City Council

Remote Winooski City Council Meeting Monday, December 7, 2020, at 6 PM • Attend online: https://zoom.us/j/95675248278 • Attend by phone: 1 646 558 8656 • Webinar ID: 984 4515 8885 • 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 11/2/20; amended City Council minutes of 6/1/20 b. Approval: Accounts Payable Warrant ending 11/17/20 and 12/3/20: Payroll Warrant for period 10/18/20-10/31/20, 9/04/20 – 11/14/20, and period 11/15/20-11/28/20; Subsequent to Payout for September. VI. Council Reports VII. City Updates VIII. Regular Items a. Discussion: Local Petition Process for Town Meeting Day 2021 – K Lott b. Approval: Downtown “To-Go” Parking - H Carrington c. Discussion: Proposed FY22 Budget: Overview and General Government Review – J Baker d. Discussion: Tax Increment Financing Overview and Planning – J Baker e. Discussion: Legacy Campaign – P Sarne f. Discussion/Approval: Job Description: Equity Director – P Townsend g. Approval: Agreement Amendments with North End Studios and CIC Health to Enable Ongoing COVID Testing for the Foreseeable Future – J Baker h. Approval: Grant: Safe Routes to Parks Activating Communities 2021 for Memorial Park - R Coffey i. Approval: Grant: Vermont Afterschool Youth Council Grant – R Coffey j. Approval: Grant TD Green Space – J Rauscher k. Discussion: Housing Stability Update – H Carrington l. Discussion: 2020 Plan Report-out – J Baker IX. 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 6:00 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: Angela Aldieri, Finance Director; Heather Carrington, Economic Development Director; Paul Sarne, Communications Director; Phoebe Townsend, Human Resources Director; Ray Coffey, Community Services Director; John Rauscher, Public Works Director; Rick Hebert, Police Chief, John Audy, Fire Chief; Eric Vorwald, Planning & Zoning Director. Others Present: Dillon Lovell, Steven Berbeco, Cara Montague, Matthew, James Leas, Meredith Bay-Tyack, Downtown Executive Director; Marguerite Adelman, Molly Schneider, Winooski Mutual Aid. III. Agenda Review – None IV. Public Comment Dillion Lovell, Vermont Resident purchased 165 E. Allen St. formerly Westside Deli. He said he would like to be on the next agenda to discuss the sale of cannabis. The City Manager said they are tracking this issue for additional guidance. V. Consent Agenda MOTION by Councilor Duncan seconded by Councilor Myers to approve the consent agenda as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. VI. Council Reports Councilor Myers – said he attended the Municipal Infrastructure Commission meeting. We discussed tree inventory with the tree committee. We met with several UVM students who had a project to map out the priority of the tree planting in the City. Councilor Duncan – said he attended the Housing Commission meeting. He said we received another update on housing stability indicator. We are still not seeing significant signs of concern at this point. We were able to talk to a couple of landlords in the City to get their take on what they have been experiencing. He also attended the Chittenden County Housing Commission and the discussion was about recent legislation around accessory dwelling units and potential legislation around the statewide rental registry. He also stated that he would be running for re-election. Councilor Colston – said he made a connection with legislative counsel at the General Assembly and offered our proposal for the Charter change, so that it is being turned into a bill, which I will share with the Mayor and the City Manager. I think there will be a memo that comes out as well, offering legislative counsel’s opinions on what we are asking to do. Councilor Lafayette – said she would like to thank Matt Gustafson who purchased and cooked Thanksgiving dinner at the Dismiss House. I also want to thank Papa Franks and Our House for contributing to the meal. She said the Downtown Winooski Association met in November and we appointed three new board members, Ali Nagle, Waking Windows; Jackie Dagesse, Dagesse Co., and David Rose, Twincraft. I would like to remind everyone the holiday pop-up shop, which is virtual until December 13, 2020. We met with the Safe Healthy Connected People and we are reviewing the goals of the master plan. The group also recognized that we have bigger lofty goals that are going to take creative thinking and collaboration. She also stated that she would not be seeking re-election. Mayor Lott - said when we move to City updates the City Manager will share the process for town meeting day. I would like to start with our big announcement. We received a Working Community Challenge Grant and the City has been awarded a $300,000.00 grant over a three-year period. This grant is to help us implement the Community driven vision for building equity in our City. I also attended the Finance and Planning Commission meeting and we discussed the master plan progress. At the Planning Commission meeting we started to discuss changes to accessory