City Council

Special Remote Winooski City Council Meeting Tuesday, August 18, 2020 at 5:30 PM • Attend online: https://zoom.us/j/96972599103 • Attend by phone: 1 646 558 8656 • Meeting ID: 969 7259 9103 • 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: Accounts Payable Warrant ending 8/14/20; Payroll Warrant ending 7/26/20- 8/08/20 VI. Council Reports VII. City Updates VIII. Regular Items a. Approval: Fraternal Order of Police – Grievance #2-20 Hearing – K Lott b. Approval: Charter Change Recommendations: All-Resident Voting, Administrative Changes, and Self-Governance Rights – J Baker • Possible Executive Session: Executive Session pursuant to 1 V.S.A. §313(a)(1) and specifically (f) “confidential attorney-client communications made for the purpose of providing professional legal services to the body” IX. Executive Session a. Executive Session on Real Estate Transaction • Executive Session pursuant to 1 V.S.A § 313(a)(2) “the negotiating or securing of real estate purchase or lease options” X. 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 5:30 p.m. Councilor Colston led the Pledge of Allegiance. Members Present: Mayor Kristine Lott Councilors: Amy Lafayette, Michael Myers, Hal Colston, James Duncan Officers Present: Jessie Baker, City Manager; Carol Barrett, City Clerk; Rick Hebert, Police Chief; John Audy, Fire Chief; Phoebe Townsend, Human Resources Director; Robert DiPalma, City Attorney Others Present: Hussein Amuri, Sam Russo, Alex Yin, Richard Cassidy, Doug Johnson, Kate Coffey, Prashant Singh, Liz Edsell, Charter Commission Chair, Mohamed Jafar. III. Agenda Review – None IV. Public Comment Ms. Coffey said she is a resident of Manseau St. and has sent multiply emails to the Council, Building/Zoning and Public Works with questions concerning the development on Manseau St. She said she had been to numerous meetings and that adequate parking was going to be provided. She said this is not the case. The parking reduction by the developer seems flawed. I want to pursue how we got here. I want answers in writing to keep from happening to other neighborhoods. Mr. Russo said he has been a resident since 2004 and also works in Winooski. I have forward a document to the City Council with my comments. There are three problems that I see occurring on Manseau St.: 1. Unsafe Parking 2. Limited Parking 3. Pedestrian walking down middle of Manseau St. I’ve sent pictures to the City where there are traffic hazards entering and exiting driveway. I would hope that the City would consider updating Chapter 15 to designate spaces within a three-foot margin of the straight edge of a driveway to be a no parking zone. I would also like to see regular monitoring parking situations by our parking enforcement. The Mayor said the staff organizes meetings for all residents and this will be the place to answer some of these specific questions you have. In the upcoming months we are engaging in a parking management study with the consultant so that we can figure out what is the best way to address these concerns across the city, that being raised here. There will be more information on that coming. The City Manager said the neighbors had suggested a few days for next week and were just awaiting confirmation from the developer so he can be there as well to answer these questions as trackly as possible. V. Consent Agenda MOTION by Councilor Colston seconded by Councilor Lafayette to approve the consent agenda as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. VI. Council Reports Councilor Myers – None Councilor Lafayette – None Councilor Colston – said they had a charter commission meeting on Sunday and 14 people showed up. He said it was a fruitful conversation about resident voting. Council Duncan – said the Safe, Healthy & Connected people connected. We had an update from the Police and Fire Dept. and Community Services. Mayor Lott – said she had a meeting with Burlington Mayor, Commissioner Levine, Directors of AALV and Community’s on Refugees and Immigrants to formally announce the end of the Winooski/Burlington outbreak. I also attended a virtual meeting with Representative Peter Welch and other local representatives to discuss what we are experiencing here on the ground and what needs are locally and what are resident needs are to advocate more federal funding and programs. Jessie and I had our regular quarterly meeting with the Superintendent and School Board President to touch base on the memorandum of understanding we have with them. We will be re-signing that for the year and getting an update on the SRO position and the student’s demands that the school is working through to see where we can play a role and collaborate there. At the moment they are focused on back to school. We continued meetings through school liaisons with new American parents discussing resident voting and community challenge grants and generally, to hear their concerns and what’s important there. We already know we could do better on outreach on getting information out to those communities and I think to our community in general. The Finance Commission meant and gave us interesting feedback. The Planning Commission meant as well and approved their annual work plan; reviewing zoning regulations and exploring parking regulations. In collaboration with Winooski Strong efforts we participated in a Black Lives Matter flag raising ceremony in the rotary. VII. City Updates The City Manager said we do not have any city updates tonight in the interest of time. I really want to save time for the main agenda items. We will be back with updates in early September. VIII. Regular Items a. Approval: Fraternal Order of Police – Grievance #2-20 Hearing – K Lott Mayor Lott said we had this hearing in executive session at our last meeting and we need to take a public vote on our previous discussion. MOTION by Councilor Colston seconded by Councilor Duncan to deny the employee grievance heard before the council in executive session of August 3, 2020. Voted and