City Council

27 WEST ALLEN STREET WINOOSKI, VERMONT 05404 (802) 655-6410 CITY OF WINOOSKI (802) 655-6414 (fax) JESSIE BAKER CITY MANAGER MAYOR SETH LEONARD DEPUTY MAYOR BRIAN CORRIGAN mayor@winooskivt.org CITY COUNCIL COUNCILOR NICOLE MACE COUNCILOR ERIC COVEY COUNCILOR BRIAN SWEENEY Agenda Monday December 18, 2017 6:00 p.m. Claire Burke Council Chambers I. Call to Order II. Pledge of Allegiance III. Agenda Review IV. Public Comment V. Consent Agenda a. Approval: City Council Minutes of December 4, 2017 b. Approval: Payroll Warrant as of 11/19-12/2/17, Accounts Payable Warrant as of 12/15/17, and Subsequent to Payout Warrant for October VI. City Update VII. Council Reports VIII. Regular Items a. Approval: Community Services Commission Appointment: Mary Hussmann – R. Coffey b. Approval: Community Services Commission Appointment: Courtney Blasius – R. Coffey c. Discussion: Winooski Valley Parks District Budget Presentation – R. Coffey d. Discussion: Resolution for the Formation of a Union Municipal District to be known as the Chittenden County Public Safety Authority – J. Baker e. Discussion: Promise Communities and Childcare Capacity Expansion Update – R. Coffey f. Discussion: FY19 Budget: General Government Budget Presentation and Use of Reserves Overview – J. Baker g. Approval: Small Business Loan Program Committee Structure – H. Carrington h. Discussion: Proposed Change to Personnel Policy Manual Article 2 and Article 5 (Fair Labor Standards Act Compliance) J. Hulburd i. Discussion: Goal Update: Municipal Infrastructure – J. Baker j. Approval: Governor’s Highway Safety Program – Equipment Grant – D. Kendrew IX. Adjourn MINUTES The meeting was called to order by the Deputy Mayor at 6:00pm. The meeting began with a moment of silence in honor of Sergeant Michael Cram and his service to the Winooski Minutes of December 18, 2017 Winooski City Council Page 1 of 5 www.winooskivt.org community. Sergeant Cram passed away on December 17th. This was followed by the pledge of allegiance led by Deputy Mayor Brian Corrigan. Members Present: Mayor Seth Leonard Councilors: Brian Corrigan, Eric Covey, Nicole Mace, Brian Sweeney Officers Present: Jessie Baker, City Manager; Angela Aldieri, Assistant City Clerk; Heather Carrington, Community and Economic Development Director; Ray Coffey, Community Services Director; Derrick Kendrew, Sergeant; Julie Hulburd, Human Resources Manager; Kirstie Paschall, Children & Families Director; Others Present: Maura O’Neill, WCP; Erin Dupuis; Nick Warner, WVPD; Mary Hussmann; Courtney Blasius; Aphaia Lambert-Harper; III. Agenda Review Mayor Leonard stated that item j. Approval of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program Grant would be moved to first on the agenda in light of the attendance of Sergeant Kendrew. IV. Public Comment Mayor Leonard gave the opportunity for members of the public to address the Council on any item not appearing on the current agenda. There was no public comment made. V. Consent Agenda MOTION by Councilor Covey, seconded by Deputy Mayor Corrigan to approve the consent agenda as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. VI. City Update Ms. Baker stated that the preliminary engineering work is underway for the pool with survey work completed the week of November 27th. They will be moving forward with drilling work tomorrow and Wednesday. There was a good kick off meeting for the project and staff has met with the pool committee regarding fundraising. Anyone interested in getting involved in the fundraising is encouraged to reach out to Mayor and Council. Basic plans are expected before the new year. The Main Street revitalization project preferred alternatives meeting will be held on January 10th at 6:30pm. This will be a joint meeting between the Planning and Public Works Commissions. The City has set up an intranet for human resources and internal customer services. January 15th will be the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. There are several opportunities for service including building a little free library, revamping the Winooski Food Shelf, making greeting cards for military veterans, and preparing a community meal. The day will end with a Minutes of December 18, 2017 Winooski City Council Page 2 of 5 www.winooskivt.org community meal at the Winooski Senior center. Those interested are encouraged to register in advance through the City website or Facebook page. There are two positions in the Winooski Fire Department currently posted internally for a fire fighter and a lieutenant. The process for hiring a Public Works Director has been moving forward with an announcement to be made by the end of the year. VII. Council Reports Councilor Mace stated that she and the Mayor continue to work on the Treasurer job description and met today with the City Manager and Staff Accountant. She anticipates coming to Council in January with the next steps for the process. Deputy Mayor Corrigan stated that the Public Works Commission has been conducting the foundational work for the Main Street Revitalization and Pool including discussion regarding taxation related to the projects. Councilor