City Council

To be approved at 12-10-19 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held December 3, 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, Councilor Rich Morey (arrived 7:58 PM). Also present were City Manager Steve Mackenzie and Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: There is one vacancy in Ward III. Adjustments to the Agenda: The executive session is deferred to 6:00 PM next week. Mayor Herring added a new agenda item on committee appointments and resignations. Approval of Consent Agenda: Council approved the following consent agenda items on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Waszazak. Motion carried.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Regular meeting of November 26, 2019  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2019-49:  Accounts Payable: $2,009,673.25  Payroll (gross): $132,827.59 o 2020 Licenses: NONE The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk/Treasurer Dawes reported on the following:  Water/sewer bill payments are due by December 31st.  City Hall will be closed for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The Clerk’s office will be closed on December 24th.  Ward III caucus is scheduled for Thursday, December 19th, at 7PM at Alumni Hall. Liquor Control – NONE City Manager’s Report - Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  Got a complaint about audio distortion during Council meetings. The issue is being looked into.  There are staffing vacancies in the water and public works departments. Additional information is available on the City website.  Park Mobile implementation conference call held earlier this week. The process has started, and will take a couple months to complete. Installation of stickers on meters is weather-dependent.  Deadline for bids on sale of 5 Second, 3 Portland and 38 Willey Streets is December 11th.  Expecting to receive the weathervane inspection and appraisal report next week.  Thanks to Tracie Lewis, Giselle Chouinard and the Barre Partnership for decorating the gazebo.  The VTRANS welcome event is being held tomorrow afternoon at the auditorium.  Paths, Route and Trails Committee meets next week.  The City Council will hold its annual coin and dollar drop this Saturday, December 7th. Visitors and Communications – Barre Area Development Corporation executive director Joel Schwartz invited everyone to next week’s Barre Rock Solid marketing kick-off event December 11th, at the Opera House. There will be live music, food and a cash bar, and the presentation will feature some of the videos included on the website. 1 To be approved at 12-10-19 Barre City Council Meeting Old Business – NONE New Business – A) Barre Sno Bees asking permission to groom the trail through the Cow Pasture. Mike Perrigo from the Sno Bees requested permission to groom the trail. Council approved the request on motion of Councilor Tuper-Giles, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. B) Community Visit – Vermont Council on Rural Development. Paul Costello from the VT Council on Rural Development said they are a community facilitating organization. Councils for rural development were established by President GHW Bush through the Federal Farm Bill. They work with communities as a neutral participant, and VT’s VCRD is the strongest council in the country. Mr. Costello said he is here this evening in response to a letter from the City Council, asking to participate in the Community Visit program. The program includes establishing a steering committee and holding a series of public gatherings and meetings to brainstorm on the City’s resources, and what the power of the community can accomplish. He said they are committing to Barre City over the next year, and hope to get started around February 2020. Councilors expressed their enthusiasm for the program. C) Review/Adopt Coin Drop Policy Revisions. Clerk Dawes read a letter from the Barre Figure Skating Association, expressing concern about the proposed policy revisions, and possibly losing their ability to hold coin drops on an annual basis. Councilors reviewed the draft policy and made additional revisions, and discussed how to prioritize requests, and make the limited number of coin drops available to the broadest range of organizations. It was decided that requests shall be received starting January 2nd for the year, and priority will be given based on date & time of receipt, and on whether an organization held a coin drop in the previous year. Council approved the revised policy as amended on motion of Councilor Steinman, seconded by Councilor Waszazak. Motion carried. D) Letter of Support VLCT S.54. Mayor Herring said the document to be approved is a resolution, not a letter of support. There was discussion on the language of the VLCT resolution including adding language to encourage federal action on the legalization of marijuana, and allowing communities to opt out rather than opt in. A revised draft of the resolution will come to Council next week for consideration. E) Discussion of Charter Items for March Warning. Council reviewed a list of possible charter changes to be considered for the March 2020 Town Meeting election. There was discussion on removing security deposit language in the section on Housing Board of Review. Councilors agreed to seek legal guidance about items being considered before finalizing language. The Clerk said Council will warn the required public hearings at the January 2nd meeting. F) Update on Policy Review. Councilor Waszazak said he reviewed the following policies and didn’t see any need for changes:  Use of the Dix Reservoir  Parking Permits  Partial Payments  Credit Cards He said there are a few other policies on his list, and he needs to coordinate their review with staff. 2 To be approved at 12-10-19 Barre City Council Meeting Councilor Morey said he is still working on taxi driver language. Councilor Steinman said the financial policies are being reviewed by staff. Other) Committee Vacancies and Resignations. Mayor Herring said he received a letter of resignation from Martin Prevost, one of the City representatives to the Central Vermont Public Safety Authority. Council accepted the resignation, and thanked Mr. Prevost for his service on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. Mayor Herring said the VT Council on Rural Development community visit can be used as a way to encourage people to join standing committees. Round Table – Councilor Steinman said the Spaulding High School winter concert is December 9th, and the jazz concert is December 10th. Councilor Boutin reminded people of this coming Saturday’s Council coin and dollar drop to benefit Christmas for children in need in Barre City. He also reminded people of the holiday decorating contest. You can get more information about the contest and register on the Barre Partnership website. Councilor Morey reminded everyone of the holiday events happening in the downtown this weekend. The list of events is on the Barre Partnership website. Councilor Waszazak said last Saturday’s holiday parade was fun in spite of the cold, and was well attended. Mayor Herring reported on the following:  Council held a good budget workshop last night.  Upcoming ordinance changes to be reviewed over the coming months include Administrative Ordinance and Salvage Yards.  Discussion on the grand list will be on the agenda before the end of the month.  Reminder about tomorrow’s VTRANS welcome event at the auditorium. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 8:47 PM on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Waszazak. Motion carried. An audio recording of the meeting is available in the Clerk’s office. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 3