City Council

To be approved at 10-08-19 Barre City Council Meeting Special Meeting of the Barre City Council Held September 24, 2019 The Special Meeting of the Barre City Council began at 6:00 PM at Barre City Hall, and was called to order by Mayor Lucas Herring at 6:15 PM once a quorum was established. In attendance were: From Ward I, Councilor Jeffrey Tuper-Giles; and from Ward II, Councilors Michael Boutin (arrived 6:15 PM) and Teddy Waszazak. Also present were City Manager Steve Mackenzie and Clerk Carol Dawes. Absent: From Ward I, Councilor John Steinman; and from Ward III, Councilors John LePage and Rich Morey. Also present were Barre Area Development Corporation executive director Joel Schwartz; BADC board chair Sarah Field and members of the BADC board; Barre Town Selectboard chair Tom White and members of the Barre Town Selectboard; Barre Town Manager Carl Rogers, and Assistant Town Manager Elaine Wong; and other members of the public. New Business – A) Presentation from the Imagination Company. Imagination Company president Jim Giberti and VP Kristen Smith walked through the www.imaginebarre.com website. The site is aimed at three markets; those interested in living in Barre, moving or starting a business in Barre, and visiting Barre. There are videos included in each section, and they screened a compilation video which features many local people, businesses and attractions. BADC president Sarah Field said they have spent $100,000 on the development of this product, and are now looking for partnerships with Barre City, Barre Town, and others to move the marketing forward through the next 10 years. There was discussion on future marketing plans, establishing goals and metrics to measure success, how to make the program self-sustaining, and positive results from a similar program in Rutland. The special Council meeting adjourned at 6:58 PM on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Waszazak. Motion carried. There is no audio recording of this meeting. Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held September 24, 2019 The Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council was called to order by Mayor Lucas Herring at 7:05 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 City Manager Steve Mackenzie and Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: NONE Adjustments to the Agenda: Mayor Herring said the City Manager’s report will be moved to later in the meeting. Approval of Consent Agenda: Council approved the following consent agenda items on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by 1 To be approved at 10-08-19 Barre City Council Meeting Councilor Waszazak. Motion carried with Councilor Steinman abstaining.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Special meeting of September 17, 2019 o Regular meeting of September 17, 2019  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2019-39:  Accounts Payable: $224,978.05  Payroll (gross): $133,107.43 o 2019 Licenses: NONE The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk/Treasurer Dawes reported on the following:  The Board of Civil Authority held property tax assessment appeal hearings on September 19th. Inspection team reports and deliberations will be held on October 17th.  Water/sewer bill payments are due by September 30th.  There are five properties scheduled for tax sale on October 24th. Approval of Building Permits – Council approved the following building permits on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried with Councilor Steinman voting against. Applicant Address G. D. Inc. 79 Camp Street Downstreet Housing 5 Giudici Street Downstreet Housing 30 Keith Avenue Summer Street Commons LLC 100 Summer Street Downstreet Housing 78 Brook Street Liquor Control – NONE Visitors and Communications – Nelson’s Hardware Store owner Bob Nelson said he read the newspaper article about possible increases to parking fees, and he asked the Council to consider the business community when thinking about the increases. Mr. Nelson said they would impact downtown businesses, employees, tenants and customers. Vermont Bicycle Shop owner Darren Ohl said demand and availability drive prices for parking, and Barre City appears to have an adequate supply, which wouldn’t support a significant price increase. Mr. Ohl said he is grateful for the meters on N. Main Street, as they provide plenty of parking for his customers. Old Business – NONE New Business – A) Public Hearing Warned for 7:15 PM: Approval of Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District Substantial Changes. Mayor Herring opened the public hearing at 7:17 PM. Clerk Dawes reviewed the June monitoring report from the VT Economic Progress Council (VEPC), and the items the report wants the City to address through a substantial change request. The Clerk reviewed the process for making a substantial change request, and said she is completing the narrative and updated financial plan. She talked of the changes in both public infrastructure and private development since the TIF plan was originally approved in 2012, and said she will warn a new public hearing for the October 22nd meeting, at which time the Council will consider the substantial change request for approval and submission to VEPC. The Clerk will email the draft request and updated financial plan to the Council within the next two weeks. 