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, October 21, 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 Charles Judge and Councilor Aurora Hurd Officers Present: Elaine Wang, City Manager; Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director, Ray Coffey, Community Services Director, John Audy, Fire Chief, Jazmine Hurley, Housing Initiative Director, Ryan Lambert, City Engineer, Ravi Venkataraman, Director of Planning and Zoning, Angela Aldieri, Finance Director and Jenny Willingham, City Clerk Others Present: Robert Klinefelter, Connor Daley, Carolyn Cota, Jim Lacroix and Josh Olund I. Call to Order at 6:05 pm II. Pledge of Allegiance led by Deputy Thomas Renner III. Agenda Review Minutes: none Public Comment Minutes: none IV. Consent Agenda a. Approval: Liquor Control Board and City Council Minutes of October 7, 2024 b. Approval: Payroll Warrant September 29 - October 12, 2024 c. Approval: Accounts Payable Warrant October 17, 2024 d. Approval: Event permit - Halloween in Winooski Minutes: none Motion: Motion by Deputy Mayor 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 IV. Council Reports Mayor Kristine Lott: Planning Commission is close to completing their work on Replacement ordinance- likely to complete at their November meeting, then set a public hearing as required, before advancing to Council. Currently, this would apply to any demo/redevelopment of 2 BR + units, and include an option for payment in lieu to the Housing Trust Fund. Their next November 14th meeting will also include a public hearing for the final zoning updated needed to comply with state statute updates in Act 181 which require that: • Regulations for hotels and motels converted to permanently affordable housing cannot interfere with the functioning of the use. • Municipalities to allow parking spaces in an adjacent or nearby lot to count toward the parking requirement of a residential building. • And the DRB to notice and warn a hearing within 120 days of an application being deemed complete. Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner: The Safe, Healthy Connected People (SHCP) committee met and a Chair was not picked yet as the commission had some questions around who is a full member and some other time commitment questions. The Commission received a presentation from the police chief about the fair and impartial policing policy, the commission is going to review and give recommendations to the chief. The next meeting will be on November 12th. Downtown Winooski is seeking volunteers to assist with carving and setting up pumpkins, there are carving sessions starting tomorrow at the senior center. Visit https://downtownwinooski.org/halloween/ to learn more. The Winooski Food Shelf is seeking volunteers, particularly for its two business days: November 16 and December 21, sign up at https://www.winooskifoodshelf.org Councilor Aurora Hurd: The Inclusion & Belonging Commission were unable to meet due to a lack of a quorum. According to the Inclusion & Belonging Commission charter, the applicants (currently 2) need to have approval from the Commission chairs. Our next rescheduled meeting is November 7th at 6:00 pm. Councilor Bryn Oakleaf: The Municipal Infrastructure Commission (MIC) met with Finance Commission to review the Capital Improvement Plan items and discuss FY26 budgetary priorities. https://www.winooskivt.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8708/Traffic-Calming---StreetCandiates-List The next meeting will be on November 12, 2024 during the Finance Commissions’s regular meeting. We will continue discussing FY26 infrastructure related budget priorities. We will not meet on November 21st as a result. The Airport Noise Exposure Map Update-Public meeting When: October 24, 2024, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm Where: Winooski High School, Normand Street, Winooski, VT URL: https://www.btvsound.com Councilor Charles Judge: The Winooski Housing Commission meets tomorrow night at 6:00 pm here at city hall, there is also a hybrid link available through the agenda on the city website. We will be discussing the housing trust fund policies, upcoming developer roundtable, and an armory parcel update. The Housing and Planning Commission both would like to remind the public that they have a joint meeting at 6:00 pm on November 19th to continue our discussion on inclusionary zoning and replacement ordinances. We welcome residents to join us in this process before these items move forward to council!  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov V. City Updates Elaine Wang, City Manager gave the following updates: Recognizing Corporal Jason Ziter, School Resource Officer Please join us in recognizing the great service of Corporal Jason Ziter, who is stepping down as School Resource Officer to pursue his next career opportunity supporting children and families outside of Vermont. Jason’s 8+ years in Winooski (and almost 25 years in law enforcement) included many accomplishments that will leave a lasting impression, such as the development of Public Safety Camp which has run 3 strong years at the Winooski School District, instructing the DARE program, training teachers and other SROs around the state, working with the VT Dept. of Children and Families to support investigations, offering first aid, CPR, and ‘Stop the Bleed’ training, and very notably receiving the 2024 KidSafe Vermont Outstanding Professional Award. Jason will be tremendously missed! You can view and share our full recognition of Jason on the City’s website and social media channels. Notice of Concrete Repair and Road Resurfacing Starting October 7, 2024 The Department of Public Works began a concrete repair and road resurfacing project which will affect Hall Street, Audet Street, and Shepard Street. This project is expected to take