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, January 20, 2026, 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 Thomas Renner; Deputy Mayor Bryn Oakleaf; Councilor Alison Turkos; Councilor Elsie Goodrich; Councilor Aurora Hurd Officers Present: Elaine Wang, City Manager; John Audy, Fire Chief; Justin Huizenga, Police Chief; Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director; Angela Aldieri, Finance Director; Jenny Willingham, City Clerk; Paul Sarne, Communications Director; Jesse Acri, Human Resources Director; Adam Hoffnung-Warantz, Assistant City Clerk Others Present: Laura Wade, Downtown Winooski; Mellissa Corbin, Downtown Winooski; Sarah Brunkhorst, Downtown Winooski; Chris Corbin, Brian Colombini; Heather Hunter, RHR Smith & Co; Eli Ogilvie, Zoom Username “kemerrimanshapiro” I. Call to Order at 6:01 PM II. Agenda Review Minutes: None Motion: None III. Public Comment Minutes: None IV. Consent Agenda A. Approval: City Council Meeting Minutes of January 12, 2026 B. Approval: Accounts Payable Warrant January 15, 2026 C. Approval: Community Services Grant Application: EPA Brownfields Clean Up Grant 2026 Minutes: No issues nor concerns from Council members. Motion: A motion to approve the Consent Agenda made by Councilor Hurd and seconded by Councilor Turkos. Motion passed 3-0 and Councilor Goodrich abstained.  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov V. Council Reports Mayor Thomas Renner: Finance commission looked over the Budget options tool, and we discussed different line items in the tool. Finance acknowledged the difficulty in determining what is a need and a want, and how that is weighed into what is put forward to the taxpayer and a discussion happened over how certain wants or needs may be considered by others as something not to be considered. I asked the members what their individual singular want would be and this is what they said: 2 - Econ development director 2- Hard infrastructure asks 1 - HRA funding 1 - Staff raises Although not the recommended amount from the commission, after removing items after discussion the increase is at 15.06%, this number being above what they would have hoped to see is an indication of the difficult work that lays with council. Deputy Mayor Bryn Oakleaf: The Municipal Infrastructure Commission met on January 15th and reviewed the EV Planning Grant update, traffic calming evaluation review, and budget. Councilor Aurora Hurd: The Councilor reported that they did not have any updates at this time. Councilor Elsie Goodrich: The Housing Commission has canceled its January meeting as there was nothing to discuss and will reconvene to have a joint meeting with Planning Commission on Thursday, February 26th at 6:30 PM here at City Hall. Councilor Alison Turkos: The Safe, Healthy, Connected People Commission and the Winooski Memorial Library Committee met last week and discussed the library renovations and updates to the O’Brien Community Center. They were very appreciative of the community feedback during this process. VI. City Updates Elaine Wang, City Manager, gave the following updates: The Fiscal Year 2027 budget process continues tonight. With all department presentations completed, the City Council will use this meeting to discuss the overall budget. To view the full proposed budget and the remaining meeting opportunities to provide feedback, visit winooskivt.gov/fy27. Speaking of opportunities – everyone in Winooski is invited to the Community Winter Supper on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, from 5 – 7 PM in the lobby at the Winooski School District. Join your neighbors to build community - enjoy free restaurant catering from businesses on Main Street, connect with City Council and School Board members, learn about the City and School budgets, and have a great time. We’ve packed in a lot to the event – to name just some of what you can expect, community members can try the City’s budget activity, check out a Winooski fire truck, get creative with an art project, register to vote, sign up for summer programs, apply for a City job, learn about school clubs and programs, and lots more.  