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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 04/06/2020CITY COUNCIL 6 APRIL 2020 The South Burlington City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, 6 April 2020, via Go to Meeting. MEMBERS PRESENT: H. Riehle, Chair; M. Emery, T. Barritt, T. Chittenden, D. Kaufman ALSO PRESENT: K. Dorn, City Manager; T. Hubbard, Deputy City Manager; R. Greco, M. Mittag, W. Racine, B. Sirvis, L. Nadeau 1. Opening Remarks from the Chair: Ms. Riehle advised that due to the state of emergency, the City Council is authorized to meet electronically. All members of the Council are participating remotely, and members of the public are invited to participate by electronic means. Instructions for access have been provided. There is a means to alert the public if there are access issues. Ms. Riehle then conducted a roll call of Council members, and all were present. 2. Additions, deletions or changes in the order of Agenda items: Mr. Kaufman suggested a brief discussion of activities of other committees under Other Business. 3. Comments and Questions from the public not related to the Agenda: Ms. Greco thanked the Council and City staff for their efforts during the medical emergency. She expressed concern that although other committees are not meeting, the DRB is continuing to meet. She felt they are not and “essential” body and their continuing to meet could result in “uninformed decisions.” Members of the public may not have the technology to participate. 4. Announcements & City Manager’s Report: Ms. Riehle said that she, the City Manager, Director of Planning & Zoning, and DRB Chair Matt Cota spoke on the phone regarding public input at DRB meetings. Mr. Cota felt it was important for the DRB to continue and look forward to things returning to “a new normal.” The city is trying to do more for people who can’t participate electronically. Mr. Conner noted that some extra steps have been taken regarding posting of agendas on social media. He had not heard of anyone who is seeking more help. CCTV will also be available. CITY COUNCIL 6 APRIL 2020 PAGE 2 Ms. Riehle noted that there have also been requests from committee members to be able to meet during this time. 5. Consent Agenda: a. Approve and Sign Disbursements b. Approve Minutes of 16 March and 23 March 2020 c. Approve VTrans Municipal Highway Grant Application for Kimball Avenue- Marshall Avenue Culvert Replacement Ms. Emery moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Mr. Chittenden seconded. By a roll call vote, the motion was passed unanimously. 6. Update on City Management Measures to Address COVID-19 Threat: Mr. Dorn said there is a focus on getting the payroll out. March financial will be out next week, and there will be narratives from department heads as well. Revolving funds from the State have been suspended which means the city won’t have to make payments on the sewage treatment plant for a year. The City will be filing a request for public assistance with FEMA. Justin Rabidoux will be leading that effort. There has been an increase in 211 calls, and the City is looking to see what expenses may be reimbursable (at 75%). To date, the city has spent about $20,000, so they would receive $15,000 of that back. Tax credits, employee retention credits and emergency preparedness credits are also being tracked. The local option tax will take a hit. The City plans to inquire whether the State would be willing to waive taking its 30% of that tax. There has not been a huge uptick in the number of calls for emergency services. The Fire Department is seeing an increase in the number of calls related to COVID19, some related to 211 facilities in the city. The City is plugged into Vermont Emergency Management every Friday and to the Governor’s daily updates. Police are reminding people to keep social distancing as they patrol parks. They are finding the majority of people very compliant and respectful. CITY COUNCIL 6 APRIL 2020 PAGE 3 A management team meeting is held every Wednesday, and there is a Town Hall for all staff to call into after that. Staff that can work from home is doing so. Some staff are on paid administrative leave. Public Works can do some limited work. All City first responders and water quality personnel are symptom free from the virus. PPE supply is adequate for the foreseeable future. The city has asked for medical personnel in hotels where there are 211 placements. There have been calls about people congregating in parks. These calls are passed onto the State Police as the city has no enforcement power regarding the executive order. Ms. Riehle said the State will be asked to extend