City Council

To be approved at 12/20/2022 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held December 13, 2022 The Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council was called to order in person and via video platform by Mayor Jake Hemmerick at 6:10 PM at Barre City Hall. In attendance in person or virtually were: From Ward I, Councilors Emel Cambel and Thom Lauzon; from Ward II, Councilor Michael Boutin; and from Ward III, Councilors Michael Deering and Samn Stockwell. City staff members present were City Manager Nicolas Storellicastro and Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. The following staff members joined the meeting after the executive session: Assistant City Manager Dawn Monahan, Human Resources Director Rikk Taft, Police Chief Braedon Vail, Interim Fire Chief Joe Aldsworth, and Deputy Police Chief Larry Eastman. Absent: From Ward II, Councilor Teddy Waszazak. Note – there were technical difficulties with the zoom connection at the beginning of the meeting. The beginning and executive session portions of the meeting were not recorded, however, the open portion of the meeting following the executive session was connected through zoom and recorded. Executive Session – Councilor Stockwell made the motion to find that premature general public knowledge of personnel evaluation and contract issues to be discussed would clearly place the City of Barre at a substantial disadvantage should the discussions be public. The motion was seconded by Councilor Cambel. Motion carried. Council went into executive session at 6:14 PM to discuss personnel evaluation and contract issues under the provisions of 1 VSA § 313 on motion of Councilor Lauzon, seconded by Councilor Boutin. Manager Storellicastro and Clerk Dawes were invited into the executive session. Motion carried. Council came out of executive session at 7:09 PM on motion of Councilor Cambel, seconded by Councilor Stockwell. Motion carried. Council approved censuring Diversity & Equity Committee chair Joelen Mulvaney for the disruption at last week’s Council meeting, and require her to complete 8 hours of anger management training within the next 30 days on motion of Councilor Lauzon, seconded by Councilor Cambel. Motion carried. Mayor Hemmerick explained the technical difficulties experienced at the beginning of the meeting, and read the rules of conduct. Adjustments to the Agenda: NONE Visitors and Communications – Steve Whitaker said he wanted to remind the Council of the outstanding public records request from April. Diversity & Equity committee member Christopher Roberts asked what Council’s action was with regards to Joelen Mulvaney. The Mayor repeated the motion as approved. Approval of Consent Agenda: Council approved the following consent agenda items on motion of Councilor Cambel, seconded by Councilor Deering. Motion carried. A. Approval of Minutes: i. Regular meeting of December 6, 2022. 1 To be approved at 12/20/2022 Barre City Council Meeting B. City Warrants as presented: 1. Approval of Week 2022-50, dated December 14, 2022: i. Accounts Payable: $297,925.29 ii. Payroll (gross): $143,529.79 C. 2023 Licenses & Permits: 1. Food Establishment licenses: i. American Legion Post #10, 320 N. Main Street ii. Asian Gourmet, 276 N. Main Street iii. Bamboo Gardens, 115 S. Main Street iv. Barre Elks Lodge #1535, 10 Jefferson Street v. Chinatown Restaurant, 302 N. Main Street vi. Cornerstone Pub & Kitchen, 47 N. Main Street vii. Domino’s Pizza (KRG Pizza LLC), 322 N. Main Street viii. Dunkin Donuts, 350 N. Main Street ix. The Meltdown, 83 Washington Street x. Mister Z’s, 379 N. Main Street xi. Mutuo Inc, 20 Beckley Street xii. Quarry Kitchen & Spirits, 210 N. Main Street xiii. The Snack Shack (seasonal), 515 N. Main Street xiv. Subway (ABC 4LLL), 86 N. Main Street xv. Two Loco Guys, 136 N. Main Street 2. Food Takeout licenses: i. Beverage Baron, 411 N. Main Street ii. Champlain Farms, 169 Washington Street & 15 S. Main Street (2 locations) iii. North End Deli Mart, 475 N. Main Street iv. Quality Market, 155 Washington Street 3. Entertainment licenses: i. American Legion Post #10, 320 N. Main Street (annual license) ii. Barre Elks Lodge #1535, 10 Jefferson Street (annual license) iii. The Meltdown, 83 Washington Street (annual license) iv. Vermont Granite Museum, 7 Jones Bros Way (annual license) 4. Movie Theater Licenses: i. Paramount Theater (FGB Corporation), 241 N. Main Street (2 screens) D. Authorization of a contract with the City of Montpelier for ambulance billing services City Clerk & Treasurer Report – Clerk/Treasurer Dawes reported on the following:  Water/sewer bills are due by January 3, 2023.  Information, nominating and consent of candidate forms for the 2023 annual town meeting elections are available on the City’s website. Liquor Control Board/Cannabis Control Board – NONE City Manager’s Report – Manager Storellicastro noted the following:  The ARPA survey closed last Friday. More than 300 people participated, and a report is being prepared for presentation to the Council at the January 3rd meeting. A total of 21 letters of interest were received, and will be shared with the Council along with the survey report.  The strategic plan will be on the Council’s January 24th agenda for discussion.  Next week’s meeting is at Alumni Hall at 6:00 PM, and will focus on the FY24 budget. 2 To be approved at 12/20/2022 Barre City Council Meeting  Reviewed weather response for snow storm predicted for later this week, including planning for communications and operations.  