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, May 20, 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 6:17 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; Ray Coffey, Community Services Director; Jon Rauscher, Director of Public Works; Jenny Willingham, City Clerk; Ruby Tetrick, Assistant City Clerk Others Present: Matt Willey, Wilson Ballantyne, Emira Smailagic, Connor Daley, Grace Pfeil, Drew Darrow II. Agenda Review Minutes: None III. Public Comment Minutes: Emira Smailagic made a public comment about concerns she has about safety, taxes, and accessibility within the city. Mayor Lott requested contact information from Smailagic to discuss these concerns in further detail. IV. Consent Agenda A. Approval: City Council and Liquor Control Board Meeting Minutes of May 6, 2024 B. Approval: Payroll Warrants April 14 - 27, April 28 - May 5, 2024 C. Approval: Accounts Payable May 15, 2024 Motion: Motion made by Deputy Mayor Renner, seconded by Councilor Judge. Motion passed 4-0. V. Council Reports Mayor Kristine Lott: Finance Commission invited Downtown Winooski Director to their meeting this month to continue review of the City's Economic Development Strategy. Melissa shared updated including a career cafe at WSD for businesses to meet with high school students, a business forum to be held at McKees on May 29th at 6pm to focus on construction impacts and the Open for business campaign, and efforts she's undertaking to secure financial support for businesses during Main St. and Bridge construction. Municipal Infrastructure met and reviewed the Lafountain Dion Scoping updates including Council direction from our last meeting, and preliminary design updates that staff and the contractor are working through. The discussion ended with some  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov compromise on retaining on-street parking with tree bump outs at the intersection for some more utilized blocks and retaining the tree belt in lieu of parking on the least utilized blocks. The Planning Commission is holding a public hearing this Thursday at 6:30 pm to present proposed changes to zoning to meet State mandated changes in HOMES Act 47. My monthly Housing Roundtable group met to review the Winooski Housing Authority's draft update to their 5-year plan and provide input. WHA is reaching out to multiple stakeholder groups to finalize their plan. Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner: Safe Healthy Connected People: A joint meeting with the library committee is upcoming. Two officers in pipeline for the August Academy. Out of Academy late November/Early December and on the road in March. Briefing from community outreach team and police chief. Mentioned that there is a designated person for our town, and they are working on becoming more proactive. Next meeting is June 11. Downtown Winooski: The board reviewed the work of the strategic plan that has been done. Non-profit status has expired, which puts a delay on the Better Places Grant, there may be a way for Downtown Winooski to partner with the city. Councilor Charles Judge: Housing Committee meets next Wednesday 5/28/24 at 6:00 PM. Councilor Aurora Hurd: No updates at this time. Councilor Bryn Oakleaf: Airport Commission held a special meeting on 5/16/24 to review FY25 changes ahead of Burlington Council meeting on 5/20/24. The agenda and notes will be available on the Burlington City website. Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) will hold their full board meeting on 5/22/24 at 6pm. In- person and remote attendance options are available. The main focus of the agenda is to review Material Recycling Facility developer bids and for the Board to discuss and potentially approve a bidder to move to contract negotiations with. VI. City Updates Elaine Wang, City Manager, gave the following updates: Main Street Revitalization Groundbreaking Ceremony The City of Winooski will host a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of the Main Street Revitalization project tomorrow (Tuesday, May 21, 2024) - 10 AM at the Winooski VFW located at 6 Maple Street. This event is open to all – residents and business owners are invited to join us. Federal, State, and local officials will provide statements followed by a group photo. For details, visit winooskivt.gov/mainstreet. We hope to see you there! And as a reminder, please continue to support businesses on Main Street during construction. Board, Commission, and Committee Terms Expire on June 30 Are you looking to get more connected to our community and shape this city? We're seeking residents willing and able to serve