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 20, 2025, at 6 PM Attend in person: Winooski City Hall (27 W Allen St) Attend online: https://us06web.zoom.us/s/84364849328 Attend by phone: 1 646 558 8656 Webinar ID: 843 6484 9328 Members Present: Mayor Thomas Renner, Deputy Mayor Bryn Oakleaf, Councilor Aurora Hurd, Councilor Elsie Goodrich and Councilor Al Turkos Officers Present: Jon Rauscher, Acting City Manager (Public Works Director); Jenny Willingham, City Clerk; Ray Coffey, Community Services Director; John Audy, Fire Chief; Angela Aldieri, Finance Director, Jazmine Hurley, Housing Initiative Director; Justin Huizenga, Police Chief; Adam Hoffnung-Warantz, Assistant City Clerk Others Present: Lucas Pelletier, Jim Duncan, Rebecca Faour, Home Repair Loan Lending Manager, Champlain Housing Trust; Michelle Metzler, Travis Phillips, Associate Director of Lending and Homeownership with Champlain Housing Trust; Brian Colombini I. Call to Order at 6 PM II. Pledge of Allegiance led by Deputy Mayor Bryn Oakleaf III. Agenda Review IV. Public Comment Minutes: Lucas Pelletier asked the City Council about the possibility of implementing daylighting (removing parking spots closest to intersections) to increase visibility and reduce points of conflict with different modes of transportation. In addition, he asked about the feasibility regarding traffic calming measures to combat excessive speeding in specific parts of the city. Their last comment asked the Council about implementing composting bins throughout the city as other major cities have had success with this type of program. Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director, commented that they would follow up with the Municipal Infrastructure Commission regarding these comments. V. Consent Agenda A. Approval: City Council Meeting Minutes of October 15, 2025 B. Approval: Payroll Warrant September 28-October 11 C. Approval: Accounts Payable Warrant October 15, 2025 D. Approval: Library Committee Appointments: Dana Visser & Amanda Goldstein - Nate Eddy, Library Director E. Approval: Halloween in Winooski Event Permit Approval - Ray Coffey, Community Services Director F. Approval: Winooski Small Business Loan Fund - Main St. Construction Impact Loan Program, Tier 3 Application - Angela Aldieri, Finance Director  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Motion: Motion to approve Consent Agenda by Councilor Hurd and seconded by Deputy Mayor Oakleaf. Motion passes 3-0. Councilor Turkos abstained. VI. Council Reports Councilor Aurora Hurd: On Wednesday the 15th, I filled in for City Manager Wang at a meeting that gave a briefing to the member cities/towns of GMT for potential changes in how Grean Mountain Transit makes assessments on how much municipalities pay into the service. These are very early discussions so there is not a lot yet to report on, beyond that the process will hopefully drive-up usage. Also discussed were ideas for alternative revenue and ways the member municipalities can support advocating for that. Also on Wednesday was the regular October meeting of the Inclusion and Belonging Commission. During the meeting was the recurring discussion on the Chair (we will stick to the 6-month model), membership no longer being dependent on residency, and discussion on group norms that will be continued next meeting in December. The December meeting will be on Zoom 6 PM on the 17th. Deputy Mayor Bryn Oakleaf: The Municipal Infrastructure Commission met on Thursday, October 16, 2025, and welcomed their newest Inclusion and Belonging ambassador, Ruth Steinmetz. The Commission started a review of the comprehensive plan updates looking at the vision statement and twelve goals that are currently in the plan. There is a Chittenden Solid Waste District meeting on Wednesday, October 22. Meeting information may be found online, and anyone interested may join the meeting in-person or online. Mayor Thomas Renner: Planning Commission: A fun first meeting for me with the entire commission in attendance. Planning discussed amendments to the unified land use and development regulations, sections 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 4.7, 4.10, 4.11, 4.14, 4.18, 5.1, 5.4, 5.14, 6.2, 6.3, 6.6. Those sections cover gentle infill, accessory dwellings, ADU projects, blank wall depth allowance, landscaping standards, outdoor lighting, building orientation and