HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - City Council - 02/07/2011 41
sout
burlington
VERMONT
AGENDA
SOUTH BURLINGTON CITY COUNCIL
City Hall Conference Room
575 Dorset Street
SOUTH BURLINGTON,VERMONT
Executive Session 6:00pm Monday, Feb 7, 2011
1. Consider entering executive session to discuss personnel, contract negotiations and
litigation.
a. Update on MEMC (Munson, Kennedy Drive) litigation, if any.
b. Report from Joe McNeil on Hafter long term care and pension issues. I have not
received confirmation from Joe that he will be ready, but I'm expecting him.
c. Discuss status of Police grievances.
d. Discuss status of Water Pollution Control negotiations.
e. Discuss CM evaluation (without CM present).
f. Other?
Regular Session 7:00 P.M. Monday, Feb. 7, 2011
1. Comments and Questions from the public (not related to the Agenda). Self-explanatory,
2. Announcements and City Manager's Report.
a. Kelly Murphy and I attended GBIC Legislative Breakfast in the a.m.
b. Bob and I went to Legislature last week and met with our Representatives and
Senators and we'll be testifying on TIFs this week and, possibly meeting with others
about this and Bond Bank issues.
c. SB's third legislative breakfast will be Monday, Feb. 14th at 7:30 a.m. in City Hall.
d. I'll be chairing the VLCT Board meeting Thursday.
e. I have been named co-Chair, along with Penrose Jackson, of the RPC's Sustainable
Communities initiative Steering Committee.
3. *** Presentation of the 1-89 Split Ramp/Intercept-Intermodal Facility, Michele Boomhower,
CCMPO and Bob Penniman, CATMA: Copies of their presentations are in the packet.
4. *** Some frequently asked questions and answers about the FY 12 Budgets: Sandy Miller,
City Manager & Bob Rusten, Assistant City Manager.
a. Bob has prepared some FAQs with some bullet points which, I think, are more or
less self-explanatory. Think about whether Councilors want to ask the questions and
provide the answers or do you want to Bob and me to do this. We probably aren't
going to have all the questions here that you may be hearing. So, anything else you
want to add, please do so and we'll "wing it" Monday.
b. "Net Operating Costs". We've been talking about this a bit and Bob has worked the
numbers. We think there will be a 1.22 to 2.67 cent increase ABOVE the FY12
increase should the present budget be voted down, twice. His spreadsheet is
attached.
c. The other item referenced is my e-mail to David Wilber—reprinted here with
permission from the author.
go. Al
M
SULU buriington
VtN 0NT
AGENDA
SOUTH BURLINGTON CITY COUNCIL
City Hall Conference Room
575 Dorset Street
SOUTH BURLINGTON, VERMONT
Executive Session 6:00pm Monday, Feb 7, 2011
1. Consider entering executive session to discuss personnel, contract negotiations and
litigation.
Regular Session 7:00 P.M. Monday, Feb. 7, 2011
1. Comments and Questions from the public (not related to the Agenda).
2. Announcements and City Manager's Report.
3. ***Presentation of the 1-89 Split Ramp/Intercept-Intermodal Facility, Michele Boomhower,
CCMPO and Bob Penniman, CATMA.
4. ***Some frequently asked questions and answers about the FY 12 Budgets, Sandy Miller,
City Manager & Bob Rusten, Asst. City Manager.
5. ***Discussion about funding Social Service Organizations, Bob Rusten, Assist. City
Manager.
6. ***Consider approval of Certificate of no Appeal or Suit Pending with the City.
7. ***Consider approval of amended engagement agreement with auditing firm RHR Smith &
Company.
8. ***Consider approval of Boards, Commissions, & Committee Attendance Policy.
9. ***Consider approval of Surplus Property Disposal Policy.
10. ***Consider approval of Funding Policy for South Burlington Retirement Income Plan.
11. ***Consider approval of Policy for Issuing Payments in Normal and Special Circumstances.
12. ***Review and approve minutes from the regular& special meetings held Jan 10,12,13,18,
and 20, 2011.
13. Sign disbursement orders.
14. Consider entering executive session to discuss personnel & contract negotiations.
15. Adjourn
Respectfully Submitted:
Sanford I. Miller, City Manager
I-89, Exit 14 Slip Lane and Intermodal Intercept Parking Facility
Summary of Activities
The Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization (CCMPO) is considering initiating a
project scoping study for a new interstate off ramp and an Intermodal Intercept parking facility at
Exit 14 in South Burlington. This study would be conducted in association with the Chittenden
County Transportation Authority(CCTA), the Campus Area Transportation Management
Association(CATMA), and the cities of Burlington and South Burlington.
