Board of Civil Authority / Board of Abatement

Remote Board of Civil Authority Meeting Wednesday, January 27, 2021, at 6 PM Attend online: https://zoom.us/j/95788746296 Attend by phone: 1 646 558 8656 Webinar ID: 957 8874 6296 WE NEED A QUORUM FOR THIS MEETING I. Call to Order II. Regular Items a. Request: Abatement of Taxes  Susan Menard – 60 Winooski Falls Way Unit #1416 is requesting an Abatement of Taxes due to ACT174 b. Request: Abatement of Taxes  Joan Hejnar – 60 Winooski Falls Way Unit #1415 is requesting an Abatement of Taxes due to ACT174 c. Request: Abatement of Taxes  Shelly Gagnon – 60 Winooski Falls Way Unit #1216 is requesting an Abatement of Taxes due to ACT174 d. Discussion/Approval: Abatement of Taxes for the following businesses.  Chawna Cota Designs, LLC – PP332 – business terminated  Rich Frog Industries – PP116-9 business terminated  Was Here Consulting Inc. – PP402 business terminated  New Breed Marketing – PP057-9 moved out of Winooski III. Adjourn Chairperson Picard called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Members Present: Katherine Picard, Michael O’Brien, Sally Tipson, Karen O’Hagan, Jay Lambert, Austin Davis, Hal Colston, Michael Myers, James Duncan, Susan O’Brien, Carol Barrett, City Clerk Others Present: Janet Brouard, Sr. Asst. City Clerk; Jessie Baker, City Manager, Angela Aldieri, Finance Director; Paul Sarne, Communications Director; Ted Nelson, City Assessor. a. Request: Abatement of Taxes  Susan Menard – 60 Winooski Falls Way Unit #1416 Chair Picard said the City Clerk received an email from Susan Menard stating to withdraw her request for her abatement. b. Request: Abatement of Taxes  Joan Hejnar – 60 Winooski Falls Way Unit #1415 Chair Picard said the City Clerk also received an email from Joan Hejnar stating to withdraw her request for her abatement. c. Request: Abatement of Taxes  Shelly Gagnon – 60 Winooski Falls Way Unit #1216 Chair Picard said Shelly Gagnon is asking for an abatement for 60 Winooski Falls Way #1216 due to ACT 174. She also stated that we received information from Ted Nelson, City Assessor suggesting that we deny the application for abatement. Mr. Nelson said the Legislature in 2015 adopted a law that said covenant restricted properties are supposed to be assessed at 60% to 70% of the market value. We received a list from the State of Vermont Tax Dept. That year it had 41 properties listed and none of them were from the Cascades. We applied a 30% reduction in value that was a change in definition of market value, that the ACT that they mentioned is Title 32 §3481 (c). Chair Picard said in 2015 when they received their taxes; this person did not request and abatement at that point. Mr. Nelson said they did not grieve that year or any year after that. MOTION by Mr. O’Brien seconded by Ms. O’Hagan to reject the request for abatement from Shelly Gagnon, 60 Winooski Falls Way #1216 as presented. Voted and passed unanimously. d. Discussion/Approval: Abatement of Taxes for the following businesses. Chair Picard said we have a list of four abatements three of them being terminated and the other moved out of Winooski. She asked the board if they want to do individual or as a group. There was some discussion concerning Rich Frog. Mr. O’Brien said do them as a group. Mr. Myers questioned the amount and what legal right do we have to get this money. This is services rendered that the City provided. Chair Picard said this is a personal property tax. Mr. O’Brien said let us take these individually. Chawna Cota Designs MOTION by Mr. O’Brien seconded by Mr. Myers to accept the Clerk’s recommendation to abate the taxes of Chawna Cota Designs in the amount of $11.28 as presented. Voted and passed unanimously. Was Here Consulting Inc. MOTION by Mr. O’Brien seconded by Mr. Colston to accept the Clerk’s recommendation to abate the taxes of Was Here Consulting, Inc. in the amount of $528.34 as presented. There was some discussion concerning whether we should put a tax lien on the property. Mr. O’Brien said the problem is what it would cost to do this. Voted and passed unanimously. New Breed Marketing There was some discussion concerning when businesses move out of Winooski. Mr. O’Brien said every couple of years we abate these kind of taxes. Mr. Colston said this is the cost of doing business. You plan a certain percentage because people up and leave. Ms. Aldieri said that New Breed Marketing is still in business and has relocated to Lakeside Ave., Burlington. Mr. O’Brien asked when New Breed Marketing moved out. If they moved out in the middle of the tax year, why would they be subject to this personal property tax? If they were here for the whole tax year, that is a different story. Mr. Duncan said the good faith effort was made and to me this is the clearest one to approve. MOTION by Ms. O’Hagan seconded by Mr. Duncan to abate the third and fourth instalment of taxes pertaining to New Breed Marketing in the amount of $103.39 as presented. Voted and passed unanimously. Rich Frog Industries Ms. Aldieri said she was able to find that the business Rich Frog, Industries was registered at 1 Tigan St. now operating out of 1 Mill St., Suite 226, Burlington under the name “It’s Messy Inc.” with a Tradename of Rich Frog. She said the owners are VanRykovorsels and oddly, it list their business address as the Cascades Unit. The City Clerk said we could send out a new bill to them to their business as well as in c/o VanRykovorsels and send it to the Cascades and to their new place of business. MOTION by Mr. Myers seconded by Ms. O’Hagan to send a bill to their current business and to the Cascades as presented. Voted and passed unanimously. MOTION by Mr. Myers seconded by Mr. Colston to adjourn the Board of Abatement meeting at 6:30 p.m. Voted and passed unanimously. ATTEST: ______________________ City Clerk