dwelling units. I attended the monthly airport advisory meeting. On that agenda was the consideration of an additional voting seat for Winooski Representative on that commission. I think the discussion went well I participated and advocated for us. That item is on Burlington City Council agenda tonight as they are considering that to their town meeting ballot. The Mayor said she and Heather joined the Winooski Housing board and we discussed housing goals, master plan and coordination. VII. City Updates The City Manager gave the following updates: • Election Day o 3,734 voters – 1,400 more than last Town Meeting Day. o Very busy day o Thank neighbors who embraced the safety protocols o And special thanks to City Clerk and the election workers to enabled it to go so smoothly. • Utility COVID-19 Arrearage Assistance Program – we are participating to alleviate pressures for utility customers with past due balances. To date we've had five properties apply. Applications are being accepted until December 15th. Eligible balances are those for use after March 1st that are more than 60 days past due. Information was sent out with your last utility bill or can be found on the website. • COVID testing – Daily for the foreseeable future – pending your approval tonight  o At the OCC o Daily – can sign up at the VDH website or walk in. All information is on our webpage o This testing is an “observed nasal swab” – meaning it is self-administered with a medical professional observing and is not as invasive as past tests. Check out the flyer on our website with step-by-step instructions. o All materials are translated and there will be translators on site. o Take a moment to thank our incredible partners – the case managers and interpretation coordinators at AALV and USCRI who have done an amazing amount of work in the last two weeks to translate materials, get the word out, and educate our neighbors about what to expect at the testing site. They are truly doing life saving work. • Winooski Memorial Library is now open by appointment! o Browse and Borrow Sessions ▪ Wednesday 3 – 6 PM ▪ Thursday 10 AM – 1 PM ▪ Friday 3 – 6 PM ▪ Saturday 10 AM – 2 PM ▪ All are required to wear masks. Appointments can be made on the website or by calling 655-6424 • Winooski TIF Fall Monitoring visit – went smoothly • Running for Office o Come in to City Clerk’s Office no later than January 25th at 5:00 pm to file a “consent to appear on the ballot” o City Clerk’s office is open from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Monday through Friday The City Manager said like many other communities we are also concerned about our plowing operations this winter if we are to have a Covid impact on staff. We are monitoring that very closely and working with our neighbors. The City Manager said you received a few messages last week concerning the sprinkler break at 65 Winooski Falls Way, on of Keen’s Crossing buildings. We have had 60 families with a 110 re-located because of that sprinkler break. Those families all have been re-located to hotels in the area and paid for by Hall Keen the property manager. She said Chief Audy and the State are looking into the products that are used in the building and to see if there is a more systematic problem. Chief Audy thanked the people who played a role in this situation and working diligent to get them back into their homes. VIII. Regular Items a. Discussion: Local Petition Process for Town Meeting Day 2021 – K Lott The Mayor said that state statute did not express petitions on the ballot. A petition requires 5% of registered voters’ signatures then it can be added as a ballot item to the Annual Meeting. Given public safety measures in the place due to the COVID -19 pandemic, the Council should consider an alternative to in person signature collection for any local petitions. The Mayor has recommended allowing electronic signature collection as an option. There was some discussion amongst the Council and the consensus was that it makes sense to do it this way. The Mayor also said to get the petition in as early as possible so we can verify the signatures/voters. This item will be on the next City Council Meeting, December 14, 2020 for approval. b. Approval: Downtown “To-Go” Parking – H Carrington Ms. Carrington said Downtown Winooski is bringing forward a request for City Council’s approval to temporarily designate 7 on street parking spaces as free, short-term “to-go” parking for customers picking up takeout. The space identified in the accompanying map are proposed to be free “to-go” parking until June 30, 2021. The proposal is the result of a series of meetings held by Downtown Winooski and City staff with downtown business from late spring throughout the summer to identify methods to support the Winooski business community through the economic crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. While approval will temporarily cost the City the parking fees for the spaces, it will provide support to the ongoing