City Council

To be approved at 04-30-19 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held April 23, 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 John Steinman and Jeffrey Tuper- Giles; from Ward II, Councilor Teddy Waszazak; and from Ward III, Councilors John LePage and Rich Morey. Also present were Manager Steve Mackenzie and Clerk Carol Dawes. Absent: From Ward II, Councilor Michael Boutin. Adjustments to the Agenda: Mayor Herring rearranged the agenda to accommodate those in attendance. Approval of Consent Agenda: Council approved the following consent agenda items on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Regular meeting of April 16, 2019 o Special meeting of April 17, 2019  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2019-17:  Accounts Payable: $273,481.11  Payroll (gross): $121,650.53  2019 Licenses & Permits – o Animal Licenses:  Morgan Weiss, 28 Division Street, 56 ball pythons & 1 boa constrictor The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk Dawes reported on the following:  The sample ballot for the May 14th special school budget votes is posted on the City website. Early absentee voting is available. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. Applicant Address Jeffrey & Beth Gould 10 Burns Street Linda White 6 Pine Street Peter & Katrina Pelkey 20 Country Way Granite City Holding Co. 86 N. Main Street Liquor Control – Clerk Dawes noted these are the final renewals for this year. Council approved the following 2019 liquor license renewals on motion of Councilor Morey, seconded by Councilor Tuper- Giles. Motion carried. Establishment Address License Simply Delicious 14 N. Main Street 1st & 2nd class Maria’s Bagels 162 N. Main Street 1st class Espresso Bueno 248 N. Main Street 1st class Quality Market 155 Washington Street 2nd class 1 To be approved at 04-30-19 Barre City Council Meeting City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  Last weekend’s preparations for possible flooding weren’t needed, as flooding did not occur.  Department heads are working on updates to the emergency management plan, which will come to Council for approval in the near future.  Today was the pre-bid meeting for the Keith Ave parking lot and Pearl St pedway projects.  Salt expenditures for the year are over by $86,000. The latest budget projections show a deficit for the year.  There is a traffic lane shift in place on Summer Street for the next 4 weeks to accommodate the repair work and mural installation on the Summer Street wall.  Capitol for a Day is next Monday, April 29th, at the Public Safety Building.  Spring yard waste drop off at the Barre Town yard waste site begins this Saturday and runs for three weeks. Visitors and Communications – Resident Mark Waskow said his car was sideswiped by a City plow during the winter. He has been in contact with Public Works Director Bill Ahearn about the issue, and Mr. Ahearn told him it would be reported to the City’s insurance carrier at the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, but when Mr. Waskow contacted VLCT, they had no record of such a report. Mr. Waskow asked for the Council to see that the report gets filed. Manager Mackenzie said he will follow up with Mr. Ahearn and VLCT. Karen Nelson said Barre City residents will have access to free trees again this year through the Arbor Day Association. Old Business – A) 1st Reading and Public Hearing of the Unified Development Ordinance. Warned for 7:15 PM. Mayor Herring opened the public hearing at 7:11 PM and invited public comment. Ben Bocher said his wife owns property on Circle Street. The street is zoned both low density residential and heavy industrial, and he suggested changing the low density residential to higher density residential to create a buffer zone. Mayor Herring said Council engaged in a public discussion on the draft ordinance at a special meeting last Wednesday, and he recommended Council send the draft ordinance back to the Planning Commission to allow them to review additional written public comments and concerns at their May meetings, before bringing the draft ordinance back to Council for final review. Council approved sending the ordinance to the Planning Commission on motion of Councilor Waszazak, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. Mayor Herring closed the public hearing at 7:20 PM. B) Vacant Building Ordinance Status Discussion. Planning Director Janet Shatney distributed copies of the most recent draft, and she reviewed a matrix of comments and changes that have been incorporated into the language. Property owner Samantha Davis-Hiscock said the language is extremely stringent; the liability insurance amounts are high; and the ordinance calls for higher standards for unoccupied properties than there are in place for occupied properties. Property owner Willy Jane Patry said this draft of the ordinances was only made available this afternoon, and she hasn’t had time to review it. She said she has concerns about the definitions, and the fines are outrageous. 2 To be approved at 04-30-19 Barre City Council Meeting Mayor Herring said the ordinance will be on a future agenda for additional discussion and first reading. New Business – C) Aldrich Library Update. Library Director Loren Polk gave a Powerpoint presentation on the library, and the board of trustees. The Aldrich Library was recently named one of the 25 most beautiful libraries in the US by home improvement television host Bob Vila. The library serves as a “community living room” and meeting space. The Council’s liaison to the Board of Trustees strengthens the relationship between the City and the library. That position is currently vacant. Councilor Waszazak expressed an interest in being the liaison on the trustee board. Mayor Herring said the appointment will be on next week’s agenda. A) Ratification of FY20 Fuel Oil Contract w/ Dead River Co. Manager Mackenzie said he signed the Dead River contract last week. Council ratified the Manager’s approval of the contract on motion of Councilor Morey, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. B) Ratification of FY20 Propane Contract w/ Irving Energy. Manager Mackenzie said he signed the Irving contract last week. Council ratified the Manager’s approval of the contract on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. D) Routes and Trails Advisory Group Update. Karen Nelson from the Vermont Department of Health said she has been part of the 3-4-50 initiative, and Barre City remains the only Gold Level municipality. The goal of the 3-4-50 initiative and the Routes and Trails group is to help make the community healthier. They conducted a bike/walk audit, and are setting goals to make the City more walkable and accessible. Allegra Williams from Local Motion said they work on infrastructure and street improvements to create livable streets. They have a trailer full of tools communities can use to set up temporary or pop-up crosswalks, protected bike lanes, etc. to test out options before putting them in place permanently. Public Works Director Bill Ahearn said the group has drafted a short-term plan and a 10 year plan. Mr. Ahearn reviewed the items on the proposed short-term plan, which call for several pop-ups to allow the group to test a number of options around the City that would increase pedestrian safety and calm traffic. The group hopes to work closely with the Bike Path Committee, and perhaps merge the two. Old Business, continued – C) Miscellaneous Ordinance Status Discussion. Mayor Herring said the latest draft is being reviewed by the City Attorney. Any comments should be forwarded to Councilor Boutin before it comes back to Council for a first reading. Round Table – Councilor Morey said the City’s egg hunt was rescheduled to this coming Saturday due to last weekend’s weather. The scrap metal drive and Sound the Alarm smoke detector installations are also happening this coming Saturday. Councilor LePage said the nice weather is bringing out the bikes and motorcycles. Councilor Waszazak said he is supportive of the Routes and Trails group’s efforts to make the City more walkable. 3 To be approved at 04-30-19 Barre City Council Meeting Councilor Steinman encouraged people to pick up after their dogs. Mayor Herring reported on the following:  Green Up Day is May 4th.  The Council will be making annual appointments in the near future, including the representative and alternate to Central Vermont Fiber, and the liaison to the Aldrich Library. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 9:20 PM on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Waszazak. Motion carried. An audio recording of this meeting is available through the City Clerk’s office. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 4