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, February 18, 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; Councilor Bryn Oakleaf; Councilor Aurora Hurd; Councilor Charles Judge Officers Present: Elaine Wang, City Manager; Angela Aldieri, Finance Director; Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director; Jenny Willingham, City Clerk; Ruby Tetrick, Assistant City Clerk Others Present: None. I. Call to Order at 6:03 PM. II. Agenda Review Minutes: None. III. Public Comment Minutes: None. IV. Consent Agenda A. Approval: City Council Minutes of February 3, 2025 B. Approval: Payroll Warrant January 19, 2025 - February 1, 2025 C. Approval: Accounts Payable Warrants February 13, 2025 D. Approval: Vermont Garden Network Event Permit Minutes: None. Motion: A motion to approve the Consent Agenda was made by Councilor Oakleaf, seconded by Councilor Hurd. Motion carried 3-0. V. Council Reports Mayor Kristine Lott: Finance Commission provided feedback on the FY26 budget presentation. Next meeting is February 11. Planning Commission received a presentation on the Working Communities Challenge grant effort and previewed proposed zoning changes for consideration: One would allow existing non-comforting residential uses in the C-1 zoning district to be included as conditional. One would remove the density limit in the C-1 district currently at 60 units per acre—noting that properties fronting East Allen Street and Main Street already have no density limit. And one to clarify that ADUs are allowed by right for single unit dwelling owners outside the residential zoning districts and Gateway District. Next meeting March 13.  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Councilor Bryn Oakleaf: The Municipal Infrastructure Commission did not meet in January. This Thursday will be the first Municipal Infrastructure Commission meeting of the year. The meeting will be back at the community room at the pool at 6:30 PM. The agenda is pretty full, and Councilor Oakleaf is looking forward to formally approving the Tree Ordinance updates and moving this to the next stage of review and having conversations about Local Motion and Winooski Alliance for Active Transportation, the community group that is working on a project for some safety improvements on East Spring Street, related to Hood’s Crossing. There is a section of sidewalk missing here. Councilor Aurora Hurd: Final reminder that this Thursday at 6:00 PM, the Inclusion and Belonging Commission will meet remotely. Councilor Charles Judge: Last Tuesday, the Planning and Housing Commission had a joint meeting to get aligned on methods towards meeting the housing goals the City has. The group received a presentation from Nate Degesse regarding an intricate cost analysis of what it takes to build housing on the developer’s side. This was an eye-opening presentation and hopefully will lead to a better understanding of how both commissions can work together to incentivize builders to build the housing that we need. The next Housing Commission meeting is scheduled for March 25th, at 6:00 PM. This is a tentative date, but there will be a hybrid option for those who wish to attend virtually. VI. City Updates Elaine Wang, City Manager, provided the following updates: Fiscal Year 2026 Budget and Town Meeting Day Election Do you have questions about the City Budget that Council approved to go to voters? The last community-wide City/School Budget Presentation will be at the Winooski School District Performing Arts Center – 6 PM on March 3, 2025 the night before the Town Meeting Day election). Absentee ballots are now available. The last day they will be mailed is February 27, so please contact clerk@winooskivt.gov or 802-655-6410 before then to request one be mailed to you. You can also pick them up in person at City Hall at 27 W Allen St through 4pm on Monday, March 3. Please be aware they need to be received by Town Meeting Day before 7pm to be counted, so take that into account if you decide to mail it back. They can be brought back to City Hall through March 3. On March 4, bring them to the Winooski Senior Center. In person voting in advance can be done at City Hall, or on Town Meeting Day (7 AM – 7 PM at the Winooski Senior Center). Reminder that this is a local election, so all legal residents of Winooski may vote, regardless of your citizenship status. To register and learn more about voting in Winooski, please visit winooskivt.gov/vote. FY2024 Annual Reports are now available …at City Hall. They will also be distributed to the Senior Center and City Library soon. Find information on last year’s activities by your city government and area agencies Winooski taxpayers fund, the City government’s plans for next year, and the FY26 proposed budget. VII. Regular Items A. Discussion/Approval: Adopt Fiscal Year 2026 Fund Budgets and Capital Plans - Elaine Wang, City Manager, Angela Aldieri, Finance Director, Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Minutes: Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director, presented an overview of the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 Fund Budgets. Since being presented by the City Manager on December 2, 2024, budget revisions have been made to the water and wastewater budgets for changes to the Utility Manager position and new information regarding USDA financing schedules. These changes resulted in reductions from the December 2, 2024 presentation. Motion: A motion to approve the Fiscal Year 2026 Fund Budgets was made by Councilor Hurd, seconded by Councilor Judge. Motion carried 3-0. B. Discussion/Approval: Resolution: Fiscal Year 2026 Wastewater Rate - Angela Aldieri, Finance Director, Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director Minutes: Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director, presented the proposed Wastewater Rate for Fiscal Year 2026. The proposed rate is $71.13/1000 cubic feet of metered water consumption. Motion: A motion to approve the Wastewater Rate was made by Councilor Hurd, Seconded by Councilor Oakleaf. Motion carried 3-0. C. Discussion/Approval: Resolution: Fiscal Year 2026 Water Rate - Angela Aldieri, Finance Director, Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director Minutes: Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director, presented the proposed Water Rate for Fiscal Year 2026. The proposed rate is $55.30/1000 cubic feet. There is a minimum charge of 500 cubic feet. Motion: A motion to approve the Water Rate was made by Councilor Oakleaf, seconded by Councilor Judge. Motion carried 3-0. VIII. Executive Session – City Manager Review Pursuant to 1 V.S.A. §313 (3), the appointment or employment or evaluation of a public officer or employee Motions: A motion to find that premature general public knowledge regarding this matter would clearly place the City at a substantial disadvantage because the City risks disclosing its negotiation strategy if it discusses this item in public made by Councilor Hurd, seconded by Councilor Oakleaf. Motion carried 3-0. A motion to enter Executive Session was made by Councilor Oakleaf, seconded by Councilor Judge. Motion carried 3-0. Entered Executive Session at 6:16 PM. A motion to exit Executive Session was made by Councilor Judge, seconded by Councilor Oakleaf. Motion carried 3-0. Exited Executive Session at 7:25 PM. IX. Adjourn Motion: A motion to adjourn was made by Councilor Oakleaf, 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 The meeting adjourned at 7:26 PM. Attest: __________________________________ Ruby Tetrick, Assistant City Clerk