Locating an Intermodal Intercept parking facility has long been discussed in the vicinity of Exit
14. This location lies at the point of highest daily traffic in Chittenden County and the State. It
has the ability to serve bus transit as well as become a shuttle terminal for downtown Burlington,
the University of Vermont, Fletcher Allen Health Care, Champlain College, Burlington
International Airport and other South Burlington commercial and retail businesses. The ability
also exists, and is to be evaluated, for accessing the parking facility directly from 1-89, Exit 14
southbound Exit Ramp C.
An Intermodal facility is defined by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) as a facility that
serves all modes of transportation including regional transit(CCTA), shuttles (CATMA), motor
vehicles, walking and biking. An Intercept parking facility is defined by the Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA) as a parking alternative to on-site locations within activity centers or
the urban core. These facilities may capture outgoing as well as incoming activity center traffic
and serve as a transfer point from car to shuttle or transit.
The site being considered is on the current footprint of the northern parking lot serving the
Sheraton Conference Center. This parking lot is adjacent to the regional bike and pedestrian
network and is currently land-leased from the University of Vermont.
Scoping is a process that defines the purpose and the need of an undertaking, identifies adjacent
resources and states the potential impacts on those resources. Scoping identifies safe and
effective alternatives based on documented rationale that meet the stated purpose and need. The
scoping process results in the recommendation of a preferred alternative, which has local,
regional and Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) support.
Project History
February 2002 —CATMA Strategic Plan for 2005-2010 calls for CATMA to share in
planning, development and investment in three strategically located parking facilities, to
include a facility in the vicinity of Exit 14.
2004 CCMPO Regional Park and Ride Plan identified Sheraton/Exit 14 as the number
two park and ride priority in the region.
2005 SAFETEA-LU earmarks were awarded to Exit 14 -- $3 million was awarded for
US2/Exit 14 (additional eastbound lane in front of Staples Plaza), and $4 million was
Prepared by the Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization 02/07/11
Christine Forde, Senior Transportation Planner
,Jordc'uccnrp>.org, 802-660-4071 x13
IVW W.ccmpo.org
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2/7/11 Agenda Item Key Questions and Answers
Why hasn't the City made more dramatic changes to the Pension Plans?
• Can't unilaterally do this
• Comparative benefits
• Likely to lose—costs
• Costs of not having comparative benefits
Why doesn't the city just declare bankruptcy and have employee benefits/contracts modified?
• Unlikely to be successful in court
• Imagine the morale issues associated with this
• If Court agrees to bankruptcy was is the long-term impact on city growth,economic development,grand
list values,and ability to borrow
• Costs of litigation of bankruptcy
Why don't we just vote down the borrowing of money for Airport Parkway so as to lower the sewer rate
increase?
• Sandy's e-mail message to David Wilber
Why don't we just vote down the budget twice and then we will have the same tax rate and utility fees as
we have now?
• Net cost of operating sheet 1.22 to 2.67 cent increase
We are just angry; don't trust Management or the Council so why don't we show our displeasure by
voting down the budget?
• Is voting down the budget the best way to express legitimate anger—the impact of the budget being voted
down will likely mean reducing services in such a manner that the city will be different and may hurt the
long-term revitalization and growth. The services that are cut may not be the services you want cut. There
may be short-term saving but long-term costs to the city.
• If there is a lack of trust then come to meetings and suggest ways that we can increase our already
increased transparency.
• Here is what we are doing to provide info to Council so it can give property oversight—weekly reports,
audits,etc.
• Please identify ways in which we are currently not being open,transparent,and how the Council isn't being
informed
Why do we the citizens have to suffer because of previous bad management and excessive employee pay
and benefits?
