City Council

To be approved at 12/14/21 Barre City Council Meeting Special Meeting of the Barre City Council Held December 7, 2021 The Special Meeting of the Barre City Council was called to order in person and via video platform by Mayor Lucas Herring at 6:15 PM at Barre City Hall. In attendance were: From Ward I, Councilors Emel Cambel and Jake Hemmerick; from Ward II, Councilors Michael Boutin (arrived 6:19 PM) and Teddy Waszazak; and from Ward III, Councilors Ericka Reil and Samn Stockwell. City staff member present was Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Also in attendance: Stephanie Clark, White & Burke TIF consultants Absent: NONE Adjustments to the Agenda: Councilor Hemmerick asked to add personnel issues to the agenda to be discussed in executive session, if time allows. New Business – A) TIF Assessment Update. Mayor noted the conversation with White & Burke consultant Stephanie Clark will take place in executive session. Executive Session – Councilor Waszazak made the motion to find that premature general knowledge of contracts to be discussed would clearly place the City of Barre at a substantial disadvantage should the discussion be public. The motion was seconded by Councilor Hemmerick. Motion carried. Council went into executive session at 6:18 PM to discuss contracts under the provisions of 1 VSA §313 on motion of Councilor Cambel, seconded by Councilor Stockwell. Motion carried. Councilor Boutin joined at this point in the meeting. Stephanie Clark and Clerk Carol Dawes were invited into the executive session. Council came out of executive session at 6:59 PM on motion of Councilor Stockwell, seconded by Councilor Waszazak. Motion carried. There was no action. Mayor Herring said he will approach our legislators to advocate for approval of an additional extension for the TIF deadline for last incurrence of debt, due to COVID’s continuing negative impact on project development. The meeting adjourned at 7:00 PM on motion of Councilor Stockwell, seconded by Councilor Reil. Motion carried. The meeting was recorded on the video platform. Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held December 7, 2021 The Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council was called to order in person and via video platform by Mayor Lucas Herring at 7:00 PM at Barre City Hall. In attendance were: From Ward I, Councilor Jake 1 To be approved at 12/14/21 Barre City Council Meeting Hemmerick; from Ward II, Councilors Michael Boutin and Teddy Waszazak; and from Ward III, Councilors Ericka Reil and Samn Stockwell. City staff members present were Planning Director Janet Shatney, Finance Director Dawn Monahan, Deputy Fire Chief Joe Aldsworth, Public Works Director Bill Ahearn, and Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: From Ward I, Councilor Emel Cambel. Adjustments to the Agenda: NONE Approval of Consent Agenda: Council approved the following consent agenda items on motion of Councilor Waszazak, seconded by Councilor Reil. Motion carried. A. Approval of Minutes: Regular meeting of November 30, 2021 B. City Warrants as presented: 1. Approval of Week 2021-49, dated December 8, 2021: i. Accounts Payable: $190,271.51 ii. Payroll (gross): $131,617.54 C. 2022 Licenses & Permits: NONE D. Approval of Updated Accounts Payable Policy E. Re-Authorize Procurement of Main St. Tree Guards from FY21 Fund Balance F. Acceptance of 5-year Water/Wastewater Enterprize Fund Budgets Planning Projections G. Authorize Manager to Sign National Opioid Settlement Documents on Behalf of the City City Clerk & Treasurer Report – Clerk/Treasurer Dawes reported on the following:  There are two properties scheduled for tax sale this Thursday, December 9th.  Town Meeting election information has been updated on the City website, including a list of officers to be elected, nominating petitions, and consent of candidate forms.  Water bills went in the mail today, and are due by January 3rd. Liquor Control Board - NONE City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie was not present at the meeting. No additional updates beyond the written report previously distributed by the Manager. Visitors and Communications – BUUSD board chair Sonya Spaulding said Barre City board representative Abigayle Smith has resigned her seat on the board. In accordance with the articles of agreement and statute, the City Council is responsible for filling the vacancy. Ms. Spaulding suggested the school board manage the process by advertising the position and holding interviews. The board will then make a recommendation to Council at the December 21st meeting, at which time Council can make the appointment. Councilors gave informal approval to the process as outlined by Ms. Spaulding. Old Business – A) Charter Work Group Update. Councilor Stockwell reported on the possible removal of the Board of Health from the Charter. There was discussion on the differences between charter language and statute, roles for the board, local usage, and oversight from the VT Department of Health. There was no support from the Council to move forward with removing the board. 