City Council

To be approved at 01-08-19 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held December 18, 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: Old business will be taken up after new business; there will be a new business item “M” added to consider dedications for the 2018 annual report; and new item “A” is deferred. 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 December 11, 2018  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2018-51:  Accounts Payable: $298,978.74  Payroll (gross): $119,045.10  2019 Licenses & Permits – o Food Establishment Licenses:  Ellie & Shirl’s Simply Delicious, 14. N. Main Street o Entertainment Licenses:  Barre Opera House, annual license  VT Granite Museum, annual license o Taxicab Driver’s Licenses:  Amy Lynn Lawrence, CV Green Cab  Mary Eloise Davis, CV Green Cab  Edith C Graves, CV Green Cab  P Brent Gould, CV Green Cab  Thomas Mark Anderson, CV Green Cab  Kathleen Jennifer Morrow, CV Green Cab  Nicholas James Diedrich, CV Green Cab  Joshua Ryan Sayer, CV Green Cab  Jennifer Ann Overton, CV Green Cab o Waste Disposal Collector’s Licenses:  Doyle Trucking, 2 drop-off vehicles The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes reported on the following:  Water/sewer bills are due by December 31st.  The Clerk’s office will be closed Monday, December 24th. The water/sewer billing collection office will be open, but no clerk’s office services will be available that day, and the vault won’t be available for access. 1 To be approved at 01-08-19 Barre City Council Meeting Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. Applicants Addresses City of Barre 6 N. Main Street Aubuchon Realty Co. Inc. 214 N. Main Street Barre Historical Society 46 Granite Street Liquor Control – NONE City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  The Pearl Street pedway/Keith Avenue parking lot design team met to work on developing bid documents for the construction of both projects. The RFPs will be issued later this winter, with construction planned for next summer.  City received three proposals for the Merchant’s Row soils project in response to the RFP.  The annual employee luncheon was held yesterday at Ladder 1 Grill. Employee longevity was recognized, with certificates given to those with at least 10 years of service, in addition to gift cards given to those with at least 25 years of service.  Submitted application for $350,000 grant to support the upcoming pool refurbishment project.  There is a design kickoff meeting on Friday for the pool refurbishment, and the community advisory committee will be established in the near future. Visitors and Communications – NONE New Business – A) Request to use Northern Leg of Proposed Duffy Avenue as a Driveway. This item is deferred. B) Errors & Omissions Approval Request. City Assessor Joe LeVesque presented four errors & omissions requests. 1. 5 Warren Street – Council approved the adjustment as recommended by Mr. LeVesque on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. 2. 2 Clifton Street – Council approved the adjustment as recommended by Mr. LeVesque on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. 3. 31 Keith Avenue – Council requested additional information from Mr. LeVesque, and scheduled a special Council meeting for this Friday, December 21st, at 7:30 AM to take up consideration of the request. 4. 8 North Street - Council approved the adjustment as recommended by Mr. LeVesque on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried with Councilor Higby voting against. C) Barre City Representative and Washington County Senator Introductions. Barre City Representative Tommy Walz, Representative-Elect Peter Anthony, and Washington County Senators Anthony Pollina and Ann Cummings addressed the Council on items they expect to be part of this coming legislative session, including housing, financing the clean water fund, property taxes, access to higher education, and addressing river sedimentation and flood risk. D) DRB Appointment from Ward I Seat. Mayor Herring said state statute calls for a member of Council to fill any vacancies on the DRB, if they have been unsuccessful in recruiting new members. Both Ward I Councilors expressed willingness to fill the seat on a temporary basis. Councilor Boutin made the motion to appoint Councilor Tuper-Giles, 2 To be approved at 01-08-19 Barre City Council Meeting seconded by Councilor Morey. DRB chair Linda Shambo asked Council to delay the appointment, as she said she is concerned having a Councilor on the board will politicize the body. Councilor Tuper-Giles said he will submit a letter of interest as a citizen rather than as a Councilor. Councilor Morey withdrew his second. Hearing no additional second to the original motion, Mayor Herring declared the motion died for lack of a second. No appointment was