• Benefits and salaries are comparable to other local communities
• The situation we are in is also no fault of the employees
• We have taken steps that do impact staff financially—lay these out
• In this current fiscal year we estimate that the GF would have been in deficit of about 1 million dollars due
to an over budgeting of revenues and under budgeting of expenses. Unless people want more dramatic cuts
in service,we have to address this by both spending cuts which we have made as well as revenue(tax
increases)
• The city like everyone else is being hit by increases in our costs—such as for diesel fuel,which we have to
pay to provide the services people want
2/4/2011
I. Can xve adjust the ^sbe"of the project atthis time? No. First the pro�/ct�about 9O%connp|ete As
rnentkonedabove the design caUsfor aoe�aincapach�anda'the�tructures equipn�en�corn -
�nancingand contra�sare based on particular ' ' -` nnn'»e»��
apa cuaroizeofproject
Z. Are there any other cost savings? One of the areas x/e have be'
an«a'theneanestiUsevena| hundnadthou»anddoU f encnncent/ad»�o» /s"c»nt�n0ency". |nthis
have so'nedegree ofcontrm| /oapojectofth� arscnpote»tia�spe»din0(ornotspendin0), ove/»vhichvve
nma�eria|squant�tieswhichn'edtobeadius�ed soethere are a|w/ayssnn«e �ennswhich need tobennodi�ed,
= ~ anosome purchases made which were not or�
i i ||
anticipated. VVe are vvatchinQthis area dose/yand are vvorkin8tospendasU a
tt/eaddit�on /oo|e|»a y
I VVhathappens /fthebud�etsdon�pass? Under the Charte� the utilities budgets get separated out from the
roaspossib|e'
General Fund to arrive ata "net operating cost". |n the case of the utilities budget the [o
obUgationtonnake sure the fund is self-supporting and nnustset rates accordin�|ytoro unc/| nasafiduciary
debt service. «er»peratin8costsand
4. What happens if the voters don't approve the additional$2.5 million in borrowing? One reason vveho th
voters dm approve the additional bmr,ovvin@iswe hope to obtain ZY6 funding from the State Revolving hope e
the additional$2.5rnU|ionxvitha�rstpayrnent due /nFYZOl4 The city,vvebp|ieve based F«»df«r
had vv/thbond cuunseLb |eQaUy obligated tu pay the Mna) $J ' nniUionincont contractor believe, o» acon«e/satio» |
{bunci/ hasa�dudaryrespunsib|ytofundthat�ISnnU|inni-^hpnnnstcost na i ' � /s' Furthe/r»n/e' C/ty
Keeping innoind the nnostpreferred option (an-t-eon�tha" "iUcntratepayers'emcentnnanne/f»r�hec�ty'
approve the additiona/ bonovvinQandha th(and the that will s 1hejeost}, isforvotero�u
have ectyuse�he h
and deferr d _ --��--..u .... .," ". / cheapest
e payrnentuntil FY2O14),there are options as follows (any other suggestions are wve/conne>
a. Initiate sonneintehnnburrovvingto "brid8e" usuntUwe get pernnanent�nancing VVehave'�
been asking for interest rate quotes from area lenders in case we need to ' already
actionnniQhtbeneededevenifthevoteoapprovetheadd�iona| $ nniUpumuethisoptio»' This
b' Council could schedule a special town nneetin8to �-voteon this q^�zion /on /» |»n�ter/n#»and»8'
c. Council rnighthave tu consider a higher rate increase torais th question.
tin»pfran«e (as opposed Uo through bnrrnvvin0), tn pay the ce�t/enecessa'yfundjnQ /» averyshort
d. We might even consider approaching the contractor
ctorto ask/~^ ~"^`"'' |d
u» son«eo/aUof the annountvveuvvethenn. '" / they»vo« accePta1errnedpaynnent
/ hope this answers your questions, Thank you for your inquiry.
5"4"d vv!�"
lCM/\-CncdnnbulodManugcr
City Manager
City o[South Burlington
575 Dorset Street
South Burlington, VT O54U3
Tel: 802'846-4107
Fax: 802-846410/
E-mail: omoU|e/@obud.cono
Wcboi|e: wwv/.oburicom
From: Bob Rusten, South Burlington Assistant City Manager
To: Sanford Miller, South Burlington City Manager
Date: February 7, 2011
Subject: Funding For Social Service Organizations
There are two questions that I'd recommend the Council discuss at the 2/7/11 Council
meeting.
For our current fiscal year we have $39,100 budgeted for Social Service Organizations.
Considering South Burlington's current fmancial situation, and that we are still in a
situation where a deficit may happen in FY 2011, does Council want us to initiate the
current process by which we allocate money out of the line? Under our current process
the City Manager creates a committee which reviews and assesses social service
organizations' requests for funding. That committee can then recommend an allocation
of money up to the total amount in the budget line. Council then has final approval of the
allocation.
The second question is whether for FY 2012 Council wants to create a new process for
funding Social Service Organization. We have in the proposed FY 2012 General fund
Budget$36,000 in the Social Services budget line.
Attached are examples of policies/procedures currently in place in Wilmington and Bane
Vermont. One of the fundamental differences between the South Burlington current
process and these two is that requests for funding would be made up-front. Once the
Council has agreed on funding requests then that total amount would be included in the
budget. That way we'd budget what we actually intended to allocate rather than setting a
figure and then either not spending it all or possibly wishing we had more to contribute.
The key issue for the second question is not necessarily determining the exact alternative
process you wish, but rather whether you'd like for us to develop a different approach—
and what would be the key components you'd like to be included.
If Council is comfortable with our current approach, then this can be a very short
conversation.
TOWN OF BARRE,VT
POLICY
DONATIONS TO NOT-FOR-PROFIT AGENCIES
Purpose: The purpose of this policy is to set forth a written procedure for managing not-for-profit
agencies'requests to be included in the Town's budget or to be placed on the Town
Meeting ballot.
Exclusions: Dues to municipal-related organizations such as VLCT or CVSWMD are excluded from
this policy. Organizations providing what are generally regarded as municipal services or
services complementing Barre Town services or activities are excluded from this policy
also. Also excluded are requests for small donations associated with a not-for-profits'fund
raiser. (This exclusion for small donations does not imply the Selectboard will approve
any such requests for donations.)
