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 15, 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 6:00 PM. Members Present: Mayor Kristine Lott; Deputy Mayor 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, Director of Public Works; Jazmine Hurley, Housing Initiative Director; Ray Coffey, Community Services Director; Ravi Venkataraman, Director of City Planning; Eric Vorwald, Director of City Planning (Former); Jenny Willingham, City Clerk; Ruby Tetrick, Assistant City Clerk Others Present: Eli Ogilive, Caroline O’Shea, Terry, Connor Daley II. Pledge of Allegiance led by Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner. III. Agenda Review Minutes: Added Item H, Golden Hour Gift Co. Sidewalk Permit, to the agenda. Motion: Motion made by Deputy Mayor Renner, seconded by Councilor Judge. Motion carried 4-0. IV. Public Comment Minutes: None V. Consent Agenda a. Approval: City Council Minutes of July 1, 2024 b. Approval: Payroll Warrant June 23 - July 6, 2024 c. Approval: Accounts Payable July 11, 2024 d. Approval: Disability Pride Month Resolution e. Approval: Vermont Clean Water State Revolving Loan Agreement and Resolution f. Approval: Transfer of North Unit of Lot 7D (Winooski Falls East) Minutes: None  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Motion: Motion by Councilor Oakleaf, seconded by Councilor Hurd. Motion carried 4-0. VI. Council Reports Mayor Kristine Lott: Finance Commission met to receive and the data presentation we had at Strategies and Priorities, and offered input that will be used to share the data and meeting outcomes publicly in the August community newsletter. The next Finance Commission meeting will engage in discussion about community outreach ahead of the next budget process this fall. The Planning Commission is meeting this Thursday to do administrative tasks: Appoint Ravi Director of City Planning, elect Chair, review workplan. The IZ/Replacement discussion will be at their August meeting. Elaine and I are participating in the Public Safety Committee for the Vermont League of Cities and Towns - alongside various public safety professionals and selectboard members from around the state. The work is intended to inform VLCT's policy positions in the next legislative session and will also provide useful learning and collaboration for us to address public safety concerns. I've shared notes with Council via email already. Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner: There was no quorum for Safe, Healthy, Connected People but due to that we should find ways to advertise to attract more folks to commissions. Deputy Mayor Renner met with business owners, the police chief, the fire chief and staff from the Howard Center. The challenges business owners find they are faced with in terms of public safety were discussed. Please visit downtownwinooski.org to see the array of events they are hosting during the rest of the summer. Councilor Charles Judge: None Councilor Aurora Hurd: Councilor Hurd mentioned that the next Inclusion & Belonging Commission will be in August. Councilor Bryn Oakleaf: Municipal Infrastructure Commission is meeting 7/18/24 at 6:30pm. We will welcome our new Inclusion and Belonging Liaison and review vacancies on the Commission open for applications. We will review a status update on major projects underway, and scoping changes to Lafountain Dion Street since the last MIC meeting in May. The Airport Commission will meet again on August 7th. Council voted to appoint Winooski resident Conor Daley as the next representative to the Commission. Conor will be filling the final year of a three-year term ending in June 2025. Prior appointments were held by City Staff and City Councilors since the seat was enacted via Charter change. Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) moved their July monthly meeting up to July 10th to accommodate schedules. The agenda covered a funding request for operational vehicles for the organics recovery facility, and ongoing discussions relating to the material recovery facility (aka recycling facility). II. City Updates Elaine Wang, City Manager gave the following updates: Winooski Memorial Library Temporarily Closed Due to an unforeseen facility issue, the Winooski Memorial Library will be temporarily closed until further notice. As part of the process related to the sale of the O’Brien Community Center building to the Champlain Housing Trust, routine environmental soil and air testing was recently performed at the Winooski Memorial Library which found levels of PCE (tetrachloroethylene) above indoor air quality standards - likely due to a drycleaning business formerly located at the site.  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov While the levels are not high enough for the State Department of Environmental Conservation to require shutting down, out of an abundance of caution the City of Winooski has decided to close the library until an air purifying system can be installed which it since has been. Several other locations were tested at the O’Brien Community Center and at this time the only area of concern was under the library. At this time, there is no data that the building is unsafe for use. Thank you for your patience while we work with the Champlain Housing Trust to install the ventilation system and complete further testing before we re-open. Limited library services are currently available at the O’Brien Community Center – to learn more, please visit winooskivt.gov/library. Statewide Primary Election The Statewide Primary election is on Tuesday, August 13, 2024. Voting will take place at the Winooski Senior Center (123 Barlow St.) from 7 AM - 7 PM. To learn more about the election, view sample ballots, register to vote, request an absentee ballot, and more, please visit winooskivt.gov/vote Now Available: Short-Term Rental License Application On February 20, 2024, the Winooski City Council approved changes to Chapter 17 (Public Building Registry) of the City's Municipal Code to include new language that addresses short-term rentals in Winooski. These changes went into effect on July 1, 2024. Short-term rental property owners must now submit a license application for each unit of short-term rental. More information about this process, the short-term rental license application, and frequently asked questions (FAQs) can be found on our website at winoooskivt.gov/str. Host a Block Party in Winooski A great way to connect with community is through neighborhood block parties. City Council can approve closures of neighborhood streets for block parties. Consider getting with your neighbors to organize a block parties to connect your neighbors, or connect with City staff and representatives. The City encourages anyone interested to apply for a street closure, and let us know if you're interested in partnering with a City department – Members of our public safety teams and other staff have grilled for block parties before. The application can be