City Council

To be approved at 9/12/23 Barre City Council Meeting Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council Held August 29, 2023 The Regular Meeting of the Barre City Council was called to order in person and via video platform by Acting Mayor Michael Boutin (Ward II Councilor) at 6:00 PM at Barre City Hall, Barre, Vermont. In attendance in person or virtually were: From Ward I, Councilors Emel Cambel and Thom Lauzon; from Ward II, Councilor Teddy Waszazak; and from Ward III, Councilors Michael Deering and Samn Stockwell. City staff members present were City Manager Nicolas Storellicastro, Planning Director Janet Shatney, Human Resources Director Rikk Taft, Fire Chief Keith Cushman, and Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes. Absent: Mayor Jake Hemmerick. Others Present: NONE Adjustments to the Agenda:  Moved approval of merging CVCOA and RSPV voter approved requests from new agenda to consent agenda.  Added to consent agenda: approval of Wheelock House purchase & sales agreement extension, and authorization for Manager to sign.  Added to consent agenda: Approval of contract with geotechnical firm Sanborn, Head & Associates.  Added to consent agenda: Ratify acceptance of Bylaw Modernization Grant, applied for in October 2022. Visitors and Communications Former Mayor Lucas Herring addressed the Council on behalf of the Barre Lions Club. Mr. Herring said the club has been serving central Vermont since 1938. They recently distributed food, water, clothing, and household goods to those impacted by the flooding, and made a donation of $10,000 to the Barre Community Relief Fund. The statewide Vermont Lions Charities has made a commitment for a donation of $5,000 for the fund. Those in attendance thanked the Barre Lions Club, Vermont Lions Charities, and Former Mayor Herring for their strong support of the community. Pike Street resident Alexander Raeburn asked Council to discuss possible buyouts at the next meeting. Manager Storellicastro said Mr. Raeburn’s property on Pike Street has been red-tagged, as it is in danger from an imminent landslide behind the property. The Manager said the City is engaging geotechnical firm Sanborn, Head & Associates to review landslide locations on City land, and offer determinations as to the stability of the land and potential for repairs. Once certain data points are established, buyout applicability will be discussed. The Manager said it is estimated the work will take approximately four weeks, and updates will be included in future flood recovery reports given at Council meetings. Approval of Consent Agenda: Councilor Stockwell noted the minutes from the August 22nd meeting indicated she was present when she wasn’t here. The minutes will be corrected. Council approved the following consent agenda items on motion of Councilor Waszazak, seconded by Councilor Stockwell. Motion carried. A. Approval of Minutes as corrected: i. Special meeting of August 22, 2023. B. City Warrants as presented: 1 To be approved at 9/12/23 Barre City Council Meeting 1. Approval of Week 2023-35, dated August 30, 2023: i. Accounts Payable: $371,415.31 ii. Payroll (gross): $137,780.61 C. 2023 Clerk’s Office Licenses & Permits: NONE D. Designate the Manager as voting delegate at the 2023 VLCT Town Fair E. Authorize the purchase of replacement rescue tools and air bags for the Fire Department F. Accept the resignation of committee/board volunteers: i. Pete Fournier, Development Review Board, At-Large ii. Jeffrey Tuper-Giles, Development Review Board, Ward I iii. Ellen Sivret, Cemeteries Committee iv. Michael Hellein, Transportation & Public Works Committee v. Mark Martin, Transportation & Public Works Committee G. Approve merging CV Council on Aging and RSVP voter-approved funding requests (moved from new business) H. Approval of Wheelock House purchase & sales agreement extension, and authorize Manager to sign (added under adjustments) I. Approval of contract with geotechnical firm Sanborn, Head & Associates (added under adjustments) J. Ratify Manager’s acceptance of Bylaw Modernization Grant, signed in February 2023 (added under adjustments) City Clerk & Treasurer Report – City Clerk/Treasurer Carol Dawes reported on the following:  First quarter property tax installments are due by October 2, 2023.  