Definition: Not-for-profit agency(agencies) shall mean an organization legally incorporated as a not-
for-prof it agency pursuant to Federal Internal Revenue Service regulations.
Policy: A. Agencies that were not approved for funding at the most recent Town Meeting
must submit a petition signed by 10%of Town voters. The petition must state the
agency is seeking to be included on the Town Meeting ballot for voter approval of
a donation. The petition must also state the dollar amount requested and shall be
submitted by the deadline prescribed in the Town Charter.
B. If an agency's question appears on the ballot but is defeated by the voters, then
that agency must re-submit a petition as described in A. above.
C. If an agency's question appears on the ballot and is approved by the voters, the
agency does not have to submit a petition for the next Town Meeting -- unless an
increase in donation is requested. However, prior to drafting the warnings for
Town Meeting,the agency must meet with the Selectboard to re-affirm its interest
in re-appearing on the ballot.
D. Any agency receiving funding through this policy must submit a report for the
Barre Town town report. The report must be for the fiscal year(July 1 -June 30)
in which the donation was made. The report must be submitted to the Town
Manager's Office by mid-August after the fiscal year ends.
. 1 i
Adopted November 19, 1996. :i r. - i ` 1 1 ,
Chairman, Barre Town Selectboard
The Vermont Statutes Online Page 1 of 1
The rm Statutes Online
Title 32: Taxation and Finance
Chapter 129: GRAND TAX LISTS
32 V.S.A. § 4155. Certificate and attestation-No appeal or suit pending
§ 4155. Certificate and attestation-No appeal or suit pending
When no statutory appeal as provided by law from the appraisal of the listers and no suit to
recover taxes paid under protest is pending on the first Tuesday of February following such
lodgment,the selectboard and listers of a town or the mayor and assessors of a city shall
endorse a certificate to that effect upon the grand list and the same shall be attested by the
town or city clerk with the date of such attestation.
{fP
f1
http://www.leg.state.vt.us/statutes/fullsection.cfm?Title=32&Chapter=129&Section=04155 2/1/2011
SMITH
( cogP-� 5"
Proven Expertise and integrity
January 13, 2011
Mr. Sanford "Sandy" Miller
City Manager
City of South Burlington,Vermont
575 Dorset Street
South Burlington,VT 05403
Dear Sandy:
We are pleased to confirm our understanding of the nonattest services we are to provide to the City of South
Burlington, Vermont during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010. In planning and performing this
engagement we will follow the standards, rules and interpretations set forth by the American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants and the General Accounting Office. It is our understanding that providing
these services will not impair our independence in regards to the City of South Burlington, Vermont, audit
engagement for the period ending June 30. 2010 or any other period engaged with the City.
Objective and Services to be performed:
1) Provide assistance in reviewing in detail at the City of South Burlington, Vermont interfund
receivables 2009 &2010.
2) Provide assistance in reviewing in detail and provide reconciliation assistance at the City of South
Burlington,Vermont with general operating cash.
3) Provide assistance in reviewing in detail and provide reconciliation assistance at the City of South
Burlington,Vermont with close-out of numerous inactive grants in all funds.
4) Provide assistance in reviewing in detail and provide reconciliation assistance at the City of South
Burlington,Vermont with numerous general ledger accounts for all funds.
5) Participate in an advisory capacity during meetings with management and / or other parties
including training.
City of South Burlington,Vermont Management Responsibilities:
During our engagement City of South Burlington,Vermont management is responsible for the following:
-Making all management decisions and performing all management functions;
-Designating an individual who possesses suitable skill,knowledge, and/or experience,
preferably within senior management,to oversee the services;
-Evaluating the adequacy and results of the services performed;
-Accepting responsibility for the results of the services; and
-Establishing and maintain internal controls, including monitoring ongoing activities.
3 Old Orchard Road,Buxton,Maine 04093
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BURLINGTON
INSTITUTING A POLICY REGARDING ATTENDANCE,ABSENCES,
AND EXCUSED ABSENCES FOR CITY COUNCIL APPOINTED
COMMISSIONS, COMMITTEES,AND BOARD MEMBERS
WHEREAS, if a member of a board, commission, or committee is absent 20
percent of all regularly scheduled meetings or is convicted of a crime involving moral
turpitude, or ceases to be a qualified elector of the City, the office may become vacant
and may be declared so by the City Council; and
WHEREAS,board, commission, or committee members shall be required to
attend 80 perccnt of schcdulcd inectings during a fiscal year(July 1—June 3 fl; and
WHEREAS, excused absences shall be recognized for illness, family
emergencies,business conflicts or other appropriate circumstances (see Guidelines for
Excused Absences—Appendix A), and shall not count against the 20 percent absence
limit; and
WHEREAS,Department Heads or staff liaisons shall monitor attendance and file
a report with the City Council on an annual basis; and
WHEREAS, each board, commission and committee shall have the opportunity
to review attendance records to review and provide feedback prior to the submission of
such attendance records to City Council.