2 To be approved at 12/14/21 Barre City Council Meeting Councilor Reil reported on her review regarding the city engineer position, and whether it should be removed from charter. Public Works Director Bill Ahearn said he supports having a city engineer and retaining the language in charter. Clerk Dawes said the City currently doesn’t have an appointed city engineer, and her intension in suggesting review of this item is to either bring the charter into conformance with practice or vice versa. Other similar positions were discussed including the superintendent of water, superintendent of streets, and superintendent of sewer. Councilor Hemmerick said he’d like to explore charter changes on the following topics:  Sale of public land – manager’s authority to enter into easements.  Controls over use of rainy day funds.  Budget amendments.  Annual preparation of capital budget. The Council will continue reviewing proposed charter changes in January. B) Administrative (Public Bodies) Ordinance Update. Mayor Herring said ordinance updates will flow from the charter revisions. C) Act 164 (S.54) Regulation of Cannabis. Councilor Stockwell said recent legislation enables retail cannabis sales. The voters would need to approve allowing retail sales in the City. There was discussion on how to regulate and control safety, zoning restrictions, local options tax on sales of cannabis, and creation of a local cannabis control board. D) Update on Volunteer Information. Councilor Reil reviewed her list of organizations offering volunteer opportunities in Barre City. The list will be posted on the City website, and maintained by the City. Mayor Herring said the City is holding its volunteer recognition on December 13th. New Business - A) Seat Adjustment to the Development Review Board – Denise Ferrari. Planning Director Janet Shatney reviewed the makeup of the DRB, noting there is currently a vacancy for a Ward 2 representative. Denise Ferrari currently serves as an at-large board member, and the request is to move Ms. Ferrari to the Ward 2 seat to create a vacancy so Ulysses “Pete” Fournier can be appointed to the at-large seat. Councilor Hemmerick made the motion to table this item to allow the appointment process to follow the new policy and procedures. The motion died from lack of a second. Council approved the seat adjustment on motion of Councilor Boutin, seconded by Councilor Stockwell. Motion carried with Councilor Hemmerick voting against. B) Appointment to the Development Review Board – Ulysses Fournier. Ulysses “Pete” Fournier spoke of his interest in serving on the DRB and his past experience on the board. Council approved the appointment of Mr. Fournier to the at-large seat on the DRB on motion of Councilor Waszazak, seconded by Councilor Reil. Motion carried. C) Review and/or Revise Electric Vehicle Charging Fees. Clerk Dawes reviewed her memo, and talked about different ways to charge for use of the EV charging stations including capturing payment to help cover cost of electricity and payment for parking spaces. There was discussion on pros and cons of continuing to contract with ChargePoint for wayfinding and credit card payment processing, allowing free vehicle charging while requiring use of ParkMobile to pay for parking in the spaces, and increasing ticket fines for noncompliance. Councilors offered informal 3 To be approved at 12/14/21 Barre City Council Meeting support for letting the ChargePoint contract lapse, and using ParkMobile going forward. Mayor Herring will work with Clerk Dawes to review past usage data, and the Clerk will come back with recommended parking fees. D) Discussion and/or Approval of Public Record Inspection Copying and Transmission Policy. Clerk Dawes reviewed the proposed draft revisions and noted changes are meant to bring the policy in line with statute. Council approved the revisions on motion of Councilor Waszazak, seconded by Councilor Stockwell. Motion carried. E) Resolution for Donna McNally’s 40 Years of Service to the City of Barre, Resolution #2021-16. Clerk Dawes read the resolution honoring Ms. McNally’s 40 years of service. Council approved the resolution on motion of Councilor Stockwell, seconded by Councilor Reil. Motion carried. Round Table – Councilors Herring and Reil met with stakeholders at the hospital to discuss people stranded there without transportation. They are seeking volunteer drivers who will be reimbursed for mileage. Councilor Boutin thanked those who participated in last Saturday’s dollar drop to benefit the Christmas for Kids program. He said they raised $3,943.51, and there are additional donations coming in. Councilor Waszazak acknowledged the recent passing of Broadway composer, writer and legend Stephen Sondheim. He also noted today’s 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Councilor Stockwell said the holiday lights around the City are wonderful. Councilor Hemmerick congratulated Manager Mackenzie on securing the stormwater grant for the auditorium. Mayor Herring thanked those who attended the holiday tree lighting over Thanksgiving weekend, and noted he issued a mayoral proclamation on the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Mayor said all proclamations are posted on the City website. Executive Session – NONE The meeting adjourned at 8:55 PM on motion of Councilor Stockwell, seconded by Councilor Reil. Motion carried. The meeting was recorded on the video meeting platform. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 4