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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 06/15/2020CITY COUNCIL 15 JUNE 2020 The South Burlington City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, 15 June 2020, at 6:00 p.m., via Go to Meeting remote technology. MEMBERS PRESENT: H. Riehle, Chair; M. Emery, T. Barritt, T. Chittenden, D. Kaufman ALSO PRESENT: K. Dorn, City Manager; T. Hubbard, Deputy City Manager; D. Kinville, City Clerk; A. Lafferty, City Attorney; P. Conner, Director of Planning & Zoning; C. & A. Long, S. Dooley, A. Lamonda, C. Henne, P. O’Brien, B. Sirvis, M. Mittag, M. Bushey, D. Parente, M. Cota, S. Take, B. Kett, A. Simpson, T. Olsen, M. Larkspur, C. McQuillen, T. Riehle, S. Dopp, M. Vagt, S. Krakoff, C. Santarello, J. Berkman, S. Swanson, Boy Scouts from Pack 678 1. Additions, deletions or changes in the order of Agenda items: Mr. Dorn asked to add to the Liquor Control Board an application for a 3rd class license from Farmers & Foragers. 2. Comments and Questions from the public not related to the Agenda: Ms. Sirvis asked where to find a recording of city meetings. Ms. Riehle directed her to CCTV. Ms. Take: Spoke re: defunding police and said they are only effective if they are trusted. She felt the need to go beyond review and supervision and reform which did not prevent the murder in Minneapolis. She asked for a resolution to defund the police. Ms. Larkspur: Corrected her mistake from the last meeting and said the Police Department is only 20% of the city’s budget, not 60% as she had said. She also noted the Police handled only 1 violent issue in recent weeks. She felt it was not armed police but social workers, religious leaders, etc., who should respond to crises. 3. Announcements and City Manager’s Report: Mr. Chittenden recognized the presence of Boy Scouts from Pact 678 who are earning credentials. Ms. Riehle: Shared her thoughts regarding the recent vandalism which destroyed “Black Lives Matter” posters at the High School. She said the Council supports Police efforts to locate the perpetrators. She also said that all lives will not matter until Black lives matter. CITY COUNCIL 15 JUNE 2020 PAGE 2 Ms. Emery: Noted a demonstration of support for this concern which was well-attended last week Mr. Barritt: Attended the BCA meeting last week. Ms. Emery: Asked to consider using ZOOM instead of GoToMeeting (which causes issues for her). Mr. Dorn noted the city has a ZOOM account. Mr. Conner said they are using a free ZOOM service, and he will reach out to the CCRPC to see what they have learned from other communities. Mr. Dorn noted that GoToMeeting has a higher capacity. Mr. Barritt said he thought the problems with GoToMeeting stem from someone not muting a cell phone. Mr. Dorn: There would have been a report on the trash-hauling project, but the City of Burlington wants to set that project aside for 4-6 months. Until then, there won’t be more to report. Public Works Staff is doing some pre-project work at Overlook Park this week to prepare for the contractors. There are still 43 staff members on furlough. The plan is to have them back transitionally by August 1st. This will start after City Hall opens in early July. There will be a remote meeting on 1 July to explain how the return to City Hall will work. Inquiries are being received regarding how city committees can get back to work. It is now possible for a committee to meet remotely regarding a critical issue. They need to be transitioned in as staff is available. Ms. Riehle asked the status of Bill Shearer’s request made at a recent Council meeting. Mr. Conner said a group of 3 Planning Commission members has been assembled to work through a possible solution. They will present this at the first resumed Planning Commission meeting. 4. Consent Agenda: a. Approve and Sign Disbursements b. Approve Minutes of 18 May and 1 June 2020 Ms. Emery moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Mr. Kaufman seconded. Mr. Barritt asked about Recreation Department refunds. Mr. Hubbard said these are from CITY COUNCIL 15 JUNE 2020 PAGE 3 refunds from canceled programs. Mr. Barritt also asked about 3 mailbox replacements. Mr. Hubbard said these were damaged by snow plow. The city pays up to $75 for a replacement when that occurs. Ms. Riehle asked about the possible opening of playgrounds. Mr. Dorn said “not yet.” The city doesn’t have the capacity to clean all the surfaces that children might be playing on. In the roll call vote that followed, the Consent Agenda was unanimously approved. 5. Councilors’ Reports from Committee Assignments: No reports were presented. 6. Top Dog and First Feline: Ms. Kinville said dog registrations are down while cat registrations are up. Reminders will go out for people who have overlooked registering their animals. Ms. Kinville then thanked businesses who have been sponsoring the “top dog” and “first feline” program including a resident who paints a portrait of each winner. In the drawing that followed, cat #178, “Teddy” owned by Corey Santorello was picked as First Feline, and #1308, “Bella” owned by Gizelle Koon was chosen as Top Dog. Pictures of the winners will be posted in City Hall. 7. Update on Plans for Possible 23rd July vote on South Burlington School District FY21 Budget: Ms. Kinville noted that the Board of Civil Authority (BCA) met remotely on 11 June despite some technical difficulties. The School Board presented a request for an all mail-in ballot. They prefer the July date but “waffled” a bit on possibly piggy-backing with the August