City Council

City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Winooski City Council - Remote and In-Person Meeting Monday, November 07, 2022, at 6 PM • Attend online: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84364849328 • Attend by phone: 1 646 558 8656 • Webinar ID: 843 6484 9328 • Attend in-person: Winooski City Hall (27 West Allen Street) I. Call to Order II. Pledge of Allegiance III. Agenda Review IV. Public Comment V. Consent Agenda a. Approval: City Council Minutes of 10/17/22 b. Approval: Accounts Payable Warrant of 11/03/22 c. Approval: Payroll Warrant 10/02/22-10/15/22 and 10/16/22-10/29/22 d. Approval: Subsequent to Payout Warrant for 09/22 e. Approval: Inclusion and Belonging Commission Appointments VI. Council Reports VII. City Updates VIII. Regular Items a. Discussion: Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission Presentation – E Wang, City Manager/C Baker, Executive Director CCRPC b. Discussion/Approval: Political Sign Procedure – E Wang, City Manager c. Discussion: Lot 9 Winooski Hotel Group Project Overview – E Wang, City Manager/J Rauscher, Director of Public Works d. Discussion/Approval: 21 C Grant Memorandum of Understanding for Grant Application – R Coffey, Community Services Director e. Discussion/Approval: Award COVID-19 Recovery Nonprofit Grants – E Wang, City Manager f. Discussion/Approval: COVID-19 Recovery Nonprofit Grants Round 2 – E Wang, City Manager g. Discussion/Approval: Municipal Infrastructure Commission Appointment – J Rauscher, Director of Public Works h. Discussion: 2023 Legislative Priorities for Winooski – K Lott, Mayor i. Discussion/Approval: Small Business Saturday Proclamation – K Lott, Mayor  IX. Executive Session a. Executive Session Pursuant to 1 V.S.A. §313 (2) the negotiation of real estate purchase or lease options related to Lot 7D (Abenaki Way) b. Executive Session Pursuant to 1 VSA 313 1 E Pending or Probable Civil Litigation or a Prosecution, to which the Public Body is or may be a Party. X. Adjourn Minutes Mayor Lott called the meeting to order at 6:01 pm. Deputy Mayor Duncan led in the Pledge of Allegiance. Members Present: Mayor Kristine Lott Deputy Mayor James Duncan Councilors: Bryn Oakleaf, Aurora Hurd and Thomas Renner Officer’s Present: Elaine Wang, City Manager; Jenny Willingham, City Clerk; Paul Sarne, Communications Director; Angela Aldieri, Finance Director; Jesse Acri, Human Resource Manager; Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director; Eric Vorwald, Planning and Zoning Manager; Ray Coffey, Community Services Director; Angel Lane, Assistant City Clerk Other’s Present: Jake Evans, David Quinn, Charlie Baker, Adam Dubroff, Abdi Mohamed, Bill Niquette, Dallas Wheatley, Mike O’Brien, Lee Wasserman, Sarah VonRyckeversel, Town Meeting TV III. Agenda Review – None IV. Public Comment – None V. Consent Agenda a. Approval: City Council Minutes of 10/17/22 b. Approval: Accounts Payable Warrant of 11/03/2022 c. Approval: Payroll Warrant 10/02/22-10/15/22 and 10/16/22-1 10/29/22 d. Approval: Subsequent to Payout Warrant for 09/22 e. Approval: Inclusion and Belonging Commission Appointments MOTION: by Councilor Oakleaf second by Councilor Renner to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. VI. Council Reports Councilor Renner- shared how fantastically well the Winooski Halloween celebration went. It was reported that this year’s celebration was the most highly attended throughout the weekend. A special thank you to all the volunteers. Deputy Mayor Duncan- The Housing Commission met on 10/24 to review the Public Building Registry regarding housing quality. There was an extensive walk through with Chief Audy on the checklist used for life/safety inspections. The next focus will be on what  happens when a violation is found. Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday the next Housing Commission meeting will be on 12/8. One other item to report on is there was a very good meeting with the Winooski Housing Authority at the Barlow St location. Special thanks to Paul Sarne, Communications Director for facilitating an ARPA session. There were good discussions regarding sidewalks and streets. It was good to get out and meet folks where they are, and Deputy Mayor Duncan stated looking forward to doing more of this soon. Mayor Lott- The Planning Commission meets this Thursday and will be reviewing the parking regulations. Mayor Lott also attended the community meal with the Winooski School Board. The focus at this meeting was retention. A Somali community meeting was also attended and was well appreciated. Councilor Oakleaf- Councilor Oakleaf gave a reminder of the Chittenden Solid Waste District’s bond vote. The Municipal Infrastructure Commission will meet on 11/17, it will be a joint meeting with the Finance Commission to focus on Capital Project priorities and the budget for the next fiscal year. Councilor Oakleaf met with the Executive Director of Vermont Works for Women. Vermont Works for Women express a willingness to co- promote public commission meetings and to even possible co-host said meetings in the future. VWFW also offered to read/review job postings we might have to support more diverse hiring. Councilor Oakleaf will meet with the Congolese community this coming Saturday and is looking forward to the outreach and connecting with them. Lastly, Councilor Oakleaf gave a big shout out to the Winooski Boys Soccer team for winning the State Championship. This was a great accomplishment and Councilor Oakleaf is excited to celebrate with them in their victory. Councilor Hurd- Councilor Hurd stated that the Safe, Healthy, Connected People Commission will meet tomorrow 11/8. The Inclusion & Belonging Commission will meet on 12/8. This month the Inclusion & Belonging Commissioners begin serving in their various ambassador rolls. On 10/26 City Manager Elaine Wang and Councilor Hurd attended the IDEAL (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Action and Leadership) kickoff. Winooski will be one of 14 municipalities working on equity & inclusion statewide. VII. City Updates-E Wang, City Manager Follow up on Halloween – want to thank Council, many if not all of whom supported from carving to placement and candling. Also, again to Downtown Winooski staff and board, the City Community Services Dept and DPW for picking up after. The General Election is tomorrow! Thanks to everyone who voted early and to the Secretary of State’s Office for getting all the ballots out directly to our residents. If you’re voting in-person, we’ll see you at the Winooski Senior Center on 123 Barlow Street from 7 AM – 7 PM. Please note, if you have a completed ballot still at home, deliver it to the Winooski Senior Center tomorrow (as opposed to at City Hall). Speaking of the Senior Center, we’re hosting a blood drive at the Senior Center on Friday, November 11th from 12 – 5:30 PM. Blood donations are always in critical need – please visit redcrossblood.org/give and search by our zip code (05404) to schedule. Winooski City Hall will be closed on Friday, November 11, in observance of Veteran’s Day. Items for the City Clerk’s Office can be left in the drop box right outside the entrance. While we are enjoying some unseasonal beautiful weather, our annual winter parking ban reminder went out on all channels on the 1st – please remember to sign up for our winter parking ban notices by texting ‘Winooski’ to 888-777 or by visiting winooskivt.gov/parking  for full details. To recap - overnight street parking is prohibited in Downtown Winooski from 2:30 AM to 6 AM from December 1st to March 31st. For the rest of the city, winter parking bans are made on a case-by-case, weather-dependent basis or for area-specific snow removal where overnight street parking is prohibited from 11 PM to 7 AM. The Winooski Housing Trust Fund site has been up and running, anyone looking to learn more about the Down Payment Assistance Program, the Home Improvement Program, or the Affordable Housing Construction and Rehabilitation Program should visit winooskivt.gov/housing for full details or simply visit the Winooski branch of Opportunities Credit Union to learn more and apply. VIII. Regular Items a. Discussion: Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission Presentation – E Wang, City Manager/C Baker, Executive Director CCRPC Mr. Baker, Executive Director CCRPC reviewed the Annual Report which provided an overview of what they are and the extensive ways CCRPC has supported and supplemented Winooski staff in advancing the desired municipal and regional outcomes. Some discussion ensued. Council expressed appreciation to Mr. Baker for his