City Council

Winooski City Council Meeting Tuesday, February 18, 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: Winooski Community Dev Trust Board and City Council Minutes of 2/3/2020 b. Approval: Payroll Warrant 1/26/2020 to 2/8/2020 and Warrant ending 2/13/2020 VI. Council Reports VII. City Updates VIII. Regular Items a. Introduction: Phoebe Townsend, Human Resources Manager – J Baker b. Approval: Resolution: Transportation Climate Initiative – K Lott c. Approval: Letter of Support for the Vermont Planners Association Plan of the Year Award – E Vorwald d. Approval: Act 250 Amendment – Vermont Public Television – E Vorwald e. Introduction: Unified Land Use and Development Regulations Amendment – Parking Waiver – E Vorwald f. Introduction: Chapter 21 - Sewer Ordinance and Industrial Wastewater Review– J Rauscher g. Discussion/Approval: Resolution: Community Services Fees including Myers Memorial Pool Fees – R Coffey h. Discussion/Approval: Resolution: Thrive Program Fees– R Coffey i. Discussion: Goal Update: Economic Vitality – H Carrington j. Approval: Grant Approval: Downtown Transportation Fund for Wayfinding- H Carrington IX. Executive Session a. City Manager – Annual Review discussion to take place in Executive Session per 1 V.S.A. §313 (a) (3). X. Adjourn  MINUTES The Mayor called the meeting to order at 6:05 pm. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Councilor Duncan. Members Present: Mayor Kristine Lott Council Members: Amy Lafayette, Mike Myers, Jim Duncan. Councilor Colston was absent. Officers Present: Jessie Baker, City Manager; Janet Brouard, Sr Asst City Clerk; Angela Aldieri, Finance Director; Heather Carrington, Economic Development Director; Eric Vorwald, Planning/Zoning Director; Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director; Phoebe Townsend, Human Resources Manager; Ray Coffey, Community Services Director Others Present: Mike Stewart and Peter Moorman, VSAC; Kelley DesRoches, Wayman Lamphere Architects; Mike Smith, Weston Sampson. III. Agenda Review – None 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 3-0. VI. Council Reports Councilor Myers stated that he attended the Burlington International Airport Master Plan Regional Advisory Meeting last week. He said it was a very informative meeting. If anyone wants to read up on it, you can find it on their website, BTVmasterplan.com Councilor Lafayette attended the Safe, Healthy Connected People Commission meeting last Tuesday. The majority of the meeting was a Public Hearing to discuss the park systems and to get feedback. It was a great turn out, about 40-50 people attended. Omnes did a great job walking through the various proposals showing renderings of what could be possible. They also stayed to have some one-on-one time with people at the end of the meeting to get feedback. They are still looking for people to take the survey and you can access it on the City’s website. She also attended the International lunch at the Senior Center on Friday. She said they had a lot of great food and dance. She highly recommends all to check it out next year. Mayor Lott attended the Finance Commission meeting. She’s excited to finally have full membership. They did a deep dive into the City’s debt, to include the TIF District. The Planning Commission met as well, had a public hearing on potential amendment on parking regulations, more on that later in the meeting. She also attended Local Government Day. The VCLT sets this up to allow Cities and Towns to sit in on Legislative Committees to hearing what’s on their agendas. She said there was a lot going on that day from Energy & Climate policy, Local Options Tax and the PILOT program to test out giving more control to local municipalities. She has also been in contact with the new commander with the Air National Guard, He is scheduled to attend the March 16th meeting to give an update on the arrival of the additional jets. Councilor Duncan attended the Charter Commission last week. They finalized their facts sheets that provided answers to frequently asked question to language they are considering toward the potential charter change for all residents voting. That is all ready to go now and the are moving towards outreach. Look forward to more informational meetings coming in the near future. The next meeting is February 25th at 5:30 pm. VII. City Updates • Town Meeting Day o February 19th – Community Dinner at 5:30 o February 20th – WHA presentation at 10:00 am o March 2nd – Public Presentation at WSD o Annual Reports now available on-line, at City Hall, the Library and the Senior Center • Reminder that absentee ballots are available. o We currently have sent out 106 and are on track to break recent records: o 2019 – 140 absentees o 2016 - 141 absentees Presidential Preference Primary • We won the Working Communities Challenge Planning Grant. A group of us participated in the first call last week and are meeting as a team tomorrow to discuss the next steps. Over the next three months, we will attend three all day workshops that will lead to the writing of our implementation grant ($300,000 over three years.) This will be submitted in June. • On Friday we released the RFP for a consultant to conduct a Historic Resource Inventory and Recommended a Preservation Bylaw. This is funded through a Municipal Planning Grant. Proposals are due March 13th. • Special Council Meeting – March 9th • Programming o Thrive February and April Vacation Camp: Registration for Thrive February and April Vacation Camps is open and we still have a few