City Council

To be approved at 06-11-19 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held May 28, 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, Councilors Michael Boutin and Teddy Waszazak; and from Ward III, Councilors John LePage and Rich Morey. Also present were Manager Steve Mackenzie and Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: NONE Adjustments to the Agenda: Mayor Herring said he would be adding action on the Reynolds House tax stabilization agreement at the end of new agenda items. 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 May 21, 2019  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2019-22:  Accounts Payable: $1,702,317.03  Payroll (gross): $121,208.21 o 2019 Licenses:  Food Vending Licenses:  Vegan2U food cart. Carol Brzezicki, owner. Locations: City Hall Park, Farmers Market (requires separate approval from Barre Partnership), 32 East Street (owners’ residence).  Taxi Driver Licenses:  Cindy M. St. Amour, Central VT Green Cab. The City Clerk/Treasurer Report –  The Board of Abatement is holding hearings on Thursday, May 30th, at 6:00 PM.  VT Economic Progress Council (VEPC) is conducting its annual TIF monitoring visit on June 6th. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Steinman, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. Applicant Address Granite City Holding Co., Inc. 86 N. Main Street Liquor Control – Council approved a special event permit application from North Branch Vineyards LLC for an event at the Opera House on Friday, June 7th, from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM on motion of Councilor Steinman, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried with Councilors Boutin and Tuper-Giles abstaining. City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  This is Clean Water Week. The City will offer an open house at the water treatment facility on Thursday, May 30th.  Barre Area Veterans will hold the Memorial Day parade and ceremony on Thursday, May 30th. 1 To be approved at 06-11-19 Barre City Council Meeting  The City is seeking volunteers for committee and board vacancies. Appointments will be made at the June 18th meeting.  The City is doing a week of curbside pickup of yard waste beginning today. Visitors and Communications – Brenda Laferriere asked if it would be possible to do a coin drop this coming Saturday to support her Relay for Life team. Mayor Herring said all coin drop slots for this year are full. Clerk Dawes encouraged Ms. Laferriere to get in touch with her about making a request for next year. Old Business – A) Ratification of Sexual Assault Crisis Team Certification of Local Government Approval. Council ratified its approval from last week on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. New Business – B) Appointment of Mark Martin to the Paths, Routes and Trails Committee. Mark Martin expressed his interest in serving on the Paths, Route and Trails Committee. Council appointed Mr. Martin to the committee on motion of Councilor LePage, seconded by Councilor Tuper- Giles. Motion carried. D) Authorization to Award Keith Avenue and Pearl Street Projects Bids. Manager Mackenzie reviewed the bid matrix and recommended Council award the bid to low bidder Dubois Construction. The Manager said all bids came in higher than expected, and they are meeting with Dubois Construction to seek cost reductions. He requested Council award the bid at the contract amount as an upper limit. Council approved awarding the bid to Dubois Construction as recommended on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. A) Ordinance Change 2019-03: Second Reading and Public Hearing for Chapter 23. Vacant Buildings – Warned for 7:15 pm. Mayor Herring opened the second reading and public hearing at 7:15 PM and invited comments from Planning Director Janet Shatney, Fire Chief Doug Brent, Councilors, or the public. Hearing no comments the Mayor closed the hearing at 7:16 PM. Council approved ordinance change #2019-03 on motion of Councilor Waszazak, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. C) FY18 Audit Presentation. Auditor Fred Duplessis with Sullivan Powers & Co. reviewed the FY18 audit. Mr. Duplessis said the delay in finalizing the audit was due to closing out the North Main Street Reconstruction financial arrangements between the City and state of Vermont. With those arrangements completed, Sullivan Powers issued a clean, unqualified opinion on the FY18 audit. The fund balance is positive for the first time since the general fund absorbed the cemetery deficit back in FY13, however there continues to be a deficit in the capital fund, and Council needs to develop a plan on how to address that deficit. There was discussion on the water and sewer funds, and the need to adjust rates to right-size the fund balances, and to account for upcoming debt service associated with recently approved bonds. Mr. Duplessis said the City’s financial records are in good shape and it is expected there will be no delays in preparing the FY19 audit in a timely manner. There was a review of the material weaknesses and City actions to date to remedy them. Mr. Duplessis will conduct a detailed debriefing with City staff. 2 To be approved at 06-11-19 Barre City Council Meeting Councilor Tuper-Giles recused himself during the following agenda item due to a conflict of interest, and took a seat in the audience. E (added) Reynolds House Tax Stabilization Agreement. Manager Mackenzie reviewed the agreement documents, and noted Council had approved the stabilization agreement at its March 27, 2018 meeting. Council approved the documents on motion of Councilor Morey, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried with Councilor Waszazak abstaining and Councilor Tuper-Giles recused out due to conflict of interest. Mayor Herring said this item will be on the June 11th agenda for ratification. Councilor Tuper-Giles resumed his seat on the dais. Round Table – Councilors expressed their gratitude to those who served and are serving in the military in recognition of yesterday’s national Memorial Day holiday, and this coming Thursday’s traditional recognition of Memorial Day. Councilor Morey wished a happy birthday to his wife, Maureen. Councilor LePage reminded us that all elected officials are accountable to their constituents. Councilor Waszazak said he appreciated the audit report. Councilor Steinman said Ward 1 Councilors will be holding a community meeting next Tuesday, June 4th, at the Reynolds House. Mayor Herring said there will be community meetings in each ward next Tuesday, June 4th, in lieu of the regular Council meeting.  Ward I – Reynolds House  Ward II – Alumni Hall  Ward III – location TBA [N.B. location is City Hall council chambers] Mayor Herring reported on the following:  The Memorial Day parade and ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 30th.  May 30th is Water Filtration Day with an open house at the water treatment facility. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 7:45 PM on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. An audio recording of this meeting is available through the Clerk’s office. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 3