presentation. b. Discussion/Approval: Political Sign Procedure – E Wang, City Manager Mike O’Brien shared some history regarding political signs as did Mayor Lott. City Manager Wang suggested that a decision not be made tonight as many of the candidates who may want to provide input are very busy tonight being the day before the election. Most agreed that more discussion is warranted. The discussion was tabled until a later date to be determined. c. Discussion: Lot 9 Winooski Hotel Group Project Overview – E Wang, City Manager/J Rauscher, Public Works Director Adam Dubroff, Winooski Hotel Group and Dave Marshal, CEA VT were introduced to provide an overview of the proposed Lot 9 redevelopment project to current Councilors. There was history shared of hotels in the past in Winooski. Mr. Dubroff explained that hospitality has had a long history in Winooski and is looking forward to a hotel returning to the city. Some discussion ensued. Winooski residents Sarah Von Ryckevorsel and Dallas Wheatley had questions regarding parking at the proposed hotel. There was some discussion of the use of a valet system of parking, but this is still being developed. The Council thanked Mr. Dubroff and Mr. Marshall for their time. d. Discussion/Approval: 21 C Grant Memorandum of Understanding for Grant Application – R Coffey, Community Services Director Ray Coffey, Community Services Director brought this item before Council to seek approval for the joint grant application for the 21 C Grant (FY24-FY29) and to authorize the City Manager to execute the Memorandum of Agreement to be included in the grant application. The City would commit to bringing a minimum of $40,000.00 annually to the project as an in-kind match and in return would draw down up to $25,000.00 annually in support of city run recreational programming delivered through the Recreation and Parks Department and/or Winooski Library. The City’s annual allocation from the grant would go to support staff time, contracts with instructors and program supplies/materials. A brief discussion ensued. MOTION: by Councilor Duncan second by Councilor Oakleaf to approve the 21 C Grant Memorandum of Understand for Grant Application and to authorize City Manager Elaine Wang to execute the Memorandum of Agreement to be included in the grant application as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. e. Discussion/Approval: Award COVID-19 Recovery Nonprofit Grants – E Wang, City Manager Council was asked to consider the additional criteria of COVID-19 recovery in award the grants. If the Winooski United Methodist Church is among your grantees, award $5,000 to them (having already received $5,000), with the remaining organizations at $10,000. Council approved this grant program back in September having considered input from the Safe, Healthy, Connected People Commission which is serving as the program’s Grant Review Committee. After much discussion Council decided on the approving the following grantees. • Winooski United Methodist Church Food Shelf $5,000 • Dream $5,000 • Somali Bantu Community Association $10,000 • Winooski Parents and Students Project $10,000 • CVOEO $10,000 MOTION: by Councilor Duncan second by Councilor Renner to approve the COVID- 19 Recovery Nonprofit Grants to the Winooski United Methodist Church Food Shelf $5,000, Dream $5,000, Somali Bantu Community Association $10,000, Winooski Parents and Students Project $10,000, and CVOEO $10,000 as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. f. Discussion/Approval: COVID-19 Recovery Nonprofit Grants Round 2 – E Wang, City Manager This item was presented to authorize allocating another $50,000 for a grant program to nonprofits helping our community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and to direct the Safe, Healthy, People Commission to draft revisions to the grant program. There is agreement that the criteria should be updated to address COVID- 19 related issues more clearly as this is the understood intent of the grant. With the budget process just beginning and it being a very challenging time it as suggested that the round 2 grants be revisited after the budget is complete. This would also allow time for the SHCP Commission to provide input on the proposed criteria updates. There was discussion regarding $30,000 of funds still unused in another fund