City Council

Winooski City Council Meeting Monday, February 3, 2020 6:05 PM Claire Burke Council Chambers 27 West Allen Street Winooski, VT 05404 Mayor Kristine Lott - klott@winooskivt.gov Councilor Hal Colston - hcolston@winooskivt.gov Councilor Jim Duncan - jduncan@winooskivt.gov Councilor Amy Lafayette - alafayette@winooskivt.gov Councilor Mike Myers - mmyers@winooskivt.gov Jessie Baker, City Manager - jbaker@winooskivt.gov I. Call to Order II. Pledge of Allegiance III. Agenda Review IV. Public Comment V. Consent Agenda a. Approval: City Council Minutes of 1/27/2020 b. Approval: Payroll Warrant 1/12/2020 to 1/25/2020 and Warrant ending 1/30/2020 VI. Council Reports VII. City Updates VIII. Regular Items a. Discussion: FY20 Quarter 2 Treasurer’s Report – A Anastasi-Hill b. Approval: FY21 Funds Budget – Winooski Community Development – H Carrington c. Discussion: Transportation Climate Initiative – K Lott XI. Adjourn Minutes The Mayor called the meeting to order at 6:05 pm. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Deputy Mayor Colston. Members Present Mayor Kristine Lott Councilors: Amy Lafayette, Mike Myers, Hal Colston, Jim Duncan  Officers Present Jessie Baker, City Manager; Angel Lane, Assistant City Clerk; Angela Aldieri, Finance Director; Heather Carrington, Community and Economic Development Officer; Alex Anastasi-Hill, City Treasurer Others Present Matt Francis, Steven Berbeco III. Agenda Review City Manager Jessie Baker asked that the Finance Commission appointments be added to tonight’s agenda. The documents regarding the appointments had been sent to the Council last Friday. This item will be added as item (a.) under Regular Items. MOTION by Councilor Myers seconded by Councilor Duncan to add Finance Commission Appointments to tonight’s agenda as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. IV. Public Comment – None V. Consent Agenda MOTION by Councilor Lafayette seconded by Councilor Myers to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. VI. Council Reports Councilor Myers stated that he is finishing his first term as City Councilor and that he is seeking a second term. He has submitted his petition and looks forward to the possibility of serving the City again in this capacity. He stated that it has been privilege to serve Winooski. Councilor Lafayette wanted to remind the Council that the evaluations are due by this Friday. She appreciates everyone working to get them in on time. Mayor Lott stated that she and the City Manager were on Channel 17 this week filming ‘Town Meeting Day TV’. She also participated in the interviews for the Finance Commission. She also along with Ray Coffey met with some High School students interested in the new Winooski pool. The special program celebrating the history of the Winooski Methodist Church was also attended. It was a very informative time celebrating the rich past of this church which now is listed as a historic building nationally. Councilor Colston also attended the event at the Methodist Church. He was very impressed by the rich history. The program was very well done. He has also submitted his petition for re- election to the Council and is much honored to serve and hopes to continue this service. Councilor Duncan was able to attend the Housing Commission meeting this past week. He applauded the work done with the Rental Registry survey and the valuable information provided from this survey. VII. City Updates  Town Meeting Day o No contested elections o Champlain Water District bond vote - $3.5M for improvements in Essex and Colchester o February 19th – Community Dinner at 5:30 o February 20th – WHA presentation at 10:00 am o March 2nd – Public Presentation at WSD  Wayfinding public meeting – Next Monday at 6:00 here  Parks & Open Space Master Plan Public meeting – 2/11 at 6:30 here  New Hires o Liz Visakay was sworn in as our newest Police Officer on Friday. Today she started at the Police Academy. We look forward to welcoming her back to Winooski in May. o Phoebe Townsend starts tomorrow as our new Human Resources Manager  Phoebe and I will be attending the WSD Opportunities Fair next Wednesday to see how we can interest students in careers in municipal government  Programming o Senior Center International Lunch: This Friday, February 7 at noon join the Winooski School District and Winooski Senior Center for our Annual International Lunch. Come enjoy traditional cuisine prepared by students from Winooski Middle/High School, and a range of traditional art and music performed by students. This event is not to be missed! o Movie Nights: Winooski Recreation & Parks are excited to bring you Movie Nights - perfect for the whole family! Enjoy a free movie with your friends and neighbors at the Winooski Senior Center (123 Barlow Street). Free popcorn or purchase items from the snack bar.  