about 4 weeks to complete – residents in the area will receive door hanger notices and all project details including the schedule, work hours, construction activities, parking restrictions, traffic and driveway impacts can be found by visiting the news updates section on our website at winooskivt.gov. 2024 General Election The General Election will occur on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, from 7 AM – 7 PM at the Winooski Senior Center (123 Barlow Street). To view the official warning, sample ballot, and all election/voting information, please visit winooskivt.gov/vote. The Vermont Secretary of State has begun mailing general election ballots directly to active and registered voters - this is your ballot for voting! Please connect with the City Clerk’s Office if you have questions about your ballot. Volunteer Park Cleanup Days on October 11 and November 9 Spend some time with Winooski Recreation and Parks during our Volunteer Park Cleanup Days! Volunteers are needed for park and trail clean up efforts on October 11th at the Casavant Nature Area and on November 9th at Memorial Park. Activities include plant trimming, litter pick up, debris removal, and other basic trail maintenance – to sign up, visit the news updates section on our website at winooskivt.gov. VI. Regular Items  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov a. Discussion/Approval: Base Technical Design Approval for Burlington-Winooski Bridge – Jon Rauscher, Director of Public Works Minutes: Public Works Director, Jon Rauscher introduced the team from the Vermont Highway Division Structures Design Section (VTrans). They completed their work on the Base Technical Concept (BTC) for the Winooski bridge including proposed design and timeline. VTrans is seeking approval on the Base Technical Concept Framework Plan from City Council. A detailed discussion on the plan from the Council including clarification on design, specifications ,height (flood resiliency) and timeline specifications. The project focal points include designs, considerations for traffic management as well as traffic implications and re- constructing the intersection from Burlington connecting to the Winooski-Burlington bridge. The bridge will have 4 lanes, a 15’0 shared use path on the western side of the bridge and a 12’0 shared-use path on the eastern side of the bridge. Also, discussions included RFP Considerations including Prescriptive items or actions that are required as well as Flexible items or actions that have established boundaries, but provide some flexibility from the selected contractor. The proposed timeline is for construction to begin at the end of 2027 and completed by 2030. There will be a Public Open House about the next steps. Additional discussion about the extension of the sidewalk next to Hoods’ Crossing along with a traffic signal. Motion: Motion by Councilor Judge and seconded by Councilor Oakleaf to approve the base technical design for the Winooski/Burlington bridge. Voted and passed 4-0 e. Discussion: Strategic Vision Goal Area Updates: Housing – Jazmine Hurley, Housing Initiative Director Minutes: Jazmine Hurley provided an extensive overview of the 2024-2025 Policy Priorities & Strategies Update on Housing. Included in her presentation was a list of Must-Do & Recommended policies. Jazmine elaborated on the Must-Dos & Recommended Actions. Additional discussion about the outreach efforts for the Airport Noise Mitigation Program. Also, operational updates including Short – Term Rentals, Housing Trust Fund, Board of Civil Authority (BCA) update on reappraisal hearings, amendments to Chapter 17 Public Building Registry. f. Discussion/Approval: Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Goal Setting - Angela Aldieri, Finance Director Minutes: Discussion ensued from Council regarding the upcoming budget discussions. As presented, there is a number of must-do’s and strong recommendations offered by the City Manager. Discussion ranged from a level services budget to a “catch-up” budget where other services/deficiencies are included in the budget. The City Manager is seeking direction and identifying priorities within the Master Plan. The strategic vision statement for Winooski is to ensure that it a livable, diverse and an affordable community. The discussion continued amongst Council on addressing the needs and deficiencies of this community to provide services to its residents that they need/want. Motion: Motion by Deputy Mayor Renner seconded by Councilor Judge to direct staff to provide an FY26 budget that includes conservative catch up on infrastructure and fire safety and differentiate catch up items and denote if/how they save us money in the long run or provide ROI (Return of Investment) Voted and passed 3-0, Councilor Hurd voted nay. g. Discussion/Approval: Memorandum of Understanding with Vermont Student Assistance Corporation for Payment in Lieu of Taxes and transitional payments - Elaine Wang, City Manager  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Minutes: City Manager Wang provided an overview of the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) Memorandum of Understanding for the PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) for this tax-exempt property to the City. Based on the reappraisal, the new assessed value was lower than expected. A tentative agreement by the VSAC Finance Director and the City allows a period of transition down to the calculated PILOT payment. Motion: Motion by Councilor Oakleaf seconded by Councilor Judge to authorize the City Manager to execute the documents. Voted and passed 4-0 VII. Adjourn Motion: Motion by Deputy Mayor Renner seconded by Councilor Judge to adjourn at 8:15 PM. Voted and passed 4-0 Attest: ______________________________________________________ Jenny Willingham, City Clerk