City Council

To be approved at 04/12/2022 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held April 5, 2022 The Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council was called to order in person and via video platform by Mayor Jake Hemmerick at 7:00 PM at Barre City Hall. In attendance were: From Ward I, Councilors Emel Cambel and Thom Lauzon; from Ward II, Councilors Michael Boutin and Teddy Waszazak; and from Ward III, Councilors Michael Deering and Samn Stockwell. City staff members present were Manager Steve Mackenzie, Public Works Director Bill Ahearn, Human Resources Director Rikk Taft, and Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: NONE Adjustments to the Agenda: Manager Mackenzie noted the reappraisal contract was not included in the packet, however he would like to have the document acted upon, with an opportunity to ratify at next week’s meeting. Councilors voiced no objections to keeping this item on the agenda. Councilor Lauzon asked to have a discussion on the charter changes currently being considered by the legislature. This item will be added to the end of the agenda. Visitors and Communications – Resident Bernadette Rose said she is attending this evening’s meeting via zoom on an iPad provided by Central Vermont Council on Aging. Ms. Rose thanked CVCOA for providing seniors with technology support through equipment, tutoring and classes. She also mentioned ticks are now out with the warmer weather, and she encouraged people to wear tick protection. Approval of Consent Agenda: Council approved the following consent agenda items on motion of Councilor Lauzon, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. A. Approval of Minutes: i. Regular meeting of March 29, 2022 B. City Warrants as presented: 1. Approval of Week 2022-14, dated April 6, 2022: i. Accounts Payable: $169,069.67 ii. Payroll (gross): $130,093.86 C. 2022 Licenses & Permits: 1. Entertainment Licenses: i. Church of the Good Shepherd, City Hall Park, May 22nd, 11AM – 1:30 PM. D. Approve Additional Coin Drop Requests. E. Accept Resignation of Amy Galford from the Tree Stewardship Committee. City Clerk & Treasurer Report – Clerk/Treasurer Dawes reported on the following:  Dog licenses have been on sale since the first of January. Vermont law requires all dogs to be licensed by April 1st each year. The office has been issuing a large number of licenses over the past couple weeks, however, there are still unlicensed dogs in the community. Postcard notices will be sent out shortly, reminding people to license their dogs. Liquor Control Board – Council approved the following liquor license renewals on motion of Councilor Cambel, seconded by Councilor Waszazak. Motion carried with Councilor Boutin abstaining. Establishment Address License class Elks Lodge 10 Jefferson Street 1 , 3rd & outside consumption st Mutuo 20 Beckley Street 1st & 3rd 1 To be approved at 04/12/2022 Barre City Council Meeting Reynold’s House 102 S. Main Street 1st, 3rd & outside consumption AJ’s Sunoco 320 Washington Street 2nd Bella Campo Food Products 131 S. Main Street 2nd Champlain Farms 169 Washington Street 2nd Dente’s Market 406 N. Main Street 2nd City Manager’s Report – Manager Mackenzie added the following announcements to his written report:  The RFP for the Capital Improvement Plan has been issued.  The Manager will be on vacation next week, but will attend the Council meeting.  The walk-through near Subway will be cleaned and maintained on a weekly basis. Manager Mackenzie said there will be an update on the public works facility planning and programming by mid-May. There was a request to get the volunteer pages updated on the website. The Fire Department ladder truck has been recalled for repairs. The City has made back-up arrangements for ladder truck coverage with Montpelier, Berlin, and Williamstown. There was a question about warrantee on the repairs, and the Manager will look into it. Unfinished Business – A) Update on City/Town Cost-Share for Water/Sewer American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funded Dispatch Equipment. Manager Mackenzie said the request for shared funding has been made to Barre Town Manager Carl Rogers, who is presenting it to the Barre Town Selectboard at their meeting this evening. The response will be reported at next week’s Council meeting. New Business – A) Police Advisory Committee Appointment: Abby Blum. Abby Blum addressed the Council, sharing her interest in serving on the Police Advisory Committee. Council approved the appointment on motion of Councilor Lauzon, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Motion carried. B) Authorize Manager to Execute Re-Appraisal Contract with New England Municipal Consultants. Manager Mackenzie said the contract is for $295,000 plus an annual licensing fee, and the work will begin this fall and be completed in April 2025. It was noted again that the contract wasn’t included in the Council packet. Council approved execution of the contract, subject to ratification at next week’s meeting, on motion of Councilor Waszazak, seconded by Councilor Stockwell. Motion carried. C) Update on 2022 Street Sweeping & Crosswalk Striping Program. Public Works Director Bill Ahearn reviewed the street sweeping schedule for April, and shared information about how street sweeping is being conducted this year including more day operations, and reviewing how long it takes to sweep different types of streets. There was discussion about sweeping around City Hall Park overnight during the Heritage Festival, how much is collected during street sweeping, what happens with the material that’s collected, and sidewalk sweeping. Mr. Ahearn said striping of stop bars will begin in two weeks, followed by crosswalks and long lines. The department is experimenting with a different way to designate stop bars in an effort to make the demarcations last longer. There was discussion on coordinating long line painting with the state. Resident Bernadette Rose asked about ways to increase pedestrian safety at the intersection of Allen and Prospect Streets. There was discussion on sidewalk plans for Allen Street, and working with VTRANS on a major re-build of Prospect Street. 