density limits. Their next meeting will be November 13th. Finance Commission: The Director of City planning came to the meeting to gather feedback on the updates to the Comprehensive Plan. There was conversation around the affordability and vibrancy sections, reusable energy and sustainability and equity with economic development. Their next meeting will be November 11th. A reminder that pumpkin carving sessions are coming up this week, please join the city and Downtown Winooski at the senior center: Tuesday (October 21, 2025): 10-4 then 5 to 7 Wednesday (October 22, 2025): 9-12 then 5-8 Thursday (October 23, 2025): 10-4 then 6-8 Councilor Elsie Goodrich: None. Councilor Al Turkos: None. VII. City Updates Acting City Manager Jon Rauscher spoke about a small kitchen fire on Friday, October 17, at 26 Main Street. The fire was controlled by the sprinkler system but occupants in the building had to leave the premises.  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Currently eight of the nine occupants have moved back in. The restaurant at this address, Tikka House, needs to do some clean-up and is planning to be back in business by October 28. VIII. Regular Items A. Approval: Ratifying Special October 15, 2025 Meeting Minutes: Due to a technical error, the hybrid option was not available. The recording along with the minutes are available for this meeting. In addition, the Council appointed Al Turkos to serve as the interim Councilor with a unanimous vote of 4-0. The term begins on October 15, 2025. Motion: Motion to approve the ratification by Councilor Goodrich and seconded by Deputy Mayor Oakleaf. Motion carried. City Council took a break at 6:13 PM to swear in the newest City Council Member, Councilor Al Turkos. City Council resumed the meeting at 6:17 PM. B. Discussion: Public Hearing on Ordinance Update - Chapter 29 Trees and Shade Tree Preservation Plan - Jon Rauscher, Acting City Manager Minutes: Introduced at the September 15, 2025, Council meeting, proposed language changes update the 2019 adopted ordinance to be consistent with 2020 state tree law updates (Act 171). The revised language was drafted by the Winooski Tree Committee, which includes state forestry professionals. A significant component of the updated tree statutes is the definition of “Shade Tree” and conditions for developing a “Shade Tree Preservation Plan,” which have been incorporated into the revised local ordinance. The proposed ordinance presented to the Council in September was reviewed by the City Attorney. The City Attorney recommended holding the public hearing and, if acceptable to Council, adopting the revised ordinance at the next Council meeting. The Municipal Infrastructure Commission reviewed the updates during their meetings and were able to create a tree committee ordinance. A public hearing began at 6:18 PM. Jim Duncan, the Chair during the Winooski Ad-Hoc Tree Committee presented an extensive overview of the ordinance update. He has a background in forestry and was able to answer questions posed by City Council related to specific dimensions and watering specifications. The public hearing closed at 6:29 PM. The Council will receive a vote at the next meeting on November 3, 2025. C. Discussion/Approval: City of Winooski - Champlain Housing Trust Fund Winooski Home Improvement Program Memorandum of Understanding - Jazmine Hurley, Housing Initiative Director Minutes: The Winooski Home Improvement Program (HIP) is one of four programs funded through the Winooski Housing Trust Fund and supports homeowners in addressing critical home repairs that impact health, safety, and energy efficiency through loans and grants.  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Jazmine Hurley, Housing Initiative Director, discussed how the City has developed a draft partnership agreement with CHT to improve program administration and delivery for the Home Improvement Program. Under this agreement, CHT will manage all aspects of loan origination, oversight, and servicing using pre allocated HTF(Housing Trust Fund) dollars, allowing the City to expand access to low-cost financing for essential home improvements while maintaining oversight of fund use and terms of the partnership. Discussion ensued with City Council regarding specific language in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and whether it can be updated at a later date. This MOU can