made. E) Letter of Support for the Vermont Food Bank. Council approved the letter of support as drafted by Mayor Herring on motion of Councilor LePage, seconded by Councilor Higby. Motion carried. F) Letter for Vermont Council on Rural Development. Council approved the letter of support as drafted by Mayor Herring on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. Councilor Boutin stepped out of the room at this point in the meeting. G) Establishment of a Barre City/Montpelier Solid Waste Management Committee. Mayor Herring said the intention is to name one Councilor and one citizen from each community to serve on the committee, and to make appointments after the first of the year. Council approved the creation of the committee on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. Councilor Boutin returned to the room at this point in the meeting. H) FY19 Budget Status Report. Manager Mackenzie reviewed his snapshot of the current budget, saying both revenues and expenses are running a bit ahead of budget at this point in time, but the budget appears to be in the black. I) Overview Presentation of Proposed FY20 General Fund Budget. Budget Committee chair and former Mayor Thom Lauzon gave a Powerpoint presentation on the FY20 draft budget, which estimates a 1.7% tax rate increase before consideration of any special ballot items. There was discussion on spending for streets, capital and equipment needs; reallocation of debt service funds as bonds are paid off; tax impact from the pending school merger; and grand list growth rates. Manager Mackenzie reviewed his matrix summarizing the proposed budget, and noted this presentation meets the Barre City charter requirement to present the budget to the Council at least 45 days before the Annual (Town) Meeting election. Mayor Herring said the Council will hold workshops on the budget after the first of the year. J) Approval Removal of Deed Restrictions for 51 Church Street BGA Building. Councilor Batham noted he is on the vestry committee for one of the adjoining churches. Councilors did not see that as a conflict of interest. There was discussion on the rights-of-way around the building in question. Clerk Dawes said the ROWs are from the City, therefore the removal of the deed restrictions will not impact the ROWs. Council approved removal of the deed restrictions, and authorized the Mayor to sign the deed on behalf of the City on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. K) Warn Charter Change First & Second Public Hearings. Clerk Dawes recommended Council warn first and second public hearings for any charter changes that might be voted upon at the March Annual (Town) Meeting elections. Council set the first public hearing for January 22nd, and the second public hearing for February 5th on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. 3 To be approved at 01-08-19 Barre City Council Meeting L) Ratification of the Disposition of the Coin Drop Funds. Council ratified its action last week, designating the donated funds to be given to Barre City Elementary and Middle School on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. M) Dedications for the 2018 Annual Report. Council approved dedicating the 2018 annual report to former Mayor Thom Lauzon, and adding a memorial to former firefighter and Councilor Randy Copping, who passed away earlier this year on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. Old Business – A) Discussion on Ordinance Chapter 11 – Offenses & Miscellaneous Provisions. Councilors discussed the revisions with Councilor Boutin and Police Chief Tim Bombardier, who drafted the proposed language. There were a number of changes suggested through the first thirteen pages. Council will continue its review at an upcoming meeting, and Councilor Boutin will work on incorporating the suggested changes. Round Table – Councilors wished everybody a safe and happy holiday season. Councilor Boutin said Police Officer Jason Fleury is working with BCEMS on the purchase of Christmas gifts with the coin drop funds. The gifts will be distributed later this week. Councilor Higby recommended people attend this weekend’s performance of The Nutcracker at the Barre Opera House. She encouraged people to reach out to their neighbors during the holiday season. Mayor Herring said review of the proposed zoning ordinance changes will begin soon, and there is public skating and open basketball clinics at the civic center during the holidays. The Mayor reminded Councilors of the special meeting this coming Friday, December 21st, at 7:30 AM, and the special joint meeting with Barre Town on Wednesday, January 2nd at Barre Town. There are no Barre City Council meetings on Tuesday, December 25th, or Tuesday, January 1st. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 10:32 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