spots left for February! Thrives full-day Vacation Camp provides a safe and enriching environment for children in grades K-5 during the time off from  school. This year’s February camp will be Tropical Beach themed, so we will enjoy games, crafts, and science experiments designed to help us forget about the cold weather! April's camp will be Safari themed. Visit the City's website to sign up today! o Thrive Summer Program Registration is Open: Our summer camp program is designed to engage youth participants in outdoor exploration, STEM activities, trips to the pool, and fun in the sun. Subsidy available for qualifying families, and additional scholarships available if needed. Week specific adventures! o Spring Family Mixer: meet other families in the community and connect over crafts, games, and fun for all ages. We'll have engaging activities and icebreakers as well as light refreshments! March 25 from 6 - 8 PM @ the Winooski Senior Center o Other Programming: ▪ 802 Reptiles at the Winooski Library: February 28, 2020 from 3 - 4 PM @ The Winooski Memorial Library ▪ Harmonica: Tuesdays / April 21 - May 12 from 6:45 - 7:45 PM @ the O'Brien Community Center ▪ Ukulele 101 and 102 coming up later in the Spring: Four-week Level 1 classes are for folks who have never played the ukulele or who want a refresher of the basics. ▪ Movie Nights: Friday, March 6, 2020 / 6 - 8 PM at the OCC VIII. Regular Items a. Introduction: Phoebe Townsend, Human Resources Manager The City Manager said she is pleased to introduce our new Human Resources Manager, Phoebe Townsend. Phoebe formally worked at Echo, in Burlington and prior to that is from Hunger Mountain Co-op. She brings a lot of experience to the City and will made a great addition to our team. The Mayor asked Phoebe to tell a bit about herself and welcomed her aboard. b. Approval: Resolution: Transportation Climate Initiative The Mayor said at the last Council meeting, we discussed a resolution in support of a state framework to address climate change in alignment with multiple goals in our Master Plan, particularly surrounding transportation. She felt there was a need to revise the draft resolution to make an explicit statement of support for the TCI. Discussion ensued on the pros and cons of supporting this effort. MOTION by Councilor Duncan seconded by Councilor Lafayette to approve the Resolution: Transportation Climate Initiative as presented. Voted and passed 3-0. c. Approval: Letter of Support for the Vermont Planners Association Plan of the Year Award Mr. Vorwald said each year the Vermont Planners Association recognizes the planning efforts for municipalities and planners throughout the state. He is pleased to announce that the City of Winooski is submitting a nomination in the category of “Plan of the Year”. This award would recognize the dedication and hard work put in to completing the first extensive update to the City’s Master Plan in 15 years. If the City is awarded this honor, we will be recognized by the Northern New England Chapter of the American Planning Association at their annual conference to be held this year in Burlington later this fall. What a great honor this will be for Winooski. He said he is hoping that the Mayor will accept and sign a Letter of Support to submit this nomination. The Mayor said without doubt she will sign the letter. MOTION by Councilor Duncan seconded by Councilor Myers to approve the Letter of Support for the Vermont Planners Association Plan of the Year Award submission as presented. Voted and passed 3- 0. d. Approval: Act 250 Amendment – Vermont Public Television – E Vorwald Mr. Vorwald introduced Kelley DesRoches of Wayman Lamphere Architects. He said Kelley is here tonight to answer any questions you may have on the installation of signage proposed for the VSAC building. Any changes in the Downtown core require the Act 250 permit to be amended. Since the City was a co-applicant to the original application, all amendments require review and approval by the City Council. Mr. Vorwald said the proposed signs are consistent with the City’s Unified Land Use and Development Regulations. Ms. DesRoches walked the Council through the proposed additions and changes to the current VSAC building. She said the main changes are lighting over the new directory sign panels near the front entrance, painting the VSAC letters to make them more visible and placing the Vermont PBS sign on the corner of the building. MOTION by Councilor Myers seconded by Councilor Duncan to authorize the City Manager to sign the Act 250 Amendment application as presented. Voted and passed 3-0. e. Introduction: Unified Land Use and Development Regulations Amendment – Parking Waiver Mr. Vorwald said the Planning Commission has been reviewing possible amendments to the Unified Land Use and Development Regulations. One item that has been under review is parking. Currently there is no way to establish parking minimums for uses that are not listed in the regulations. Mr. Vorwald said by including an option for a parking waiver would allow an applicant to go forward to the Development Review Board to request a minimum number of required spaces, or to request additional relief. He said in order to consider this waiver a public hearing would be required. The Development Review Board held a public hearing on February 13 th on their draft language. Mr. Vorwald said the draft language was given to the City’s attorney for legal review. Discussion ensued by the Council on whether this would help future developers or deter them from doing