sustainability of the downtown business community ultimately bolstering the economic outcomes for both the businesses and the City. The forgone parking revenue of up to $14,616 between now and June 30, 2021.Councilor Myers asked why there wasn’t any in front of the Winooski Block. Mrs. Bay-Tyack said this is a pilot and we are concentrating in one area. She also said there are 15-minute parking spots in front of the Block. MOTION by Councilor Colston seconded by Councilor Duncan to approve the Downtown “To Go” Parking request as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. c. Discussion: Proposed FY22 Budget: Overview and General government Review – J Baker The City Manager said on behalf of the City’s Leadership Team and in accordance with the Winooski City Charter, it is my sincere honor to present to you the proposed Fiscal Year 2022 Municipal Budget for the City of Winooski. This budget proposal continues the significant commitments the community has made in setting a vision for the future including adopting a new Master plan, passing bond votes for the Myers memorial Pool, Main Street Revitalization, and the Abenaki Parking Garage, and continuing our commitment to equity and inclusion. This year we have all experienced the impact of the worldwide COVID-19 Pandemic. While we have had to adjust some service delivery, we have ensured the public’s safety and maintained the public’s infrastructure continuously. The budget presented herein moves our community priorities forward while minimizing the financial impact to our taxpayers in the hopes of coming out of COVID-19 stronger! We look forward to a robust conversation about this document over the next two months and leading up to Town Meeting Day. There was some discussion concerning the proposed FY22 Budget. The full FY22 budget book and supporting information is available here: www.winooskivt.gov/1437/Fiscal-Year-22-Budget-Process. The Mayor also stated that if you have any questions concerning the FY22 budget you can email Jessie. d. Discussion: Tax Increment Financing Overview and Planning – J Baker The City Manager gave an overview and planning of the Tax Increment Financing District. This memo provides a high-level overview of the next four years of the debt payments and starts to discuss how funds might be used once the debt is retired. No action is needed tonight. This is informational only to have as background knowledge for upcoming budget, project, and prioritization conversations. Our current modeling makes a number of key assumptions. • We receive $700,000 in FY22 for the redevelopment rights to 17 Abenaki Way (per the Development Agreement with Nedde Real Estate.) • We see $5M of new assessed value in FY23 (grand list date of April 1, 2022) and $2M of new assessed value in FY24 (grand list date of April 1, 2023.) These are likely conservative numbers as we anticipate 17 Abenaki being redeveloped, the opening of the new Four Quarters location, and possibly two other hotels under development. • The anticipated school tax rate increases follow the models presented as part of the School bond vote calculations. • On the municipal side, we increase the tax rate by 0.5% in FY23 and FY24. • We continue the General Fund transfers through FY24. • We fully pay the TD Bank and Pecor notes. • We fully pay the WCDC note by the end of FY24 – including a balloon payment of $957,864.50 in FY 24. With the above assumptions built in, you can see that we end FY24 with the debt (principle and subordinate debt) fully paid off and meeting the 1:1 debt service coverage ratio required. This projection also shows the TIF district with an ending fund balance of $314,670.95. A portion of this amount may need to be repaid to the education fund based on tax rates in place that fiscal year and discussion regarding use of funds during the life of the district with the State. A significant portion of the final WCDC balloon payment would be held in a Reserve Fund with use restricted by the Trust Agreement to community development. See attached Tax Increment Financing Overview and Planning. There was some discussion concerning tax revenues, Main St, level of services, continue new programs and how the community could decide to reinvest these funds. e. Discussion: Legacy Campaign –P Sarne Ms. Carrington introduced the Legacy Campaign. In the coming months and years, and leading up to Winooski’s 100-year anniversary in March 2022, the Legacy Campaign will feature stories about Winooski community members, places, and traditions. The campaign is broadly owned by the Winooski Community, and we envision all being welcome to be contributors at Legacy Campaign meetings, led and coordinated by an Executive Committee. The Legacy Campaign Centennial Celebration Committee will recommend potential people, places, and traditions for the campaign to highlight, and will help to coordinate and plan Legacy Campaign events. The Covid-19 pandemic significantly disrupted the planned methods for engaging