City Council

To be approved at 08-20-19 Barre City Council Meeting Special; Meeting of the Barre City Council Held August 13, 2019 The Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council was called to order by Mayor Lucas Herring at 6:00 PM at the Old Labor Hall, Granite Street, Barre, Vermont. In attendance were: From Ward II, Councilor Teddy Waszazak; and from Ward III, Councilors John LePage and Rich Morey. Also present were representatives from the Old Labor Hall and Rise Up Bakery. Absent: From Ward I, Councilors John Steinman and Jeffrey Tuper-Giles; and from Ward II, Councilor Michael Boutin. The Council toured the new “green room” meeting space and the Rise Up Bakery. Mayor Herring adjourned the special meeting at 6:40 PM. There is no audio recording of the meeting. Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held August 13, 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, Councilor Rich Morey. Also present were City Manager Steve Mackenzie and Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: From Ward I, Jeffrey Tuper-Giles. Adjustments to the Agenda: NONE Approval of Consent Agenda: Council approved the following consent agenda items on motion of Councilor Waszazak, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Regular meeting of July 23, 2019  City Warrants as presented: o Ratification of Week 2019-32:  Accounts Payable: $143,804.28  Payroll (gross): $144,470.62 o Approval of Week 2019-33:  Accounts Payable: $437,885.26  Payroll (gross): $124,524.38 o 2019 Licenses:  Animal Licenses:  Danielle Dahline, 10 Snow Avenue, 3 chickens.  Taxi Driver Licenses:  Peter Allen Jones, Central VT Green Cab.  Commercial Swimming Pools:  Westview Condominium, 122 Batchelder Street. The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk’/Treasurer Dawes reported on the following:  First quarter property taxes are due by Thursday, August 15th. Approval of Building Permits – Council ratified approval of the following building permits, approved administratively last week by Clerk Dawes, on motion of Councilor Morey, seconded by Councilor Waszazak. Motion carried. 1 To be approved at 08-20-19 Barre City Council Meeting Applicant Address T& R Properties LLC 521 N. Main Street Edward & Nancy Benoit 13 East Street Erich & Patricia Restau 37 Perrin Street Beverly Raymond 4 Upland Avenue Paul Guiffre 1 King Street Shawn Plant 114 River Street City of Barre 25 Auditorium Hill Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Steinman, seconded by Councilor Waszazak. Motion carried. Applicant Address Enough Ministries 24 Washington Street Suong Lam & Theary Vean 171 N. Main Street Liquor Control – Council approved an outside consumption permit application for the Elks Club for Friday, August 23rd, from noon to 6:00 PM on motion of Councilor Morey, seconded by Councilor LePage. Motion carried with Councilor Boutin abstaining. City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  FY21 budget preparations are underway.  Received notice from USDA of approval of the $50,000 grant application in support of purchasing an ambulance. Acceptance of the grant will be on next week’s agenda.  Chiller repairs and installation of the alarm systems at the BOR are on schedule.  There will be a community picnic in Currier Park on August 22nd from 5-8 PM. All are welcome.  Toured the downtown and identified where signs are needed for no smoking, no bikes on the sidewalks, and no dogs in the parks. Sign are being ordered. Visitors and Communications – Merchant Street resident Jess Ronaldo said there are numerous traffic-related problems along Merchant Street. He requested Council hold a public hearing where residents along the street can share concerns and discuss possible solutions. There was discussion with Mr. Ronaldo, Public Works Director Bill Ahearn, City Manager Steve Mackenzie and members of Council on the role the Traffic Advisory Committee plays in such discussions, and actions taken in that area to date. A public hearing is tentatively scheduled for September 17th. Resident Mark Duquette asked the Council to consider reviewing different options for applying water and sewer base rates to rental properties so that the base rate is charged to individual apartment units rather than to the single meter serving the building. Mr. Duquette shared data collected while researching the issue, and said single family homes are picking up a larger percentage of the fees, and subsidizing those who invest in rental properties. Councilor expressed interest in reviewing the rate system. Old Business – A) Affirmation of 7/30/19 Authorization to Submit USDA Ambulance Grant Application. Clerk Dawes said Council’s action on July 30th approved the submittal of additional support materials for the grant application, which had been previously approved for submission. Council affirmed their action of July 30th on motion of Councilor LePage, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. New Business – A) Update from the Barre Area Development. Barre Area Development Corporation executive director Joel Schwartz said there will be a public rollout of the Barre Rock Solid marketing effort at a Council meeting in the near future. The BADC board is reviewing the phase III implementation proposal from Imagination Company, and Mr. Schwartz noted IC has done a lot of pro bono work on the project as a testament to their dedication to the project’s success. 