City Council

To be approved at 01-02-20 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held December 17, 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 (arrived 7:07 PM) and Teddy Waszazak (participating by phone); and from Ward III, Councilor Rich Morey. Also present were City Manager Steve Mackenzie and Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: From Ward I, Councilor Jeffrey Tuper-Giles. There is one vacancy in Ward III. Adjustments to the Agenda: Mayor Herring said the errors & omissions agenda item is canceled, and is replaced with an item related to Council approval of a letter of support for a grant application being submitted by Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District. Mayor Herring noted there is no quorum of Councilors present in the chambers, therefor by City policy, Councilor Waszazak may vote by phone with any such votes being conducted by roll call. Approval of Consent Agenda: Council approved the following consent agenda items on motion of Councilor Morey, seconded by Councilor Wazazak. Motion carried with all voting in favor by roll call.  Minutes of the following meetings: o Special meeting of December 10, 2019 o Regular meeting of December 10, 2019  City Warrants as presented: o Approval of Week 2019-51:  Accounts Payable: $555,348.41  Payroll (gross): $119,867.51 o 2020 Licenses:  Food Establishments:  Soups N’ Greens, 321 N. Main Street  Taxicab Drivers:  Roger Bergeron, J&D Taxi Service  Waste Disposal Collectors:  Doyle Trucking, 2 pick-up vehicles  Myers Container Corp., 18 pick-up vehicles  Casella Waste Systems, 12 pick-up vehicles The City Clerk/Treasurer Report – Clerk/Treasurer Dawes reported on the following:  Water/sewer bill payments are due by December 31st.  Ward III caucus is scheduled for Thursday, December 19th, at 7PM at Alumni Hall.  The Clerk’s office will be closed on December 24th. The rest of City Hall is open that day. Liquor Control – Council approved a one day outside consumption permit for the Elks Club, 10 Jefferson Street, for their annual New Year’s Day BBQ on motion of Councilor Morey, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried with all voting in favor by roll call. City Manager’s Report - Manager Mackenzie reported on the following:  Three crosswalk audio signals are malfunctioning, and will be repaired. 1 To be approved at 01-02-20 Barre City Council Meeting  The annual staff holiday luncheon was yesterday at Ladder 1 Grill. Certificates were given out in recognition of years of service, with Clint Smith in the water/sewer billing department and Andy Supernault in the facilities department being recognized for 30 and 40 years of service, respectively.  Manager will email out his latest FY21 budget draft in advance of Saturday’s budget workshop.  Working on implementation of Park Mobile, and whether the stickers can be put in place in the cold weather.  There is a Transportation Advisory Committee meeting tomorrow evening. Visitors and Communications – NONE Councilor Boutin arrived at this time, 7:07 PM, creating a quorum present in the chambers. Councilor Waszazak continued to participate by phone. As per City policy, Councilor Waszazak could not take any further action during the rest of the meeting. Old Business – NONE Mayor Herring rearranged the agenda to accommodate the timing for the public hearing. New Business – B) BADC “Barre Rock Solid” Marketing Program Ballot Request. Barre Area Development Corporation board member Robert Hutchins said they held a successful rollout last week for the Barre Rock Solid marketing program. The next phase is to develop and carry out a marketing plan. Mr. Hutchins said BADC is asking the Council to place a $40,000 funding request on the March Town Meeting ballot. Similar funding will be sought in Barre Town, with $120,000 being raised from businesses and individuals. Mayor Herring said Council is considering creating a downtown assessment district, which would raise additional taxes on property within the designated downtown. The taxes could be earmarked for the marketing plan. There was discussion on ballot language, petition options, and the timelines for placing items on the ballot. Mr. Hutchins said BADC would appreciate any level of support. G) Re-Appointment of Sue Higby to the Civic Center Committee. Councilors repointed Sue Higby to the Civic Center Committee on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. H) Acknowledgement of Firehouse Weathervane Appraisal by Skinner Appraisal Services. Councilors acknowledged receipt and acceptance of the weathervane appraisal on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. I) Approval of Vermont History Center Weathervane Loan Agreement. Councilor accepted the VHC loan agreement on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried E) Errors & Omissions. Mayor Herring noted this agenda item has been canceled and replaced. 