City Council

CITY OF LACONIA ­ CITY COUNCIL MEETING October 22, 2018 7:00 P.M. 10/22/2018 ­ Minutes 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Engler called the meeting to order at the above date and time. 2. SALUTE TO THE FLAG Councilor Cheney lead the salute to the Flag. 3. RECORDING SECRETARY Cheryl Hebert, City Clerk 4. ROLL CALL City Clerk Hebert took the roll with the following Councilors in attendance: Bruce Cheney, David Bownes, Henry Lipman, Mark Haynes, Bob Hamel, and Andrew Hosmer. 5. STAFF IN ATTENDANCE Scott Myers, City Manager 6. COUNCIL PROCLAMATION 7. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS 7.A. Workshop Meeting Minutes of October 1, 2018 Minutes of the meeting were distributed to the Council on Friday, October 5, 2018. With no correction or changes submitted to the clerk, the minutes will be accepted as distributed. 7.B. Regular meeting minutes of October 9, 2018 Minutes of the meeting were distributed to the Council on Thursday, October 11, 2018. With no corrections or changes submitted to the clerk, the minutes will be accepted as distributed. 8. CONSENT & ACTION ITEMS 9. CITIZEN COMMENTS FOR MATTERS NOT ON THE AGENDA No comments from the public were made 10. INTERVIEWS 11. NOMINATIONS, APPOINTMENTS & ELECTIONS 12. COMMUNICATIONS 13. PUBLIC HEARINGS 13.A. Public Hearing for Ordinance 2018­189­20­01, Building sewer permits; application; fee Notice of this public hearing was made available in the October 11, 2018 edition of the Laconia Daily Sun, Laconia City Hall, SAU, Community Center, and Laconia Public Library. Mayor Engler opened the Public Hearing at 7:04 pm. Hearing no comments from the public, Mayor Engler closed the Public Hearing at 7:04 pm. 13.B. Public Hearing for Ordinance 2018­189­50­01, Sewer Charges 1 Notice of this public hearing was made available in the October 11, 2018 edition of the Laconia Daily Sun,  Laconia City Hall, SAU, Community Center, and Laconia Public Library. Mayor Engler opened the Public Hearing at 7:06 pm. Hearing no comments from the public, Mayor Engler closed the Public Hearing at 7:06 pm. 14. PRESENTATIONS 15. MAYOR'S REPORT Mayor Engler reminded the public that the General Election is being held on November 6, 2018 in all six wards with the polls being open from 7 am to 7 pm. Absentee Ballots are available in the Clerk's Office and the last day to register to vote in the Clerk's Office will be Monday, October 29, 2018, but people can register the day of the election at their polling location. Mayor Engler noted the next meeting for the Lakeshore Redevelopment Planning Commission will be held on Thursday, October 25, 2018 at 1:00 pm at Lakes Region Community College. Mayor Engler congratulated the new Chief of the Laconia Fire Department, Kirk Beattie. 16. COMMITTEE REPORTS 16.A. FINANCE (Lipman, Hamel, Cheney) 16.A.i. WOW Trail Funding 16.A.ii. Downtown TIF Financing 16.B. PUBLIC SAFETY (Bownes, Hosmer, Lipman) 16.B.i. Fair St/Court St traffic problems and accidents 16.C. GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS & ORDINANCES (Bownes, Hosmer, Cheney) 16.C.i. Review of Chapter 167, Noise and Chapter 161 Licensing as it pertains to outdoor sound equipment and loudspeakers 16.C.ii. Ordinance Amending Chapter 221, Vehicles and Traffic/Parking on Sublawns 16.C.iii. Procedural review of grant applications 16.D. LANDS & BUILDINGS (Hamel, Lipman, Haynes) Councilor Hamel moved to schedule a Lands and Buildings subcommittee meeting for Tuesday, November 13, 2018 at 6:15 pm in regards to Item 16D 1, the parking garage, Councilor Lipman stated he would not be able to attend on that date. Councilor Hamel moved to amend his motion to schedule a Lands and Buildings subcommittee meeting for Monday, November 26, 2018 at 6:15 pm in regards to the parking garage, seconded by Councilor Haynes; the motion passed with all in favor. 16.D.i. Downtown parking garage 16.D.ii. Repair & maintenance of City buildings 16.E. PUBLIC WORKS (Bownes, Hosmer, Haynes) 2 16.E.i. Retaining Wall Policy  16.E.ii. Proposal to implement City Policies for designating emergency lanes 17. LIAISON REPORTS Councilor Bownes is trying to schedule a meeting in regards to the Master Plan sometime in November. 18. CITIZENS REQUESTS TO COMMENT ON CURRENT AGENDA ITEMS No comments from the public were made. 19. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT 19.A. Monthly Economic Development Report City Manager Myers reviewed the report. 