at the Old Labor Hall from 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM on December 22nd on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor LePage. Motion carried. N.B. Following the meeting, the Clerk received word that the Christmas party has been canceled. City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  Repairs to the Ayers/South Main/Hill Streets intersection traffic signal and pedestrian buttons have been completed.  The winter parking ban is in effect from November 15th until April 1st. 1 To be approved at 11-27-18 Barre City Council Meeting  Attended a meeting with VTRANS about the upcoming ledge removal at I-89 exit 6. The northbound exit will be closed and traffic will be detoured to exit 7. Representatives from VTRANS will attend the January 8th meeting to brief the Council.  Met with City Attorney Oliver Twombly to review the items he’s working on.  Requested a cost quote for the second boiler to be installed in City Hall. Installation is expected to be done in the near future.  Fall yard waste pickup was delayed due to the winter weather. The crews will complete the work next week.  Paving is scheduled to be completed on open streets next week.  There is a Toys for Tots drop box at the Public Safety Building. People may use it for the parking ticket amnesty program, where they can donate a new toy in lieu of paying a ticket. Visitors and Communications – NONE New Business – A) Overview of the Vermont Foodbank. VT Foodbank CEO John Sayles spoke about the foodbank’s mission to provide access to food for everybody, healthy food options for everybody, and everybody working to eliminate hunger and poverty in Vermont. The VF covers the whole state from three distribution centers. Last year they distributed 12 million pounds of food to 153,000 Vermonters. Mr Sayles spoke of their numerous partnerships, like the Capstone Community Kitchen Academy, and the Thrive program partnership with Central Vermont Medical Center and the VT Department of Health. The VF annual operating budget is $8 million; most of which comes from individual and VT family foundations. They are applying for a block grant to help with renovations to their Barre Town space, which will allow them to handle more fresh foods. The City Council voiced support for the grant, and will put approval to write a letter of support on a future Council agenda. B) Authorize DPW Purchase of 2018 John Deere 524KH High Lift Bucket Loader. Manager Mackenzie reviewed the memo from Public Works Director Bill Ahearn, in which Mr. Ahearn recommended purchase of the new loader. The Manager said he and Mr. Ahearn also recommend purchase of a 2,500 hour warranty, which will cover approximately seven years of service for the loader. There was discussion on sources for funding, and delaying purchase of a Bobcat loader to accommodate purchase of the budget loader. Council approved the purchase of the loader and warranty on motion of Councilor LePage, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. Manager Mackenzie said staff will be bringing a recommendation for purchase of three new handheld parking ticket units to next week’s meeting. C) Ant 250 Notice – Application 5W1589 and Hearing Re: Beckley Hill housing project. The Manager said the City has received a copy of the Act 250 permit and the traffic study associated with the project. City staff will attend next week’s Act 250 hearing on November 29th. Housing project developer Jim Fecteau from Fecteau Residential said the homes will sell in the $180,000 - $220,000 range, and will consist of single family homes on small lots, and duplexes, surrounded by open land. The total number of units proposed is 90, with 49 units in the first phase, which will be built 2 To be approved at 11-27-18 Barre City Council Meeting out over the next 8-10 years. Construction is expected to begin this spring once the Act 250, wastewater and stormwater permits are in place. There was discussion on the number of cars projected per housing unit, and lack of information about the Berlin Street/North Main Street intersection in the traffic report. City resident Ed Stanak said he supports affordable housing. Mr. Stanak said he is concerned about congestion, safety and levels of service at the impacted intersections, and potential future financial impacts to the City. Manager Mackenzie said DPW Director Bill Ahearn and/or Planning Director Janet Shatney will attend the hearing. Councilor LePage said he will also attend. Old Business – A) Review of Council FY19 Priorities. Mayor Herring reviewed the priorities list and made adjustments as dictated by Councilors and the Manager. The Mayor will update the list and send it around via email. B) Discussion re: Appointment of Students to Council Committees and/or Work Groups. There was discussion on the possible appointment of students to City committees. Questions were asked about age restrictions, consideration for voting or quorum, getting feedback from committee chairs on the idea of having student members, setting up a student advisory committee, and listening sessions. Mayor Herring will reach out to the school boards to see how they incorporate student members on the boards, and reach out to VT League of Cities and Towns for additional guidance. C) Approve December 1st date for City Council Dollar Drop. Due to Councilor availabilities, Council set their annual dollar drop for Saturday, December 8th. No formal action was taken. D) Discussion re: Vacant, Abandoned & Blighted Properties in Barre. This item is deferred to next week. Round Table – Councilor LePage spoke of courtesy in traffic. Councilor Tuper-Giles said the Barre Partnership is holding the annual holiday parade this Saturday, beginning at 5:30 PM. He read a statement about the negative impact of taking an us vs. them attitude, and the need to look for similarities for the common good of the greater Barre community. Councilor Morey said the holiday lights are going up and they look great. He encouraged people to wipe off their snowy windshields to increase visibility and safety. Councilor Morey expressed his condolences to the family of Ernie Boisvert, who recently passed away. The Boisvert cobbler shop on North Main Street is a fixture in downtown Barre. Councilor Higby spoke of the holiday parking pilot program which encourages people to put coins in the meters during the holiday season. The funds raised will go to support recreation programs. Clerk Dawes said the Recreation Department has a number of fun activities planned for December 8th – breakfast with Santa, a musician, and a movie – all at the auditorium. Information is available on the Recreation Department Facebook page. 3 To be approved at 11-27-18 Barre City Council Meeting Mayor Herring thanked Councilors for their service to the City, and offered everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. The Mayor invited people to attend the free Thanksgiving dinner at the American Legion on Thursday. Executive Session – Councilor Tuper-Giles made the motion to find that premature general public knowledge of a personnel issue 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 Morey. Motion carried. Council went into executive session at 8:46 PM to discuss personnel under the provisions of 1 VSA § 313 on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. Manager Mackenzie was invited into the executive session. Council came out of executive session at 9:02 PM on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. No action was taken. The Council meeting adjourned at 9:02 PM on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. An audio recording of this meeting is available from the City Clerk. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 4