Water/sewer bills are going in the mail the end of the week, and will be due by October 2, 2023. Liquor Control Board/Cannabis Control Board – NONE City Manager’s Report – Manager Storellicastro said his report is covered in the flood recovery update later on the agenda. New Business – A) First Reading and Public Hearing Warned 6:15PM: Accessory Dwelling Unit Zoning Revision. The first reading and public hearing opened at 6:19 PM. Planning Director Janet Shatney reviewed her memo and the proposed revisions being proposed by the Planning Commission. Commissioner Michael Hellein said the changes will remove common barriers to the development of accessory dwelling units (ADU’s). Councilor Lauzon said he has concerns about the proposed revision that would exempt ADU’s from the minimum parking requirements for residential uses. There was discussion on distributing housing resources to people who don’t have cars, accommodating parking needs for people living in ADU’s, and leaving it up to the property owner to accommodate resident parking needs. Councilor Waszazak made the motion to approve the revisions to the accessory dwelling unit section of the Unified Development Ordinance, and move them to a second reading and public hearing at the next Council meeting. The motion was seconded by Councilor Stockwell. There was additional discussion on existing zoning language that allows applicants to seek parking waivers, parking needs based on the number of bedrooms in an ADU, and impacts on neighborhoods. 2 To be approved at 9/12/23 Barre City Council Meeting Ms. Shatney said the owner of an ADU must live on the property, and an ADU doesn’t require development review board approval unless a parking exemption is being requested. She said if a property sells and the property is no longer owner-occupied, it would become a multi-unit property and need to meet the requirements as such. Commissioner Joe Reil said the proposed revision doesn’t eliminate the need for parking; just the need for additional parking associated with the ADU. Commissioner Becky Wigg said all ADU owners would go through a change of use if the owner no longer lives at the property. Councilor Lauzon offered a friendly amendment to leave the parking-related language as it is currently written, which allows for an exemption request to be go before the DRB, seconded by Councilor Deering. Original mover Councilor Waszazak did not accept the friendly amendment. Councilor Lauzon offered his amendment be made to the original motion, seconded by Councilor Deering. Motion did not carry with Councilors Lauzon, Deering, and Boutin voting in favor, and Councilors Cambel, Waszazak, and Stockwell voting against. Council voted on the original motion. Motion did not carry with Councilors Cambel, Waszazak, and Stockwell voting in favor, and Councilors Lauzon, Deering, and Boutin voting against. Ms. Shatney said the proposed language will go back to the Planning Commission for additional consideration. B) Flood Recovery Updates. Manager Storellicastro gave a PowerPoint presentation on flood recovery efforts including:  Public assistance damage assessment  Street closures  Debris collection ended. 3,875 tons of private debris were removed  Landslides  Residential damage – 363 structures containing 517 units sustained some level of damage  Volunteer activities. Close to launching the resource hub  Community forum scheduled for Wednesday, September 13th, at 5:30 PM at Barre Opera House. Moderated by VT Council on Rural Development  Flood impact on City budget. Staff will bring analysis to Council next month Manager Storellicastro said the traffic study of the intersection at Hill/Ayers/S. Main Streets is being conducted over the next two days as schools reopen. The information gathered will inform changes to be made to the traffic signal at that location. Water flushing ended yesterday, and lines should be clearing of discolored water. C) Approve merging CV Council on Aging and RSVP voter-approved funding requests. Moved to consent agenda. Upcoming Business – NONE 3 To be approved at 9/12/23 Barre City Council Meeting Round Table – Councilor Deering said 114 local kids have been participating in football practice over the past two weeks. Their first home games are this Saturday at Bond Field. Councilor Lauzon said there was a University of New Hampshire survey featured in VT Digger with data on the number of Vermonters affected by the flooding. He said 13% of Vermonters were affected, however, the number of people who have filed a claim with FEMA is much lower. He encouraged people to file before the September 12th deadline. Executive Session – Councilor Lauzon made the motion to find that premature general public knowledge of collective bargaining 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 Stockwell. Motion carried. Council went into executive session at 7:45 PM to discuss collective bargaining under the provisions of 1 VSA § 313 on motion of Councilor Stockwell, seconded by Councilor Lauzon. Manager Storellicastro was invited into the executive session. Motion carried. Council came out of executive session at 7:50 PM on motion of Councilor Lauzon, seconded by Councilor Waszazak. Motion carried. There was no action taken. The meeting adjourned at 7:50 PM on motion of Councilor Lauzon, seconded by Councilor Stockwell. Motion carried. The open portions of the meeting were recorded on the video platform. Respectfully submitted, Carolyn S. Dawes, City Clerk 4