19.B. Project Updates Report City Manager Myers reviewed the report. City Manager Myers also welcomed the new Fire Chief Kirk Beattie and knows he will do a great job. City Manager Myers noted a project that was started last year by Donna Woodaman and Jon Gardner in regards to a purchase card from Citizens Bank. With this project the City just received a rebate check in the amount of $23,000. Councilor Haynes asked for an update in regards to the street lights on Court Street. City Manager Myers will get back to Councilor Haynes with an update. Councilor Lipman asked for an update in regards to the American Indian Statue at Opechee Park. City Manager Myers stated it will be taken down as carefully as possible and stored away as it poses a danger. Parks and Recreation Director Kevin Dunleavy will be doing a press release before removing the statue. Due to the safety concerns it does need to be taken down. K. Dunleavy said funds will be needed in order to remove and preserve it. The goal is to have it down by winter. Councilor Hamel stated that himself and late Councilor Bolduc have taken care of that statue in the past. He noted the statue is very frail and may be difficult to preserve. Councilor Bownes inquired about costs. K. Dunleavy said one community with a similar situation spent around $5,000 to $10,000 to remove it. Mayor Engler questioned what the local attachment within the City is. K. Dunleavy said Parks has tried to raise money but hasn't really gone above and beyond to do so and there has been some people that have reached out regarding their attachment but some have no attachment. Councilor Hosmer questioned where the money to remove this statue, without knowing if it is worth saving, is coming from. K. Dunleavy will need to get some figures together for a cost analysis. Councilor Bownes asked for an update in regards to the Messer Street project. City Manager Myers expects the first step to be done this fall with the remainder to be taking place next Spring. 20. NEW BUSINESS 20.A. Light Up Laconia Councilor Bownes was contacted by the Celebrate Laconia group in regards to the holiday parade on November 25, 2018. Councilor Bownes went to a Celebrate Laconia meeting and received some figures on what it would cost to decorate Laconia for the holidays. Patrick Wood noted that some of the lights that have been used in the past have been located, which would save on some expenses buying new ones. Councilor Bownes 3 does not want what happened last year happen this year in regards to the lack of holiday spirit in downtown.  Councilor Hamel asked if funds from the TIF account would be able to be used for this need. City Manager Myers said if this is approved he could identify some areas within the budget to fund this money. Councilor Hosmer thinks this is a great idea especially trying to bring business to the downtown area but he doesn't want to leave out the Weirs area. Councilor Hamel questioned if the Downtown businesses will be contributing to this at all. Councilor Bownes does not have an answer to that. Councilor Hosmer moved to approve the request to use $3,500 from existing budgeted funds for holiday decorations for the Downtown Area as well as the Weirs along Lakeside Avenue, seconded by Councilor Cheney; the motion passed with all in favor. 20.B. Amending Resolution 2018­15, General Fund appropriations City Manager Myers explained the reason for the amendment to RES­2018­15. Mayor Engler read into the record Amended Resolution 2018­15: In the Year of our Lord two thousand and eighteen A RESOLUTION RELATIVE TO MAKING ITEMIZED APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE GENERAL FUND FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING JULY 1, 2018 AND TERMINATING JUNE 30, 2019 Resolved by the City Council of the City of Laconia as follows: That the following itemized appropriations be made for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2018 and terminating June 30, 2019 GENERAL FUND GRAND TOTAL: 2018­2019 APPROPRIATIONS..................................$69,624,253 LESS: TOTAL REVENUES..................................................$29,396,909 BALANCE TO BE RAISED BY TAXES.....................................................$40,227,344 This Resolution shall take effect upon its passage. Councilor Hamel moved to amend Resolution 2018­15 to correct FY 2019 appropriations for the General Fund for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2018 and terminating June 30, 2019 in the amount of $40,227,344, seconded by Councilor Bownes; the motion passed with all in favor. 