NOW, THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED,the City Council may remove those board,
commission, or committee members who do not meet attendance requirements; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,that all applicants for board, commission, and
committees shall be notified prior to City Council appointment regarding attendance
requirements for serving and the policy regarding removal.
Dated this day of February, 2011.
Mark Boucher, Chair
Sandra Dooley, Vice Chair
James Knapp, Clerk
Meaghan Emery
Frank Murray
1
A RESOLUTION OF THE
CITY OF SOUTH BURLINGTON ESTABLISHING A
SURPLUS PROPERTY DISPOSAL POLICY
WHEREAS,the intent of this policy is to ensure the protection of City assets and to
provide a guideline when considering surplus disposal of City property; and
WHEREAS,the rationale of this policy is to avoid stockpiling of surplus property and to
maximize positive budgetary returns; and
WHEREAS, surplus property is defined as property(i.e. equipment,vehicles, materials,
supplies, and furniture) that is either no longer in use or for which there is no future plan for use
and which has economic value; and
WHEREAS, City property can only be sold, traded-in, salvaged, scrapped, donated, or
otherwise disposed of as described below.
NOW,THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED,the terms and conditions of this Surplus Disposal
Policy are as follows:
• Items with an estimated value less than$100 may be disposed at the Department Head's
discretion;
• Items with an estimated value between$100 and $10,000 may be disposed at the
discretion of the City Manager provided that the item is either traded-in as part of an
approved purchase or its sale is publicly advertised or auctioned through a professional
auctioneer;
• Items with an estimated value to be over$10,000 shall be disposed of at the discretion of
the City Council and disposal of such items shall be recorded in the annual budget and
Capital Plan;
• This policy does not cover the sale of real property;
• There are no exemptions or waivers to this policy.
Dated this day of February, 2011.
Mark Boucher, Chair
Sandra Dooley, Vice Chair
James Knapp, Clerk
Meaghan Emery
Frank Murray
1
A RESOLUTION OF THE
CITY OF SOUTH BURLINGTON
ESTABLISHING A FUNDING POLICY FOR THE
SOUTH BURLINGTON RETIREMENT INCOME PLAN
WHEREAS,the South Burlington Retirement Income Plan(hereafter referred to as the Plan)
requires the Administrator(the City) establish a funding policy identifying methods consistent
with the objectives of the Plan to ensure its financial solvency.
NOW,THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED, the Plan's funding policy shall consist of the
following:
• The City's pension actuaries shall annually review the employee census and all available _
Flan data to calculate future pension costs;
• The City's pension actuaries shall provide recommendations to the City Manager and
Assistant City Manager, who shall, in turn,make public such recommendations and
review and advise the City Council regarding such recommendations;
• The City Council should make every reasonable effort to assume City contributions to the
pension fund to meet both normal contribution levels and any contributions needed to
amortize-any unfunded-pension obligations based on a twenty(20) year amortization
schedule;
• The Administrator will investigate favorable financing opportunities for unfunded
pension obligations.
Dated this day of February, 2011.
Mark Boucher, Chair
Sandra Dooley,Vice Chair
James Knapp, Clerk
Meaghan Emery
Frank Murray
1
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BURLINGTON
ESTABLISHING A POLICY FOR THE ISSUANCE OF PAYMENTS AND
PROVIDING AN ORDERLY METHOD FOR MAKING PAYMENTS IN SPECIAL
CIRCUMSTANCES
WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the City of South Burlington for the City Council to
establish a policy for the issuance of checks on a regular and special basis; and,
WHEREAS,the City Manager recommends the following provisions of such a policy be
approved by City Council;
• Invoices must be submitted to Accounts Payable within one week of receipt, regardless of
due date;
• In order to be approved for inclusion in an upcoming warrant, invoices should be submitted
at a time established by the City Manager or Assistant City Manager(usually by the end of
business Tuesday prior to a scheduled City Council meeting);
• Payments are expected to be authorized by City Council at regular meetings and, when
appropriate, at special meetings; and,
• Payments are expected to be made on the day following approval at a City Council meeting;
• Staff will make every effort to schedule City Council approvals"just in time"unless there is
a discount given for early payment; and,
WHEREAS, the City Manager further recommends the following additional policy provisions to
address occasional unusual, unforeseen or emergency circumstances:
• When it is believe by a city staff person that a payment need to be made outside of the
normal process and timeframes they must contact the City Manager or Assistant City
Manager, either or whom will assess whether or not a special payment is needed; and,
• If the City Manager or Assistant City Manager determine a special payment is needed, they
will themselves, or delegate to an appropriate staff person the responsibility to, contact all
City Councilors with pertinent facts about the payment and seek Councilors' authorization to
proceed with payment; and,
• Councilors' may be contacted by phone, in-person or via e-mail to expedite the approval
process; and,
• The individual seeking Council authorization shall document with e-mail responses or certify
in writing that at least three Councilors have approved payment. Such documentation and
certification shall be provided to all Councilors, City Manager,Assistant City Manager, City
Treasurer, Assistant City Treasurer, the Finance Office (Accounts Payable) and other
officials as appropriate in e-mail or other format as appropriate; and,
• Upon documentation and certification as defined above, the City Treasurer or Assistant City
Treasurer shall execute the proper documentation to issue payment; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, City Council hereby authorizes the City Manager to enact this
policy and make minor, non-substantive modifications as may be appropriate to improve the
efficiency and effectiveness of City processes and procedures, and the terms of this Resolution
shall be effective upon passage by City Council.