Leonard stated that the Planning and Housing Commissions had a good meeting. Ms. Carrington stated that rental recommendations were discussed and they anticipate targets to come back to Council by January 22nd. Mayor Leonard went on to announce a pending vacancy on the Housing Authority Board. He encouraged anyone interested in serving on the board to get in touch. He reiterated Councilor Maces comments regarding bringing a work plan for the treasurer position in mid-January. The civil suit regarding the F-35’s was dismissed from the second court of appeals. Mayor Leonard stated that he met with representatives for Burlington and South Burlington that will continue monthly to discuss proposals on airport governance. Councilor Sweeney announced that the winter community services brochure has been printed. Councilor Covey stated that the Public Safety Commission completed a deep dive on the budget proposal and it was warmly received. It is likely that members of the commission will attend the Council budget presentation. The Commission is also collaborating with the Chief in creating a policing survey for the community to give feedback regarding interactions they’ve had with officers. VIII. Regular Items j. Approval: Governor’s Highway Safety Program – Equipment Grant – D. Kendrew Ms. Baker stated that this grant is awarded for participation in occupant protection and DUI checkpoints. Sergeant Kendrew noted that the funds must be used for equipment that is related to traffic enforcement. There is no equipment specifically targeted for purchase using these funds at this time. MOTION by Councilor Covey, seconded by Deputy Mayor Corrigan to approve the Governor’s Highway Safety Program Equipment Grant as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. a. Approval: Community Services Commission Appointment: Mary Hussmann – R. Coffey Mr. Coffey stated that he has met with Ms. Hussmann and is recommending her appointment as an alternate for the commission. He noted that there is still a vacant alternate seat for the Community Services Commission as well. Ms. Hussmann introduced herself and outlined her interest in the community and the work of the commission. Minutes of December 18, 2017 Winooski City Council Page 3 of 5 www.winooskivt.org MOTION by Deputy Mayor Corrigan, seconded by Councilor Sweeney to approve appointment of Mary Hussmann as the alternate on the Community Services Commission as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. b. Approval: Community Services Commission Appointment: Courtney Blasius – R. Coffey Mr. Coffey stated that he had previously met Ms. Blasius when she served as an intern at Essex CHIPS. He noted that she brings a new perspective to the table and would be filling the vacant seat on the board through June 2018. MOTION by Councilor Mace, seconded by Councilor Sweeney to approve appointment of Courtney Blasius as a member of the Community Services Commission as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. c. Discussion: Winooski Valley Parks District Budget Presentation – R. Coffey Mr. Coffey introduced Nick Warner from the Winooski Valley Parks District (WVPD) and Erin Dupuis, the City representative at the WVPD board. He stated that this is one of the biggest partners for Community Services and serves as a resource for coordinating events, park walks, and trail building. Mr. Warner gave an overview of the WVPD organization, what they do, and the properties they are responsible for managing. The events in Winooski such as the Pedal Paddle event were highlighted. He then went over the proposed request for funding in fiscal year 2019 and how the figure was determined. Discussion regarding regionalization and the prioritization of work for the WVPD followed. d. Discussion: Resolution for the Formation of a Union Municipal District to be known as the Chittenden County Public Safety Authority – J. Baker Ms. Baker stated that the documents presented were the result of the joint survey commission work. The agreement to form a union municipal district was reviewed by the Attorney General and approved. The proposed resolution and sample ballot language are being presented to Council for consideration before Town Meeting in March to be included on the ballot. The intent is to create one regional organization for dispatch services with a goal of better service and back up support for dispatch staff. Internal meetings with police, fire, and dispatch staff have been held. They had good questions, had some anxiety, but were interested in moving forward. e. Discussion: Promise Communities and Childcare Capacity Expansion Update – R. Coffey Mr. Coffey stated that this is an update on the work being done and table setting for future decision points. He stated that an RFP for an operating in the O’Brien Community Center space had generated three letters of intent and one full application. The full application was not considered viable due to the lack of experience from the applicant. He outlined that the paths being explored for the future include courting an operator, fitting up the space and having a municipal childcare