City Council

City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Winooski City Council Meeting Monday, July 17, 2023, at 6 PM Attend in person: Winooski City Hall (27 W Allen St) Attend online: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84364849328 Attend by phone: 1 646 558 8656 Webinar ID: 843 6484 9328 I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 6 PM. Members Present: Mayor Kristine Lott, Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner, Councilor Aurora Hurd, Councilor Bryn Oakleaf, Councilor Charles Judge Officers Present: Elaine Wang, City Manager; Ray Coffey, Community Services Director; Paul Sarne, Communications Director; Jon Rauscher, Director of Public Works; Angela Aldieri, Finance Director; Jenny Willingham, City Clerk; Jean Carlstedt, Assistant City Clerk; Eric Vorwald, Building and Zoning Manager; Jazmine Hurley, Housing Initiative Director Others Present: Brigitte Gulliver; Therese Villemaire; Karol Cannon; Connor Daley; Bruce Wilson; Alana Shaw; Kim Hier; Bridget Ahrens; Jean Szilva; Thomas Creswell II. Pledge of Allegiance III. Agenda Review IV. Public Comment Minutes: Karol Cannon, 13 Richard Street resident, presented Council with petition from residents on Richard Street and surrounding streets. Richard Street is being used as a cut-through for fast cars, residents request traffic calming measures be made. Jon Rauscher, Director of Public Works, confirmed that Richard Street is on the list of roads to be evaluated for traffic calming, but the current budget does not have funding for evaluations. Traffic calming could include a speed hump, bump-outs, etc; measures are listed in the Traffic Calming Manual on the City’s website. Once an evaluation is completed, a speed hump could be installed fairly quickly. Temporary measures can be taken until the evaluation can be done. Jon also confirmed that Richard Street will most likely not be used as a detour for upcoming Main Street construction. Bruce Wilson, Board of Directors Member for the Fight for Kids Foundation, thanked the Council for their service to Winooski. Bruce presented the Fight for Kids Foundation First Fridays program, a new youth center opened on Malletts Bay Avenue, and asked for council support with their programs. V. Consent Agenda A. Approval: City Council Minutes of June 27, 2023, and Corrected Minutes of March 20, 2023 B. Approval: Payroll Warrants June 11 – June 24, June 25 – July 8 C. Approval: Accounts Payable July 12, Interim Accounts Payable July 10 D. Approval: Authorize Execution of Pilot Agreement Amendment for Spinner Place E. Approval: Authorize Expenditure of Public Art Funds for Riverwalk Mural by Arts So Wonderful F. Approval: Event Permit Application – Lapointe Street Block Party G. Approval: Resolution to Establish Bank Account for Abenaki Garage Bond H. Approval: Appoint Winooski Valley Park District Representative Minutes: Mayor Lott presented items up for approval on the Consent Agenda. Councilor Oakleaf motioned for removal of item E, becoming item H on regular agenda, seconded by Deputy Mayor Renner. Motion: Approval of Consent Agenda motioned by Councilor Oakleaf, seconded by Councilor Judge. Voted and passed 4-0. VI. Council Reports Councilor Hurd: At the most recent Safe, Healthy, Connected People meeting, the River Walk mural was the primary item discussed. Inclusion & Belonging will not meet this month. Councilor Oakleaf: Chittenden Solid Waste District met at the end of June, at which time the Board approved funding for equipment for the new Materials Recovery and Recycling Facility; that expenditure will be an estimated $16 million. Councilor Oakleaf is looking forward to having that project move forward and thanked Winooski residents and Chittenden County residents that voted and approved the bond for the new recycling facility. The Airport Commission met July 5, continuing plans to develop updated noise impact exposure maps. The Commission anticipates reconvening the two commitees that were held from the previous noise impact mapping work group, but no information has been released about how they will solicit people to participate on the work groups or the exact timing of these groups, though end of summer is expected; there will be public information sessions with translation and interpretation services provided when that time comes. Municipal Infrastructure Committee will not meet this month. Councilor Oakleaf encouraged anyone interested to reach out to her as the Committee is soliciting for three seats to be filled. Mayor Lott: The Planning Commission met and continued to review Design Review Standards; at the next meeting on August 10, the Planning Commission will discuss the boundaries for an actual Design Review Area in the City of Winooski. Mayor Lott and Elaine Wang, City Manager, had the pleasure to meet with a group of middle schoolers from the Mill School last week. Deputy Mayor Renner: Downtown Winooski meets this Wednesday July 19; the Winooski Farmer’s Market is still being held every Sunday from 10am-2pm; the next Winooski Wednesday is August 2. Winooski’s Pride event in September is being planned by Downtown Winooski in partnership with a group of volunteers; they will be seeking community input and assistance in the future. Councilor Judge: The Winooski Housing Commission attempted to meet on July 6 but didn’t make quorum. The next meeting will be July 25. Jazmine Hurley, Housing Initiative Director, will present some of the work they’ve been doing later this evening.  