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, December 11, 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; Councilor Thomas Renner; Councilor Charles Judge; Councilor Bryn Oakleaf; Councilor Aurora Hurd Officers Present: Elaine Wang, City Manager; Angela Aldieri; Finance Director; Paul Sarne, Communications Director; Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director; Eric Vorwald, Planning and Zoning Manager; Jazmine Hurley, Housing Initiative Director; John Audy Jr, Fire Chief; Ray Coffey, Community Services Director; Jenny Willingham, City Clerk; Amanda Casper, Assistant City Clerk Others Present: Melissa Corbin, Downtown Winooski; Judy Lance; Alli C. Astile; Connor Daley; Drew Darrow; Jess Wignall; Representative Daisy Berbeco; Zoom Attendee Username: “AUR Admissions” II. Pledge of Allegiance Minutes: led by Councilor Renner III. Agenda Review Minutes: None IV. Public Comment Minutes: None V. Consent Agenda A. Approval: City Council and Liquor Control Board Minutes of December 4, 2023 B. Approval: Accounts Payable December 7, 2023 Minutes: Items A and B on the Consent Agenda were presented to Council for Approval.  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Motion: A motion was made by Councilor Oakleaf and seconded by Councilor Judge. Voted and passed 4-0 VI. Council Reports Mayor Kristine Lott: shared that the Planning Commission will meet virtually Thursday, Dec. 14 at 6:30 pm to continue review of our land use regulations in response to changes coming from the HOMES Act, and direction from City Council to support Priority Housing. Mayor Lott also declared that she will seek re-election this Town Meeting Day. Councilor Bryn Oakleaf: MIC is meeting this month on Dec. 21st from 6:30 to 8pm. We'll review the CCRPC Walk/Bike Draft Plan that was shared with Council on Dec. 4th. In January, MIC will review updated Lafountain/Dion Street scoping. The BTV Noise Exposure Map technical advisory group met on Nov. 30th. Elaine Wang is the City representative to that advisory group. The next NEM meeting is scheduled for January 18th. See meeting dates here: https://www.btvsound.com/nem-update/meetings/. Oakleaf has asked for meeting notes and recordings to be made available as well but have not seen that posted yet. The Bridge Replacement will have a public hearing on January 23rd, starting at 6:30pm at the Winooski School Performing Arts Center. Online participation will be available as well. Project and meeting details live here: https://burlingtonwinooskibridge.vtransprojects.vermont.gov/ Councilor Aurora Hurd: shared that the SHCP Commission meets tomorrow at 6:30 pm. This will be a virtual only meeting over Zoom. The Winooski Memorial Library Committee will be presenting, so if you’re interested in learning more about our City’s small but mighty library, this is a great opportunity to. Also the I&B Commission will be meeting this week, on Thursday at 6 pm. This is also a virtual only meeting. The commission will be reviewing the roles of the ambassadors to ensure that commissioners have the support they need to succeed in the goals of the City and Commission. As we get closer to Town Meeting Day, Hurd wanted to share with the Council and the public that they are planning to seek re-election for another term on the Council. Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner: reported that he will be running for re-election on Town Meeting Day. Downtown Winooski will be meeting next week. There will be Winter Caroling in the City on Thursday, December 21, 2023, from 5 PM – 5:30 PM on the McKee’s patio. If you are interested in joining or watching it is open to all. Councilor Charles Judge: reported that the Winooski Housing Commission will be meeting on December 19, 2023, at 6 PM. The meeting will be held both in person and remotely. Tonight discussion will be held around the ongoing work that the Housing Director has been doing for Short Term Rental regulations.  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov VII. City Updates Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Discussions - Tonight continues our Fiscal Year 2025 staff budget presentations. Please stick around for the Capital Improvement Plan presentation! Join us to discuss the cost and upkeep of the City's vehicles, facilities, and other important municipal assets. Please ask questions and provide input on how you think your tax dollars are spent. For the full schedule of budget meetings and information, please visit winooskivt.gov/fy25. You can also send questions between meetings to budget@winooskivt.gov. Operation Fire Cuffs 2023 - The City of Winooski is again part of the 2023 Operation Fire Cuffs annual toy drive for the UVM Children's Hospital. Every year, this special tradition brings joy to children in need, and we encourage residents to donate. Donations can be made at the Winooski Fire Department, Monday – Thursday from 8 AM – 5 PM and at Winooski City Hall from Monday – Friday, 8 AM – 4 PM until December 21st. Exit 16 DDI Survey - The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) has announced the completion of the first phase of construction for the Colchester Exit 16 Diverging Diamond Interchange Project. The first construction season required around-the-clock construction as crews restricted significant traffic impacts to nighttime hours. VTrans is seeking your feedback on phase 1 construction impacts and project outreach - please take five minutes to complete a short survey at exit16ddi.vtransprojects.vermont.gov. The survey will close on Friday, December 15, 2023. If you have a question about the project that isn’t on the survey, please email info@Exit16DDI.vtransprojects.vermont.gov VII. Regular Items A. Discussion/Approval: Inclusion and Belonging Commission Appointments Minutes: Jenny Willingham, City Clerk presented Council with two applicants: Harly Rodriguez and Leo Beebe. Harly Rodriguez introduced himself to the Council and spoke about what he could offer to the City of Winooski. Jenny Willingham read an