2 To be approved at 01-02-20 Barre City Council Meeting E replacement) Letter of Support for CVSWMD Grant Application. Mayor Herring said the grant program would allow Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District to provide education to landlords and tenants on the upcoming composting laws. Council approved the letter of support on motion of Councilor Morey, seconded by Councilor Steinman. Motion carried. A) Public Hearing 7:15 PM: 2018-08 Unified Development Ordinance Amendment Section 2003 Official Zoning Map. Mayor Herring opened the public hearing at 7:15 PM. Planning Director Janet Shatney said the Planning Commission is recommending an amendment to the zoning map to change zoning for a portion of Ayers Street back to commercial use, which it was before the recent adoption of the new unified development ordinance. Former Mayor Thom Lauzon spoke in support of the amendment as it will allow Capital Grounds and 802 Coffee to move their roasting and production operations to 17 Ayers Street. Ms. Shatney said the change will also allow 15 Ayers Street to continue its redevelopment as a respite house. Mr. Lauzon introduced Julia Watson and Tyson Brown, owners of Capital Grounds and 802 Coffee. Ms. Watson and Mr. Brown said they will be moving their roasting productions from East Montpelier to Ayers Street. They hope to be operational by June, followed by adding a café to the space. They are looking for partnership opportunities with the Central Vermont Career Center. Mayor Herring asked for any additional questions or comments from the Council or public. Hearing none the Mayor closed the hearing at 7:25 PM. Council approved the amendment as presented on motion of Councilor Morey, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. Barre Area Development Corporation board president Sarah Field asked a follow-up question from their earlier discussion, asking what the track going forward will be. Most Councilors voiced support for placing a special assessment district on the ballot to help fund the marketing initiative. Council will take this up for further discussion after the holidays. C) Presentation and Review of FY19 Municipal Audit. Fred Duplessis from Sullivan Powers Co. presented the FY19 audit. Mr. Duplessis said they offered a clean opinion with only one significant deficiency related to unearned revenue, and that issue has been corrected going forward. There are no material weaknesses. The audit includes a recommendation to document the City’s good internal controls. It was noted this is the earliest date the audit has been received in recent memory, and it will allow an audit report to be included in the annual report. Mr. Duplessis noted most of the credit for the early audit goes to the new finance director, Dawn Monahan. Council accepted the audit with appreciation to Sullivan Powers and Ms. Monahan on motion of Councilor Steinman, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. F) Acceptance of Parcel Purchase Bids for: i. 3 Portland Street ii. 5 Second Street iii. 38 Willey Street Manager Mackenzie said the City had received the following bids:  3 Portland Street: $500  5 Second Street: $1,000  38 Willey Street: $1,000 Council accepted the bids on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. 3 To be approved at 01-02-20 Barre City Council Meeting The Manager said Clerk Dawes will work with the City Attorney to finalizing closings on the properties. D) Discussion and/or approval Financial Policies. i. Cash Collection Handling ii. Capital Assets iii. Fixed Assets Finance Director Dawn Monahan reviewed the proposed policy revisions, and noted some additional changes for the cash handling and fixed assets policies. Councilor approved the policy revisions as presented on motion of Councilor Steinman, seconded by Councilor Morey. Motion carried. Round Table – Councilor Morey wished a happy birthday to his father, son and grandmother, all of whom are celebrating over the next week. Councilor Boutin thanked fellow Councilors and the Manager for helping to wrap presents over the weekend. The presents were purchased with funds raised by the Council at last week’s coin and dollar drop. Councilor Boutin also thanked school resource officer Jason Fleury who takes the lead on the purchase and distribution of presents each year. Councilor Steinman said the Barre Rotary Club and Family Center of Washington County are holding a New Year’s Eve fundraiser event at Moruzzi’s. Tickets are available from Rotarian Caroline Earle. Mayor Herring reported the following:  Last Saturday’s Breakfast with Santa at the auditorium was attended by 162 people. There were lots of wonderful holiday events over the past weekend.  There are no Council meetings over the next two Tuesdays, which fall on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. There will be a Council meeting on Thursday, January 2nd.  Vermont recently regained its status as the healthiest state in the country.  Thanked Council and staff for a productive year. Executive Session – NONE The Council meeting adjourned at 8:00 PM on motion of Councilor Boutin, 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 4