Mayor Lott thanked staff for their overtime to ensure community safety due to flooding, expressed how grateful she is that Winooski did not have the kind of damage that other communities in Vermont faced. VII. City Updates Elaine Wang, City Manager, thanked the Department of Public Works and Public Safety Team for their continued diligence monitoring the weather and water levels with support from state and federal agencies. Residents are encouraged to keep a safe distance from the river and to stay away from barricaded areas so you do not become someone who needs rescuing. Wading is not advisable as there is still a lot of unhealthy material in the water. If you know someone who is not yet connected to resources and was impacted, please check https://vem.vermont.gov/ for resources that might be relevant to them. Winooski residents looking to help can visit https://vermont.gov/volunteer to get involved. We were lucky in Winooski, but all residents are advised to have an emergency preparedness plan and sign up for Nixle emergency alerts by texting ‘Winooski’ to 888-777 or registering at nixle.com. Blood Drive at the Winooski Senior Center: Friday July 21, 2023 from 12-5 PM Donations are always needed! Help save a life by making your appointment today. Visit the news section of winooskivt.gov for more details. VIII. Regular Items H. Approval: Authorize Expenditure of Public Art Funds for Riverwalk Mural by Arts So Wonderful (Addressed first because of Bruce Wilson’s presence.) Minutes: Councilor Oakleaf thanked Bruce Wilson with Arts So Wonderful and Elaine Wang for their help in organizing the upcoming River Walk mural. Councilor Oakleaf expressed the need for public art as a deterrent to graffiti as well as a way to build community. She is hopeful that although it is a lower priority, the Council will be able to allot additional funds and effort towards public art in the future. Bruce discussed the mission for Art So Wonderful as well as plans for the River Walk mural and the process for its upkeep and maintenance. The River Walk mural is expected to be finished by the end of July, there is currently no formal plan for its unveiling. Motion: Approval motioned by Councilor Oakleaf and seconded by Councilor Judge, passed 4-0. A. Discussion/Public Hearing: Ordinance Update – Chapter 28 Fees - Angela Aldieri, Finance Director Minutes: The State recently approved H.53 which increases the marriage licence fees from $60 to $80 until July 2025. Our existing fees chapter both references the state statute and cites the previous $60 amount. The proposed change is to strike the written dollar amount from the ordinance and marriage licenses, saving the City from future updates should the State statute change again. Motion: none B. Discussion/Approval: Adopt Ordinance Update – Chapter 28 Fees – Angela Aldieri, Finance Director Minutes: Councilor Oakleaf questioned whether an amendment could be made modifying the frequency for certain permits. Jenny Willingham, City Clerk, confirmed that this change would not make much of a difference administratively and could even cause further complications. Motion: Approval motioned by Councilor Hurd and seconded by Deputy Mayor Renner, passed 4-0. C. Discussion: Introduction of Draft Updates to the City of Winooski’s Housing Regulations - John Audy, Fire Chief Minutes: Questions previously submitted by Councilors were answered by Fire Chief Audy. Chief Audy suggests removal of repetition of Vermont State Statutes to prevent need for further amendments if state statutes change. Councilor Hurd suggested changing all gendered pronouns throughout document. Ordinance approved to be sent to legal team before public hearing. Motion: none 5-minute recess 6:57 to 7:02 PM D. Discussion: Amendments to the Unified Land Use and Development Regulations – Multiple Sections – Eric Vorwald, Planning and Zoning Manager Minutes: Discussed proposed amendments to multiple sections of the Unified Land Use and Development Regulations. Deputy Mayor Renner suggested an overhaul of parking regulations; Elaine reminded Council that equity-based issues must be considered, incorporating ADA, etc; Councilor Oakleaf reminded Council that changing transportation infrastructure requires additional funding; Councilor Hurd raised concern to incentivize developers to create more accessible structures/parking. Eric would like to consider amendments before Act 47 is enacted in 2024. Mayor Lott suggested holding a public hearing for discussion of amendments to parking regulations, and requested Eric highlight sections that will change. Eric answered further questions regarding proposed amendments and processes. Motion: Motion to set a public hearing for discussion September 5, 2023 motioned by Councilor Renner seconded by Councilor Hurd, passed 4-0. E. Discussion: Strategic Vision Area Goal Update – Municipal Infrastructure – Jon Rauscher, Director of Public Works Minutes: Jon Rauscher presented the fourth and final Infrastructure Update for FY23. Main Street project is up to bid, bids being received August 14 with a pre-bid meeting on July 26. The ADA Transition Plan Draft is still in process but he hopes to have a working final draft ready to be posted on the City website in the next few weeks. Jon answered Council questions about procuring grants and funding from federal and state agencies. Motion: none F. Discussion: Strategic Vision Area Goal Update – Housing – Jazmine Hurley, Housing Initiative Director Minutes: Jazmine Hurley presented the fourth and final Housing Update for FY23. Updating Public Building Registry Ordinances with legal team, a public hearing will be set once it is finished. The Housing Commission did not meet in June, attempted to meet in July but did not make quorum, rescheduled for later in July. Jazmine hopes to submit her Housing Workplan to the Council later this  month. The city-wide reappraisal process is estimated to be completed April 1, 2024. Motion: none G. Discussion: City Council Engagement Update – Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner Minutes: Deputy Mayor Renner updated the Council on Community Engagement Activities from March-June. He would like to continue community engagement efforts made by Council members. Councilor Oakleaf provided additional information. Motion: none IX. Adjourn Motion to adjourn by Councilor Judge, seconded by Deputy Mayor Renner. Voted and passed 4-0. The meeting adjourned at 8:13 PM. Attest: ________________________________________ Jean Carlstedt, Temporary Assistant City Clerk