our community in guiding and contributing to the campaign. Staff is pleased to present a new approach that allows community participation throughout the pandemic while anticipating the time when we can once again gather. Mr. Sarne gave a power point presentation on the timeline of the celebration. See attached. The Mayor said it is nice to see the update and looking forward to launching and see what folks have to offer. Councilor Lafayette said we are welcoming all experiences, as the goal of our project. Councilor Colston says it appears to him to be about story telling. We should collaborate with PBS. f. Discussion/Approval: Job Description: Equity Director – P Townsend Mrs. Townsend presented the position description of Equity Director. She said this is a new staff position with the City that will support the City’s equity and inclusion goals and improve the City’s ability to meet the needs of all residents as part of the Working communities Challenge Grant. The Equity Director will work with leadership and the community to develop and implement a community engagement strategy to increase participation in local government among under-represented populations, including but not limited to low-income and BIPOC populations. This position will lead the City in managing the WCC grant and meeting grant goals, including working toward eliminating barriers to access, improving communication, building relationships, and providing critical information to residents regarding services and municipal decision-making. This position will report directly to the City Manager, but work closely with all departments and members of the Leadership Team, as well as community partners. The Mayor said she saw a lot of outreach, appreciate the effort, and is comfortable of what is on here. Mrs. Townsend said she received a lot of feedback from Burlington and a lot of municipalities standing up equity and conclusion commissions. Councilor Colston suggested having a task force, which is a body who support the work. The Mayor said the discussion we had were around were how staff would be the liaisons for that body working directly with them and receiving support. Councilor Duncan said we don’t have an Equity Council as of yet. I think we also talked about this role to generate and sustain that council throught its first year and I’m hoping that this model can be helpful making it more likely to succeed. The City Manager said going back to Jim’s question, a small team vs one person. It’s important to call out, we need expertise on staff, and we need somebody leading this change. I think we as the Leadership Team really understand that we all have a lot of work to do as well, not only to support this person but to also identify how we need to structurally change and how we offer services across the City. I don’t want to give the impression that this is for the Leadership Team, this is a check box that we hire this person and they go off in their office and do this work, then it really is the intention that this is a peer of the Leadership Team that you see on the call tonight and that we will all be supporting the work and doing our own work in parallel. It’s not just one team there is a baseball team that will be doing all this. MOTION by Councilor Colston seconded by Councilor Duncan to approve the position description of Equity Director as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. g. Approval: Agreement Amendments with North End Studios and CIC Health to Enable ongoing COVID Testing for the Foreseeable Future – J Baker The City Manager said there are two main goals; one bringing daily COVID testing to Winooski and (2) working with North End Studios (NES) to bring them into compliance with their past due rent payments, we have negotiated a lease amendment with NES to take back the Community Room for the fiscal year and then a license agreement with CIC Health for them to provide COVID testing. Documents and a summary spreadsheet are attached. MOTION by Councilor Myers seconded by Councilor Colston to approve the agreement amendments as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. h. Approval: Grant: Safe Routes to Parks Activating Communities 2021 for Memorial Park – R Coffey Mr. Coffey said the City’s Community Services Department, in partnership with the Winooski Valley Parks District, is seeking support from City Council to pursue funds through the Safe Routes to Parks Activating Communities Grant Program, emphasizing improved way find, connectivity, and access for the trails at the City’s Memorial Park. This grant is only eligible to 501 (c)(3) non-profits, and as such WVPD has agreed to act as the fiscal agent for the project. He said the Safe Routes to Parks Activating Communities program provides tailored technical assistance, along with a $12,500 award for seven nonprofit organizations to develop and initiate action plans to increase safe and equitable access to parks and green space in their communities. MOTION by Councilor