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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 07/18/2022 CITY COUNCIL 18 JULY 2022 The South Burlington City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, 18 July 2022, at 6:30 p.m., in the Auditorium, 180 Market Street, and by Go to Meeting remote participation. MEMBERS PRESENT: H. Riehle, Chair; M. Emery,T. Barritt, Sen. T. Chittenden, M. Cota ALSO PRESENT: A. Bolduc, Deputy City Manager; P. Conner, Director of Planning & Zoning; J. Moore, Green Mountain Transit; R. Mahoney, R. Fish, CCRPC; M. Kelley, R. Greco, B. Sirvis, L. Bailey 1. Instructions on exiting building in case of emergency and review of technology option: Mr. Bolduc provided instructions on emergency exit from the building and reviewed technology options. 2. Additions, deletions or changes in the order of Agenda items: No changes were made to the Agenda. 3. Comments and questions from the public not related to the agenda: A member of the public commented on people using their street as a "cut-through." Ms. Riehle noted there has been at least one other such complaint. 4. Announcements and City Manager's Report: Members reported on meetings and events they had attended. Mr. Bolduc: Noted that City Manager Jessie Baker is on vacation this week. Tax bills have gone out. The adjusted grand list growth is 1.33%. Staff has been compiling the priorities options from the Council retreat to be discussed at the next Council meeting. The fiscal year has not quite been closed. The city is in very good shape with an estimated $1,000,000 balance, mostly due to lack of staff. Council approved. The pages show which open space types can be applied where and create 2 new open space types (private decks and indoor/outdoor spaces). CITY COUNCIL 18 JULY 2022 PAGE 2 Sun Common is still completing the installation of the solar panels. It is anticipated they will be done by the end of the week or beginning of next week. A new art exhibit, "In the Garden" by Jessica Manley is now mounted in City Hall. Alyssa Colbies has joined the City Clerk's office as of today. The Library is short of staff at the moment and people are asked to be patient. Over 600 people have attended recent Library events. SoBu Night Out has been very successful, resulting in a parking problem. Possible bussing is being considered from the high school for the fireworks events. Mr. Chittenden noted that the tax bill didn't have the SoBu Night Out flyer as in past years. He suggested thinking about that for next year to promote city services. Paving has begun on some city streets. Bids will be opened this week for the third section of Dorset Street. The Library will be holding a first year/50th year celebration on 25 July, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The next 1-89 Pedestrian Bridge workshop will be held on 31 August. 5. Consent Agenda: a. Approve and Sign Disbursements b. Approve lease renewal with the Poon Trust, LLC,for parking for City Hall and authorize City Manager to execute c. Receive preliminary June financials d. Minor amendment utility rate resolution Mr. Cota asked whether 40 is the right number for parking spaces. Mr. Bolduc said it is meeting the city's needs though there are probably times when all the spaces are filled. Sen. Chittenden asked whether the city wants to commit to $3/day for 7 years. Mr. Bolduc said it the bargain the city could strike. Mr. Barritt asked if the utility rate amendment is for new water connections to the system. Mr. Bolduc said the Water Dept. asked for the amendment. CITY COUNCIL 18 JULY 2022 PAGE 3 Ms. Emery asked whether the $1,200,000 surplus was expected. Mr. Bolduc said there are a number of FY23 items that will be in the red as projects are costing 50-70% more than anticipated. These will come to the Council. Ms. Emery moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Sen. Chittenden seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 6. Opportunity to share information on climate change: Mr. Barritt drew attention to the heat wave in the south-central US and over Europe. In France, nuclear reactors had to lower their generation output because the water is too warm to cool them or water levels are low. He also noted that solar panels produce less power when it is very hot. He added that Vermont is lucky to have adequate water and will continue to see "climate refugees." Ms. Greco noted that the Climate Task Force has said that some of the actions they will propose have no enforcement because of lack of personnel. She said that would be a disaster. She also noted how frustrating it is to see how much water is wasted in Vermont and felt people should be encouraged to conserve water. Ms. Riehle said that could relate to incentivizing less water use with lower rates for less use. Ms. Emery said we are already 1.1 degrees Celsius higher average temperatures, and this involves changing whole systems (e.g., how we organize programs, work schedules, landscaping, etc.). Sen. Chittenden said he supports what Ms. Sirvis has been asking for regarding water rates: lower the base amount and charge more for usage. 