center or sending the funding back to the State. Discussion regarding goals for childcare, the challenges with the business model, and the reasons why operators did not respond to the RFP followed. Some members of Council did not express support for municipally run childcare. Discussion regarding partnerships with local businesses, connections with other recipients of the Promise grant, and partnership with the school followed. f. Discussion: FY19 General Government Budget Presentation & Use of Reserves Overview – J. Baker Ms. Baker stated that she would present an overview of the general government portions of the budget and address questions regarding where the fiscal year 2019 budget intends to use reserves. She went on to state that the general government budget includes the City Manager, Council, legal, administration, the City Clerk, human resources, planning and zoning, community and economic development, parking, and the Tax Increment Financing district. She went on to review the fiscal year 2018 accomplishments toward strategic goals and outline the goals to be accomplished in fiscal year 2019. The list of additions and reductions to the budget to achieve both level tax rate and the leadership proposal were reviewed. Discussion regarding the transfer or reduction of positions followed regarding impact to service and other Minutes of December 18, 2017 Winooski City Council Page 4 of 5 www.winooskivt.org staff. Questions were raised about items presented as budget reductions that resulted in level funding from fiscal year 2018 into 2019 and if those could be specifically highlighted in future presentations. Additional discussion regarding the proposed pension administration change and the impact to staff followed. Detailed review of the Community Development and TIF budgets occurred highlighting the need to reduce the payment on debt in order to meet our debt covenant obligations. Ms. Baker noted the need for additional development in the TIF to prevent future issues in this fund and with repayment of debts. Council requested an update at a future meeting regarding TIF development. Discussion regarding the use of reserves to pay for operating costs followed. The next budget presentation will occur on January 2nd for the Community Services department. Ms. Baker asked if Council had suggestions for how to communicate the budget to let staff know. g. Approval: Small Business Loan Program Committee Structure – H. Carrington Ms. Carrington stated that Council had approved a charter for this committee in April. Since then there have been only two applicants, one who withdrew and another who did not attend their interview. The proposal before Council tonight is a hybrid model that has a committee of three staff members and two community members and two alternate seats for community members. The community and economic development director would hold a non-voting seat on the committee in order to maintain relationships with businesses. Most of the discussions of this body would occur in executive session to insulate confidential and private information from exposure. Meetings would be warned and decisions made in open session. There are two applications in hand for community members of the committee and this could be ready in January to begin work if approved by Council. MOTION by Deputy Mayor Corrigan, seconded by Councilor Covey to approve the Small Business Loan Program Committee Structure as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. h. Discussion: Proposed Change to Personnel Policy Manual Article 2 and Article 5 (Fair Labor Standards Act Compliance) J. Hulburd Ms. Hulburd stated this is a recommended change to policy to comply with law and allow flexibility within FLSA standards for emergency personnel. This currently impacts one staff person and would allow them to flex their time in a pay period. There are potential impacts for other police or fire staff. The supervisor would have to authorize the flexing of time. This has been discussed with impacted staff and posted for comment. This will be brought to the next meeting for approval. i. Discussion: Goal Update: Municipal Infrastructure – J. Baker Ms. Baker stated that many of the strategic goals surrounding municipal infrastructure are progressing slower than expected as highlighted in yellow due to the absence of a Public Works Director. Operations are going smoothly, but bigger picture items have suffered. Ms. Baker reviewed the upcoming projects that further municipal infrastructure strategic goals including the Main Street Revitalization and updated CIP. Coming to Council in the next month will be a wastewater headworks project update and bond request. Mayor Leonard expressed that these goal updates are important and valuable to show the continued progress toward goals in many areas that was previously lacking. IX. Adjourn MOTION by Deputy Mayor Corrigan, seconded by Councilor Mace to adjourn the City Council meeting at 8:21pm. Voted and passed 4-0. ATTEST: ___________________________ Assistant City Clerk Minutes of December 18, 2017 Winooski City Council Page 5 of 5 www.winooskivt.org