Myers seconded by Councilor Duncan to approve a letter of support for a grant submitted by the Winooski Valley Parks District (serving as a fiscal agent for the project) as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. i. Approval: Grant: Vermont Afterschool Youth Council Grant – R Coffey Mr. Coffey is looking for authorization to execute the Memorandum of Agreement between the City and VT afterschool, accepting funds for the Youth Council Grant. He said the Community Services team identified the VT Afterschool Youth Council Grant and submitted an application fund the start-up of a Winooski Youth Council, which will support the development of new or expanded youth programs. Our goals is to develop and sustain a Youth Council that will provide on-going leadership and insight to help Winooski develop an expanded/improved slate of youth programs that will be relevant and accessible for our young people. During the start-up phase of the Youth Council (through June 30, 2021), youth members will provided a stipend for their participation, and will help to develop a participatory budgeting process by which they will sub-grant between $2,000 and $5,000 of grant funds out to community-driven projects that will enhance or add youth programming options to our community. The youth Council will be supported by a staff team made up of the A*VISTA Youth Programs Coordinator, the Recreation Programs Manager, and staff from the Library. Mr. Coffey said the City was informed on November 24, 2020 that our application for funding had been accepted by VT Afterschool; however, given the size of the grant ($9,000 total) we require Council approval to accept the awarded funds. MOTION by Councilor Duncan seconded by Councilor Myers to authorize the community Services Director to execute the attached Memorandum of Agreement between the City and VT Afterschool accepting funds for the Youth Council Grant as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. j. Approval: Grant TD Green Space – J Rauscher Mr. Rauscher is looking for approval of a Grant to support green infrastructure development, tree planting, forestry stewardship and community green space expansion as a way to advance environmental and economic benefits toward a low-carbon economy. The grant is up to $20,000.00 and there is no match requirement. MOTION by Councilor Duncan seconded by Councilor Myers to authorize the Public Works Director in coordination with the Winooski Tree Committee and municipal Infrastructure Commission to submit a grant application for the 2021 TD Green Space program as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. k. Discussion: Housing Stability Update – H Carrington Ms. Carrington updated the Mayor and Council and said staff has been monitoring housing indicators over the last few months to serve as an early warning system for housing instability in Winooski. The accompanying memorandum is the second quarterly report providing a high-level overview of housing stability indicator data. Ms. Carrington said we had a couple of major property owners come in and speak with the Housing Commission as part of our review of the Housing stability information. Between the two of the represent over 300 units. They said there is only one tenant that they were looking to evict and the person who is in that situation is someone who maintains their job throughout and just stopped paying rent and hasn’t paid since and has not responded to any outreach or attempt to assist them. I’m seeing that more people have been able to pay their rent over the period considered here, part of that maybe because Vermont used our Cares Act funding in useful ways. l. Discussion: 2020 Plan Report-out – J Baker The City Manager presented the 2020 Policy Priorities and Strategies Recovery Plan Report-0ut #4. She said since 2017, the Council and Leadership Team have come together on an annual basis to establish a shared list of priorities (a workplan) for achieving the City’s Strategic Vision priorities. Given the Covid-19 pandemic we currently face, the financial uncertainty, you adopted a 2020 Recovery Plan in July 2020. This is the fourth report-out on that Plan. The City Manager said we have reconvened weekly huddles with Burlington and partners as the Covid numbers are increasing. We are all coordinated on messaging and translations, testing sites. The Mayor said when you worked with staff and put this together, this would be in place for six months and then we would our regular priorities and discussion. It is just feeling to me like that is not appropriate anymore. This is what we are working with for the rest of the fiscal year because the situation hasn’t improved. Councilor Lafayette agrees. The City Manager said from staffs, perspective we feel like this is a good summary of our priorities. IX. Adjourn MOTION by Councilor Myers seconded by Councilor Duncan to adjourn the City Council meeting at 8:50 p.m. Voted and passed 4-0. ATTEST: _____________________________ City Clerk