Daytime and overnight parking permits for 2024 will go on sale the end of this week. There are no overnight permits available for the rest of 2023.  Committees are being invited to the January 3rd Council meeting to share thoughts on the proposed committee reset. Bernadette Rose, chair of the ADA Committee, noted the City is planning on including accessibility improvements with the creation of a new website. Ms. Rose said her ARPA request letter asking for such improvements can be considered withdrawn. Mayor Hemmerick asked if proposed FY24 capital projects will be part of the discussion at next week’s budget workshop. Manager Storellicastro said next week’s discussion will focus on the general fund. The Manager said staff members are reviewing and performing quality control on the Capital Improvement Plan, and will bring the FY24 list to the Council in early January. Unfinished Business – NONE New Business – A) FY22 Audit. Auditor Fred Duplessis from Sullivan Powers & Co. reviewed the FY22 audit. Mr. Duplessis said Assistant City Manager Monahan prepared the financial statements, and Sullivan Powers & Co.’s opinion is the City’s finances are in full conformance with generally accepted accounting principles. He said there were no material weaknesses, however, they do recommend the City beef up documentation of internal controls, consolidate delinquent and current receivables, and review general fund administration of enterprise operations and funds. B) Central Vermont Public Safety Authority (CVPSA) FY23-25 Budget Presentation. CVPSA board chair Dona Bate reported that at last week’s meeting the CVPSA board voted to advance a plan to dissolve the authority. Ms. Bate said they won’t be requesting funding for FY24 on the 2023 annual town meeting ballot. There was discussion on work the authority has done since its creation, the process of dissolving as laid out in the charter, and using the available fund balance to assist with an impact study around dispatch services. Ms. Bate said the leadership and staff in both member communities deserve appreciation for their efforts over the years. There was additional discussion on why the authority wasn’t a success, and whether the authority could go dormant rather than being dissolved. Ms. Bate said the legal issues associated with various options will be discussed at the annual meeting on December 19th. Councilor Cambel said she serves as the Council liaison to the CVPSA board, and voted in support of dissolution. Discussion continued on the strong relationship between Barre City and Montpelier, and regional equity and shared services. Steve Whitaker said this is the least advisable time to mothball the authority due to federal requirements for governance. Mr. Whitaker said there is a lack of transparency, and the CVPSA board is being sabotaged from within. He said the radio system being purchased with grant funds hasn’t been engineered. CVPSA board member Kim Cheney said the principal problem is that public safety people didn’t support the authority. Mr. Cheney said the charter needs to be amended to meet federal requirements for receiving funding. He said there is no harm in doing nothing, and suggested holding open discussions and inviting the public to participate. 3 To be approved at 12/20/2022 Barre City Council Meeting Manager Storellicastro said he urges the authority be disbanded. Councilor Boutin made the motion for the City of Barre to remove itself from CVPSA, seconded by Councilor Cambel. The motion was withdrawn. Interim Fire Chief Joe Aldsworth said the authority board is seeking legal advice from the VT League of Cities and Towns (VLCT) on interpretation of the charter with regards to dissolution. He said CVPSA is dysfunctional as it currently exists, and the state won’t dictate a governance model that’s different than what’s already in place in Barre City and Montpelier. Councilor Cambel made the motion to put the question to the voters at the March Town Meeting Day elections seeking to withdraw from CVPSA, seconded by Councilor Stockwell. Councilor Lauzon said any action taken this evening will need to be ratified at next week’s meeting. Manager Storellicastro said Montpelier City Council is scheduled to take up the same discussion at their meeting tomorrow night. The motion was withdrawn, and will appear on next week’s agenda for approval under the consent agenda. Councilor Lauzon said for the record he will likely support the withdrawal. Upcoming Business – Mayor Hemmerick noted next week’s meeting will begin at 6:00 PM at Alumni Hall, and will be devoted to an FY24 budget workshop. He said the January 3rd meeting will include a discussion on the proposed committee reset, and an opportunity for committee members to address the Council. Round Table – Councilor Stockwell said she used the ARPA funds in a classroom discussion on ways to use the funds to make improvements in the City. Councilor Lauzon said he and his wife are looking forward to attending Senator-Elect Peter Welch’s inauguration in Washington DC. Councilor Deering said he enjoyed working out with the Spaulding High School football team, and noted the high school’s hockey teams play tomorrow night. The meeting adjourned at 8:50 PM on motion of Councilor Lauzon, seconded by Councilor Stockwell. Motion carried. Following technical difficulties at the beginning of the meeting, the open portion of the meeting was recorded on the video meeting platform. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 4