7. Public Hearing: Correction to Land Development Regulations amendment LDR-22- 02: Ms. Emery moved to open the public hearing. Mr. Barritt seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Conner explained that 2 pages from Article 12 of the LDRs that were approved by the Planning Commission were included in the Warning, but they were left out of the document the CITY COUNCIL 18 JULY 2022 PAGE 4 Mr. Cota asked whether any projects are in limbo because of this. Mr. Conner said one project made use of site plan standards and staff had the applicant choose which open space type they wanted. There was no public comment. Ms. Emery moved to close the public hearing. Mr. Barritt seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 8. Possible Action on correction to Land Development Regulations amendment#LDR- 22-02: Mr. Cota moved to adopt Amendment to the Land Development Regulations LDR-22-02 as presented. Mr. Barritt seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 9. Receive update and report from Green Mountain Transit: Mr. Moore reviewed the history of Green Mountain Transit (GMT), formerly CCTA. He noted that GMT has assessment authority in Chittenden County, and 8 members are now assessed. There is a 13 member Board of Commissioners; Councilor Cota represents South Burlington on that board. GMT has 180 full time employees. In answer to a question, Mr. Moore noted there are 7 transit properties in Vermont. Sen. Chittenden asked whether any communities are served that are not assessed. Mr. Moore said there is a service agreement with Colchester, which is not a member. Mr. Moore then outlined GMT's various services including: fixed routes, commuter services to outlying areas, special services (SSTA) for those with no local service, service to the disabled, non-emergency medical services, 3 weekly grocery services, mostly for senior complexes, seasonal tourism, and the new "micro-transit" service. Mr. Moore showed a graph of ridership data and noted the dip due to COVID. GMT is still struggling to get back to pre-COVID numbers. There are 3 fixed routes in South Burlington: the Williston Road service (which is the highest route in the system) 7 days a week; the Airport route, which combines some previous routes and also runs 7 days a week, and the Shelburne Road route which is the third highest in the CITY COUNCIL 18 JULY 2022 PAGE 5 system. There are also multiple commuter routes that serve South Burlington. Sen. Chittenden asked if there is any way to have a service from UMall to Shelburne Road area without having to go downtown. Mr. Moore said they will be looking at that again. Mr. Moore then showed a pie chart of FY23 revenue sources. He noted that GMT cannot use federal funds unless they have a 50% match, so those funds have been "banked" They did receive $1,100,000 in state funding which is allowing them to operate on a zero fare basis through 2023. They are hoping to get funding to extend that through 2024. The FY23 budget has avoided most reductions that had been considered. Fuel prices are the biggest concern now. They have had to raise wages and benefits due to a very competitive market. They are anticipating a $700,000 deficit in FY24. Ms. Riehle asked about electric buses. Mr. Moore said they have 2 now and a requisition in for 7 more. He stressed that the cost is going up, so it won't happen overnight. FY24 budget considerations include: anticipated local funding shortfalls, looking at ways to minimize volatility of the ADA system, looking to better match the assessment amount with service to the community. Mr. Moore stressed that they need more federal funding. They will also spend the legislative session pushing for a study for a statewide revenue source. Future initiatives include: electric buses, a transit financing study to create a more sustainable revenue source, and "micro-transit." Ms. Emery asked why there was a change to destination charging for ADA. Mr. Moore said it eliminated volatility and does not penalize communities that build senior facilities. He added that in South Burlington there are 10,000 such rides with one person as a user, and this could really add up. Sen. Chittenden said he supports adding a cost to car registration as a means of supporting GMT. He also hoped GMT is at the table with UMall to foster public transit use in this area. Mr. Moore said they have not had specific conversations yet. Mr. Cota cited the problem of bringing back fares since the fare boxes haven't been used in a long time and there is new technology. Mr. Moore said there are several fare collection systems being looked at. CITY COUNCIL 18 JULY 2022 PAGE 6 Ms. Riehle asked about connecting with major employers so employees can ride free or at a reduced rate. Mr. Moore said there is an employee pass program. They have also signed an agreement with CATMA for a per student fee. They are looking to expand to other private businesses as well. Sen. Chittenden noted that one thing UVM does to foster transit use is to charge for parking. 