accessed at winooskivt.gov/rentals. VIII. Regular Items a. Discussion: Public Hearing - Amendments to Unified Land Use and Development Regulations (ULUDR) – Act 47 Updates – Ravi Venkataraman, Director of City Planning Minutes: With the passage of Act 47 in 2023, the State of Vermont created specific zoning requirements for all municipalities that have public water and wastewater. These changes were made as a way to try and increase housing supply in these locations. Specific requirements include additional density on a per lot basis, maximum parking allowances, incentives for affordable housing, and similar measures. Following the discussion on June 17th, City Council voted to hold a public hearing on July 15th to take public comments on the proposed amendments. The former Director of City Planning, Eric Vorwald, was present via Zoom. b. Discussion/Approval: Adoption of Amendments to Unified Land Use and Development Regulations (ULUDR) – Act 47 Updates – Ravi Venkataraman, Director of City Planning  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Minutes: Following the Public Hearing on the Unified Land Use and Development Regulations, Council should consider approving the draft amendments to the Unified Land Use and Development Regulations or hold additional hearings to solicit comments from the public. If adopted, the amendments will become effective in 21 days per state statute. Motion: Motion by Councilor Hurd, seconded by Councilor Judge. Motion carried 4-0. c. Discussion/Approval: Commission Appointment Process – Mayor Kristine Lott Minutes: Mayor Lott presented a memorandum regarding the appointment of new members to commissions. The memo included recommendations to change the advertising process to improve clarity and increase outreach to community members. The hope is that doing this will allow for more community members to have the opportunity to participate in these commissions. Discussion ensued from Council. Motion: Motion by Councilor Oakleaf, seconded by Deputy Mayor Renner to: direct staff to implement changes to advertisement of commission seats in 2025, direct Staff to include a notice in commission advertisements about interpretation and childcare services available, direct the Mayor to update our council orientation, and revisit other items after adoption of 2025 Strategies and Priorities. Motion carried 4-0. d. Discussion/Approval: Appointments to Planning Commission and Development Review Board - Ravi Venkataraman, Director of City Planning Minutes: The City has been actively recruiting residents to fill vacant positions on the City’s Commissions. The Planning Commission currently has a vacancy for an alternate position. The Planning Commission received four applications and interviewed three. The commission is seeking to appoint John Baker to the commission. John Baker will bring additional perspectives to the Planning Commission with his background in architecture and construction. Applicants for the Development and Review Board were also reviewed. Upon review, it is recommended that the current members of the Development and Review Board be reappointed. Lastly, after interviewing two applicants, Mayor Lott and Councilor Oakleaf recommend appointing Connor Daley to the Airport Commission to replace Councilor Oakleaf. Motion: Motion by Deputy Mayor Renner, seconded by Councilor Judge. Motion carried 4-0. e. Discussion: Introduction of Amendments to Winooski Code Chapter 15 – Parking – Elaine Wang, City Manager Minutes: Elaine Wang, City Manager, presented proposed amendments to Winooski Code Chapter 15 – Parking. The opportunity was taken to clean up, clarify, and update other language. In some cases, language for practices we have not done and are not able to staff was deleted. Substantive changes were made to the section on fines. This includes increasing the fine for an unpaid meter as well as reducing the number of violations qualifying a vehicle for scofflaw regulations. Questions from council and discussion ensued. f. Discussion: Strategic Vision Goal Area Updates: Municipal Infrastructure, Safe Healthy Connected People, Housing – Jon Rauscher, Director of Public Works, Ray Coffey, Community Services Director, Jazmine Hurley, Housing Initiative Director Minutes: Ray Coffey, Community Services Director, gave the final update for the 2023-2024 year on the Safe, Healthy Connected People Commission. Mr. Coffey gave an update on various projects including work on the Winooski Memorial Library, the O’Brien Community Center, and work to recruit and retain staff members on the Fire and Code team, among other things.  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Jon Rauscher, Director of Public Works, gave the final update for the 2023-2024 year on the Municipal Infrastructure. Mr. Rauscher gave an update on work being done on the Abenaki Way Parking Garage, the Main Street Revitalization project, and the Winooski Bridge Replacement project, among other things. Eli Ogilive made a public comment asking about the impact of the construction on Main Street business owners. Jazmine Hurley, Housing Initiative Director, gave the final update for the 2023-2024 year on housing initiatives in Winooski. Ms. Hurley gave an update on the citywide reappraisal that was completed earlier this year, the implementation of Short-Term Rental licenses for properties in the city, and updates that are being done to the Public Building Registry, among other things. g. Discussion/Approval: City Council Strategies and Priorities Retreat Summary and Adoption – Mayor Kristine Lott Minutes: On June 10, 2024, the City Council and staff leadership team came together for the annual strategies and priorities meeting. This annual meeting is intended to ensure we stay on track with our shared community vision and sets the stage to prioritize resources, budget, staff hours, and community engagement in a strategic and manageable way with respect to established community priorities in the Master Plan. Mayor Lott presented the summary of this event for approval. Questions from Council and discussion ensued. Motion: Motion by Deputy Mayor Renner, seconded by Councilor Judge to approve with edits to 1 b to note state advocacy and the list as non-exhaustive, and edits to 2 e to clarify that we anticipate multiple small bond votes. Motion carried 4-0. h. Discussion: Golden Hour Gift Co. Sidewalk Permit – Jenny Willingham, City Clerk Minutes: Golden Hour Gift Co. submitted an application for a sidewalk permit on June 21st. Supplemental documentation was required with this application and that was received today (July 15th). Because the documentation was received late, this sidewalk permit is pending final approval at next month’s meeting. XI. Adjourn Motion: A motion to adjourn was made by Councilor Oakleaf, seconded by Councilor Judge. Motion carried 4- 0. Meeting was adjourned at 7:55 PM. Attest: _____________________________________________________________ Ruby Tetrick, Assistant City Clerk