vote. Ms. Kinville also noted that with an all mail-in vote, Essex got 4000 ballots; with the “hybrid” method used in May, South Burlington got 4500 ballots. The cities are about the same size. The BCA discussed options for a July vote. Public comment focused on the cost for a mail-in Vote. Following the discussion, the BCA voted 11-7 to use the same method used in May. They also voted to use tabulators instead of hand-counting ballots. CITY COUNCIL 15 JUNE 2020 PAGE 4 Ms. Kinville said she’s been doing a lot of printing of envelopes and ballots since that meeting. She advised that in August, districts 7-2 and 7-3 will have to be separated as they will have different ballots (re: State Representatives). She is also working on an arrangement for that. The BCA has asked the city to invest in protection for front desk people. This could also have future use. Ms. Riehle expressed her appreciation for how complicated all of this is and for how Ms. Kinville carries out her job. Ms. Emery asked about a “drive-through” option. Ms. Kinville said if someone pulls up at the polls and does not want to come in for some reason, a ballot will be brought out to them along with an envelope (the same as an “early ballot”). That person can vote, put the ballot in the envelope, and it will be brought back into the polling location, checked off the checklist and put through the tabulator along with other such ballots. Ms. Emery also asked about a post card to remind people of the vote. Ms. Kinville said the BCA felt this was the School Board’s responsibility, if they want to undertake that expense. Ms. Riehle noted the BCA didn’t vote on this but left it that if the School Board would pay for, it could be done. She noted it would be a whole other mailing and more work time for Ms. Kinville if the city were to do this. Ms. Kinville noted that she sends out notification of elections to Front Porch Forum, The Other Paper, the city’s website, Facebook, etc. She added that with her staff on furlough, she hasn’t got time to do this in addition to everything else. 8. Consider and possibly approve appointments to Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission Committees: Mr. Dorn said the recommendation is to appoint Justin Rabidoux to the Transportation Committee with Marla Keene as alternate, and to appoint Tom DiPietro to the Clean Water Committee with Dave Wheeler as alternate. Chris Shaw would be the regular CCRPC representative with Meghan Emery as alternate. Ms. Emery said she was willing to continue to serve in that capacity. Mr. Barritt moved to approve the appointments to the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission as presented by the City Manager. Mr. Chittenden seconded. Motion passed unanimously via a roll call vote. CITY COUNCIL 15 JUNE 2020 PAGE 5 9. (formerly #10) May Financials: Mr. Hubbard reported that the city is at 91.6% of the fiscal year budget. Revenues are at 91% with expenses at 89.6%. All major expenses have been made. The question is how much more revenue the city will receive. The expectation is that it will not reach 100% of the budgeted estimate. The city got a great bid for the Overlook Park work, and expects work to be begin soon. There has been significant overtime for Fire/Safety and Police. The city has applied to FEMA for 75% of that overtime, and the expectation is that will be granted. Mr. Hubbard said the February-May local option tax money was good, and there is a partial payment due 1 August. Revenue expectations have not met some projections (e.g., fire inspections, which are at 87%). Stormwater and sewer funds are strong with no issues. Ms. Emery asked why Workers Compensation and Life Insurance numbers are high. Mr. Hubbard said some positions were reclassified for life insurance. Workers Comp is a little under what was anticipated (88% spent). Property insurance is a little higher as additional pump stations have been added. Ms. Emery asked if COVID was responsible for the Fire Department overtime. Mr. Hubbard said definitely from March on. They seldom hit the 8 Firefighters on duty; it was more like 9 or 10. There were also many children born to employees. Ms. Emery noted the Workers Comp issue was with the Sewer and Stormwater Departments. Mr. Hubbard said some positions were reclassified. The figures also reflect the number of staff and amount of overtime. He will check on this. 10. (formerly #9): Consider and possibly approve lease agreement with Common Roots: Ms. McQuillen said they are looking for a long-term lease. It doesn’t have to be 99 years; 25 years would be OK. CITY COUNCIL 15 JUNE 2020 PAGE 6 Ms. McQuillen noted that Common Roots has spent more than $40,000 in 5 years on soil testing, mineral additions, etc., and there is still more than an acre to do. The soil is now better than that at South Village. They still have no water. Regarding the kitchen, this would be an outdoor clay oven that can be used all year. It would allow the city to share revenue from 4 local businesses that share with Common Roots. It would also maximize sustainability over time. They are looking to host events with 120 people and share that revenue with the city. This could help pay for upkeep of Wheeler. It would also be a gathering spot for education. Ms. McQuillen noted a lot of gratis work is being done on this. The structure will be worth over $80,000 of which Common Roots would be paying $40,000. It would belong to the city. Residents would get to use the land at a lower cost than people from out of town. Diagrams will be sent to the