City Council

Remote Winooski City Council Meeting Monday, July 6, 2020 @ 6 PM • Attend online: https://zoom.us/j/94182555632 • Attend by phone: 1 312 626 6799 - use webinar ID 941 8255 5632 • View our Remote Meeting Procedures and Public Comment Request Form at winooskivt.gov or call 802 655 6410 I. Call to Order II. Pledge of Allegiance III. Agenda Review IV. Public Comment V. Consent Agenda a. Approval: City Council Minutes of June 15, 2020 b. Approval: Payroll Warrant 5/31/20 to 6/13/20 and 6/14/20 to 6/27/20, Accounts Payable Warrant ending 6/24/20 and 7/01/20 c. Approval: Chittenden Solid Waste District FY21 Budget d. Approval: Community Justice Center FY21 Budget: Zero it out e. Approval: Hickok Street Bond Documents f. Approval: Gotcha E-Bike Agreement VI. Council Reports VII. City Updates VIII. Regular Items a. Approval: Peddler’s Permit Application Aisha Bassett – C Barrett b. Approval: Commission Appointments and Reappointments – J Baker c. Approval: 106 East Allen St. Act 250 Permit Amendment Application for Art Installation – J Baker d. Discussion: Update from VT-CBD Labs (133 Elm Street) – J Baker e. Approval: Set the FY21 Municipal Tax Rate – J Baker & A Aldieri f. Approval: Set FY21 Tax Due Dates – J Baker & A Aldieri g. Approval: 2020 Policy Priorities and Strategies Recovery Plan – J Baker h. Approval: HK Central Block Limited Partnership – Request for affiliates of HallKeen to replace the limited partners in HK Central Block LP– J Baker i. Discussion: Goal Update: Housing – H Carrington j. Discussion: Actions Related to Ensuring Stable Housing in Winooski – J Duncan XI. Adjourn 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  MINUTES The Mayor called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. Deputy Mayor Colston led the Pledge of Allegiance. Members Present: Mayor Kristine Lott Councilors: Hal Colston, Amy Lafayette, Mike Myers, James Duncan. Officers Present: Jessie Baler, City Manager; Janet Brouard, Sr Asst City Clerk; Angela Aldieri, Finance Director; Heather Carrington, Community and Economic Director; John Audy, Fire Chief; Ray Coffey, Community Services Director; Paul Sarne, Communications Coordinator. Others Present: Lauren Chicote, Jacque Dagesse, Steve Ploesser, Kaitlin Hayes, Aisha Bassett, Betty Mercure, David Caroll. III. Agenda Review – None IV. Public Comment – None V. Consent Agenda MOTION by Councilor Duncan seconded by Councilor Myers to approve the City Council minutes of June 15, 2020 as presented. Voted and passed 3-0-1. Councilor Colston abstained. MOTION by Councilor Lafayette seconded by Councilor Myers to approve the remaining Consent Agenda items as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. VI. Council Reports Deputy Mayor Colston said he reconnected with the Charter Commission, they continue to work on the language and hope to have a draft by September. Councilor Duncan also attended the Charter Commission meeting. They continue with their outreach plans, working on a Q & A on Town Meeting Television. Councilor Myers wanted to express his sincere thanks to the Winooski Police Department for their quick and professional response to his home. He also wanted to thank Chief Hebert for his exceptional leadership.  Councilor Lafayette – None Mayor Lott said she had a phone call with Col Shevchik, Wing Commander at the Vermont National Guard. He informed her that the grant application for the noise monitoring funds has been submitted. She also said that Congressman Welch was here last week for a press conference in the Rotary. The topic was about infrastructure. The Mayor also wanted to let the public know that the Catholic Dioceses has decided to close St Stephen’s Church. No immediate decisions have been made on the property. One last item, the Finance Commission will be reconvened on July 14 th. VII. City Updates • COVID – Winooski Outbreak o 77 cases currently in Winooski (116 total) o Of the 116 ▪ Median age is 24 (1 to 82) – 65% adults ▪ 59% of adults ▪ 60% report no symptoms ▪ Majority of households with a case have at least two cases ▪ 130 additional contacts – 23 of these have gone on to become cases. ▪ Huge thanks to VDH and our community partners for their assistance. ▪ THANKS to Neighbors: Over 2,500 neighbors have been tested • COVID-19 Testing Continues in Winooski – Monday and Tuesday and into the future. o O’Brien Community Center (32 Mallett’s Bay Ave) o 9:00 to 3:00 and registration at https://humanresources.vermont.gov/winooski o Testing is free and available to anyone - registration is encouraged but walk-ups are welcomed. o These tests are for people without symptoms. People with symptoms should call their doctors. o If you need evening hours, testing will be done on Wednesday and Thursday from 1 to 7 pm at the Champlain Elementary School in Burlington (800 Pine Street) • Absentee ballots are available o The Secretary of State’s office mailed out postcards to all voters. o Simply return the card or call our office to request a ballot to be mailed to you. o In person elections will happen on August 11th – masks will be required and we will minimize the number of people at the Senior Center. • Begin repairing and replacing the asphalt sections of the sidewalk on the South side of West Lane Street. Work will continue on the North side of the street and include concrete cutting, sidewalk panel replacement to match existing curb height and replacement of the asphalt sections of sidewalk. Beginning Wednesday, July 8th, 