2 To be approved at 04/12/2022 Barre City Council Meeting D) Accept Report of the Trash Task Force Report-Out, Disband Task Force & Thank Members for the Service. Trash Task Force member John LePage said they have been meeting since July 2021, and have been researching options for composting and the feasibility of having the City contract for trash collection services. They are recommending the Community Garden Committee offer opportunities for composting, and that the City hold a scaled-back Green Up Day in the fall with no curbside pickup. There was discussion on City ordinances on noise as it relates to commercial trash haulers who pick up early mornings. City Code Enforcement is in contact with the trash haulers to make sure they are aware of the hours set out in ordinance. Councilor Stockwell, who also serves on the Task Force, recommended their work is done and it’s time to disband them. Council approved disbanding the Task Force and thanked its members on motion of Councilor Waszazak, seconded by Councilor Lauzon. Motion carried. E) Discussion on Use of Executive Session for Officer Appointments under 1 VSA 212(a). Mayor Hemmerick shared an email opinion from Carl Andeer, one of the attorneys at the Municipal Assistance Center at VT League of Cities and Towns. Mr. Andeer’s opinion reviewed executive session statutes and City policy, and determined it may be appropriate for the City to use executive session when making appointments to committees. There was discussion on the meaning of “public official”, transparency and open government, using executive sessions only when there are more candidates than available seats, and criteria for making appointments including balance of gender and ward. There was no formal action following discussion. Upcoming Business/Events/Council Liaison Reports – Mayor Hemmerick reviewed items on upcoming Council agendas including:  Update on twin city teams communication project.  Presentation and discussion on use of body cams by Police Department.  Update from the Washington County Substance Abuse Regional Partnership.  TIF parking study update.  Amendment to organizational update process.  Discussion on manager transition. Round Table – Councilor Stockwell noted April is National Poetry Month. Councilor Boutin said he toured the soon-to-open Rainbow Bridge Community Center. Mayor Hemmerick notes the following:  Acknowledged mistake at last week’s meeting in making two appointments to the Planning Commission when only one was warned.  Working with a UVM student who is researching housing issues.  Working on Green Up Day planning.  Met with Central VT Adult Basic Education about their services to the community. Executive Session – Councilor Waszazak made the motion to find that premature general public knowledge of contracts related to the city manager search would clearly place the City of Barre at a substantial disadvantage should the discussion be public. The motion was seconded by Councilor Lauzon. Motion carried, with Councilor Boutin voting against. 3 To be approved at 04/12/2022 Barre City Council Meeting Council went into executive session at 8:54 PM to discuss contracts under the provisions of 1 VSA § 313 on motion of Councilor Stockwell, seconded by Councilor Cambel. Manager Mackenzie, Manager Search Committee Chair Amanda Gustin, Human Resources Director Rikk Taft, and Clerk Dawes were invited into the executive session. Motion carried, with Councilor Boutin voting against. Council came out of executive session at 9:37 PM on motion of Councilor Lauzon, seconded by Councilor Stockwell. Motion carried. There was no action taken. Other/Added) Charter Changes. Councilor Lauzon said the City conducted free and fair elections in March 2021, at which voters approved a series of charter changes. He recommended Council approve resolution #2022-03 encouraging the legislature to honor the vote and pass the City’s charter changes as approved by the voters. Councilor Lauzon made the motion to approve resolution #2022-03, seconded by Councilor Deering. Former Councilor Ericka Reil said this item wasn’t warned for this evening’s meeting. There was discussion on the flag language that is part of the voter-approved charter changes, adopting regulations through charter vs. ordinance, and public fatigue on the subject of flags. Councilor Cambel made the motion to table the discussion. The motion died for lack of a second. There was discussion on the recent actions of the House Government Operations Committee with regards to including or not including the flag charter change in House Bill 444, which includes all the other proposed Barre City charter changes for 2021 and 2022, contacting the legislators to voice opinions, and the constitutionality of the charter changes. Councilor Stockwell made the motion to end discussion, seconded by Councilor Cambel. Motion did not pass with Councilors Stockwell and Cambel voting in favor, and Mayor Hemmerick and Councilors Deering, Boutin, Waszazak and Lauzon voting against. It was noted the charter change language had been reviewed by Legislative Counsel for constitutionality. Council voted on the original motion to adopt resolution #2022-03. Motion carried with Mayor Hemmerick and Councilors Deering, Boutin and Lauzon voting in favor, and Councilors Cambel, Waszazak and Stockwell voting against. The meeting adjourned at 10:08 PM on motion of Councilor Waszazak, seconded by Councilor Stockwell. Motion carried. The meeting was recorded on the video meeting platform. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 4