City Council

To be approved at 03-12-19 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held February 26, 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 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 Morey. Motion carried.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Regular meeting of February 19, 2019  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2019-09:  Account Payable: $203,427.83  Payroll (gross): $166,148.03  2019 Licenses & Permits – o Entertainment Licenses:  Thunder Road car show and parade, April 27th, 7:00 AM – noon  Barre Historical Society – Old Labor Hall annual license o Commercial Swimming Pool Licenses:  Quality Inn, 173 S. Main Street  ReHab Gym, 219 N. Main Street Council approved an annual entertainment license for The Reynolds House Inn, LLC on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Higby. Motion carried with Councilor Tuper-Giles recusing himself due to conflict of interest. The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk Dawes reported on the following:  Results from the February 19th special school election are posted on the City website.  Early absentee voting is available for the March 5th Annual Town Meeting elections.  Water/sewer bills will be mailed out this Friday, March 1st, and are due by April 1st. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Tuper- Giles, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. Applicant Address Nathan Covey 46 Webster Street Liquor Control – NONE City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  There was a second meeting on possible flood mitigation efforts for the North End.  The Pool Refurbishment Advisory Group is meeting with the consultant on March 8th, and the consultant will give a presentation to the Council at its March 12th meeting.  The FY18 annual report is available in the Clerk’s office and on the City website. Hard copies will also be available at the polls next week. 1 To be approved at 03-12-19 Barre City Council Meeting Visitors and Communications – Hill Street resident Lisa Plant presented a petition to Council signed by people in her neighborhood who oppose the lease or sale of the S. Main Street parking lot. Ms. Plant said the parking lot is used by people in the neighborhood as a replacement for on-street parking that was lost when the intersection was reconfigured. She requested notifications to those on the petition of all future Council discussions on the parking lot. Dr. John Steinman said he is running for the Ward 1 City Council seat in next week’s March 5th Annual Town Meeting elections. Dr. Steinman spoke of his personal history, and his goals and ideas for the City. Old Business – A) Presentation of the FY20 Budget. Manager Mackenzie gave a Powerpoint presentation on the FY20 budget being considered at the March 5th Annual Town Meeting. The presentation is available to review on the City website, and a video presentation is available on the CVTV website. There was a brief discussion on the bond articles included on the ballot, and the need for infrastructure and capital funding. Mayor Herring said he and the Mayors Coalition met with Congressman Peter Welch to discuss possible federal funding assistance for infrastructure projects. New Business – A) Appointment of Jeffrey Tuper-Giles to the Development Review Board. Councilor Tuper-Giles, speaking as a citizen, spoke of his interest in serving on the DRB. Council appointed him to the Development Review Board on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. B) List of City Lots for Potential Sale. Manager Mackenzie said he emailed a list of City-owned lots that had previously been marketed for sale. There was a brief discussion on updating the list and offering the properties for sale again. C) Chapter 11 Ordinance Revisions Discussion. Councilor Boutin reviewed the most recent version of revisions to Chapter 11. There were additional changes recommended. Councilor Boutin will incorporate the changes and bring it back for review in about a month. D) Discussion and/or Support of Gas Tax for Municipal Infrastructure. Mayor Herring asked Council if they were interested in supporting the proposed gas tax. Councilors said they did not support the proposed tax. E) Participation in Earth Hour on March 30th. Mayor Herring said Earth Hour calls for the City to pledge to have the lights off in City Hall on March 30th from 8:30 – 9:30 PM. Councilors approved participation on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Batham. Motion carried. F) National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation. Mayor Herring said the Mayor’s Challenge allows residents to sign up during the month of April to pledge water conservation efforts. The pledges are entered into a website that tracks percentages of participation by town. Councilors said it’s an opportunity to educate citizens and do outreach around water conservation. Council approved participating in the challenge on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried with Councilor Boutin voting against. G) Discussion re: Council Reference Document re: Frequently Used Information. Mayor Herring asked Council for input on what documents would be useful to have available for easy reference. Council agreed the ground rules and executive session rules should be laminated and kept in their desk drawers, and it would be helpful to have abbreviated versions of Roberts Rules of Order. 2 To be approved at 03-12-19 Barre City Council Meeting H) Review of Email Policy. Mayor Herring briefly reviewed the policy and said a more in-depth review will be had after next week’s election, as there will be at least one new Councilor. There will also be a future discussion on use of computers, phones and tablets during Council meetings. I) Discussion on Housing Forum. Mayor Herring said this is on the priority list for spring. The Mayor said there are a number of housing-related ordinance revisions and re-writes coming to Council over the next few months. After they are adopted there will be a forum to discuss changes with interested parties and stakeholders. There was discussion on developing a welcome packet for new and potential property owners, tenants, and business developers. Round Table – Councilors encouraged people to exercise their right to vote at March 5th’s Annual Town Meeting elections, and to support the municipal budget on the ballot. Councilor Higby said there’s a call for artists interested in painting panels for the Summer Street wall mural. Painting takes place weekday mornings at the Vermont Granite Museum. She reminded everybody of the Green Mountain Film Festival taking place the end of March in Montpelier. Councilor Morey reminded people to stay safe during the cold weather, and to check on their neighbors. Councilor Tuper-Giles said to remember your pets during cold weather. Councilor Boutin said he has been reading about Barre history at the Aldrich Library. Resident Russell Belding’s BA thesis on Barre spoke of the 1892 state law that made it mandatory for towns to have centralized schools, and this may have been one of the proximate causes of the creation of a separate Barre City in 1895. Councilor Boutin noted the irony in light of the recent merger of Barre City and Barre Town schools. Councilor LePage said this is the time to start ordering chickens for spring. Councilor Batham said this is his last regularly scheduled Council meeting before his term ends next week. He reviewed his two years of service, and spoke of his thoughts for the future of Barre City, including growing the grand list, and growth and maintenance of downtown. He encouraged Councilors to participate in civil discourse, to seek ways to compromise, and to welcome new perspectives. He thanked City staff, local press, Manager Mackenzie, Clerk Dawes, fellow Councilors, and especially Councilor Higby for their work and support during his tenure. Mayor Herring made the following announcements:  There is a Girl Scout informational meeting on March 12th at 6:00 PM at BCEMS.  Next week’s Council meeting is canceled.  Information on March 5th’s Annual Town Meeting is posted on the City website, including the draft budget, budget presentation and sample ballots. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 9:11 PM on motion of Councilor Batham, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. There is an audio recording of this meeting available in the clerk’s office. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 3