City Council

To be approved at 03-26-19 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held March 19, 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, Councilor John Steinman; from Ward II, Councilors Michael Boutin and Teddy Waszazak; and from Ward III, Councilors John LePage and Rich Morey. Also present were Acting Manager Rikk Taft and Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: From Ward I, Councilor Jeffrey Tuper-Giles, and City Manager Steve Mackenzie. Adjustments to the Agenda: NONE Approval of Consent Agenda: Council approved the following consent agenda items on motion of Councilor Morey, seconded by Councilor Waszazak. Motion carried.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Regular meeting of March 12, 2019  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2019-12:  Accounts Payable: $179,058.52  Payroll (gross): $134,827.69  2019 Licenses & Permits – o Taxi Driver Licenses:  Richard C. Raymond Jr., Central VT Green Cab  Timothy Scott Peake, Central VT Green Cab o Entertainment Licenses:  Planet Rock N’ Metal – Bada-Bing Club, 123 N. Main Street The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk Dawes reported on the following:  Water/sewer bills are due by April 1st.  All dogs are due to be licensed by April 1st. Reminder postcards have been mailed out.  Early absentee voting is available for the April 9th Special Barre Unified Union School District meeting to elect school board members. A sample ballot is posted on the City website. Approval of Building Permits – Council ratified and approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Morey, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. Applicant Address Richard & Alison Couture 222 Washington Street Liquor Control – NONE City Manager’s Report – NONE Visitors and Communications – NONE Old Business – NONE New Business – A) Introduction to the Barre Lions Club. Members of the Barre Lions Club, Rick Theken, Charlie Livendale, Paul Plante and Harry Henrichsen, 1 To be approved at 03-26-19 Barre City Council Meeting said this is the 80th anniversary of the Barre club. Lions International focuses on sight and hearing issues, and the club collects glasses and hearing aids to be repurposed. They work with a number of local non- profits to provide services to central Vermont, and coordinate or assist in events such as flood relief, monthly community breakfasts, disc golf tournaments, Christmas tree sales, coin drops, the community service recognition dinner and the haunted house. They have purchased equipment that allows area schools to perform vision testing on students, and equipment that allows the local hospital to perform hearing tests on newborns. Last year, in honor of the 100th anniversary of Lions International, they installed a flag pole and monument in Currier Park. B) Review of Proposed Vacant Building Ordinance Revisions. Planning Director Janet Shatney and Fire Chief Doug Brent reviewed the proposed ordinance revisions, going over a list comparing the current language to the draft language. Ms. Shatney said the draft was developed by a team that included the Chief, Zoning Administrator Heather Grandfield and Fire Marshal Robert Howarth. The draft will be posted on the website, and the public will have an opportunity to provide feedback and comments before the first reading, which will be scheduled in April. C) Approval for Energy Plan Public Engagement Consultant RFP. Ms. Shatney and Energy Committee members Conor Teal and Romni Palmer said the Energy Committee is seeking to engage a consultant to assist in preparing revisions for the energy section of the municipal plan. The consultant fees will be paid out of the Novus Energy contributions made in support of the Energy Committee’s work. Council approved release of the RFP on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor LePage. Motion carried with Councilor Steinman abstaining. D) Barre City Ward Meetings. Former Ward II Councilor Brandon Batham presented a report suggesting Councilors hold quarterly meetings in their respective wards. There was discussion on schedules, locations and formats. Mayor Herring said he is canceling the first week meetings in June, July and August, and those weeks might be possible ward meeting times. Councilors agreed the first week of June would be the best option, and each pair of Councilors will work together to settle on a date, time and location. Information on the ward meetings will be shared on the City website, City Facebook page, and other community notice outlets. E) Social Media Policy Review. Mayor Herring said the policy applies to City-related social media, and not to private or personal sites and pages. The Mayor said there is need for review and revision, and the policy will come back for consideration of amendments. F) Assignment to Charter, Ordinance and Policy Workgroups. Council approved the following assignments on motion of Councilor Waszazak, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried.  Ordinance Workgroup: Councilors Boutin and Tuper-Giles  Policies Workgroup: Councilors Morey, Steinman and Waszazak  Charter Workgroup: Mayor Herring and Councilor LePage Round Table – Councilor Morey said this is maple open house weekend, and encouraged people to visit their local sugarhouse. He said people should be careful with water from melting snow, and on the back roads. Councilor LePage said he supported the idea of the ward meetings. 2 To be approved at 03-26-19 Barre City Council Meeting Councilor Boutin read a selection from Hidden History of Vermont by Russell Belding. Councilor Waszazak thanked first responders and neighbors again with regards to the incident reported at last week’s meeting. He said it was an example of strong community engagement. Councilor Steinman said the Rotary Club is holding an open house at the Granite Museum tomorrow morning to review 37 painted mural panels that will be installed on the Summer Street wall this summer. Mayor Herring made the following announcements:  There will be a “Coffee with the Mayor” on the morning of March 23rd at Espresso Bueno. Public Works director Bill Ahearn will also be there.  There is a City volunteer luncheon at Alumni Hall on March 23rd.  Committee and board appointments will be coming up in the near future.  Seventeen neighborhood watch meetings have been held to date, with the eighteenth scheduled for next week. Executive Session – Councilor Boutin made the motion to find that premature general public knowledge of the real estate 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 with Councilor Waszazak voting against. Council went into executive session at 8:31 PM to discuss real estate under the provisions of 1 VSA § 313 on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried with Councilor Waszazak voting against. Clerk Dawes was invited into the executive session. Council came out of executive session at 8:43 PM on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Waszazak. Motion carried. The Council meeting adjourned at 8:43 PM on motion of Councilor Steinman, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. There is an audio recording of this meeting available in the clerk’s office. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 3