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 August 4, 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 Bryn Oakleaf; Councilor Aurora Hurd and Councilor Charles Judge. Officers Present: Elaine Wang, City Manager; John Audy, Fire Chief; Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director; Jazmine Hurley, Housing Initiative Director; Ray Coffey, Community Services Director; Paul Sarne, Communications Director; Ravi Venkataraman, Director of Planning and Zoning; Angela Aldieri, Finance Director and Jenny Willingham, City Clerk Others Present: Connor Daley, Trevor Thomas and Liba Hladik I. Call to Order at 6:03 PM II. Pledge of Allegiance led by Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner III. Agenda Review IV. Public Comment V. Consent Agenda A. Approval: City Council Meeting Minutes of July 14, 2025 B. Approval: Payroll Warrant July 6-July 19 C. Approval: Accounts Payable Warrant July 23, 2025 D. Approval: Small Business Loan Committee Appointments - Elaine Wang, City Manager E. Approval: Planning Commission Appointments - Ravi Venkataraman, Director of City Planning F. Approval: Resolution - Recognizing International Youth Day in Winooski - Mayor Kristine Lott G. Approval: Transfer of Approximately 500 Feet of Water Main Owned by Champlain Water District to City of Winooski - Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director H. Approval: Reappointment of Health Officer and New Appointments of Deputy Health Officers - John Audy, Fire Chief I. Approval: Annual Approval of Local Emergency Management Plan (LEMP) - John Audy, Fire Chief J. Approval: Community Services Scholarship Fund Fundraising Campaign - Ray Coffey, Community Services Motion: Motion by Councilor Hurd seconded by Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner to approve Consent Agenda Item A. Voted and passed 3-0 (Mayor Lott approved). Councilor Oakleaf and Councilor Judge abstained. Motion by Councilor Hurd seconded by Councilor Judge to approve the Consent Items B – J. Voted and passed 4-0.  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov VI. Council Reports Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner: The next Safe, Healthy, Connected People Commission will meet on Tuesday, August 5, 2025 at 5:30 pm. This meeting will be on-line. Councilor Bryn Oakleaf: Councilor Oakleaf extended thanks to Councilor Hurd for attending the Municipal Infrastructure Meeting on July 17th. Councilor Aurora Hurd: The Inclusion and Belonging Commission will have the next meeting on August 21st at 6:00 PM. At the Municipal Infrastructure Commission meeting, the discussion began on the commission work plan and on where to do the next traffic calming review. These discussions will continue in the next meeting this month. Councilor Charles Judge: The recent Special Housing Commission was held on July 22nd where discussions included changes to the Housing Trust Fund and the Interest Rate Buy-down program. These discussions will continue for the next meeting on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. VII. City Updates City Manager Elaine Wang gave the following updates: Tomorrow (Tuesday August 5) the Department of Public Works will close a section of Bellevue Street between Franklin Street and Hood Street from 7 AM to 2 PM for road work. The closure may last up to two days. This work will require a lane closure and parking restrictions. Motorists, pedestrians, and residents are asked to use caution when travelling through the area. For full details, please visit the news updates section at winooskivt.gov. The Burlington-Winooski Bridge Project team is hiring a part-time Community Liaison to support local businesses during construction. This role will serve as the primary point of contact for businesses within the project area, helping to share updates, gather feedback, and ensure strong community connections throughout the process. We’re seeking someone with local knowledge of Winooski and Burlington, strong, empathetic communication skills, and a proactive and organized approach to community engagement. Experience in public outreach or working with small businesses is a plus! To learn more and apply, visit winooskivt.gov/jobs. VIII. Regular Items A. Discussion/Approval: Grand List Errors & Omissions - Ted Nelson Jr., City Assessor Minutes: City Manager Wang presented the 2025 Grand List Errors & Omissions for Council approval. There were two properties: 1). PP272.4 (Timberland Physical Therapy) This business has transitioned out of regular business and no longer existed on April 1, 2025. 