business here if not amended. After a lengthy discussion, The Mayor asked Mr. Vorwald when he thought would be a good date to have a public hearing on this topic. He said they would be ready for the next meeting on March 16th. MOTION by Councilor Myers seconded by Councilor Lafayette to have a Public Hearing on the Unified Land Use and Development Regulations Amendment – Parking Waiver on March 16th as presented. Voted and passed 3-0. f. Introduction: Chapter 21 – Sewer Ordinance and Industrial Wastewater Review Mr. Rauscher said the purpose here is to revise our current Chapter 21 Sewer Ordinance and review our Industrial Wastewater language. The updated language will better regulate and clearly define its uses. Mr. Rauscher introduced Mike Smith from Weston Sampson. He said Mr. Smith has been instrumental in outlining areas of improvement in our current regulations. Mr. Smith walked through a PowerPoint presentation on “what is industrial wastewater?” and “why is it important?”. He said he has been doing this for over 32 years. He said we need to make this a management tool, we need to make the process transparent, while educating the users to the new way of doing business., Since this is an ordinance change, it will require a public hearing. Mayor Lott suggested that we not come back on March 16, due to fact that we will already have a Public Hearing on that night for Parking Waiver. She thought April 6th would be better. Mr. Rauscher didn’t see that as being a problem. It was also suggested to invite Four Quarters Brewery, one of Winooski’s largest users of the Wastewater system, to the Public Hearing. MOTION by Councilor Duncan seconded by Councilor Myers to set the Public Hearing for the April 6 meeting on Chapter 21 – Sewer Ordinance and Industrial Wastewater Review as presented. Voted and passed. g. Discussion/Approval: Resolution: Community Services Fees including Myers Memorial Pool Fees Mr. Coffey came forward to present a Resolution establishing Community Services program fees. Mr. Coffey said that this resolution serves to establish fee for anticipated programs within the Community Services Department which are not already established on Chapter 28 of the City Ordinances. He also stated that this includes fees for the Myers Memorial Pool. There was some discussion from the Council on how the fees were determined. Mr. Coffey said he took a poll from various other communities. He believes we are very consistent with others. MOTION by Councilor Myers seconded by Councilor Lafayette to approve the Resolution for Community Services Fees including Myers Memorial Pool as presented. Voted and passed 3-0. h. Discussion/Approval: Resolution: Thrive Program Fees Mr. Coffey said this is along the same lines as for the pool fees. Annually the City Council establishes the rates pursuant to Chapter 28. Any changes must be approved by Council through a resolution. Mr. Coffey said staff recommends these fee increases to align with the State subsidy “base rate” and to make fees equitable across the board for Afterschool Thrive program, summer programs, vacation camps. MOTION by Councilor Myers seconded by Councilor Duncan to approve the Resolution for Thrive Program Fees as presented. Voted and passed 3-0. i. Discussion: Goal Update: Economic Vitality Ms. Carrington presented the second goal update on Economic Vitality. She outlined the 2019-2020 Policy Priorities adopted by Council; she gave progress updates on each goal since her last reporting as well as actions the Council can expect to see over the next few months. The update includes, implementing a wayfinding plan, strengthening parking operations, continuing to implement the Legacy Campaign, execute a development agreement with a hotel developer and finally planning for historic preservation. The Council was pleased to see that we are right on track and thanked Ms. Carrington for her continued efforts in making Winooski a desirable place to come to. j. Approval: Grant Approval: Downtown Transportation Fund for Wayfinding Ms. Carrington said staff seeks approval to apply for a 2020 Downtown Transportation Fund Grant in the amount of $40,000 and to adopt a resolution agreeing to provide a match if awarded the grant. Ms. Carrington said this grant will provide for fabrication and installation of wayfinding signage for the Downtown and the gateway districts. Ms. Carrington said she has been working with Landworks to develop a signage plan. This plan is due to be complete by March and the Downtown Transportation Grant would pay for the implementation of the plan. She said the City’s match will be covered by in-kind services by using DPW staff and equipment for installation of signs. She also wanted to note that $20,000 has been set aside in the FY21 budget for the match as well, if needed. The Mayor said signage, or the lack of, has been brought to her attention recently and she is glad to see the Wayfinding Plan coming to fruition. MOTION by Councilor Myers seconded by Councilor Lafayette to approve the Grant for Downtown Transportation Fund for Wayfinding as presented. Voted and passed 3-0. IX. Executive Session MOTION by Councilor Duncan seconded by Councilor Lafayette to go into Executive Session at 8:30 pm per 1 V.S.A. §313 (a) (3) – City Manager-Annual Review discussion and to invite the City Manager. Voted and passed 3-0. X. Adjourn MOTION by Councilor Myers seconded by Councilor Duncan to adjourn the City Council meeting at 9:30 pm. Voted and passed 3-0. ATTEST: ________________________________________ Asst City Clerk