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 Tuesday, September 16, 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 Members Present: Mayor Kristine Lott; Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner; Councilor Bryn Oakleaf; Councilor Aurora Hurd Officers Present: Elaine Wang, City Manager; Ravi Venkataraman, Director of City Planning; Paul Sarne, Communications Director; Jon Rauscher, Director of Public Works; Jazmine Hurley, Housing Initiative Director; Jesse Acri, Human Resources Director; Ray Coffey, Community Services Director; Jenny Willingham, City Clerk; Ruby Tetrick, Assistant City Clerk Others Present: Judy Lance, Tom Buckley, Thea Wurzburg, Gretchen Calcagni, Connor Daley, Doug Nedde, Bill Niquette, Clayton Clark I. Call to Order at 6:03 PM. II. Agenda Review Minutes: Elaine Wang, City Manager proposed an addition of Item G to approve financing terms for a new truck for the Public Works Department. Public Comment Minutes: None. III. Consent Agenda a. Approval: City Council Minutes of September 3, 2024 b. Approval: Payroll Warrant August 4 - 17 and 18 - 31, 2024 c. Approval: Accounts Payable Warrant August 28 and September 11, 2024 d. Approval: Vermont League of Cities and Towns, Property and Casualty Intermunicipal Fund, VLCT Employment Resource and Benefits Trust - Annual Meeting Voting Delegate e. Approval: Energy Efficiency Day Resolution f. Approval: Hispanic Heritage Month Resolution g. Approval: Resolution for Department of Public Works Truck Financing Terms Motion: Motion by Deputy Mayor Renner, seconded by Councilor Hurd. Motion carried 3-0.  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov IV. Council Reports Mayor Kristine Lott: On Sep. 15, I delivered the resolution related to the F-35, adopted at our last meeting, to the offices of our congressional delegation and copied the Governor's office. The Planning Commission met last week, again reviewing Replacement ordinance zoning, which would be intended to preserve 2BR+ housing by requiring replacement of equivalent units in new development, or payment in lieu to the housing trust fund, in some cases. They also continued discussion about potential transportation demand management requirements to our zoning. These would put baseline requirements on all new developments to provide multi- modal infrastructure or incentives. Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner: The Safe, Healthy, Connected People Commission viewed the new plans for the O’Brien Community Center and the library. City Manager, Elaine Wang and other staff were in attendance. Deputy Mayor Renner commended the event and was glad to see a good turnout from community members. The plans are linked on the Winooski website. Downtown Winooski hosted a Pride celebration last Wednesday that was very well attended. Deputy Mayor Renner extends thanks to all the vendors, performers, and attendees. Downtown Winooski will meet this Wednesday to discuss Halloween in Winooski. Councilor Aurora Hurd: Councilor Hurd expressed their gratitude for the great turnout at the Winooski Pride event. Councilor Bryn Oakleaf: None. V. City Updates Elaine Wang, City Manager gave the following updates: Vermont Air National Guard Night Flying Continues The Vermont Air National Guard has been conducting night flying since Tuesday, September 10th and will continue until Wednesday September 18th with daytime and nighttime take off periods. Flights are scheduled to conclude by 9:30 PM. The City of Winooski continues to share the Vermont Air National Guard night flying press releases on behalf of our residents – this one can be found in the news updates section on our website at winooskivt.gov. Voting Access PSA Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas, in collaboration with Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney- Stanak and Winooski Mayor Kristine Lott, released a PSA video last week about voting access in Vermont that explains and reinforces Vermonters' right to register and vote in the upcoming November 5th General Election. The Vermont Language Justice Project is currently working on multilingual versions of this video – residents are encouraged to share this on social media which you can find on the City’s channels (Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook).  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Support Winooski Businesses To learn more about supporting businesses on Main Street during the Revitalization Project, please visit the new business support page at winooskivt.gov/mainstreet. While this page is just a starting point, more is planned and we’re working with Downtown Winooski and the Winooski Working Communities Challenge to explore local, state, and federal support options such as loans, grants, donations, marketing, wayfinding, and facilitating access to technical support. Be sure to check out our press release detailing these efforts. Businesses located on Main Street are encouraged to join the Small Business Administration, the City of Winooski, and Downtown Winooski for a Drop-in Business Advising Clinic on Monday, September 23, 2024, from 1 – 3 PM at the Winooski VFW on Main Street. This open house support and guidance session is provided for free to Winooski businesses with support from the Center for Women & Enterprise, Community Capital of Vermont, SCORE Vermont, Vermont Economic Development Authority, Vermont Community Loan Fund, VT Small Business Development Center, and Opportunities Credit Union. VI. Regular Items a. Discussion/Approval: Resolution Honoring Roland Dion – Mayor Kristine Lott Minutes: Mayor Lott introduced a proposed resolution to honor Roland Dion. Mr. Dion served as the director of the City’s Senior Center for many years, and with his recent passing, a plaque will be dedicated in his honor at the Senior Center and this resolution has been drafted to recognize his many contributions to the city and of Winooski and the broader community. Motion: Motion by Deputy Mayor Renner, seconded by Councilor Hurd. Motion carried 3-0. b. Discussion: Public Hearing on Ordinance Update – Chapter 15 (Parking) – Elaine Wang, City Manager Minutes: As reviewed by staff to Council during their June 15, 2024 meeting, staff opened this chapter to update the winter parking ban area for the downtown for current operations and needs (Section 15.14, A.1(b), p.17. The ordinance was