be reevaluated annually by the City Council. Motion: Motion to approve Champlain Housing Trust Fund Winooski Home Improvement MOU (with additional overview by the City Attorney) by Councilor Hurd and seconded by Deputy Mayor Oakleaf. Motion passed 3-0. Councilor Goodrich abstained. D. Discussion/Approval: Housing Trust Fund Policy Guideline Update - Jazmine Hurley, Housing Initiative Director Minutes: Jazmine Hurley, Housing Initiative Director, discussed a series of updates to the Housing Trust Fund (HTF) Policy Guidelines resulting from two major program initiatives. The first set of revisions arises from the City’s proposed partnership with Champlain Housing Trust (CHT) to administer the Home Improvement Program (HIP). The second group of revisions reflect the City’s efforts to broaden participation in the Down Payment Assistance (DPA) and Interest Rate Buydown (IRB) programs by partnering with additional financial institutions, beginning with EastRise Credit Union. EastRise, one of the primary mortgage lenders for Winooski homebuyers, requires several policy adjustments to align the City’s programs with standard banking and legal practices. Discussion ensued related to including other financial institutions in the future as well as updating and cleaning up specific language and links to the current documentation based on the recent approval of the MOU. Motion: A motion to approve the Housing Trust Fund policy guideline updates including the edits suggested by Deputy Mayor Oakleaf by Councilor Hurd. Seconded by Deputy Mayor Oakleaf. Motion passed 3-0. Councilor Goodrich abstained. E. Discussion/Approval: Recognizing Angela Aldieri for Service to Winooski Minutes: City Council discussed a Resolution recognizing Angela Aldieri for Service to Winooski. Angela has served in a variety of roles for the city throughout her two decades of service to Winooski and has achieved many significant milestones throughout her tenure. Comments and gratitude were shared by both the Council and City Staff sharing their appreciation for Angela’s commitment to the City. Motion: Motion to approve a Resolution Recognizing Angela Aldieri made by Councilor Turkos and seconded by Deputy Mayor Oakleaf. Motion passed unanimously. F. Discussion/Approval: Winooski Small Business Loan Fund - Main Street Construction Impact Loan Program Application - Angela Aldieri, Finance Director Minutes: Angela Aldieri, Finance Director reviewed a fourth application from the owner of US Sherpa International, who was unavailable during the first set of interviews. The Small Business Loan Committee met  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov on October 14th to review the application and recommended the Council approve the award as requested. The loan amount is for $20,000 Tier One requiring no collateralization from the City. Motion: Motion to approve a loan of $20,000 to the Tier One applicant made by Councilor Hurd and seconded by Deputy Mayor Oakleaf. Motion carried 4-0. G. Discussion/Approval: City Council Members' Liaison Assignments - Mayor Thomas Renner Minutes: By Council procedure adopted annually, members of Winooski City Council stay connected to their advisory policy Commissions by assigning their members liaison roles to those Commissions. The City of Winooski has six Commissions: • Planning • Housing • Inclusion and Belonging • Municipal Infrastructure • Economic Vitality • Safe, Healthy Connected People Recent changes on Council create the opportunity to review the Commission liaison assignments: • By City Charter, the Mayor is the liaison to the Planning Commission, so Mayor Renner will be that liaison. • When Kristine Lott was Mayor, she was also the Council liaison Discussion ensued related to which commission each Councilor would like to be the liaison for. Motion: Motion for Councilor Turkos to be the liaison with Safe, Healthy, Connected People and Downtown Winooski Commissions, Councilor Goodrich to be the liaison with the Housing Commission, and for Mayor Renner to be the liaison with the Planning and Finance Commissions by Councilor Hurd and seconded by Councilor Goodrich. Motion passed 4-0. IX. Adjourn Motion: Motion to adjourn by Councilor Hurd and seconded by Councilor Turkos. Motion passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 7:15 PM. Attest: ________________________________ Adam Hoffnung-Warantz, Assistant City Clerk