City Council

To be approved at 11-26-19 Barre City Council Meeting Special Meeting of the Barre City Council Held November 19, 2019 The Special Meeting of the Barre City Council was called to order by Mayor Lucas Herring at 6:00 PM at Wobby Park, 15 Fourth Street, Barre, Vermont. In attendance were: From Ward I, Councilor John Steinman; from Ward II, Councilor Michael Boutin; and from Ward III, Councilor Rich Morey. Also present were City Manager Steve Mackenzie, Barre City Police officers Amos Gaylord and Brieanna Mrphy, and K9 Mike. Absent: From Ward I, Councilor Jeffrey Tuper-Giles; and from Ward II, Councilor Teddy Waszazak. There is one vacancy in Ward III. New Business – A) Field Day with Police Officer Amos Gaylord and K9 Mike. Officer Gaylord and K9 Mike gave a demonstration of their recent trainings. Mayor Herring adjourned the meeting at 6:45 PM. Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held November 19, 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, Councilor Rich Morey. Also present were City Manager Steve Mackenzie and Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: From Ward II, Councilor Teddy Waszazak. There is one vacancy in Ward III. 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 November 12, 2019  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2019-47:  Accounts Payable: $147,325.72  Payroll (gross): $125,381.68 Craig Corliss-McDermott, owner of Gold & Silver Thrift Ltd. Co. on South Main Street, addressed the Council with regards to his pawn shop license application. Council approved the license on motion of Councilor Morey, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk/Treasurer Dawes reported on the following:  Second quarter property taxes were due by November 15th. The delinquency rate currently stands at 3.68%, with a few additional timely payments expected in the next day or two.  Barre City is hosting the monthly VEPC board meeting on Thursday, November 21st. Liquor Control – Clerk Dawes said she received a BYOB request for a birthday party event at the Old Labor Hall for this Friday, November 22nd. Councilor Morey made the motion to approve the request, 1 To be approved at 11-26-19 Barre City Council Meeting seconded by Councilor Steinman. The motion failed to pass with Mayor Herring and Councilors Morey and Steinman voting in favor, and Councilors Boutin and Tuper-Giles abstaining. City Manager’s Report - Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  Attended 2020 Census Complete Count Committee meeting at Capstone.  Requests for bids for the sale of 5 Second, 3 Portland and 38 Willey Streets have been advertised and mailed to the property abutters.  Attended Barre Area Development Corporation board meeting, where the focus was on rolling out the Barre Rock Solid marketing plan.  Parkmobile implementation conference call is tentatively scheduled for November 26th.  The Transportation Advisory Committee is meeting tomorrow night. Visitors and Communications – Downtown merchant Mary Jane Magnan said they are working on plans for the coming holiday season, and she requested Council approval to allow horse-drawn wagon rides on North Main Street on Saturday, November 30th, from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM. Ms. Magnan also requested two parking meters on the Depot Square side of the Quarry Restaurant be bagged for that day to reserve that area for loading and unloading the wagon. Council approved the requests on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. Ms. Magnan requested Council approval of the holiday parade on November 30th from Key Bank to City Hall Park, and she requested waiver of police coverage fees. Council approved the requests on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried with Councilor Morey abstaining. Old Business – NONE New Business – A) Approve Thunder Chicken Snowmobile Club Landowner Permission Form. David Rouleau from the Thunder Chickens requested permission to use the feeder trail from Rotary Park up through a portion of the bike path to the Town of Barre. There was discussion on having a snowmobile go over the bike path a few times to pack down the snow for easier walking and skiing. Manager Mackenzie said this should go before the Paths, Routes and Trails Committee for consideration. Council approved the landowner permission request on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. B) Authorization to Award Center Street Sewer Repair Bid. Public Works Director Bill Ahearn reviewed the condition of the sewer line under Center Street and said a 400 ft. section needs repairs. The bid cost is $59,600 and the contractor is Green Mountain Pipeline. Partial payment will come from previously approved bond funds, and the balance will come from enterprise funds. Council approved the contract and authorized the Manager to sign on behalf of the City on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. C) Approval of Warning for December 19 Ward III Caucus. Clerk Dawes said state statute requires at least 30 days warning before holding the caucus to elect a Ward III councilor to fill the seat recently held by John LePage. The Clerk recommended holding the caucus on Thursday, December 19th, at 7:00 PM at Alumni Hall. Council approved the warning on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. 2 To be approved at 11-26-19 Barre City Council Meeting D) Review/Approve Coin Drop Policy Revisions. Councilor Tuper-Giles reviewed the changes in the draft revision distributed earlier in the day, and some additional changes suggested in the interim. Clerk Dawes suggested sharing the draft revisions with those organizations that have held coin drops in the past to alert them to the proposed changes, and allowing them an opportunity to respond before Council approves the revised draft. The Clerk will send the draft out and Council will take it up again for consideration at the December 3rd meeting. Councilor Boutin left the room before discussion and action began on the next agenda item. E) Review/Approve Whistleblower Policy Revisions. Mayor Herring said Human Resources director Rikk Taft reviewed and signed off on the policy and proposed changes. Council approved the revisions as presented on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. Councilor Boutin returned to the room after action on the previous agenda item. F) Presentation/Review of Draft FY2 General Fund Budget. Manager Mackenzie passed out copies of his first draft of the FY21 general fund budget. There was a brief discussion on the percentage increase in expenses and the percentage decrease in revenues. Council set its first budget workshop for Monday, December 2nd at 6:00 PM. G) Discussion on Special Assessments – Downtown Improvement District. Mayor Herring said this topic is on the Council’s list of priorities, and Montpelier has such a district. Funding could be used for downtown initiatives including holiday lighting and the Barre Partnership. Councilors expressed interest in exploring further, with input from the downtown merchants. Round Table – Councilor Morey said he was invited to attend the recent Thanksgiving meal for volunteers at the Benefit Shop. Tomorrow the Norwich University women’s hockey team will hold an open practice at the BOR. Councilor Tuper-Giles said Mayor Herring won the Mayor’s Cribbage Tournament at Reynold’s House last weekend. The event is part of the “40 Days of Lucas” leading up to the Mayor’s 40th birthday. Councilor Steinman encouraged people to attend the Winooski Valley Music Festival this Friday evening at Harwood High School. Mayor Herring reported on the following:  Sent around the Council priorities list and upcoming agenda items for Council review.  Reviewed process for reviewing and revising City policies.  Requests have been sent to all committees, asking for quarterly reports. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 8:12 PM on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. An audio recording of the meeting is available in the Clerk’s office. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 3