CITY COUNCIL 10 JANUARY 2011
The South Burlington City Council held a budget workshop on Monday, 10 January
2011, at 6:00 p.m.,in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset St.
Councilors Present: M. Boucher, Chair; S. Dooley, M. Emery, J. Knapp
Also Present: S. Miller, City Manager; R. Rusten,Assistant City Manager; Chief T.
Whipple and members of the Police Depaitnuent; Chief D. Brent and members of the Fire
Department; K. Murphy, City Hall staff; D. Wilber, T. Moore, M. Boyer, J. Bard, D.
Fleming, R. &R. Forsell,K. DeBreul
1. Review Agenda:
Mr. Boucher reviewed what was discussed at prior budget sessions.
Mr. Miller said they are continuing to "scrub"numbers, and there may be some up and/or
down changes. One change may be a recommendation that if the city goes with a
20-year amortization, to add$60,000 to the plan. Also, some of the available revenues
may change. Mr. Miller didn't feel the general fund budget would be very different
from what was presented.
Mr. Miller also noted that he had met with CWD people and engineers regarding the
Water Pollution Control numbers, and the Council will get more details for the
Wednesday meeting. The first thought was a potential 16.6%rate increase for water,but
this is now more like 10.7%. Water Pollution Control had proposed a 46.6%rate
increase. This now appears to be more like 28%. Stormwater is still looking at about a
30%rate increase.
Mr. Wilber noted that there is $6,700,000 in income not from taxes. He asked where
that comes from. Mr. Rusten said it is from a variety of sources including the state,
payments for education funding, fees for programs, grants, local option taxes, trade-ins
for vehicles, and reimbursement from the 3 enterprise funds.
2.Budget Workshop to Review FY2012 Budget:
a. Fire Department:
Chief Brent noted that this was his first venture at budgeting personnel. In the past the
numbers had been given to him. He also noted that in preparing this budget he was
asked how much it really costs to run the department. There were a number of areas that
were historically underfunded.
Major changes to the budget include the"breaking out"of personnel costs such as
holiday pay, wellness and fitness, etc. (The Chief noted that pension contributions are
not
CITY COUNCIL
10 JANUARY 2011
PAGE 3
serve$60,000 people in Burlington/South Burlington/Williston without a new adder
truck. He also asked about the feasibility of closing the Holmes Avenue station and of
reconsidering the SAFER grant. With regard to the grant, Mr. Boucher said the Council
did not anticipate the financial situation of the city when it put SAFER to a public vote.
Chief Brent responded to all three questions as follows:
1. The Department has to live with the National Underwriters Rating. There are
15 buildings over 50 feet high in the city. To get a favorable rating, they must have 3
pampers and an aerial ladder or they would lose their insurance rating. They could share
with Burlington or Williston but would have to have a written agreement that those towns
would be required to send an aerial every time South Burlington needed one. The Chief
said this would be hard to do on a regional basis.
2. The Chief said you can't take back the need for services. He cited over 100
responses in the first year of the Farrell development on Shelburne Road, all of which are
handled by the Holmes Avenue equipment/firefighters.
3. There were 8 public hearings regarding the SAFER grant, and 74% of voters
supported it. It was thought there was a feasible way to fund it from the Sales &Use
Tax. The Chief said he couldn't recommend in good faith to do away with it.
The Chief explained the personnel efficiencies with the"Quint." They can roll
immediately with"on duty"staff and can reduce the amount of"call back" for a
percentage of responses. The Chief said he is willing to convene a committee to begin to
work on this.
Ms. Dooley asked the Chief for an estimate of savings with the "Quint"in terms of
personnel. He felt the city's hands were tied regarding the SAFER grant. Mr. Miller
noted that if the grant is rescinded completely, the city would owe the federal government
about$600,000. The Council could ask voters to revote on a funding program through
2017; that might give the Council more flexibility after 2013. There is also a 'do
nothing' option. Mr. Miller said he would not put it to the voters this year. The Chief
noted it is 1.3 cents on the tax rate for the 6 SAFER firefighters.
