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, January 22, 2024 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 6:01 PM Members Present: Mayor Kristine Lott; Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner; Councilor Aurora Hurd; Councilor Charles Judge; Councilor Bryn Oakleaf. Officers Present: Elaine Wang, City Manager; Paul Sarne, Communications Director; Angela Aldieri, Finance Director; John Fenney, City Treasurer; Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director; Jesse Acri, Human Resources Director; Ray Coffey, Community Services Director; Jazmine Hurley, Housing Initiative Director; Nate Eddy, Library Director; Kirsten Wilson, Library Youth Services Coordinator; John Audy Jr, Fire Chief; Justin Huizenga, Interim Police Chief; Jenny Willingham, City Clerk; Sarah Greenberg, Assistant City Clerk. Others Present: Jonah Frangiosa, Robert Lloyd, Judy Lance, Bob Klinefelter, Bridget Obrien, Carolyn Cota, Josh Olund, Lauren Read. II. Agenda Review None. III. Public Comment Minutes: None IV. Consent Agenda A. Approval: City Council Meeting Minutes of January 16, 2024 B. Approval: Accounts Payable January 17, 2024 Minutes: Items A and B were presented to Council for Approval. Motion: A motion Approve was made by Councilor Oakleaf, seconded by Councilor Renner. Voted and passed 4-0. V. Council Reports Mayor Lott: No report.  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Councilor Renner: Downtown Winooski met and thanks Council for the pre-payment agreement. With it they were able to pay the IRS bill that was causing them to be ineligible for certain grants. Blingo will continue. Councilor Judge: No report. Councilor Hurd: No report. Councilor Oakleaf: Airport Commission met last week – is working on the next phase of home sound insulation. The next meeting will be February 7th. Municipal Infrastructure met on Thursday to continue discussion on the short and long term Lafountain/Dion traffic scoping. VI. City Updates Fiscal Year 2025 Budget: Tonight’s budget meeting will include the final Council vote on the 2025 Fiscal Year (FY25) Budget. The City and School budget presentation community dinner will be on February 29th at 4PM at the O’Brien Community Center (OCC). There will also be a Town Meeting Day annual budget presentation on March 4th at 6PM at the Winooski School District (WSD) Performing Arts Center. Previous Council meetings regarding the budget (presentations, recordings, etc.) can be found at winooskivt.gov/fy25 and any questions can be directed to budget@winooskivt.gov email. City Office Positions: There are many City Office positions open for election this Town Meeting Day: Mayor, two (2) City Council seats, three (3) School Board Trustees, and one (1) Champlain Water District Representative. All legal residents regardless of citizenship status are welcome to run for and vote for City Office positions. To run for office, file a Consent of Candidate form and a petition with the signatures of at least 30 or more Winooski registered voters with the City Clerk’s office by 5PM Monday January 29th. Town Meeting Day/Election: Town Meeting Day is Tuesday, March 5th at the Winooski Senior Center. The polls are open 7AM to 7PM. If you do not wish to vote at the polls on Town Meeting day absentee ballots can be requested from the City Clerk’s office by calling (802) 655-6410, emailing the general Clerk email at clerk@winooskivt.gov or visiting City Hall during open hours Monday to Friday 8AM to 4PM. VII. Regular Items A. Discussion: Fiscal Year 2023 Audit Report – Angela Aldieri, Finance Director Minutes: Unfortunately, Auditor John Boule was unable to attend this City Council meeting due to unexpected travel but will give a formal presentation of the City audit at the February Council meeting. City Staff submitted final statement documents just before Thanksgiving, and the audit was completed by December 22nd. This was a “clean” audit by an independent entity and there are no findings or recommendations at this time. B. Discussion: Treasurer's Report - Quarterly Budget Projections - John Fenney, City Treasurer Minutes: City Treasurer John Fenney presented some key takeaways from the second quarter of the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) financial report to Council. The City’s annual fund is forecasting an annual surplus of only $73,000 with a net balance of $2.1 million; about a meager 4% increase year-over-year. For context: the previous fiscal year’s ending balance was only $2.05 million. General fund revenues are forecasted at $9.4 million, which is about $150,000 over previous estimates. The City’s main driver  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov of revenue collection – property tax – is estimated to bring in $6.6 million to the City this fiscal year, which is an increase of only about 3% in revenue year-over-year. As in FY23 the City expects that external factors in the market, such as rising interest rates, will again lead to a modest increase in net assets. Rising interest rates contributed about $90,000 in additional revenue last year, and the City is predicting fiscal earnings this year to moderately surpass last year for the same reasons. General fund expenses are forecasted at $9.3 million, which is about $74,000 above budget. Like FY23 these cost “savings” are largely from staff vacancies across multiple departments and will likely go down as the City endeavors to fill open positions. Specific details