2 To be approved at 08-20-19 Barre City Council Meeting BADC is working closely with the City, Barre Partnership, area merchants, and Vermont Agency of Transportation on the welcome event to be held in December as the Agency relocates to City Place. There was discussion on possible new storefronts, the Working Communities program, amounts of private and public development throughout the area, and economic drivers in the area including excess water & sewer capacity, and access to broadband and 3-phase power. B) Update from the Barre Partnership. Barre Partnership executive director Tracie Lewis said last month’s Heritage Festival was a huge success. There was discussion on public safety and liability related to parade participants. Volunteers are painting in the front section of the Wheelock building in anticipation of the Partnership relocating their office to the building, along with a visitors’ center. Ms. Lewis said her board is working on drafting a lease for the space. Ms. Lewis will draft an outline of plans for the visitors’ center and present it to the Council after the upcoming BP board meeting. The Partnership is working on the VTRANS welcome event. They are updating a downtown brochure and developing a “welcome to Barre” video. Work in ongoing for their fourth quarter events including the employee appreciation event, Veteran’s Day 5K race, and Merry Barre holiday parade and events. There was discussion on a recent statute change that will now allow banners across Main Street, the holiday lighting program, the light pole banners, and appointing a Councilor to the BP board. Councilor Morey expressed an interest in serving as the appointee. C) First Reading – 2019-06 Buildings and Building Construction Ordinance Revisions. Planning Director Janet Shatney, Fire Chief Doug Brent and Deputy Fire Chief Joe Aldsworth presented the draft ordinance revisions. Ms. Shatney noted Clerk Dawes had submitted a number of suggested edits, and she invited other suggestions from Councilors. She will compile all the changes in a matrix and bring the draft back for a new first reading in the near future. D) Athena Young Professional Nomination. Mayor Herring noted the public submitted two names as nominations. Council discussed the best way forward, noting they didn’t want to make a choice between the two nominations. Council approved the following approach to nominations on motion of Councilor Morey, seconded by Councilor Waszazak: 1. Submit both names as nominees; or, if that’s not possible, 2. Barre Town submits one of the names and Barre City submits the other; or, if that’s not possible, 3. Submit the one name that was nominated first. Motion carried. E) Approval on Water and Sewer Rate Changes. Manager Mackenzie reviewed the memos and financial analyses prepared by Finance Director Dawn Monahan, Public Works Director Bill Ahearn, and the Manager. The Manager noted the drivers behind the proposed rate increases include recently voter-approved bonds, repayment to the State of Vermont for costs associated with the North Main Street reconstruction project, increasing operational expenses, and the need to build capital reserves. He said the following proposal carried out for each of the next four years would address the needs:  Water base rate increases by 4%  Water usage rate increases by 4%  Sewer base rate increases by 4%  Sewer usage rate increases by 20% The Manager said his proposal this evening is slightly modified, and would only be for the FY20 season:  Water base rate increases by 3%  Water usage rate increases by 3% 3 To be approved at 08-20-19 Barre City Council Meeting  Sewer base rate increases by 4%  Sewer usage rate increases by 20% Manager Makenzie said the average combined user impact would be 8-10%. Council reviewed Ms. Monahan’s seven year analysis of the enterprise fund balances, and her matrix of comparable municipal water and sewer rates. There was discussion on reviewing rate structures, analyzing base charges for rental units, and adopting the four-year plan as laid out by the Manager to provide the public with information and clarity about the next several years’ worth of water and sewer rates. Councilor Boutin made the motion to adopt resolution #2019-04 as amended to include the FY20 rate increases as outlined by the Manager, and the rate increases for FY21, FY22 and FY23 as also outlined by the Manager. The motion included expiration of the resolution at the end of FY23, and annual review of the rates and rate structure. The motion was seconded by Councilor Waszazak. Council voted on the motion as presented. Motion carried with Councilors Morey and LePage voting against. Round Table – Manager Mackenzie said the asphalt sidewalks in Currier Park are being repaired and replaced. Councilors said they enjoyed their earlier tour of the Old Labor Hall and Rise Up Bakery, and noted they are great examples of community spirit and strength. Councilor Morey wished his seven year old son a happy 7th birthday. Councilor Waszazak commended the Manager and staff for their work on the water and sewer rates, with an eye towards creating healthy fund balances for ongoing operational and capital needs. Councilor Steinman wished his wife, Lynne, a happy 26th wedding anniversary, which is tomorrow. He encouraged people to slow down while traveling City streets. Mayor Herring reported on the following:  The field day with K9 Mikey and Officer Amos Gaylord will be held in November, after they return from training.  Council needs to discuss use of the rear portion of the Wheelock building. Council discussed scheduling a joint Council/Department Heads meeting. The date selected is Tuesday, August 27, from 5:00 – 6:45 at Alumni Hall. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 9:34 PM on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor . Motion carried. An audio recording of the meeting is available through the Clerk’s office. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 4