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Residents, voters, students, and families are encouraged to attend – for full details, visit winooskivt.gov/supper and be sure to share the event with your friends and neighbors. And, in case you missed some of our recent updates, visit winooskivt.gov/news to learn more about the Blood Drive at the Senior Center on January 30, licensing your dog before April 1st, how to access an interpreter in a Winooski government building, the deadline to run for Winooski City Council and Winooski School Board, and apply for an open seat on the Finance Commission. VII. Regular Items A. Discussion: Downtown Winooski Annual Report - Elaine Wang, City Manager Minutes: Downtown Winooski presented their Annual Report to the City Council. This report highlighted an overview of their organization, collaboration opportunities with city and state organizations, a strategic plan overview, impact support, as well as business and community snapshots. There was continued growth for many of the activities sponsored by the organization, and they reviewed the positive feedback and excitement from those in Winooski’s business community. Both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor shared their appreciation for the work Downtown Winooski has contributed for the vibrancy of the city. Deputy Mayor Oakleaf also commented on the creativity from the programed events that enhances the value Downtown Winooski provides. B. Discussion: Treasurer's Reports Fiscal Year 2026 Q2 - John Affinito, City Treasurer Minutes: The City Treasurer reviewed the second quarter report and spoke extensively regarding the city’s financial outlook. There is an annual surplus currently and projected funds as stable and currently healthy. Mayor Renner asked about some differences that the City Treasurer will follow up with them later. In addition, Deputy Mayor Oakleaf asked about risk areas such as the Abenaki garage, which has been extended with a completion date pending. C. Discussion: Fiscal Year 2024-2025 (FY25) Audit Report - Angela Aldieri, Finance Director Minutes: Heather Hunter, from RHR Smith & Co (an accounting firm), presented the Fiscal Year 25 audit report. The extensive overview of the FY25 audit came out as “clean” and this rating is the highest opinion possible regarding audits. The report outlined various funding balances and the City’s expenditure coverage is approximately six months, which is an extremely healthy balance. There were no suggestions for best practices in improved and RHR Smith & Co commended the work done by City Staff. Both Mayor Renner and the City Manager shared their appreciation from the auditing firm and City Staff. Deputy Mayor Oakleaf asked about bond ratings with the upcoming bond votes and the Finance Director clarified the procedures for if the bonds are approved by voters. City Council took recess from 7:17 PM to 7:22 PM. D. Discussion/Approval: Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Budget Discussion - Mayor Thomas Renner Minutes: Mayor Renner introduced and led the Fiscal Year 2027 Budget with the Council members and had an in-depth discussion related to specific financial requests for each City Department. City Staff were able to answer specific questions from the Council and discussion ensued to propose a final budget. More conversation is needed on behalf of the Council, and this discussion will continue at the next City Council meeting.  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Motion: No motion was made as Mayor Renner requested this item just be a discussion. E. Discussion/Approval: Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) FY27 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) Application - Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director Minutes: The Public Works Director spoke about the application, which assists in providing funding support and needs City Council to be aware of the application. Much of the information was reviewed during the previous item. Deputy Mayor Oakleaf spoke in favor of this application, especially as it can help assist the City with the Stormwater Phosphorus Control Plan and City-Wide Traffic Calming Planning Support, which also ties in with the City’s Strategies and Priorities. Motion: A motion to approve the application of the CCRPC made by Councilor Hurd and seconded by Councilor Turkos. Motion passed 4-0. F. Discussion/Approval: Fiscal Year 2026-2027 (FY27) Budget Outreach - Mayor Thomas Renner Minutes: Mayor Renner asked the council for assistance and outreach opportunities throughout the city regarding the FY27 budget. The City has multiple announcements on a variety of platforms, but they requested support related to social media outreach, opportunities for community outreach at locations throughout the city. Councilor Turkos commented that they would be able to support these opportunities during the work week as their schedule has some flexibility. Motion: No motion was made. VIII. Adjourn Motion: Motion to adjourn by Deputy Mayor Oakleaf and seconded by Councilor Hurd. Motion passed 4-0. Meeting adjourned at 10:13 PM. Attest: __________________________________________ Adam Hoffnung-Warantz, Assistant City Clerk