City Council

To be approved at 05-07-19 Barre City Council Meeting Special Meeting of the Barre City Council Held April 30, 2019 The Special Meeting of the Barre City Council was called to order by Mayor Lucas Herring at 6:34 PM at Barre City Hall. In attendance were: From Ward I, Councilors John Steinman and Jeffrey Tuper-Giles; from Ward II, Councilor Michael Boutin; and from Ward III, Councilors John LePage (arrived 6:54 PM) and Rich Morey (arrived 6:51 PM). Also present were Manager Steve Mackenzie, City Attorney Oliver Twombly, Planning Director Janet Shatney, Fire Chief Doug Brent, and Public Works Director Bill Ahearn. Absent: From Ward II, Councilor Teddy Waszazak. Executive Session – Councilor Boutin made the motion to find that premature general public knowledge of the litigation 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 Steinman. Motion carried. Council went into executive session at 6:35 PM to discuss litigation under the provisions of 1 VSA § 313 on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. Manager Mackenzie, Mr. Twombly, Ms. Shatney, Chief Brent, and Mr. Ahearn were invited into the executive session. Council came out of executive session at 6:56 PM on motion of Councilor Steinman, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. Mayor Herring recessed the meeting at 6:56 PM. There is no audio recording of this meeting. Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held April 30, 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 Michael Boutin; 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 Teddy Waszazak. 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 Steinman. Motion carried.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Regular meeting of April 23, 2019  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2019-18:  Accounts Payable: $189,409.94  Payroll (gross): $129,929.93 1 To be approved at 05-07-19 Barre City Council Meeting  2019 Licenses & Permits – NONE 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.  Fourth quarter property taxes are due by May 15th.  There are two tax sales scheduled for next Thursday, May 9th. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. Applicant Address Maurice & Bonnie Millard 36 Hill Street Christopher Miller & Carey English 3 Cooley Street Liquor Control – Clerk Dawes said all liquor license renewals have been received and delivered to the license holders. City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  Working with staff, City Place and VTRANS to plan parking for when the VTRANS workers move into City Place over the next several months.  The Public Safety Building hosted Governor Scott’s Capitol for a Day tour yesterday, with a focus on emergency services.  Spring yard waste drop off at the Barre Town yard waste site began this past Saturday and runs for three weeks.  Green Up Day is this Saturday. Bags are available in the Clerk’s office. City crews will pick up green bags early next week.  The street sweeper has resumed its Thursday night schedule. Visitors and Communications – NONE Old Business – NONE New Business – A) Barre Veteran’s Council Request for Memorial Day Parade. Veteran’s Council chair Chuck Barney said they have received donations to purchase new flags for along North Main Street. They will also be replacing bent poles. Installation is scheduled for May 18th in advance of Memorial Day. Mr. Barney asked for Council approval to hold the Memorial Day parade and ceremonies on the traditional Memorial Day, May 30th. Council granted approval on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. B) Highgate Kids Summer Program Presentation. Summer program instructors Isaiah Palmeri and Ryan Burch reviewed the history of the program, which started in 2012. The 2 week program is open to kids 8 years old and up. They work together to create a project that includes writing, video recording and editing, costumes, set and prop construction, and other skills necessary to create a video at the end of the session, which is shown to the parents and community, and posted on Youtube. Council enjoyed last year’s video called “A Serious Dragon Problem”. Mr. Palmeri & Mr. Burch said the program cultivates community and a sense of pride, and implements teamwork. Clerk Dawes said most of the funding for the program is being provided by Maloney Properties, which 2 To be approved at 05-07-19 Barre City Council Meeting manages the Highgate properties. The program has requested $800 from the Brusa Trust to complete the necessary funding. Council approved the funding request on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. Mayor Herring said ratification of the Council’s action will be on next week’s agenda, as the funding request was not warned this week. C) Annual Adoption of the Local Emergency Management Plan for 2019 including Delegation of Authority. Fire Chief Doug Brent and Planning Director Janet Shatney presented the draft Local Emergency Management Plan. They requested Council delegate authority to Chief Brent with regards to the LEMP. Council adopted the plan and delegated authority to Chief Brent, and authorized Chief Brent and Mayor Herring to sign the plan, on motion of Councilor Morey, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. D) 9 Month FY19 Budget Status Report. Finance Director Dawn Monahan gave a Powerpoint presentation on the FY19 budget status. Ms. Monahan said the projections estimate a year end deficit of approximately $200,000. There was discussion on revenue shortfalls in ambulance billing and parking tickets, and expense overruns on salt for streets and police personnel. The FY18 audit is nearing completion and the projected fund balance is a positive $180,000, which would help offset a deficit in FY19. E) Discussion and/or Action regarding Sale of 5 Second Street. Councilor Morey said he and Councilors Steinman and LePage recently toured the property and found it in terrible condition. Their recommendation is to go through a sealed bid process rather than an RFP process for sale of the property. There was discussion on the process, minimum bid, and legal expenses. Council approved putting the property up for sale through sealed bids, with the minimum bid being equal to the amount of the original tax sale plus delinquencies accrued to date, and any other costs associated with the property that have been incurred by the City to date. The motion was made by Councilor Boutin and seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. The bid advertisements will run as soon as possible, and bids will be due back 14 days from date of first publication. F) Appointment of Aldrich Library Liaison. Council appointed Councilor Waszazak as the City liaison to the Aldrich Library board of trustees on motion of Councilor Steinman, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. G) Authorize Manager to Execute Keith/Pearl St Projects D&K Bid Phase Agreement. Council authorized the Manager to execute the agreement on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. Round Table – Councilors encouraged people to participate in this Saturday’s Green Up Day. Councilor Steinman said the Central Vermont Council on Aging is hosting Aging Out Loud at the Barre Opera House on Saturday, May 4th. Councilor Tuper-Giles thanked VTRANS for cleaning up trash along Route 62, and thanked the Mayor 3 To be approved at 05-07-19 Barre City Council Meeting for joining in the clean-up. Councilor Boutin said the Council is a diverse group of people, and he appreciates the good friendships and working relationships. Councilor LePage said there’s a lot going on this Saturday, including a bowl-a-thon fundraiser for Peoples Health & Wellness Clinic. Councilor Morey thanked the Recreation Committee for last Saturday’s egg hunt at Rotary Park. Mayor Herring reported on the following:  Last Saturday’s Sound the Alarm event placed 194 smoke detectors in homes.  Last Saturday’s scrap metal collection at the civic center collected three full bins of materials. They are looking into the possibilities of holding a similar event again in the fall.  The Mayor biked the old railroad beds through Barre City over the weekend. There is hope these areas can be included in future bike path planning. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 8:20 PM on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. An audio recording of this meeting is available through the City Clerk’s office. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 4