that could be used at this time to move forward with round 2. Discussion ensued. MOTION: by Councilor Duncan to approve $30,000 for COVID-19 Recovery Nonprofit Grants Round 2. Motion failed due to lack of a second. Following items e. and f. Mayor Lott failed to ask for public comment. The Mayor took a moment and asked if there was any public comment regarding items e. and f. There was no public comment. g. Discussion/Approval: Municipal Infrastructure Commission Appointment – J Rauscher, Director of Public Works Mr. Rauscher presented Dallas Wheatley to Council for an appointee to the Municipal Infrastructure Commission as an Alternate. Dallas took a moment and spoke to Council. Dallas would be appointed to a term through June 30, 2023. MOTION: by Councilor Renner second by Councilor Hurd to approve the appointment of Dallas Wheatley to the Municipal Infrastructure Commission as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. h. Discussion: 2023 Legislative Priorities for Winooski- K Lott, Mayor Mayor Lott presented the memorandum to Council and reviewed the list contained therein. The Mayor stated that the list could be used in a letter to our legislators. Discussion ensued with some items mentioned by Council that could be prioritized  including a statewide rental registry, safe injections centers and expanding public transit to list a few mentioned. More discussion ensued. The memorandum will be finalized at the next City Council meeting. i. Discussion/Approval: Small Business Saturday Proclamation – K Lott, Mayor The City of Winooski has been invited to participate again this year to demonstrate our commitment to our small, local businesses by establishing November 26, 2022, as Small Business Saturday. Small Business Saturday draws national attention to the important role that small businesses play in boosting our economy, creating jobs, and maintaining our neighborhood character. Small Business Saturday is one of the signature events held by Downtown Winooski per the Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Winooski. Annually, Downtown Winooski promotes the event, and encourages the community to support local businesses. Council was asked to adopt the proclamation and establish November 26, 2022, as Small Business Saturday in Winooski. MOTION: by Councilor Oakleaf second by Councilor Renner to approve the Small Business Saturday Proclamation as presented. Voted and passed 4-0. MOTION: by Councilor Duncan second by Councilor Renner to approve adjourning into two Executive Sessions; Executive Session Pursuant to 1 V.S.A. §313 (2) the negotiation of real estate purchase or lease options related to Lot 7D (Abenaki Way) and Executive Session Pursuant to 1 VSA 313 1 E Pending or Probable Civil Litigation or a Prosecution, to which the Public Body is or may be a Party. Voted and passed 4-0. MOTION: by Councilor Renner second by Councilor Oakleaf to invite Bill Niquette, Doug Nedde, Elaine Wang, City Manager and Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director into the first Executive Session. Voted and passed 4-0. MOTION: by Councilor Duncan second by Councilor Renner to invite Elaine Wang, City Manager; Eric Vorwald, Planning and Zoning Manager; Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director and Angela Aldieri, Finance Director to the second Executive Session. Voted and passed 4-0. MOTION: by Councilor Duncan second by Councilor Renner to enter Executive Session at 8:07 am. Voted and passed 4-0. IX. Executive Session a. Executive Session Pursuant to 1 V.S.A. §313 (2) the negotiation of real estate purchase or lease options related to Lot 7D (Abenaki Way) MOTION: by Councilor Duncan second by Councilor Hurd to come out of the first Executive Session and enter the second Executive Session at 8:55 pm. Voted and passed 4-0. b. Executive Session Pursuant to 1 VSA 313 1 E Pending or Probable Civil Litigation or a Prosecution, to which the Public Body is or may be a Party. MOTION: by Councilor Oakleaf second by Councilor Duncan to come out of the second Executive Session at 9:16 pm. Voted and passed 4-0. X. Adjourn MOTION: by Councilor Duncan second by Councilor Hurd to adjourn the City Council Meeting at 9:16 pm. Voted and passed 4-0. ATTEST:___________________________________________________________ Angel Lane, Assistant City Clerk