Friday, February 7, 2020 / 6 - 8 PM  Friday, March 6, 2020 / 6 - 8 PM o Thrive February Vacation Camp: Registration for Thrive February Vacation Camp is open and we still have a few spots left! Thrive's full-day February Vacation Camp provides a safe and enriching environment for children in grades K-5 during the time off from school. This year’s camp will be Tropical Beach themed, so we will enjoy games, crafts, and science experiments designed to help us forget about the cold weather! Visit the City's website to sign up today! o Mister Chris at the Winooski Memorial Library: Vermont PBS celebrity and children’s entertainer Chris Dorman, aka Mister Chris, will be performing a solo acoustic set at the Winooski Memorial Library. Wednesday, February 12, 2020 12 PM @ the Winooski Memorial Library (32 Mallets Bay Ave.) This event is free and open to all - everyone is welcome, including grownups VIII. Regular Items a. Approval: Finance Commission Appointment – K Lott, J Baker, A Aldieri On July 15,2019 the Council approved the Charter document for the Winooski Finance Commission. In September, four members were appointed to the Finance Commission. Since that time, staff re-advertised for membership. Mayor Lott, Finance Director Aldieri and the City Manager interviewed all the candidates who applied and responded. The following slate of candidates are being recommended for appointment. Commission Members Term Expiration  Steven Berbeco June 2021  George Cross/Alternate June 2020  Matthew Francis/Alternate June 2021 Mayor Lott expressed how impressed she was with all the candidates. Matt Francis took a moment to introduce himself. He stated that he is very excited about this opportunity. Steven Berbeco also introduced himself. He told us how they chose Winooski as their new home. The fact that Winooski values connections was the main factor in making Winooski their new home. He is much honored to be able to serve. Councilor Myers thanked them for being willing to serve Winooski. MOTION by Councilor Duncan seconded by Councilor Colston to appoint the candidates to the Finance Commission as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. b. Discussion: FY20 Quarter 2 Treasurer’s Report – Anastasi-Hill City Treasurer Anastasi-Hill presented the Council with the FY20 Quarter 2 Treasurer’s Report. He reviewed the report and inquired if there were any questions from Council. He stated that the City is operating within financial expectation and with a low level of risk and that they report overall is good. Some discussion ensued.  c. Approval: FY21 Funds Budget – Winooski Community Development – H Carrington On December 2, 2019, the City Manager presented an overview of the FY21 proposed budget. The City Council approved the FY21 budget on January 27, 2020. The complete budget book is available at the following link https://www.winooskivt.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2594/FY21-Proposed Staff is requesting approval of the Community Development FY21 budget in the amount of $200,000. Some discussion ensued. MOTION by Councilor Myers seconded by Councilor Lafayette to approve the FY21 Community Development Budget in the amount of $200,000 as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. d. Discussion: Transportation Climate Initiative – K Lott The Vermont Legislature is considering several new approaches to addressing climate change. The public comment period closes on February 28, 2020. Given this opportunity for public comment, the Mayor recommends making an official public comment that speaks to both the TCI and other climate and transportation related bills under consideration in the State House. The following websites offer information on the proposed program. To learn more visit https://www.transportationandclimate.org and https://anr.vermont.gov A drafted resolution was presented and discussed. A revised version will be brought to the next Council meeting for approval. XI. Adjourn MOTION to adjourn by Councilor Myers seconded by Councilor Duncan at 6:42 pm. Voted and passed 4-0. ATTEST:_______________________________________________ Assistant City Clerk