introduction statement on behalf of Leo Beebe. Motion: A motion was made by Councilor Hurd, seconded by Councilor Oakleaf. Voted and passed 4-0 B. Discussion/Approval: Loan Request from Downtown Winooski – Elaine Wang, City Manager; Melissa Corbin, Executive Director of Downtown Winooski Minutes: Elaine Wang, City Manager; and Melissa Corbin, Downtown Winooski; opened the discussion for approval by Council for the Downtown Winooski Loan Request of $36,000: $30,000 to cover the Tax Debt and $6,000 for Emergency Operating Reserve. This Tax Debt had been discovered upon Corbin taking over and hiring a Forensic Accountant. Corbin presented the Council with the request for the loan, citing that for Downtown Winooski to move forward and continue to operate as normal and needed by the community, they must handle this tax debt immediately and asking the City of Winooski for this loan is a last resort. The main reason being that this debt restricts Downtown Winooski from being able to be approved for any other loans or grants while the balance is still outstanding. Corbin addressed questions from Council and public comment from Judy Lance over concerns for checks and balances with Downtown Winooski’s finances moving forward. Corbin confirmed that there is a 3rd party CPA being kept on retainer to ensure that the books stay balanced moving forward.  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Motion: A motion was made by Councilor Renner and seconded by Councilor Judge to Approve the loan request for Downtown Winooski and for City Manager, Elaine Wang, to Authorize the payment. Voted and passed 4-0 C. Discussion: Fiscal Year 2025 Staff Budget Presentations: Capital Improvement Plan – Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director Minutes: Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director, presented Council and the public with General Fund Capital Plan for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) which included the following: Annual street resurfacing, Fleet replacements, Infrastructure capital planning studies, FD tower truck debt payment starting, Pool/MSR debt fully supported by previously approved funding, New snow and Ice control equipment, and Initiate traffic calming funding source. Minutes: Mayor Lott called for a quick 5-minute Recess at 7:40 PM, the meeting resumed at 7:45 PM. D. Discussion/Approval: Assessor's Errors and Omissions Minutes: Elaine Wang, City Manager, presented Council with Assessor’s Errors and Omissions that were found for the 2023 Grand List and the effects it has on Tax Revenue. Council asked for clarification on errors found. Discussion ensued. Motion: A motion was made by Councilor Oakleaf, seconded by Councilor Judge. Voted and passed 4-0 E. Discussion: Introduction of Unified Land Use & Development Regulations (ULUDR) Amendments for Local Resource Protections (Historic Preservation) – Eric Vorwald, Planning and Zoning Manager Minutes: Eric Vorwald, Planning and Zoning Manager introduced proposed amendments to Section 4.4 of the Unified Land Use & Development Regulations (ULUDR) related to changes that will address local historic, cultural, architecture, and archaeological resources. Mayor Lott reminded Council that this is a result of the Planning Commission’s original plan for a Design Review District, which would have been a significantly larger number of properties verses this approach which addresses only properties that have previously been identified as historic. Discussion ensued. Motion: A motion was made to set a Public Hearing for February 5, 2024, by Councilor Renner, seconded by Councilor Oakleaf. Councilor Hurd voted nay. Voted and passed 3-1 F. Discussion/Approval: Short Term Rental Ordinance - Conceptual Overview – Jazmine Hurley, Housing Initiative Director Minutes: Jazmine Hurley, Housing Initiative Director, presented Council with a drafted Short Term Rental (STR) Ordinance compiled between Hurley and the Housing Commission. Hurley presented Council with options for implementing fees and regulations to help disincentive STRs. Council asked for a clearer definition of who qualifies as a “Owner Occupied” vs “Non-Owner Occupied” for STRs. Hurley confirmed that Winooski is going by the State definition of what a Homestead is. Discussion ensued. Hurley took questions from the public. Discussion ensued. Motion: None  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov G. Discussion/Approval: Amendment to Housing Trust Fund Guidelines to Include New Interest Rate Buydown Program Minutes: Jazmine Hurley, Housing Initiative Director introduced amendments to the Housing Trust Fund Guidelines that include a New Interest Rate Buydown policy to ease the initial impact of these interest rates. Eligible borrowers could pair this policy with the Downpayment Assistance Loan/Grant that is currently offered through the City. The Buydown policy would allow a maximum of $5,000 per borrower and remains as long as the borrower stays in the home for at least 5 years. Should the borrower choose to refinance, move out, or sell the home, they would need to pay back a portion of the loan dependent of how long they remained as a resident. Hurley made an important note that the Housing Trust Fund currently does not have a replenishing source at this point, therefore any grants from the fund will permanently decrease the fund so staff recommends piloting this program for a year. After the first year, the City will have the opportunity to continue, change, or end the Interest Rate Buydown program based on the performance of the program and state of the market. Councilor Oakleaf asked for clarification on language being used. Discussion ensued. Motion: A motion was made by Councilor Hurd, seconded by Councilor Judge. Voted and passed 4-0 VIII. Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 9:23 PM A motion to adjourn was made by Councilor Oakleaf and seconded by Councilor Judge. Voted and Passed 4-0. Attest: __________________________________________________________ Amanda Casper, Assistant City Clerk