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 13, 2025, 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 Aurora Hurd, Councilor Bryn Oakleaf, Councilor Charles Judge Officers Present: Elaine Wang, City Manager; Paul Sarne, Communications Director; Angela Aldieri, Finance Director; Ray Coffey, Community Services Director; Justin Huizenga, Chief of Police; John Audy, Fire Chief; John Spittle, Assistant Fire Chief, Saja Almogalli, District Liaison Officer; Jenny Willingham, City Clerk; Amanda Casper, Assistant City Clerk Others Present: Judy Lance, Melissa Corbin (Downtown Winooski), Lauren Chicote, Nick Warner, Shanna Cullinane, Jacqueline Dagesse, Jen Berger, Connor Daley, Zoom Username “Nicole Golden Hour” I. Call to Order at 6 PM II. Pledge of Allegiance led by Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner III. Agenda Review Minutes: None IV. Public Comment Minutes: Shanna Cullinane made public comment expressing a desire for the city to focus on road and sidewalk maintenance. V. Consent Agenda A. Approval: City Council and Liquor Control Board Minutes of January 6, 2025 B. Approval: Payroll Warrant December 22, 2024 - January 4, 2025 C. Approval: Accounts Payable Warrant January 8, 2025 D. Approval: Appoint City Manager Ethics Liaison to serve as point of contact with the State Ethics Commission E. Approval: Annual Vermont Agency of Transportation Mileage Certification Minutes: Mayor Lott presented items A through E on the consent agenda to the council for approval. Motion: A motion was made by Councilor Hurd, seconded by Councilor Judge. Voted and passed 4-0. VI. Council Reports Mayor Kristine Lott: reported that the joint Housing and Planning commission meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 22, 2025. The planning commission’s regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov 23, 2025. The Regional Planning commission will be joining to share updates on the land use map update requirements from Act 181 that was passed last year. Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner: reported an update for Safe, Healthy, and Connected people which was originally scheduled to meet January 14, 2025, however due to city staff covering different vacancies, they will not be meeting tomorrow and will be meeting on January 28, 2025 instead. Councilor Aurora Hurd: reported that they did not have any updates at this time. Councilor Bryn Oakleaf: reported that they did not have any updates at this time. Councilor Charles Judge: reported that there will be a joint Housing and Planning commission meeting happening. More details to come from the Mayor. VI. City Updates Elaine Wang, City Manager, provided the following updates: Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Discussions Tonight continues the Fiscal Year 2026 staff budget presentations. Please stick around for the Public Safety presentation to learn more about Police, Dispatch, Fire Prevention, Code Enforcement, and more. For the full schedule of budget meetings and information, please visit winooskivt.gov/fy26. City Hall will be closed on Monday, January 20 for MLK Day but the final budget vote will occur during the City Council meeting on Tuesday, January 21. Keep an eye out for the City/School budget community dinner announcement (TBC, tentative early February) and be sure to join us for the final budget presentation on Monday, March 3, 2025 – 6 PM in the Performing Arts Center at the Winooski School District. Blood Drive at the Senior Center January is National Blood Donor Month! Help save a life by joining us for the blood drive at the Winooski Senior Center (123 Barlow Street) on Friday, January 17, 2025, from 12 to 5 PM. To sign up, visit the news updates section on our website at winooskivt.gov or call 1 800 RED CROSS to schedule. VII. Regular Items A. Discussion: Downtown Winooski Annual Report – Elaine Wang, City Manager Minutes: City Manager, Elaine Wang introduced Melissa Corbin, Downtown Winooski, to share their calendar year 2024 results and high-level plans for 2025. B. Discussion: Management of Memorial Park with Winooski Valley Parks District - Ray Coffey, Community Services Director Minutes: Ray Coffey, Community Services Director, introduced Winooski Valley Parks District (WVPD) to present council with early drafts for what a management plan for Memorial Park would look like if WVPD were  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov more formally engaged on the parcel (through either easement or ownership). Extensive discussion ensued amongst C ouncil and WVPD. C. Discussion: Fiscal Year 2026 Staff Budget Presentations: Public Safety - Justin Huizenga, Chief of Police, John Audy, Fire Chief, Saja Almogalli, District Liaison Officer Minutes: Led by Justin Huizenga, Chief of Police; John Audy, Fire Chief; and joined by Saja Almogalli, District Liaison Officer, the public safety team presented council with the FY26 Budget. This presentation focused on the Public Safety Departments of Police & Dispatch and Fire & Code Enforcement. Minutes: Council took recess from 8:12 PM to 8:17 PM D. Discussion: Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Discussion – Mayor Kristine Lott Minutes: Mayor Lott introduced and led the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget presenting it to council and the public. Extensive discussion was had and an agreement was met for what will be presented for approval at next week’s council for the FY26 Budget. E. Discussion: Strategic Vision Goal Area Update: Safe, Healthy, Connected People - Ray Coffey, Community Services Director, Justin Huizenga, Chief of Police, John Audy, Fire Chief Minutes: Community Services Director, Ray Coffey, along with Chief of Police, Justin Huizenga, and Fire Chief, John Audy presented the second update for the adopted 2024-2025 Policy Priorities and Strategies for the Safe, Healthy, Connected People goals. Discussion ensued. VIII. Adjourn Motion: A motion was made by Councilor Oakleaf, seconded by Councilor Judge. Voted and passed 4-0. The meeting adjourned at 10:00 PM Attest: ____________________________________________ Amanda Casper, Assistant City Clerk