City Council

To be approved at 01-08-19 Barre City Council Meeting Special Meeting of the Barre City Council Held January 5, 2019 The Special Meeting of the Barre City Council was called to order by Mayor Lucas Herring at 8:00 AM at Barre City Hall. Councilors in attendance were from Ward I, Councilor Sue Higby; from Ward II, Councilor Michael Boutin (arrived 8:10 AM); and from Ward III, Councilor John LePage. Also present were City Manager Steve Mackenzie, City Finance Director Dawn Monahan, and City Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: From Ward I, Councilor Jeffrey Tuper-Giles; from Ward II, Councilor Brandon Batham; and from Ward III, Councilor Rich Morey. Mayor Herring noted there wasn’t a quorum at the beginning of the meeting. A quorum was achieved with the arrival of Councilor Boutin. Manager Mackenzie began a review of the significant increases and decreases from FY19 to FY20, new items in the proposed FY20 budget, and staff positions not included that have been requested by department heads. Council discussed the following:  Including funding to begin the manager search process after January 2020.  Reviewing parking permit rates as an incentive to encourage people to live within walking distance of the downtown.  Funding for the community service officer – changes in funding from the state, and inclusion in the general fund budget.  Separate ballot line item for security cameras in the downtown area.  Reallocation of retiring debt service to streets, sidewalks and capital funds.  One-time allocation of funds from the Semprebon Annuity to the streets, sidewalks and capital funds.  Funding for community development, i.e. Barre Partnership and Barre Area Development Association.  Development of opportunities to increase rental income from City-owned properties. Needed renovations to facilities to enhance rentability. Use of Wheelock building. Location of proposed teen center.  Library funding. Council will hold additional budget workshops and discussions over the next few weeks. Dates to be determined. The Council meeting adjourned at 10:32 AM on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor LePage. Motion carried. There is no audio or video recording of this meeting. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 1