City Council

To be approved at 02-19-19 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held February 5, 2019 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: There was discussion about revising the agenda language for old business item A. No adjustment was made. 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 Special meeting of January 28, 2019 o Regular meeting of January 29, 2019  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2019-06:  Account Payable: $348,089.58  Payroll (gross): $140,175.28  2019 Licenses & Permits – NONE The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes reported on the following:  Third quarter property taxes are due by February 15th.  Early absentee voting is available for the Barre Unified Union School District special meeting election on February 19th to vote on proposed amendments to the articles of agreement. Approval of Building Permits – NONE Liquor Control – NONE Visitors and Communications – NONE Old Business – A) Discussion/Action on Reynolds House/South-end Parking Lot Agreement. Councilor Tuper-Giles recused himself from the discussion due to conflict of interest, and joined Reynolds House owners Thom Lauzon and Karen Lauzon at the witness table. Mr. Lauzon reviewed the history of their request for a parking agreement for use of the South Main Street municipal parking lot that abuts the Reynolds House property, and he noted he recently sent a memo to the Council that proposes a few different lease or purchase options. Mr. Lauzon suggested Council authorize a one year lease, which would allow the parties to explore other options over the next several months. He said they expect to have the bed and breakfast at the property open in 3-4 weeks. There was discussion on allowing the Council additional time to digest the memo, developing a process for the possible sale of the property, accommodating the short-term needs of the B&B, gauging the commercial value of the parking lot property and its development potential, leasing vs. purchase, 1 To be approved at 02-19-19 Barre City Council Meeting maintaining two public parking spaces in the lot, notifications to businesses and property owners in the area of the potential reduction of public parking in the lot, reviewing all City-owned properties for potential sale, asking City Attorney Oliver Twombly to provide a draft one year lease. Mr. Lauzon said he will provide a draft lease for review by Mr. Twombly. Consideration of the lease will be on either the February 19th or February 26th Council agenda. Councilor Tuper-Giles rejoined the Council. New Business – A) Sharps Pilot Program Infographic. Deputy Fire Chief Joe Aldsworth and Joan Marie Misek from the VT Department of Health reviewed the first six months of the sharps program. There are 17 sharps collection units in the City, with 253 gallons, totaling approximately 127,000 sharps, collected in the first six months. Sharps collected are brought to Central Vermont Medical Center for proper disposal. Stakeholders in the program include the Barre City Fire Department, State of Vermont Department of Health, Vermont CARES, and the Alcohol & Drug Abuse Program (ADAP). The success of the program has drawn state and national attention, and is looking to be replicated elsewhere. Calls to the Police Department due to found needles have been reduced by 93%. Councilors thanked Dep. Chief Aldsworth and Ms. Misek for the report and the successful pilot program. B) Public Hearing 7:30 PM – Second Public Hearing for Proposed Charter Changes. Mayor Herring opened the public hearing at 8:05 PM. The Mayor noted the City is not including any proposed charter changes on the Annual (Town) Meeting ballot, so there is nothing to consider in the public hearing. The Mayor closed the public hearing at 8:06 PM. C) Authorization to Submit USDA Rural Development VT Community Facility Grant Pre- Application for a New Ambulance. Council approved submission of the pre-application on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Higby. Motion carried. D) Authorization to submit a VT Clean Water Priority List Funding Application. Council approved submittal of the application and authorized the Manager or his designee to sign the application on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. C) Authorization to Submit USDA Rural Development VT Community Facility Grant Pre- Application for a New Ambulance. Manager Mackenzie asked the Council to take up this item for consideration again, and to include authorization to sign as part of the motion. Council approved submission of the pre-application and authorized the Manager or his designee to sign the pre-application on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Higby. Motion carried. E) Authorization to Execute a Preliminary Engineering Agreement with Dubois and King, Inc. for the Barre City Biosolids Project. Council approved execution of the agreement and authorized the Manager or his designee to sign the agreement on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. F) Assignment for Preparation of the Wheelock House Sale RFP. Councilors Boutin and Tuper-Giles volunteered to take on the preparation work. They will lead a discussion during an executive session at the February 19th meeting. 2 To be approved at 02-19-19 Barre City Council Meeting G) Approval of Resolution #2019-01: $2.5M Bond Resolution and Declaration. Clerk Dawes said the resolution and declaration are part of the required paperwork for the $2.5M bond article on the Annual (Town) Meeting ballot. Council approved the resolution and declaration on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. H) Approval of Resolution #2019-02: $560,000 Bond Resolution and Declaration. Clerk Dawes said the resolution and declaration are part of the required paperwork for the $560,000 bond article on the Annual (Town) Meeting ballot. Council approved the resolution and declaration on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. I) Council Priorities Update. Mayor Herring reviewed the Council’s FY2019 priorities list, and led a discussion on the various items included on the list. The Mayor will bring the list back again in May for review and setting the FY2020 priorities. City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  City staff has been observing the waterways for ice jams and debris during the recent freeze/thaw cycles.  The Department of Public Works detected structural damage to the railroad trestle near Willey Street, likely caused by debris or ice in the river, and notified the VT Agency of Transportation.  Held an exploratory meeting with the VT Agency of Natural Resources to discuss possible alterations to streambeds in the City to mitigate future flooding, most notably on the North End.  There is a progress meeting with the municipal swimming pool refurbishment consultant in the near future. After that meeting, the Manager will hold the first meeting between the consultant and the pool advisory committee. Round Table – Most Councilors voiced their support for the Super Bowl Champions, the New England Patriots. Councilors also spoke about the dangerous conditions created by the freeze/thaw cycles, and encouraged people to be careful of ice when walking or driving. Councilor Batham noted he is the current Council-appointed liaison to the Aldrich library board. His term as Councilor will be up after March 5th, and he expressed a willingness to continue to serve. Councilor LePage attended yesterday evening’s meeting on blighted and abandoned properties, led by Councilors Higby and Morey. He said there was good attendance and participation. Councilor Tuper-Giles said there is a Heritage Festival planning meeting this Thursday. Councilor Morey encouraged people to clean snow off their roofs. He said there are a number of community events this weekend including the gun show at the auditorium, and Winterfest activities Saturday at the Vermont Granite Museum and Sunday at the Cow Pasture. He thanked those who attended last evening’s blighted and abandoned buildings event. He encouraged people to help their neighbors make repairs around their homes. Councilor Higby said last evening’s event was well attended, and it’s good for Councilors to engage people outside City Hall. 3 To be approved at 02-19-19 Barre City Council Meeting Mayor Herring announced the following:  He heard some concerns voiced about last night’s blighted and abandoned buildings event, and shared his concerns with Councilors Higby and Morey.  Held a Coffee with the Mayor and Fire Chief event last weekend. Barre City’s representatives were also available to meet with the public.  There is a bill being considered by the legislature that would have an impact on the City’s salvage yards ordinance language.  He attended the Board of Civil Authority organizational meeting on Thursday, and reminded all Councilors they serve on the BCA.  Toured the generator in Burlington, and the Central Vermont Career Center.  Green Mountain Transit held its public hearing today on proposed route changes. New and revised services are scheduled to begin by the end of March.  There is no Council meeting next week. Executive Session – Councilor Boutin made the motion to find that premature general public knowledge of the 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 Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. Council went into executive session at 9:08 PM to discuss personnel under the provisions of 1 VSA § 313 on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried with Councilor Boutin voting against. Council came out of executive session at 9:15 PM on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. Council had a discussion on Councilor residency requirements. No action was taken. The Council meeting adjourned at 9:17 PM on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Higby. Motion carried. An audio recording of this meeting is available from the City Clerk. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 4