city. Ms. McQuillen described the feature as “a bit modern but very attractive.” All the wood will be from Fletcher, VT. Mr. Chittenden asked if there is an estimate for digging a well. Mr. Hubbard said the well is there now. It anticipated the gardens there will be another use for it. It was expensive as they had to dig 500 feet. Mr. Barritt asked how much it cost. Mr. Hubbard said under $10,000. Mr. Barritt noted a typo of an inches symbol instead of one for feet. He also asked if a permit will be required. Mr. Conner said a site plan approval has been granted. Ms. McQuillen said there won’t be solar on the well as it is too expensive (it would require a generator). It will be powered by a buried power line from the street. Mr. Barritt asked if another conduit would have to be put in later on. Ms. McQuillen said there is a conduit out there. She noted they are working with Cody from Green Mountain Power. Mr. Hubbard noted that when Ms. McQuillen spoke with the Recreation and Parks Committee in February they were largely supportive and asked to be kept in the loop. They received information today and should be given time to provide feedback. Mr. Barritt asked if the water from the well would be potable. He noted it would be the only well that is city-owned. Mr. Hubbard said he would check with Mr. Rabidoux. Ms. McQuillen said the well is on the same ridge line as South Village, and is deeper, so it should be potable. Mr. Barritt said he is just concerned about the city’s liability. Ms. McQuillen said it would be Common Roots responsibility to shut the water down in the winter. CITY COUNCIL 15 JUNE 2020 PAGE 7 Ms. Riehle said this item will be taken up again at the Council’s next meeting. 11. (formerly #13) Convene as South Burlington Liquor Control Commission to consider the following applications: a. Always Full Asian Market – 2nd Class Liquor License b. Farmers & Foragers – 3rd Class Liquor License Mr. Chittenden moved the Council convene as Liquor Control Board. Ms. Emery seconded. Motion passed unanimously via a rollcall vote. Mr. Chittenden moved to approve the Liquor Licenses for Always Full Asian Market and Farmers & Foragers as presented. Ms. Emery seconded. Motion passed unanimously via a roll call vote. Mr. Chittenden moved to reconvene as City Council. Mr. Barritt seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 12. (formerly #11) Public Hearing and Possible Council Action on the Extension of Interim Zoning Bylaws: Mr. Barritt moved to open the public hearing. Ms. Emery seconded. Motion passed unanimously via a roll call vote. Mr. Barritt moved to approve and extend the Interim Zoning Bylaws for the period ending 20 September 2020. Mr. Chittenden seconded. Ms. Lafferty said the public hearing should be closed before the vote is taken. Mr. Kaufman said this was not the Council’s intent, but they didn’t know COVID-19 was coming. This is now the only responsible option. Ms. Dopp said the South Burlington Land Trust is in favor of this as it is important to create regulations. Ms. Riehle noted they were encouraged to “go slowly and do it right.” She noted that staff has had a lot of time to work on this, and once meetings can be held in a more open way, they will be able to proceed. CITY COUNCIL 15 JUNE 2020 PAGE 8 Mr. Chittenden asked if September will work or will it be November. Mr. Conner said September is challenging. They are working to get a first draft of various parts. It will come down to agreement/disagreement, the need for review, etc. Public dialog has not moved forward since February. To make a September deadline, a public hearing would have to be warned by mid- August. That’s possible but optimistic. Mr. Kaufman moved to close the public hearing. Mr. Barritt seconded. Motion passed unanimously via a roll call vote. Mr. Barritt’s motion to approve was then voted on and passed unanimously via a roll call vote. Mr. Barritt expressed concern with an ad from Smart Growth in The Other Paper where it was made to appear that the City Council and Planning Commission were endorsing the ad. Ms. Dopp agreed that it was visually misleading and did not include the people who paid for and endorsed the ad. Ms. Riehle said “smart growth” is not a new concept, but the ad used terms (e.g., “taking land”) that have continually caused angst. Mr. Chittenden agreed but noted the ad had some valid concerns. Mr. Mittag found the ad “fear mongering.” He also noted that 9 or 10 of the people in that organization don’t live in South Burlington. 13. (previously #12) Interview with Applicants for South Burlington Boards, Commissions, and Committees: The Council interviewed the following applicants: Caroline Henne ……………………. Affordable Housing or Recreation & Parks Patrick O’Brien …………………….. Affordable Housing Ted Riehle ……………………………. Planning Commission Paul Engels ………………………….. Planning Commission or City Charter Committee Marjory Vagt ……………………….. Library Board of Trustees Sonya Krakoff ……………………… Library Board of Trustees Corey Santarello……………………. Natural Resources or Bike/Ped Committee Alicia Lamonda …………………….. Library Board of Trustees Jeanette Berkman ………………… Library Board of Trustees Sam Swanson ……………………….. Energy Committee Ms. Riehle explained the decision making process and thanked all applicants for their willingness to serve. CITY COUNCIL 15 JUNE 2020 PAGE 9 14. Other Business: No other business was presented. As there was no further business to come before the Council Mr. Barritt moved to adjourn. Ms. Emery seconded. Motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m.