2 To be approved at 10-08-19 Barre City Council Meeting Mayor Herring closed the public hearing at 7:31 PM. B) Second Reading and Public Hearing Warned for 7:20 PM: Ordinance Revision 2019-06 Chapter 4 Buildings and Building Construction. Mayor Herring opened the second reading and public hearing at 7:31 PM. Barre City Fire Chief Doug Brent said there had been no additional changes made since the first reading. Mayor Herring invited comments and questions from the Council and public. Hearing none, the Mayor closed the public hearing at 7:33 PM. Council approved Ordinance revisions 2019-06 on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. C) 2020 Census Partnership Outreach and Coordination. Bob Stock from the US Census Bureau said an accurate census is vital as it determines congressional representation and federal funding received by the state. Mr. Stock said this year’s questionnaire will have seven questions, and people will be able to respond via internet or phone. No personal identifiable information will be collected. Mailings will start to arrive in January, and people can begin responding in March. Census Day is April 1st, and enumerators will work in the communities through May, with the results due by the end of the calendar year. They are hiring 2,000 people in Vermont. Mr. Stock shared some Barre statistics from the 2010 census, and said there are a number of hard to count populations including those living in poverty, children and renters. He requested Council to name a Complete Count Committee to work with the Census Bureau to ensure that these populations are counted. D) Cemetery Winter Burials – Rate Increase. Buildings and Community Services director Jeff Bergeron and Cemetery Committee chair Guiliano Cecchinelli presented proposed winter burial rate increases. They said winter burials require plowing to access the plot, and repairs to the sod in the spring. Council approved the proposed rate increases on motion of Councilor LePage, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  The chiller repairs at the BOR will be complete this week, as will installation of the alarm system.  The pool advisory group is meeting tomorrow to discuss options for the pool refurbishment.  The Transportation Advisory Committee is meeting on October 16th.  Met with Barre Town to reconcile billing for wastewater treatment facility upgrades. Finalized one invoice and is working on another.  Flushing for water lines is scheduled for September 29 – October 4.  Fall yard waste drop off at the Barre Town site begins on October 12th. There was discussion on the possibility of repurposing the pool bond and grant funds for use at the BOR. Manager Mackenzie said the funds are dedicated to the pool and could not be reallocated. The Manager gave a presentation on the Pouliot Avenue stormwater mitigation project. There were several different funding sources for the $170,000 project, with the City responsible for $30,000. The Manager gave a presentation on the Green Mountain Power climate awareness program tree award contest. The Manager submitted the winning essay outlining the City’s need for trees to create a visual 3 To be approved at 10-08-19 Barre City Council Meeting screen between the wastewater treatment facility and VT Granite Museum. GMP donated 40 large trees; 29 of which were planted as a screen. The balance will be planted at other City locations. There was discussion on the noticeable odor from the wastewater treatment facility. The Manager said the City recently accepted sludge from Northfield, which wasn’t in an acceptable form and caused odor problems. Additionally, one of the covers at the facility is faulty and leaking. The cover is scheduled to be replaced. New Business – continued: E) FY20 Priorities Update. Mayor Herring reviewed and updated the priorities list. F) Ground Rules and Decorum. Mayor Herring reviewed the ground rules. It was noted that addressing each other more formally would help with decorum. Round Table – Councilor Waszazak said there will be a housing forum at October 17th. He said the Roosevelt plaque is scheduled to be discussed and likely approved next month, and would be installed in the spring. Councilor LePage said he is assisting a neighbor who wants to file a complaint about the house next door to her. Councilor Morey thanked Manager Mackenzie, who recently responded to an Allen Street citizen’s concerns. Mayor Herring reported on the following:  Kudos to the Ward III Councilors who hosted a public gathering at Maria’s Bagels.  Noted brush at the Warren Street intersection has been cut back, as was requested at last week’s discussions on Merchant Street and the surrounding area.  Video of last week’s public safety forum is on the City’s website, along with copies of materials distributed at the forum.  The Granite Festival is scheduled for October 12th.  The Council received a letter from the VT Municipal Clerks & Treasurers Association, notifying them that Clerk Dawes had recently been awarded advanced clerk and treasurer certifications. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 9:13 PM on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. An audio recording of the meeting is available through the Clerk’s office. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 4