City Council

Winooski City Council Remote and In-Person Meeting Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at 6 PM Attend online: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84364849328 Attend by phone: 1 646 558 8656 Attend in person: Winooski City Hall (27 West Allen St - masks & 6' distancing required) I. Call to Order II. Pledge of Allegiance III. Agenda Review IV. Public Comment V. Consent Agenda a. Approval: Approve the City Council Minutes of 02/07/2022 b. Approval: Approve the Payroll Warrant 01/23/22 through 02/05/22, AP Warrant 02/17/2022 and December Subsequent to Payout Warrant VI. Council Reports VII. City Updates VIII. Regular Items a. Discussion/Approval: Winooski COVID-Recovery Business Grant Program -H Carrington/M Bay-Tyack b. Discussion: Draft Amendments to the Unified Land Use and Development Regulations – Form Based Code – E Vorwald c. Discussion/Approval: Public Records Request Policy – E Vorwald d. Discussion/Approval: Establishment of Cannabis Control Commission – E Vorwald e. Approval: Fund Budgets – A Aldieri IX. Recess City Council Meeting X. Winooski Community Development Trust Board of Trustees Meeting XI. Recess Winooski Community Development Trust Board of Trustees Meeting XII. Resume City Council Meeting XIII. Regular Items a. Approval: Community Development Budget – A Aldieri b. Approval: Water Rate Resolution – A Aldieri c. Approval: Wastewater Resolution – A Aldieri IX. Adjourn  Minutes Mayor Lott called the meeting to order at 6:05 pm. Deputy Mayor Hal Colston led in the Pledge of Allegiance. Members Present: Mayor Kristine Lott Councilors: James Duncan, Mike Myers, Bryn Oakleaf, Hal Colston Officers Present: Wendy Harrison, Interim City Manager; Angel Lane, Assistant City Clerk; Angela Aldieri, Finance Director; Paul Sarne, Communications Manager; Eric Vorwald, Planning and Zoning Manager; John Audy, Fire Chief; Heather Carrington, Community and Economic Development Officer Others Present: Town Meeting TV, Debra Jarvis, Grace Pfeil, Daisy Berbeco, Greg Jarvis, Meredith Bay-Tyack, Aurora Hurd, Elizabeth Wood III. Agenda Review – None IV. Public Comment Grace Pfeil asked the Council what is being done to assist the residents being evicted from 300 Main Street. Mayor Lott made a statement regarding the current situation. Mayor Lott stated that there are approximately 2 dozen families that have been given a 6 month notice of eviction by the property owner. Mayor Lott expressed her concern with so many families being displaced at a time of such severe housing shortages in Chittenden County. Mayor Lott explained that there are weekly meetings with various housing agencies, Winooski School District, the state refugee office, and other agencies working together to help find a solution for these families. Mayor Lott also stated that the Governor’s office was made aware of this situation in Winooski. Ms. Pfeil also asked what follow-up was being done with the massive code violations that the City of Winooski is aware of. Ms. Pfeil wanted to know how this is being addressed. Ms. Carrington interjected that the Housing Commission is involved in an equity audit to help identify housing inequities. Interim City Manager Wendy Harrison asked Chief Audy to speak to the code violations. Chief Audy stated that there have been inspections ongoing since last October/November and most of the 80+ violations have been addressed. Chief Audy stated that the current violations have to do with supply chain issues. These violations including cabinets to be installed and an egress window installation. There is continuing infestation mitigation. This is a process that takes time to complete per Chief Audy. Chief Audy stated that all the units at 300 Main Street are habitable and safe per the recent inspections. V. Consent Agenda a. Approval: Approve the City Council Minutes of 02/07/2022 Motion by Councilor Duncan second by Councilor Myers to approve as presented the City Council minutes of 02/07/2022. Voted and passed 3-0 Councilor Colston abstained.  b. Approval: Approve the Payroll Warrant 01/23/22 through 02/05/22, AP Warrant 02/17/2022 and December Subsequent to Payout Warrant. Motion by Councilor Myers second by Councilor Oakleaf to approve as presented the Payroll Warrant 01/23/22 through 02/05/22, AP Warrant 02/17/2022 and December Subsequent to Payout Warrant. Voted and passed 4-0. VI. Council Reports Councilor Oakleaf – Councilor Oakleaf attended the Airport Commission meeting last week. There was discussion regarding sound mitigation and the handling of noise complaints. Councilor Duncan – Councilor Duncan met with the Tree Committee last week. The committee discussed the planting a tree at Richards Park for the 100-year anniversary celebration. Councilor Duncan also took the opportunity to express his gratitude to Councilor Myers and Councilor Colston for their years of service to the city. Councilor Myers – Councilor mentioned that this was his last City Council meeting. Councilor Myers took a moment to thank the Council and staff for all their support over the years. Councilor Colston – Councilor Colston shared that he attended the most recent meeting of the Safe Healthy Connected People Commission. The meeting focused on their personal experiences centered around the pandemic. The meeting centered on experiencing positive mental health. Councilor Colston also attended the most recent Downtown Winooski