2.) WI060.1301 (Crimmin & Hladik) The value of this parcel was adjusted after the 2024 Grand List was finalized through the appeal process. Adjusted the value as stipulated from $492,300 to $464,000 upon Council approval  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Motion: Motion by Deputy Mayor Renner seconded by Councilor Judge to approve the Errors & Omissions. Voted and passed 4-0 B. Discussion: Goal Update: Safe Healthy Connected People - Ray Coffey, Community Services Director, John Audy, Fire Chief, Justin Huizenga, Police Chief Minutes: Ray Coffey provided an update on the pending sale of the O’Brien Community Center to Champlain Housing Trust as well as a potential timeline and finalizing the design of the space. Also, Ray thanked the volunteers for helping in the clean-up of Casavant Park. There will be more upcoming dates for clean-up of the various other City Parks. Councilor Oakleaf asked if there could be times available in the late afternoon or weekends for more participation. C. Discussion/Approval: Overview of Amendments to Unified Land Use & Development Regulations (ULUDR) - Inclusionary Zoning - Ravi Venkataraman, Director of City Planning, Jazmine Hurley, Housing Initiative Director Minutes: The Director of Planning & Zoning along with the Housing Initiative Director introduced proposed regulations for inclusionary housing regulations. These regulations were proposed by the Planning and Housing Commission. These draft regulations are based on best practices, conversations with local stakeholders along with nearby municipalities. During a roundtable held in November 2024, a presentation to local developers was provided along with the City attorney review of the proposed regulations. The inclusionary housing regulations would require: Any project proposing 20 dwelling units or more to have: • At least 20% of the total units with rent set at no greater than 80% of Area Medium Income (AMI) • At least 10% of the total units with rents set at no greater than U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rent with 60% AMI income threshold; or • If the units are offered for sale, at least 10% of the total units with the sales price set at no greater than 120% AMI. A new Section 5.16 will be created for inclusionary housing requirements. A detailed and extensive summary was provided by the Director of Planning and Zoning along with the Housing Initiative Director regarding affordable units along with market rate units. Motion: Motion by Deputy Mayor Renner seconded by Councilor Hurd to introduce the proposed amendments at a Public Hearing on September 2,2025 at 6:00 PM. Voted and Passed 4-0 D. Discussion/Approval: Board Appointment: Development Review Board - Ravi Venkataraman, Director of City Planning VIII. Proposed Executive Session A. Pursuant to 1 V.S.A. 313(a)(3), the appointment...a public officer, provided that the public body shall make a final decision to...appoint a public officer…in an open meeting and shall explain the reasons for its final decision during the open meeting. Minutes: An Executive Session was not needed  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov IX. Regular Items A. Discussion/Approval: Board Appointment: Development Review Board Minutes: City Council did receive some information in advance of the meeting. The City Council has the authority to make appointments to these Boards. Mayor Lott offered to take action now or in Executive Session. The City Council decided to take action without the need of entering into Executive Session. Motion: A motion to appoint an applicant to the Development Review Board made by Mayor Lott and seconded by Deputy Mayor Renner. Motion failed 0-2 with Councilor Judge & Councilor Oakleaf voting nay. Deputy Mayor Renner and Councilor Oakleaf abstaining. B. Discussion: Introduction to Update Ordinance - Chapter 28 Fees - Angela Aldieri, Finance Director Minutes: The Finance Director was providing an annual update to the Chapter 28 fees ordinances. The City was alerted by the attorney that there was not a mechanism in our current ordinance to waive fees outlined in this chapter. Staff worked with counsel to develop language to allow for fee waivers. In addition, there were other requests for amendments from staff for Chapter 28 Fees Update. These amendments included: 1. Increasing the cost of a non-resident library card from $10.00 to $35.00 2. Inclusion of language to allow summer programming pricing consistency when advertised in the same season 3. Updated Water & Wastewater allocation rates to reflect the new current rates 4. Inclusion of new Payment in Lieu of Affordable Housing outlined in the ULUDR. Motion: Motion by Deputy Mayor Renner seconded by Councilor Hurd to set the Public Hearing for September 2, 2025 at 6:00 PM to the proposed amendments to the Chapter 28 Fees Chapter. Voted and passed 4-0 C. Discussion/Approval: Recommendation on Manager Evaluation Process - Mayor Kristine Lott Minutes: Currently, the City Council has been utilizing a tool on an annual basis to evaluate the City Manager. The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) has released an updated Manager Evaluation Guide. The Mayor asked for a sub-committee of two City Council members to update the existing tool, utilize best practices and present the final recommendations to the full Council for adoption. Councilor Hurd and Councilor Oakleaf volunteered to evaluate, improve and incorporate new recommended best practice guidelines to this updated document for utilization in the City Manager Annual Evaluation Process. Mayor Lott asked if these recommendations be available for the September 15, 2025 City Council meeting. Motion: Motion to approve Councilors Hurd and Oakleaf to develop recommendations to improve our Manager Annual Evaluation Process. 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 X. Adjourn Motion: A motion was made by Councilor Judge seconded by Councilor Oakleaf to adjourn the meeting at 7:12 PM. Voted and passed 4-0. Attest: ________________________________________ Jenny Willingham, City Clerk