10. Consider sending a letter of concern regarding the temporary basing of F35s from Florida's Elgin Air Force Base: Ms. Emery noted that the city had no warning about this. There is also a question of "Air Force training" at an operational base. Mr. Cota said he was not interested in signing such a letter as he felt it sends the wrong message. Sen. Chittenden said he is not one to question Air Force training plans and felt the city has no ability to interfere with them. Ms. Emery said she felt it was a valid question to ask when residents ask about it. She added that the military responds to civilian leaders, and she felt the city had a right to ask why they were not notified. Mr. Barritt said he agreed with Sen. Chittenden and added that these jets have the legal right to land at any air guard base. Ms. Emery said that if the Air Force can put out press releases, they should also notify the city. Mr. Barritt noted that there are press releases all the time about night flights. Ms. Greco said it is a patriotic duty to question the military. Sen. Chittenden suggesting inviting them to come and speak with the Council. Ms. Riehle said they will be invited. 11. Receive a presentation on a possible Chittenden County Communications District to improve broadband access: Mr. Bolduc said this could be a possible November ballot item. It is an opportunity for communities to use funding to close communication gaps. The monies are only available for fiber access. South Burlington is a bit behind in fiber access, and closing some of the gaps CITY COUNCIL 18 JULY 2022 PAGE 7 would actually provide fiber access to a huge number of people. There is a recommendation from CCRPC to partner with other communities. This effort involves ARPA money, and there is a time limit in which it can be spent. Ms. Mahoney of CCRPC said they have been trying to expand fiber without forming another "district," but it makes the most sense to move forward with a communications district. A key benefit will be the potential for public oversight so all can be served. Mr. Fish then provided information on communication union districts. He said these entities can insulate communities from financial risk. The district has no taxing power and can only accept loans, grants, etc. At least 2 communities are needed to start a district. Mr. Fish reviewed the two types of models: Fidium-Fiber is a public-private partnership with the CUD serving as negotiator. This insures that outlying areas get funding as there is a requirement that everyone in the member communities be served. At the moment, Burlington Telecom is the only one providing some fiber service in South Burlington. Sen. Chittenden said he would support this as there is public control and no taxing authority. He asked if there is an ability to withdraw if things change in the future. Mr. Fish said there is no penalty for withdrawal other than losing the community's voice. Mr. Barritt also voiced his support. There is also a model for public ownership. The CUDs build and own the infrastructure and can access the revenue bond market to complete the buildout of the district. Ms. Emery said that Charlotte did this on their own and asked how. Mr. Fish said they are working with Waitsfield on a public/private system. Ms. Emery asked who they would be competing with. Mr. Fish said there are other companies that want to build networks to sell to providers. The Union is the best way to come together to get all the questions answered. Sen. Chittenden said he would want the City Attorney to look at this before making a decision. He asked what other communities are interested in joining such a union. Ms. Mahoney said CITY COUNCIL 18 JULY 2022 PAGE 8 Essex and Williston are interested. CCRPC will also be talking to Jericho. Mr. Fish said Shelburne and Westford are very interested. Colchester is "wait and see." Ms. Riehle said the Council would want a legal review and also to see the language for the ballot. Mr. Bolduc said they can continue the discussion on 15 August. 12. Review and possibly approve Declaration of Inclusion: Mr. Bolduc noted this had been brought to the Equity Committee which added some thoughts. Mr. Barritt moved to approve the Declaration of Inclusion as presented. Mr. Cota seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 13. Councilors' Reports from Committee Assignments: Ms. Riehle: The Airport Commission will meet on Wednesday. Mr. Cota: GMT meets tomorrow. 14. Other Business: No other business was brought forth. As there was no further business to come before the Council Ms. Emery moved to adjourn. Mr. Barritt seconded. Motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 8:50 p.m. Clerk