the TIF time period as work on projects has had to cease. Mr. Dorn said the City will communicate with VEPSI on that. Ms. Riehle asked whether the 211 population is generating increased volume of work for mental health people. Mr. Dorn said this is a topic for the State leadership, and there are people working on these issues. The City is very concerned about this. Mr. Barritt asked if there had been an increase in people not paying property taxes in March. Mr. Dorn said there has not. The city has agreed to waive penalties for late payment until July. Mr. Dorn said the City and School District budgets may have to be separated as the school budget has not yet been approved. The School Board is meeting at the same time as this meeting to discuss the budget and a warning for a vote. The later it goes, the more it will affect the August tax payment. Ms. Emery noted an increase in domestic violence nationwide and asked if that is an issue in South Burlington. Mr. Dorn said it hasn’t been yet. There was at least one recent incident responded to by the Police Department. 7. Reports from Councilors on Committee Assignments: Ms. Riehle: Had a phone conversation with Airport Commissioners. Revenues are down. Mr. Barritt noted that he had seen an ad for the Kirby Cottages in the Free Press. Ms. Riehle said the Airport and the City of Burlington want to save the cottages. They pressed the FAA to let them stay since they are outside the 75 db line. The FAA said OK, but the Airport will have CITY COUNCIL 6 APRIL 2020 PAGE 4 to pay back the money it received for the cottages. They are looking for the revenue to cover that cost and don’t know how that will pan out. The sale of the buildings won’t cover all the costs. Mr. Dorn said the Airport paid about $300,000 above market value for such things as relocation costs. Ms. Riehle said that Gene Richards said the total amount could be $1,500,000. Mr. Conner noted that the FAA has put a time-line for selling the homes, and the Airport has reached out to people interested in affordable housing. Ms. Riehle suggested that the FAA may have to back off a bit since airports around the country are in trouble now. Mr. Barritt: There hasn’t been a pension fund update. Mr. Hubbard said they are still in a 60- 40 mix that protects the city a bit, but they will still take a hit. Anything to the plus side would be great. The valuation will depend on the market as of 30 June. Mr. Barritt added there will be a period of time before the market recovers. 8. Other Business: Ms. Riehle raised the question of having the DRB and possibly other committees meet. She noted that Patrick Leduc was interested in having the Library Board of Trustees meet remotely. Mr. Chittenden said that UVM committees are functioning. He would support having City committees conduct some business. Mr. Kaufman agreed. He said UVM used technology to keep everything moving, though not at the usual pace. He cited the need to be careful with things that might be controversial to be sure that all voices are heard. Mr. Barritt agreed. He felt this may be the norm again if the virus resurfaces in the winter. Ms. Sirvis said the Council has to consider the average person in the city. She was OK with people meeting but not in their making decisions until the first of May. Mr. Dorn said he knows the Energy Committee would like to meet. Ms. Emery said there have been requests for members of the Natural Resources Committee to speak up regarding things coming to the DRB. Mr. Dorn noted that Committee is short members and doesn’t have a quorum. Ms. Riehle suggested putting this on the next agenda and asking committees what they want to do. Members agreed. Mr. Conner noted the DRB has a meeting tomorrow night and the plan is to move forward as scheduled. Mr. Cota has made a commitment that everyone will be heard. CITY COUNCIL 6 APRIL 2020 PAGE 5 Ms. Emery asked about the possible 7 May vote on a school budget. Mr. Hubbard said the School Board is meeting to decide what to do. There is a question of whether BCA members would be willing to work at the polls if there is a vote scheduled. Ms. Kinville is hearing from members with this concern. Ms. Riehle noted that School Superintendent Young has asked to come to the next Council meeting to present their proposed budget. Mr. Kaufman suggested getting an update from each city committee regarding their priorities, etc., and what is next from their perspective. He felt that would help to keep people connected. As there was no further business to come before the Council Mr. Chittenden moved to adjourn. Mr. Kaufman seconded. Motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 7:52 p.m.