reviewed by legal counsel in early August 2024, who made limited changes. Other changes from the ordinance currently in effect clean up, clarify, and update other language. Two substantive changes to fines are included in the ordinance update. Judy Lance asked a clarifying question about the legality of parking on the left side of the street. c. Discussion/Approval: Adoption of Draft Updates to Chapter 15 (Parking) – Elaine Wang, City Manager Minutes: Following a public hearing from earlier in the meeting, Council may consider: a) approving the draft amendments to Chapter 15 Parking; b) directing staff to make further changes; or c) holding additional hearings to solicit comments from the public. If adopted, the amendments will become effective in 30 days per state statute. Councilor Oakleaf suggested adding a definition for left side curb parking to increase clarity. Motion: Motion to approve the draft updates, with additional definition for left side curb parking, made by Councilor Hurd and seconded by Deputy Mayor Renner. Motion carried 3-0. d. Discussion/Approval: Municipal Infrastructure Commission Appointments – Jon Rauscher, Director of Public Works  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Minutes: Jon Rauscher, Director of Public Works, presented three applicants for the Municipal Infrastructure Commission. These applicants were interviewed by Mr. Rauscher and Councilor Oakleaf. Both Mr. Rauscher and Councilor Oakleaf felt the applicants would bring a good variety of expertise and experience to the commission. Tom Buckley and Gretchen Calcagni are two potential regular members with terms spanning 2 years and 1 year respectively. Thea Wurzburg is a potential alternate member who would serve a 1-year term. All three applicants introduced themselves to the council. Motion: Motion by Deputy Mayor Renner, seconded by Councilor Hurd. Motion carried 3-0. e. Discussion: Green Mountain Transit (GMT) Presentation on Proposed Service Reductions – Elaine Wang, City Manager Minutes: Green Mountain Transit (GMT) is a public entity that provides our region’s public transportation (bus service). They are funded with federal grants, state grants, municipal budget contributions, and fares. Their leadership have been indicating for the last two or three years that their funding post-COVID cannot sustain their current level of service. They have been looking for solutions and more funding sources, but to date those have not been enough. As a public entity, GMT must conduct a public hearing process to reduce service. GMT wants to hear feedback about their draft plan. No decisions have been made on what will or will not be cut. The draft shows the Winooski-specific service reduction of four Saturday runs on the #9 Winooski bus route: 6 AM, 8 PM, 9:15 PM, and 10:30 PM. Questions arose from Council and discussion ensued. f. Discussion/Approval: Fire Inspector and Senior Firefighter Position Descriptions – Jesse Acri, Human Resources Director Minutes: Jesse Acri, Human Resources Director, presented the position descriptions for the new Fire Inspector and Senior Firefighter positions. The Fire Inspector position has been evaluated at a Grade 2 on the City’s pay scale (which starts at $20.62 per hour). This pay grade was assigned following a detailed position evaluation per the City’s Non-Union Compensation Plan. Recruiting will begin this month. The Senior Firefighter position falls under the already agreed upon Winooski Fire Department pay scale. Questions arose from Council and discussion ensued. Motion: Motion by Deputy Mayor Renner, seconded by Councilor Hurd. Motion carried 3-0. g. Discussion/Approval: Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Scheduling – Elaine Wang, City Manager Minutes: Staff propose almost the same budget process for fiscal year 2025-2026 (FY26) as used in prior years. The City Manager will first present the full budget, of all funds: general, enterprise, and special revenue funds; and the capital plans. This will provide the most complete picture of the City’s financial position and operations. Major departments will then take one meeting each to present their budgets in more detail. Motion: Motion by Deputy Mayor Renner, seconded by Councilor Hurd. Motion carried 3-0. h. Discussion/Approval: Winooski Falls East (Lot 7D) Project Update – Jon Rauscher, Director of Public Works Minutes: In August 2023, construction activities began for the city owned parking garage per the City’s executed Development Agreement, Settlement Agreement, and Council design approval. Doug Nedde and Bill Niquette from the project team gave an update on the progress of the work being done. Judy Lance made a public comment that mentioned how happy she was to hear an update on the timeline. Ms. Lance also asked about the feasibility of opening the parking garage to the public while construction is still going on. Discussion  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov ensued. Connor Daley made a public comment asking about the necessity of a second parking garage when the existing garage seems to be underused. Questions also arose from Council. Discussion ensued. VII. Executive Session Pursuant to 1 V.S.A. § 313 which exempts from public inspection, (a) (1) (A) contracts, as related to Lot 7D Winooski Falls East. Motions: Motion to find that premature general public knowledge regarding this topic would clearly place the city at a substantial disadvantage because the city risks disclosing its negotiation strategy if it discusses Lot 7D Winooski Falls East contracts in public, made by Deputy Mayor Renner, seconded by Councilor Oakleaf. Motion carried 3-0. Motion to enter into Executive Session to discuss contracts related to Lot 7D Winooski Falls East under the provisions of 1 V.S.A. § 313 (a) (1) (A), inviting City Manager, Elaine Wang; Jon Rauscher, Director of Public Works; Doug Nedde and Bill Niquette, made by Deputy Mayor Renner, seconded by Councilor Oakleaf. Motion carried 3-0. Motion by Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner, seconded by Councilor Oakleaf to exit out of Executive Session at 8:09 pm. VIII. Adjourn Motion: Motion to adjourn by Councilor Oakleaf, seconded by Deputy Mayor Renner. Motion carried 3-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 PM. Attest: _____________________________________________________________ Ruby Tetrick, Assistant City Clerk