City Council

Minutes of the Montpelier City Council Meeting April 11, 7:00 PM City Council Chambers, City Hall In attendance: Mayor Anne Watson, Councilors Dona Bate, Jack McCullough, Glen Hutcheson, Rosie Krueger and Conor Casey, City Manager Bill Fraser. Councilor Ashley Hill was not present. City Clerk John Odum acted as secretary. 18-115. After a brief discussion, the proposed agenda was approved by acclaim. 18-116. Carrie Clement from the downsizing organization spoke about group. Brief discussion. 18-117. Councilor McCullough moved approval of the consent agenda and was seconded by Councilor Casey. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). 18-118. The Council heard from Ian Anderson regarding his candidacy for the position on the Montpelier Transportation Infrastructure Committee. Councilor Bate moved to appoint Ian Anderson to the Montpelier Transportation Infrastructure Committee. Councilor Krueger seconded, and the motion carried unanimously at 7:09PM. 18-119. After a brief discussion of the Design Review Committee opening, Councilor Casey moved that Hannah Smith be appointed. Councilor Krueger seconded and the motion carried unanimously at 7:11. 18-120. After a brief discussion, Councilor McCullough moved to appoint Janet Wormser, Lynn Wild, and Abby Colihan to the Tree Board. Councilor Krueger seconded. After brief further discussion, the motion carried unanimously at 7:13. 18-121. Councilors heard from Dan Jones and Stephen Whitaker regarding their candidacies for the Central Vermont Internet Board. After discussion, Councilor Bate moved the Council enter executive session as per Title 313. Councilor Krueger seconded and the motion carried unanimously at 7:23. At 7:29, Councilor Krueger moved the Council return to open session. Councilor McCullough seconded and the motion carried unanimously. Councilor Bate moved the Council appoint Dan Jones as the primary representative and Stephen Whitaker as the alternate to the Central Vermont Internet Board. Councilor Casey seconded, and the motion carried unanimously. After a brief discussion, Councilor Krueger then moved to set the terms for appointments to the Central Vermont Internet Board to be 1 year. Councilor Hutcheson seconded and the motion carried unanimously. 18-122. Montpelier Alive Board Member Nate Housman gave an update on Green Up Day. There was brief discussion and no formal action was taken. The Mayor called a recess at 7:25. The meeting was reconvened at 7:30. 18-124. The City Clerk opened a discussion on the city business license ordinances. No formal  action was taken. 18-123. Police Chief Tony Facos offered a presentation on the current status of the Police Department and law enforcement in the city. Discussion followed. No formal action taken. 18-125. A discussion of a potential Social/Economic Equality Committee was opened. Councilor Krueger moved to direct the City manager to further examine unintended areas of inequity within city businesses and report at a later date. Councilor bate seconded and the motion carried unanimously at 8:57. 18-126. The Council entered into a discussion of Committee Appointments. Finance Director Todd Provencher and Police Chief Facos participated. Assignments were made informally through discussion. No formal action was taken. 18-128. Council McCullough voiced his appreciation and enthusiasm for his appointment. Councilor Bate apologized for any confusion that resulted from her comments at the previous meeting before noting that it was National Dispatcher Week. Councilor Casey gave an update on the sister city project. Councilor Hutcheson welcomed Councilor McCullough and expressed appreciation to the other candidates for the District 2 appointment. He also noted that he was continuing his Thursday community discussions at the Open Hands Café and encouraged participation. 18-129. The Mayor welcomed Councilor McCullough and reported on the Investment Committee meeting. 18-130. The City Clerk gave a charter change update, noted the time of the meeting on non- citizen voting, and updated the Council on his activities. 18-131. The City Manager briefly discussed the public works tour scheduling and noted the coming TIF conversations. Without objection, the meeting was adjourned by the Mayor at 9:55 by unanimous consent.