Mr. Miller said there would be a fairly significant decrease in service without the SAFER
firefighters, and they might not be able to meet the IFO response time. The Chief noted
that the Department has not lost one day of work since the"SAFER 6"has come on.
Mr. Miller said that is an excellent record, one for which the Department needs to be
commended. The Chief cited the difference made by one additional firefighter on a
vehicle. He noted there have been 3 fatal fires in the last 8 years, more than the total in all
CITY COUNCIL
10 JANUARY 2011
PAGE 5
not "double book"the Rooms & Meals tax money.
Casey Follensbee, President of the Firefighters Union, read a statement of concern for the
possibility of eliminating the SAFER grant. He reviewed the history of trying to get safe
and adequate staffing and cited research and the overwhelming voter support. The result
of the added firefighters was felt immediately in a margin of safety noted by citizens and
firefighters. The Department handles over 2000 incidents a year, and this number will
continue to rise. Reducing manpower will put both citizens and firefighters at risk.
There have been no Worker's Compensation claims for the Department in the past 18
months, and this is attributable to having almost the proper number of people on a
firetruck. Firefighter Follensbee said the Department is committed to helping out the
city, and is willing to continue discussions, but not at the risk to citizens and firefighters.
Mr. Wilber noted that$7,700,000 of a$10,000,000 budget is attributable to Fire and
Police. He felt the city needs to go `where the money is' to address fiscal problems. He
cited the excellent work of both of these departments, but said perhaps the city can't
afford the quality it has enjoyed to date.
Firefighter Vinci cited the extensive discussion regarding the SAFER grant, reflected in
the Minutes, and the overwhelming public support. He said the Department will continue
to educate the City Council and the community on this.
c. Police Department:
Chief Whipple began by enumerating some of this year's accomplishments by the Police
Department:
1. They were able to get a supervisor assigned to all shifts
2. They have utilized Front Page Forum and Nixle to inform the public of vital
information
3. The Patrol Rifle Program was fulfilled with training.
4. A retired citizen has taken over the alarms data base. The Department is also
seeing revenue estimates met and a decrease in false alarms (14%).
5. The Neighborhood Watch Program was restructured.
6. The Department transitioned to the new facility at no cost to the community.
The Department currently has 41 officers, 5 dispatchers, 2 records clerks and 1
administrative assistant in the FY2010 budget.
There were 10,690 calls for service at the end of 2010.
CITY COUNCIL
10 JANUARY 2011
PAGE 7
need to work collaboratively.
Office Tom Fraga stressed that Police officers deal with very serious crimes and
offenders, and they can be victims themselves. They are also very proactive in the
community to keep crime down. He also cited the excellent cooperation of the
community. He acknowledged that the City is going through bad times, and it will take
a lot to support this budget. He stressed the need to be proactive and gain the support of
the community.
Mr. Moore cited potential bad community relations if the aim to solve the city's problems
by writing more tickets. He urged caution. Chief Whipple said they hear from the
community that they aren't writing enough tickets. He understood the need to strike a
balance and noted that twice as many people get warnings as get tickets.
Mr. Moore asked why hotels pose a policing problem. Chief Whipple said the drug
trade often uses hotels for"business"so their homes won't be seized if they're caught.
There are also guests who become drunk and accidents and car break-ins in parking lots.
The Chief said none of this is the fault of hotel management; it is just the nature of a
transient population.
3. Sign Disbursement Orders:
Disbursement Orders were signed.
4. Executive Session:
Ms. Dooley moved that the Council meet in executive session to discuss personnel,
contract negotiations and legal matters and to resume regular session only for the purpose
of adjournment. Ms. Emery seconded. Motion passed 4-0.
5.Regular Session:
Council returned to regular session. As there was no further business Mr. Knapp moved
for Council adjournment. Ms. Dooley seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
Council adjourned.
Clerk
CITY COUNCIL 12 JANUARY 2011
The South Burlington City Council held a budget workshop on Wednesday,
12 January, 2011, at 6:00 p.m., in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset St.
Councilors Present: M. Boucher, Chair; S. Dooley, J. Knapp, M. Emery
Also Present: S. Miller, City Manager; R. Rusten, Assistant City Manager; S. Stitzel,
City Attorney; J. Rabidoux,Department of Public Works; T. DiPietro, Stormwater
Department; Chief D. Brent, Fire Depailnuent; S. Crosby,WPC Department; K. Murphy,
City Hall staff; C. Plumb, D. Wheeler, M. Boyer, B. Munger
1. Budget Workshop to Review FY12 Budget:
Mr. Miller noted that the City Council had asked what might happen if the budget wasn't
approved by the voters. He asked the City Attorney to address that possibility.
Mr. Stitzel reviewed the history of the City Charter through elimination of Charter limits
and the start of public voting on the city budget. He explained the"two strikes and
you're out" element,which means that if the proposed budget is defeated twice, the
budget would revert to the net operating budget of the previous year plus a CPI
adjustment.