passed 4-0. b. Approval: Charter Change Recommendations: All-Resident Voting, Administrative Changes, and Self-Governance Rights – J Baker • Possible Executive Session: Executive Session pursuant to 1 V.S.A. §313 (a)(1) and specifically (f) “confidential attorney-client communications made for the purpose of providing professional legal services to the body” The Mayor said we started this discussion at our last meeting, reviewing the recommendations of our Charter Commission and are here today to either move this forward or send back to the Charter Commission. The City Manager gave an overview of the changes: Are you prepared to move forward to the voters at the November General Election, called as a Special City Meeting of the City? With a series of questions on charter changes and if you’re ready to do that in what form do you want to do that. How many ballot items and what specific language etc.? The City Manager put together a memo on specifically on what your being tasked to do as well as the process if you chose to move this forward. The specific ballot items and the liability the City takes on goes legal and cost associated. The question for you is, are you prepared to move this question forward to the voter’s and follow the required public hearings schedule that is required for charter changes. See attached memo. The City Manager said if you decide that you are prepared to move any of these changes forward for the November 3, election. What you will need to do tonight is vote to adopt the minutes and documents as discussed by the Winooski Charter Commission and those are linked on your memo and on our website that will reflect that you are bringing their work and public process into your process. You will need to approve the ballot language and a draft of that is in your in box now. You will also need to approve the process and public hearing schedule for moving forward. At a special meeting on September 29, you will then need to vote to call for a Special City meeting on November 3 to consider these ballot items. The language before you is linked in your council agenda along with a complete charter document with track changes that are being recommended. That document reflects exactly what you saw at your last meeting with one addition. It includes adding a parenthencial about to include: “(b) Any person (including persons who are non- US citizens, notwithstanding the provisions of 17 V.S.A. §2121 (a)(1) may register to vote in any city meeting or municipal election who, on elections days” If you have questions about this change, we recommend those be discussed in Executive Session. She also explained the legal liabilities and costs. Discussion ensued regarding the Charter Amendment changes. The Mayor asked why the public hearings aren’t aligning with our regular City Council Meetings. The City Manager said there is a process in State Statute that outlines the number of days public hearings have to take place before a vote for a warning, so the regular meetings don’t line up with the 30 to 40 day window. Councilor Lafayette said it list September 29 would be a vote that we would vote on approving the charger change. I’m a little confused because that would already be on the ballot. The City Manager said Bob and I spent a lot of time with the Secretary of State’s office on this question. It’s not a hole in the process but our processes are not lining up. Because there is interest on the Council of placing this on the General Election ballot and because of COVID and that General election ballot will be mailed out by the Secretary of State’s Office, there is an earlier deadline to get on that ballot. That deadline is pushed up for the decision of what the council wants to put on the ballot. Having said that per State Statute to call for a special meeting of the City, which this would be, because we can’t vote at a General Election that is not a special meeting of the City. Discussion ensued concerning the charter change recommendations. The Mayor stated she would like the following removed: Allow a sitting Councilor or Mayor to run for another position without vacating his or her seat in advance. The Councilors support the removal of this item. Liz Edsell would like to thank the commissioners for going through this process. We were able to join and collaborate, learn from each other because of our diversity. Discussion continued and we heard from the public that they are in favor of this change. MOTION by Councilor Colston seconded by Councilor Duncan to adopt the minutes and documents discussed by the Winooski Charter Commission as presented. Voted and passed 3-1-0. Councilor Myers voted no. MOTION by Councilor Duncan seconded by Councilor Lafayette to approve the ballot lanague as presented for charter changes on All-Resident Voting, Administrative Changes, and Self- Governance Rights to be presented to the voters as part of a Special City Council meeting to be held in conjuction with the General Election in November 2020 but removing “Allow a sitting Councilor or Mayor to run for another position without vacating his or her seat in advance” as presented. Voted and Passed 4-0. MOTION by Councilor Duncan seconded by Councilor Colston to approve the process and public hearing schedule as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. IX. Executive Session a. Executive Session on Real Estate Transaction • Executive Session pursuant to 1 V.S.A § 313(a)(2) “the negotiating or securing of real estate purchase or lease options” MOTION by Councilor Lafayette seconded by Councilor Colston to go into Executive Session on Real Estate Transaction at 6:40 p.m. Voted and passed 4-0. MOTION by Councilor Duncan seconded by Councilor Lafayette to amend motion and to invite Jessie Baker and Jon Rauscher into executive session as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. MOTION by Councilor Myers seconded by Councilor Duncan to adjourn at 6:59 p.m. Voted and passed 4-0. ATTEST: _________________________ City Clerk