2020, street parking will be prohibited on West Lane from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Street parking will be permitted outside of the project work hours. • Follow-up to June 23, 2020 flooding event at 16 Abenaki Way, Building C: 55 plus residents remain displaced, major damage to the electrical systems (panels, breakers, and light fixtures), fire alarm system, elevator, and interior finishes (sheetrock, carpets, personal items) occurred when a sprinkler pipe broke on the 5th floor and allowed “thousands” of gallons of water to cascade through floors below. HallKeen and its teams are working diligently to reopen parts of the building ASAP, however this is complicated due to egress concerns and ADA issues with elevator being down. City staff are hosting weekly ZOOM meetings with teams doing repairs and also doing weekly site visits (more as needed) to help expedite the return of residents. It will be “weeks” before the building and all 60 plus units are fully occupied and returned to normal. • Chittenden County Public Safety Authority is meeting this week to discussion options for moving forward – given the COVID delay and revenue challenges. • Thrives first day was today, and program is off to a great start! We are still accepting registrations for the summer for a few remaining slots, so please visit the City website to register, or call Kate Anderson at 802 233 8188 for more information. • Recreation and Parks Manager Alicia Finley had her last day with the City on July 2nd. We thank her for her service over the past 3+ years, and wish her well in her future endeavors. • Library Director interviews start this week. • July 14th is Carol’s work Anniversary…..”40” years!!!!! • Upcoming Meetings: o Charter Commission – Virtually tomorrow (Tuesday, July 7th) night. They are still trying to bring something to the Council for approval on August 3rd. o Safe Healthy Connected People, Housing, and Finance will be beginning this month as well. VIII. Regular Items a. Approval: Peddler’s Permit Application Aisha Bassett – C Barrett Ms. Brouard said that City Staff has received a peddler’s application from Aisha Bassett. Ms. Bassett would like to sell soft serve ice cream from a trailer located at the corner of Main Street and West Allen Street. All appropriate staff have looked over her application and find no concerns at this time and recommend approval. Ms. Bassett was attending the meeting and she said she will be happy to set up and begin serving the people of Winooski. MOTION by Councilor Duncan seconded by Councilor Colston to approve the Peddler’s Permit Application for Aisha Bassett as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. b. Approval: Commission Appointments and Reappointments – J Baker The City Manager said that the Commission appointments expire on June 30th of every year. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, a pause has been placed on some public meetings as well as the search for those interested in serving on a Board or Commission. The Leadership Team recommends the  reappointments of the current Commission members. We also recommend appointing new Alternate Commissioner, Kaitlin Hayes to the Development Review Board. All terms outlined will expire on June 30, 2022. MOTION by Councilor Myers seconded by Councilor Lafayette to approve the Commission Appointments and Reappointments as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. c. Approval: 106 East Allen St. Act 250 Permit Amendment Application for Art Installation – J Baker The City Manager said that in May of this year, a zoning permit was issued for the installation of public art on the south east corner of the City Lights building, located at 106 East Allen Street. At the time, it was determined that it would be a temporary installation therefore no Act 250 Permit amendment would be required. Since that time the applicant has expressed interest in making this a more permanent installation, which would require an amendment to the existing Act 250 Permit. Like all amendments, City Council is required to be co-applicant, therefore approve the designs before an application is submitted for consideration. Since this project already has City approval all that is required is the Act 250 Permit to make this a more permanent installation. This approval will authorize the City Manager to sign the Act 250 application on behalf of the City. MOTION by Councilor Colston seconded by Councilor Myers to approve the 106 East Allen Permit Amendment Application for Art Installation as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. d. Discussion: Update from VT-CBD Labs (133 Elm Street) – J Baker The Mayor said she along with several City staff have received comments from the public about the operation of the CBD lab located on Elm Street. She reached out to them to invite them to this meeting and unfortunately a representative from CBD could not be here tonight, however they did send a letter which the Mayor read. They went on to say they apologized for the inconveniences that the residents of the area are experiencing. Their normal operating schedule is from October to February. Due to the recent pandemic, the operations have been put on hold and their drying operation will last well into the summer months. There were several members of the community present to voice their concerns and well-being having to endure the horrendous smell. The Mayor said she is going to highly encourage them to