City Council

To be approved at 11-19-19 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held November 12, 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 City Manager Steve Mackenzie and Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: NONE 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 Morey. Motion carried.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Regular meeting of November 5, 2019  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2019-46:  Accounts Payable: $357,427.49  Payroll (gross): $117,428.04 The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk/Treasurer Dawes reported on the following:  Second quarter property taxes are due by November 15th.  Barre City is hosting the monthly VEPC board meeting on Thursday, November 21st. Liquor Control – NONE City Manager’s Report - Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  Finalizing Parkmobile contract, which should be executed by the end of the week. Implementation is expected to be finished by the end of the year. Council will review parking meter fees before implementation to see if any changes are to be made.  Official notice of property sales for 5 Third, 3 Portland and 38 Willey Streets is being posted in the Times Argus this week, and the request for bids will be posted and mailed to abutters.  Due to the recent snow storms, Vermont’s all-star football team is holding practices in the auditorium this week in preparation for Saturday’s game. Visitors and Communications – NONE Old Business – NONE New Business – A) Aldrich Library Quarterly Update. Aldrich board chair Nancy Pope thanked the City for its longstanding support, and thanked Councilor Waszazak for serving as board liaison. Ms. Pope introduced new board member Lisa Liotta, and said director Loren Polk just finished her first full year as executive director. Ms. Polk distributed a profit & loss budget comparison sheet. She said the library provides information services and serves as a community center which is free and open to all. She spoke about computer and 1 To be approved at 11-19-19 Barre City Council Meeting Wi-Fi access, working with community partners, new staff and hours at the main and E. Barre branches, remodeled children’s library, and updated security and fire panel systems. There was discussion on municipal and private donations in support of the library, staffing costs running below state average, restoring the E. Barre branch to full staffing levels, availability of ebooks, and use of the 3-D printer. Ms. Polk said the Aldrich Library was named #5 on the list of 25 most beautiful libraries in the world by This Old House magazine. B) Barre Partnership Update. Executive Director Tracie Lewis said the final farmer’s market for the year was held October 2nd in the BOR, which serves as the rain location for the concerts in the park and farmer’s market. The Partnership has moved into the Wheelock building, and is working to increase their social media presence. They recently partnered with the American Legion on the 5th annual 5K Run/Walk for Veterans, and hosted the annual employee appreciation dinner. They are working with Barre Area Development Corporation on the VT Agency of Transportation welcome event in early December, along with preparing for the Barre Merry Holidays celebrations. The holiday banners will be put up by the end of this week. Ms. Lewis said they will be holding a holiday house decorating contest throughout the greater Barre area, and asked Councilors to cast the votes for best decorations. The winners will be announced December 23rd. Councilors voiced support for serving as judges for the contest, and naming the Council as endorsing the contest. C) BADC Quarterly Updates. Executive Director Joel Schwartz said he has been attending the opportunity zone seminars and workshops; helping to market the former Tenco property for development; and working with the Barre Partnership on the VAOT welcome event. BADC is holding an event at the Opera House on December 11th to introduce the community to the Barre Rock Solid marketing program. The website is up and running, and they will be pushing out links in the near future. BADC is preparing a marketing plan and budget, and will likely request placement of a funding request on the annual meeting ballot. The preliminary amount of the request is in the $30,000 - $40,000 range. They are forming a 501(c)(3) so they can accept private donations towards the marketing plan. Mr. Schwartz said he is working with the other partners on the community challenges grant, which has a December application deadline. BADC’s goals for the grant funds would be for planning efforts around improving economic status of low & medium income households. Mr. Schwartz gave updates on local business changes. He said rooms & meals statistics are holding steady with an annual average increase of 2%. The last economic census was in 2017 with data to be released in 2020. D) Discussion/Action: Transfer Control of Pearl Street EV Charging Station to VT AOT. Clerk Dawes said the City has been meeting with Barre City Place owner DEW and representatives from the VT Agency of Transportation to finalize parking arrangements. About ½ of the Pearl Street parking lot is dedicated to DEW/City Place, and VAOT is interested in having the two electric vehicle charging stations be part of that allocation, as the state has a fleet of EVs. Transfer would include transferring the Chargepoint contract and Green Mountain Power meter account to the state. The Clerk recommended the City work out a memorandum of understanding or lease with the state for use of the EV stations. Council approved transferring control of the stations to VAOT and authorized the Manager and Clerk to negotiate an MOU or lease on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried with Councilor Steinman voting against. 2 To be approved at 11-19-19 Barre City Council Meeting E) Accounts Payable Procedure. Mayor Herring reviewed the changes proposed by Finance Director Dawn Monahan. Council approved the revised procedures as presented on motion of Councilor Steinman, seconded by Councilor Tuper- Giles. Motion carried. F) Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Policy. Mayor Herring reviewed the changes proposed by Ms. Monahan. Council approved the revisions on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Waszazak. Motion carried. G) Budget and Finance Procedure Policy. Mayor Herring reviewed the changes proposed by Ms. Monahan. Council approved the revisions on motion of Councilor Morey, seconded by Councilor Tuper-Giles. Motion carried. Round Table – Councilors thanked those who participated in yesterday’s Veteran’s Day ceremonies, and area veterans. Councilor Boutin said the Pearl Street lighting ceremony last Friday evening was great. Councilor Steinman thanked the Barre City, Barre Town and Spaulding school bands that performed during yesterday’s Veteran’s Day ceremonies. Councilor Morey said this Saturday is the Mayor’s Cup cribbage tournament at Reynold’s House. Councilor Waszazak reminded people the winter parking ban starts this Friday night. Councilor LePage said he is happy the City honors Veteran’s Day, and he is disturbed by the lack of services available to vets. He said he came to the Council through the “chicken wars” surrounding animal ordinances. He has enjoyed his time on the Council but needs to step down for personal reasons, effective this evening. He said he came to the Council by caucus and will be replaced by caucus. Councilors expressed their gratitude for Councilor LePage’s service, viewpoints and heart. Mayor Herring reported on the following:  Received kudos from the public for the Department of Public Works’ plowing efforts during the first snowstorm of the season.  Will be forming an ad hoc teen council to work with the City on the creation of the teen center.  Thanked a local youth for a letter describing his invented game called Axeball. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 8:35 PM on motion of Councilor LePage, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. An audio recording of the meeting is available in the Clerk’s office. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 3