20.C. Proposed Resolution RES­2018­34 regarding the approval of Pendleton Beach Road and Boathouse Road as Emergency Lanes with a limited scope of maintenance Councilor Bownes is in support of this resolution at this time but he is again expressing his concern in dealing with Boathouse Road that necessary items are in place when dealing with emergency lanes by just going on a recommendation from the applicant. Councilor Bownes would like the Council to have real basis before approving any roads as an emergency lane. Councilor Hosmer moved to waive a reading of this resolution in its entirety and to read by title only, seconded by Councilor Hamel; the motion passed with all in favor. Councilor Hosmer moved the first reading of this resolution, RES­2018­34, relative to designating Pendleton Beach Road and Boathouse Road as Emergency Lanes with a limited scope of maintenance to only include winter maintenance, seconded by Councilor Hamel; the motion passed with all in favor. Councilor Lipman moved to schedule a public hearing for Resolution 2018­34, relative to designating Pendleton Beach Road and Boathouse Road as Emergency Lanes with a limited scope of maintenance to only include 4 winter maintenance in order to gather public input on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 during the regularly scheduled City Council Meeting, seconded by Councilor Hosmer; the motion passed with all in favor. 21. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 21.A. Approval of Ordinance 2018­189­20­01, Building sewer permits; application; fee Councilor Bownes is not opposed to the building sewer permits but expressed this is one large increase and would like to see smaller increments in the future. Councilor Lipman explained that the $75.00 that is being charged right now does not cover what is being done already and doesn't want the public to be confused in regards to the rate increase and this one time fee. Councilor Cheney moved to waive a reading of this Ordinance in its entirety and to read by title only, seconded by Councilor Bownes; the motion passed with all in favor. Councilor Cheney moved the second reading of Ordinance 2018­189­20­01, an Ordinance amending Chapter 189, Building Sewer Permits; application; fee, seconded by Councilor Bownes; the motion passed with all in favor. Councilor Hamel moved to approve Ordinance 2018­189­20­01, relative to Building Sewer Permits; application; fee, seconded by Councilor Haynes; the motion passed with all in favor. 21.B. Approval of Ordinance 2018­189­50­01, Sewer Charges City Manager Myers explained this is for the billing cycle beginning November 1, 2018 and being billed on or after February 1, 2019. Councilor Bownes moved to waive a reading of this Ordinance in its entirety and to read by title only, seconded by Councilor Cheney; the motion passed with all in favor. Councilor Cheney moved the second reading of Ordinance 2018­189­50­01, an Ordinance amending Chapter 189­ 50, Sewer Charges, seconded by Councilor Hosmer; the motion passed with all in favor. Councilor Bownes moved to approve Ordinance 2018­189­50­01, an Ordinance relative to Sewer Charges, seconded by Councilor Cheney; the motion passed with all in favor. 21.C. Poposed City Policy on limited winter maintenance on emergency lanes City Manager Myers explained why a policy on limited winter maintenance on emergency lanes is needed. Councilor Cheney moved to approve the proposed policy on Maintenance Standards for Limited Winter Maintenance Emergency Lanes, seconded by Councilor Bownes; the motion passed with all in favor. 22. COUNCIL COMMENTS No comments from the Council. 23. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 23.A. Improvement of Union Ave/Elm Street intersection 23.B. Ordinance amendment relative to Chapter 167, Noise and Chapter 161, Licensing as it pertains to outdoor sound equipment and loudspeakers 23.C. Second reading of a resolution relative to the adoption of RSA 31:95­b, Appropriation of funds made available during the year 23.D. Master Plan 23.E. Milfoil Treatment funding requests 23.F. Sewer & Water Master Plan 5 23.G. Single Stream Recycling/Concord Co­op/Solid Waste disposal cost reductions  23.H. Strategic Planning/Goal Setting 23.I. WOW Trail 23.J. Proposal to implement City Policies for designating emergency lanes 23.K. Resolution 2017­30 relative to authorizing the City Manager to apply to the State of NH DOT for a temporary use agreement in the City's name that will allow for the completion of a study concerning the different options and benefits of how to build Phase 3 of the WOW Trail and to sign all necessary documents 24. Any other business that may come before the Council 25. NON­PUBLIC SESSION (According to RSA 91­A:3, II) 26. ADJOURNMENT With no further business to come before the Council and hearing no objection, Mayor Engler adjourned the meeting at 8:04 pm. Respectfully submitted by Cheryl Hebert City Clerk MINUTES OF THIS MEETING WERE APPROVED ON NOVEMBER 13, 2018 BY THE CITY COUNCIL 6