to support current fiscal forecasts can be found on the Winooski City website. C. Discussion: Public Hearing to Receive Comment on the Proposed FY25 Budget and Capital Plan Across All Funds - Elaine Wang, City Manager Minutes: Mayor Lott opened a public hearing for comments on the proposed FY25 Budget and Capital Plan. The following comments were made by the public: Robert Lloyd: Expressed that he feels he is being taxed out of his house. He states that when he bought his house in 2020 his taxes were $1100, and they are now $7100. He said he was pleased to hear that the school budget was not going to increase at first. He recalls that he heard the numbers of 5% and 12% being proposed for the City tax rate increase because of this, but that after attending the WSD budget presentations that are now proposing an education tax rate increase that he is still being eaten away at little by little. He fears that asking for 12% in conjunction with the City-wide reappraisal will be too much for his household to bear. He states that he knows prices are going up for the City because of inflation, but that also that means prices are going up for him too for everything else other than City taxes. He states that he is fine with increasing the City tax rate for the Fire Dept and Community Services. He notes that he feels that he is better off economically than other people and tries to give when he can, mentioning specifically that he has donated what he can to various flood relief funds, but that he feels like the decision is being taken away from him as to who his money goes to help and that he is being pushed out of the City. Mayor Lott then asked if there were any online attendees that wished to comment. Seeing no additional comment, they adjourned the public hearing. D. Discussion/Approval: Fiscal Year 2025 General Fund Budget and Capital Plan to Present to Voters - Elaine Wang, City Manager Minutes: City Manager Elaine Wang presented a Council requested revised budget that has an 8.07% tax rate increase as opposed to a 12.76% tax rate increase. This revised budget prioritizes the Fire Dept and Municipal Infrastructure, with a secondary priority of the Memorial Library. Extensive Council discussion ensued. Motion: A motion to Approve was made by Councilor Renner, seconded by Councilor Hurd. Voted and passed 3-0 with Councilor Oakleaf abstaining.  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Recess: A 5-minute recess was then called at 7:16PM. The City Council meeting then resumed at 7:21 PM. E. Discussion/Approval: Burlington-Winooski Bridge Bond Resolution & Warning - Angela Aldieri, Finance Director Minutes: A bond resolution and warning for the March 5th 2024 Town Meeting day ballot authorizing borrowing to finance the City’s share of the Burlington-Winooski bridge project was presented to Council for approval. The resolution includes language concerning $4,600,000 in principal payment over 20 years plus interest as financed through the Vermont Municipal Bond Bank. State statute governing borrowing funds for this duration requires the approval of the voters of the municipality. This project has been discussed at several recent City Council meetings and was included in the Capital Plan presented to Council. Staff recommended inclusion of a bond authorization question on the March 5, 2024 ballot, not to exceed $4,600,000. Due to a grant and coordination with VTRANS this is a unique opportunity to complete a $60-70 million dollar project for a fraction of the cost covered locally. Motion: A motion to Approve was made by Councilor Judge, seconded by Councilor Hurd. Voted and passed 4- 0. F. Discussion/Approval: Reallocation of Unexpended Hickok Street Bond Funds Resolution & Warning - Angela Aldieri, Finance Director Minutes: The City completed the Hickok Street reconstruction project under the estimated/borrowed amount of $1,300,000. The only allowable uses for the remaining bond proceeds are repayment of the principal balances on the original loan, or other street reconstruction work as authorized by voters. The current balance in this reserve is $511,000 and continues to accrue interest. A bond resolution and warning for the March 5th 2024 Town Meeting Day ballot authorizing the use of the unexpended funds of $515,000 of the Hickok Street Bond for use on capital improvements to public infrastructure, such as sidewalk and road expenses, was presented to Council for approval. Motion: A motion to Approve was made by Councilor Renner, seconded by Councilor Oakleaf. Voted and passed 4-0. G. Discussion/Approval: Town Meeting Day Election Warning - Jenny Willingham, City Clerk Minutes: City Clerk Jenny Willingham presented the warning for the annual Town Meeting Day Election (March 5th, 2024) to Council for approval. The warning included the following items: • Elect a Mayor, two (2) City Councilors, and one (1) Champlain Water District Commissioner. • Approve the Fiscal Year 2025 budget. • Expend funds from other sources. • Two bond questions. • Champlain Water District expenditure. Motion: A motion to Approve was made by Councilor Renner, seconded by Councilor Judge. Voted and passed 4-0.  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov VIII. Adjourn A motion to adjourn was made by Councilor Oakleaf, seconded by Councilor Judge. Voted and passed 4-0. The meeting adjourned at 7:29PM. Attest: _____________________________________________________________ Sarah Greenberg, Assistant City Clerk