City Council

Mayor Kristine Lott - klott@winooskivt.gov Councilor Hal Colston - hcolston@winooskivt.gov Councilor Jim Duncan - jduncan@winooskivt.gov Councilor Mike Myers - mmyers@winooskivt.gov Councilor Bryn Oakleaf – boakleaf@winooskivt.gov Winooski City Council Remote Meeting Saturday, June 26, 2021 at 9:00 A.M. Attend online: https://zoom.us/j/96589481730 Attend by phone: 1 646 558 8656 Webinar ID: 965 8948 1730 Attend in person: Winooski Senior Center, 123 Barlow Street I. Call to Order II. Pledge of Allegiance III. Public Comment IV. Consent Agenda a. Approval: City Council Minutes of June 21, 2021 b. Approval: ARPA Council Appointment V. Regular Items a. Approval: Set the FY22 Tax Rate – A Aldieri b. Discussion: Policies Priorities and Strategies Retreat - All VI. Adjourn  MINUTES The City Council Meeting was called to order by Mayor Lott at 9:09 a.m. Councilor Duncan led in the Pledge of Allegiance Members Present: Mayor Kristine Lott Councilors: Bryn Oakleaf, James Duncan, Hal Colston was remote; Michael Myers absent Officers Present: Phoebe Townsend and Jon Rauscher, Co-Interim City Manager; Carol Barrett, City Clerk; Janet Brouard, Sr. Asst. City Clerk; Angela Aldieri, Finance Director; John Audy, Fire Chief; Rick Hebert, Police Chief; Yasamin Gordon, Equity Director; Heather Carrington, Economic Development Director; Eric Vorwald, Planning & Zoning Manager; Ray Coffey, Community Services Director. Others Present: Jacqueline Posley III. Public Comment – None IV. Consent Agenda MOTION by Councilor Duncan seconded by Councilor Oakleaf to approve the consent agenda as presented. Voted and passed 3-0. V. Regular Items a. Approval: Set the FY22 Tax Rate – A Aldieri Ms. Aldieri briefed the Mayor and Council on setting the tax rate and asking for approval. MOTION by Councilor Duncan seconded by Councilor Oakleaf to approve the FY22 tax rate in the amount of $1.1622 and a municipal local agreement rate of $..0013 with the education local agreement rate to be established by calculation once the City receives the Education Tax Rate from the State as presented. Voted and passed 3-0. b. Discussion: Policies Priorities and Strategies Retreat – All Councilor Colston zoomed in at 10:04 a.m. The Mayor welcomed everyone and said this is our first hybrid and in person meeting in a very long time. Since 2017, the Council and Leadership Team have come together on an annual basis to establish a shared list of priorities (a work plan) for achieving the City‘s Strategic Vision priorities. This has included a review of accomplishments, a review of future priorities, and an alignment to the City’s Master Plan and the Commission structure. Per the attached memo, Council will review staff recommendations for the FY22 Policy Priorities and Strategies and provide recommendations to be incorporated into a final draft to be approved at a future City Council meeting. Ms. Townsend shared the following shared agreements. City Manager Search Committee Group Agreements Agreements help maintain a safe, supportive, and collaborative working environment Our agreements What they look like in action Be engaged and Make the personal commitment to remain emotionally, intellectually, maintain and socially involved in the dialogue. Seek to understand, not to agree. confidentiality Honor privacy by avoiding "who said what." Speak to and listen for Be open about your feelings and experiences – not just saying what you one’s own truth think others want to hear. Be open to the experiences of others, not comparing them to your own. Consider your own power dynamics and how it shapes what you see/hear and what you do not see/hear. Experience discomfort Stay focused on disrupting institutional oppression and building inclusive leadership skills. It is through dialogue—even when uncomfortable—that awareness happens and change begins. Expect and accept This work is ongoing. Be willing to take risks, sit through silence, and non-closure accept this is about changing yourself and not others. We work as a Team We work for the good of the whole. We take each other’s unique perspectives into consideration, not just our own. We respect and value each other for the different skills/strengths we individually bring to this work. We recognize that our individual contributions build into collective work that is in support of the broader shared goal. Adapted from Glenn E. Singleton & Curtis Linton, Courageous Conversations about Race: A field guide for Achieving Equity in Schools. 2006. Pp.58-65. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. Ms. Townsend also presented the White Dominant Culture & Something Different a worksheet There was discussion amongst the Mayor, Council and staff members concerning the White Dominant Culture & Something Different. See attached. The Mayor presented their strategic vision. See attached. Mr. Coffey said due to COVID our priorities had changed. COVID had a significant impact on our community members. The Mayor called a recess at 9:53 a.m. and meeting reconvened at 10:04 a.m. Mr. Coffey presented to the Mayor and Council with the staff recommendations as presented. He said staff had met two weeks ago concerning the recommendations and there are five buckets: 1. All 2. Economic Vitality 3. Housing 4. Municipal Infrastructure 5. Safe, Health, Connected People Mr. Coffey went through all five buckets and there was discussion concerning each bucket. At the end, the Mayor and Council chose their priorities. See attached. Mr. Coffey said we could achieve these goals. This group has a lot of ambition. The Mayor thanked the staff for the time and meeting with us. She also said she will be in contact with Councilor Myers to get his priority recommendations and we will bring this back to our July meeting. MOTION by Councilor Oakleaf seconded by Councilor Duncan to adjourn City Council meeting at 12:26 p.m. Voted and passed 3-0. ATTEST: _______________________ City Clerk