and engage in the work of our boards, commissions, and committees. Terms are expiring on June 30, 2024. Current members may reapply, and residents not currently serving are welcome to apply. Residents with related experience, skill sets, and interests are encouraged to apply or ask questions about  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov these great opportunities! Council and staff welcome diverse voices. If you've never served on a board, commission, or committee, we will do our best to support you. To learn more about each opportunity, and to apply, visit the news updates section of winooskivt.gov Vermont Primary Election Forms Due May 30, 2024 Winooski residents interested in running for State Representative - Chittenden 21 District (two representatives, 2-year terms) during the Vermont Primary Election that takes place on August 13, 2024, must complete and submit the required paperwork to the Winooski City Clerk’s Office no later than 5 PM on Thursday, May 30, 2024. To learn more and get your paperwork, visit the news updates section of winooskivt.gov or stop by, call 655-6410, or email the City Clerks Office at clerk@winooskivt.gov for information. VII. Regular Items A. Discussion/Approval: Inclusion & Belonging Commission Appointments - Jenny Willingham, City Clerk Minutes: The Inclusion & Belonging Commission recently lost two members to relocation. The commission is requesting to move two alternates to full time members. Leo Beebe will be the ambassador to the Municipal Infrastructure Commission (term ends 6/30/24). Harly Rodriguez will be the ambassador to the Safe, Healthy, Connected People Commission (term ends 6/30/25). Motion: Motion made by Councilor Judge, seconded by Councilor Oakleaf. Motion passed 4-0. B. Discussion: Strategic Vision Goal Area Update: Safe, Healthy, Connected People - Ray Coffey, Community Services Director Minutes: Ray Coffey, Community Services Director presented an update on 2023-2024 Policy Priorities and Strategies. Questions ensued from Council regarding specific items. This discussion involved the St. Stevens property, O’Brien Community Center, Police Station renovations, Regional Dispatch, Memorial Park, and more. The Myers Memorial Pool will be open on 6/2/24. C. Discussion/Approval: Letter of Support – Hood’s Crossing (Spring /East Allen) Signalization - Jon Rauscher, Director of Public Works Minutes: Jon Rauscher, Director of Public Works presented his conversation with the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) regarding improving conditions at the intersection of Hood Street and East Allen Street (known as Hood’s Crossing). There is possible grant funding for this project through VTrans. This project is highly impacted by the Burlington/Winooski Bridge reconstruction which will require an extensive detour and signaling. The hope is that the reconstruction and new traffic signal at Hood’s Crossing will be completed before the bridge construction commences in 2027. Motion: Motion by Deputy Mayor Renner, seconded by Councilor Judge to authorize City Manager to sign Letter of Support. Motion passed 4-0.  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov D. Discussion/Approval: Subordinate Promissory Note Forgiveness Agreement - Angela Aldieri, Finance Director Minutes: In 2004-2005 Winooski voted to establish a tax increment financing (TIF) district. The Winooski Community Development Corporation (WCDC) was an organization with the purpose of encouraging, developing, and financing community resources critical to quality of life and the financial health of the City of Winooski. In 2008, the WCDC dissolved, leaving a single asset: a $1,098,000 promissory note owed to it by the city. This is the remaining outstanding obligation. The approval was needed to subordinate the promissory note forgiveness agreement by council. City Council is the second party to this agreement. Motion: Motion by Councilor Judge, seconded by Deputy Mayor Renner. Motion passed 4-0. E. Discussion/Approval: Airport Commissioner Appointment - Mayor Kristine Lott Minutes: Councilor Oakleaf wishes to step down from their position on the Airport Committee. Mayor Lott and Councilor Oakleaf are seeking approval to solicit potential candidates from the community to fill this appointment. Motion: Motion made by Councilor Hurd, seconded by Councilor Judge. Motion passed 4-0. X. Adjourn A motion to adjourn was made by Councilor Hurd, seconded by Councilor Oakleaf. Motion passed 4-0. Meeting adjourned at 7:08 PM. Attest: _____________________________________________________________ Ruby Tetrick, Assistant City Clerk