meeting. He expressed what a dynamic group this is and encouraged other Council members to attend a meeting if possible. Mayor Lott – Mayor Lott expressed her gratitude to Councilor Myers and Councilor Colston for their commitment to the City of Winooski. The first Council meeting following Town Meeting Day will be an orientation of the newly elected Councilors. Mayor Lott strongly recommends that the commissions take a break from meeting in March. The mayor asks that this is communicated by the staff liaisons to the commission chairs. The City Manager Search Team will reconvene tomorrow and is planning to schedule interviews next week. VII. City Updates Interim City Manager Wendy Harrison shared the following. • 300 Main St- Reported on in public comment • COVID- We have no-staff out with COVID. This downward trend is the same as in the general public. Even though the rates are going down, the CDC still shows us at a high transmission rate. We may have a recommendation March 7th regarding the mask mandate. • Snowstorm later this week, freezing rail expected for Thursday. Be alert for a parking ban. • This is the last meeting before the election March 1st—remember to vote. Absentee ballots are available at the Clerk’s office. As of earlier today, we have 14 new all resident voter registrations. • Another reminder for the centennial celebration of Winooski’s 100th birthday the week of March 7th. See the website for details. VIII. Regular Items  a. Discussion/Approval Winooski COVID-Recovery Business Grant Program – H Carrington/ M Bay-Tyack Ms. Carrington reviewed the packet. Some discussion ensued. There were several questions addressed and some clarifications made. MOTION by Councilor Oakleaf second by Councilor Myers to approve the Winooski COVID-Recovery Business Grant Program with the modification of addressing code violations that directly affect health and safety as an acceptable use of the grant funds. b. Discussion: Draft Amendments to the Unified Land Use and Development Regulations – Form Based Code – E Vorwald Mr. Vorwald reviewed the purposed changes. There were no questions raised. The next step is to set a Public Hearing date which could be March 21, 2022 at the earliest. MOTION by Councilor Oakleaf second by Councilor Duncan to set a Public Hearing date for March 21, 2022. Voted and passed 4-0. c. Discussion/Approval: Public Records Request Policy – E Vorwald Mr. Vorwald presented this policy to Council. Mr. Vorwald explained that the City Manager should act as the Public Records Agent and all requests would start with the City Manager. Councilor Oakleaf stated that we need to view this policy through an equity lens. Councilor Oakleaf is particularly concerned with possible financial and language barriers. Councilor Oakleaf does not feel that this document addresses this concern. Mayor Lott had some comments regarding the equity issue and stated her appreciation to Councilor Oakleaf for bringing it forward. Mayor Lott stated that we will need to think about this and focus where the need may arise. Councilor Duncan thanked Mr. Vorwald for his work on this policy. Councilor would like the request to default to electronic delivery whenever possible. Some changes were suggested-electronic format when possible and to include scholarships and translation requests. Council will review this again at a future meeting for possible approval. d. Discussion/Approval: Establishment of Cannabis Control Commission – E Vorwald Mr. Vorwald presented the plan to Council. Mr. Vorwald stated that the commission would be run very much like the Liquor Control Board. There was some discussion. MOTION by Councilor Myers second by Councilor Duncan to approve the establishment of a Cannabis Control Commission as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. e. Approval: Fund Budgets – A Aldieri Ms. Aldieri explained the process to Council. There were no questions or any discussion currently. MOTION by Councilor Duncan second by Councilor Oakleaf to approve the Fund Budgets as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. IX. Recess of City Council Meeting at 7:28 pm. X. Winooski Community Development Trust Board of Trustees Meeting XI. Adjourn the Community Development Trust Board of Trustees Meeting at 7:30 pm. XII. Resume City Council Meeting at 7:35 pm. XIII. Regular Items a. Approval: Community Development Budget – A Aldieri Ms. Aldieri presented the budget to be approved. There was no discussion or any questions. MOTION: by Councilor Myers second by Councilor Colston to approve the Community Development Budget as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. b. Approval: Water Rate Resolution -A Aldieri Ms. Aldieri presented the resolution for approval. There was no discussion or any questions. MOTION by Councilor Duncan second by Councilor Oakleaf to approve the Water Rate Resolution as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. c. Approval: Wastewater Resolution – A Aldieri Ms. Aldieri presented the resolution for approval. There was no discussion or any questions. MOTION by Councilor Colston second by Councilor Duncan to approve the Wastewater Resolution as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. XIV. Adjourn MOTION by Councilor Myers second by Councilor Colston to adjourn the City Council meeting at 7:38 pm. ATTEST:____________________________________________________________ Assistant City Clerk