come to the next meeting so they can answer the public’s questions first hand. All of the Council was in agreement that something needs to be done and questions need to be answered. e. Approval: Set the FY21 Municipal Tax Rate – J Baker & A Aldieri Ms. Aldieri gave an overview of her memo and supporting documents regarding setting the FY21 Tax Rate. In light of the recent pandemic and the tax dead line pushed up to July 15 th, Ms. Aldieri said she has not received nor does she know when the State will issue the Education Rates. Based  on the budget approved by the voters in March, the FY21 Municipal Tax Rate will be $1.1459. This is much lower than initially predicted. The Council thanked Ms. Aldieri for her work and were extremely pleased that we can come in under anticipation, in these given times. MOTION by Councilor Lafayette seconded by Councilor Duncan to approve to Set the FY21 Municipal Tax Rate as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. f. Approval: Set FY21 Tax Due Dates – J Baker & A Aldieri Ms. Aldieri said that according to Act 102 signed by Governor Scott on May 14th allowed municipalities to extend or establish a new time or payment of property taxes. A change like this would normally require the approval from voters. Ms. Aldieri said that we are requesting that we delay the due date for our first installment of taxes from August 15th to September 7th. This will allow for a later printing of tax bills and minimize the number of tax bills that will need to be revised due to the extended due date for income tax filing. All of other due dates will remain the same. The consensus of Council was that this makes total sense. MOTION by Councilor Myers seconded by Councilor Duncan to approve to Set Fy21 Tax Due Dates as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. g. Approval: 2020 Policy Priorities and Strategies Recovery Plan – J Baker The City Manager said that since 2017 we all have come together on an annual basis to establish a shared list of priorities for achieving the City’s Strategic Vision Priorities. This has included a review of past accomplishments, a review of future priorities, and an alignment to the City’s Master Plan and the Commission structure. Given the current COVId-19 Pandemic we currently are living, we are faced with staff reductions and our finances are at level of uncertainty. With this, we recommend that together we set a shorter-term work plan that focuses on response, recovery, and resiliency. Ms. Baker said this concept was discussed at previous meetings. Per your request at the June 1st meeting, we present to you our efforts that we have undertaken to support our residents during and as we come out of this pandemic. See attached draft strategies. New priorities are added in red. The Mayor thanked Ms. Baker and all staff for the tremendous effort to maintain essential services in these difficult times. Feelings were echoed by all Council members. MOTION by Councilor Duncan seconded by Councilor Colston to approve the 2020 Policy Priorities and Strategies Recovery Plan as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. h. Approval: HK Central Block Limited Partnership – Request for affiliates of Hallkeen to replace the limited partners in HK Central Block LP – J Baker Ms. Baker gave some background on HK Central Block. She said that HK Central Block Limited Partnership owns Keen’s Crossing – which consists of six separate condominium units in the City’s  TIF District. Hallkeen would like the City’s approval for affiliates of Hallkeen to replace the limited partners in HK Central Block, LP. HK Central Block will remain the owner of Keen’s Crossing and the existing general partners. HKW Central Block GP LLC will also remain with control of the partnership. In addition, all existing debt and restrictive covenants will remain in full force and effect. Ms. Baker said this request has been reviewed and approved by our City Attorney. MOTION by Councilor Duncan seconded by Councilor Colston to approve HK Central Block Limited Partnership – Request for affiliates of Hallkeen to replace the limited partners in HK Central Block LP as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. i. Discussion: Goal Update: Housing – H Carrington Ms. Carrington presented the Council with the fourth quarter housing update. She said the Housing Commission has not met since the previous update and many of the implementation efforts have been slowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She did say the Commission will commence remote meetings starting mid-July. Although progress has been slowed, there has been many areas that staff has been able to move forward on. The Mayor thanked Ms. Carrington for her update. j. Discussion: Actions Related to Ensuring Stable Housing in Winooski – J Duncan Councilor Duncan issued a memo for discussion outlining his concerns about supporting our residents with stable housing during this pandemic. He said it is a rippling effect, from homeowners to landlords to renters. The closure of parts of the economy has resulted in hardships for many residents. Lengthy discussion ensued between Council and staff. Ideas and thoughts were presented; however, no items were officially approved to be added to the list of priorities. XI. Adjourn MOTION by Councilor Myers seconded by Councilor Duncan to adjourn the City Control Meeting at 7:56 p.m. Voted and passed 4-0. ATTEST: _____________________________________ Sr Asst City Clerk