Given recent history, the question this year is what exactly was last year's net operating
budget. Mr. Stitzel said the City Council would have to bring this into very clear focus,
and taxpayers would have the option to challenge in court whatever definition of"last
year's operating budget"the Council decided upon. Mr. Stitzel noted that a number of
revenue items and a number of expense items never appeared in that budget. He stressed
that the Charter language is not tied into what was voted upon; it is tied into the net cost
of operations in the preceding year's budget.
There are a number of identified deductions in the Charter language to determine the net
cost of operations. These include:bonded debt payment,municipal utilities funded by
user fees, special appropriations(separately voted on for specific purposes), federal
and/or state aid for specific programs, transfer payments (money collected that is
transferred to other entities), tuition income for non-resident students (school budget),
payments assessed by other public bodies(e.g., CCTA,MPO, County Courthouse), and
non-governmental revenue(charitable donations for such things as the recreation path,
etc.).
Mr. Miller said there is a possibility that if the budget is defeated twice, taxpayers cold
wind up with a higher budget.
a. Highway and Parks Budget:
Mr. Rabidoux noted that within the past few months, through attrition and layoffs, there
CITY COUNCIL
12 JANUARY 2011
PAGE 3
c. Stormwater Utility:
There will be one fewer employee, through a layoff.
A reduction in diesel fuel relates to employees who plow and are issued a gas card.
Mr. DiPietro noted an increase in Administrative Services due to proper allocation of
costs of monitoring impaired streams.
Regarding"Grant Matches for Systems,"which involves local matches for grants for
specific projects, Mr. DiPietro said this money was tracked on paper in the past,but he
has learned that the fund itself did not exist. He added that the budgeted amount of
$650,000 is a conservative estimate if projects move forward.
"Debt Repayment to the General Fund"marks the final payment of money allocated to
get the Stormwater Utility started.
Mr. Boucher expressed concern that expenses are being overstated. He noted an
employee earning$100,000,but a department is being charged for his services to the
department. Mr. Miller said it has to be shown that way because it is an enterprise fund.
This is not occurring within the general fund. These expenses are also balanced by
revenues. He felt this was an issue that could be discussed with the auditor.
Mr. Rabidoux said a 31.2%rate increase is proposed to meet the Stormwater Utility's
obligations. Single family homes now pay$4.50 a month; the proposed rate is $5.94 per
month.
Mr. Miller noted that the city is proposing to switch banks which will get a lower interest
rate for borrowing. He added that the Council has the option to consider whether the
proposed surplus is too much, too little, or acceptable for all three funds.
Mr. Boucher said his inclination is to reduce those just a bit. Ms. Emery said she would
like to see all the figures on one page.
Mr. Miller said he would ask the Council to authorize the$70,000 repayment into the
special fund to address other transfer issues. Ms. Dooley suggested reducing this by
$30,000. This would reduce the monthly fee to homeowners to $5.85. Mr. Boucher said
that is still a 30% increase. Mr. Knapp noted that the Council also heard there will be a
huge economic impact from new storm water MS-4 permit fees. He felt$100,000 is a
reasonable number.
CITY COUNCIL
12 JANUARY 2011
PAGE 5
almost all the deficit could be eliminated.
Regarding the Colchester payment, Mr. Rabidoux noted that the Colchester rate does not
contribute to the rolling surplus or to debt payment,but they do pay for the cost of
running the system. Mr. Miller said they anticipate an increase in the rate charged to
Colchester. There is still no agreement to replace the one that expired in 2006.
e. Water Department:
Mr. Miller noted that in this case the reserve funds are actually there because they were
held by CWD. This money was used to pay cash for the work done on White Street this
past year. He suggested a reserve fund for smaller projects.
Mr. Rabidoux noted there will be an increase in the wholesale rate for water purchase.
To cover this, an increase in the water rate of 10.68%is proposed. This will cost the
average homeowner$22.15 a year more. This is less of an increase than the city is being
charged. Mr. Boucher stressed this is much cheaper than well water.
2.Location of Town Meeting:
Mr. Miller asked if members thought there should still be the "pot luck"pre-vote event.
The Council unanimously felt there should.
3. Executive Session:
Ms. Emery moved the Council meet in executive session to discuss personnel and
contract negotiations and to resume regular session only for the purpose of adjournment.
Mr. Knapp seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
4. Regular Session:
Council returned to regular session. As there was no further business Mr. Knapp moved
for Council adjournment. Ms. Dooley seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Council
adjourned.
Clerk
CITY COUNCIL 13 JANUARY 2011
The South Burlington City Council held a budget workshop on Thursday, 13
January 2011, at 6:00 p.m., in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset St.
Councilors Present: M. Behr, Chair; S. Dooley, M. Emery, J. Knapp
Also Present: S. Miller, City Manager; R. Rusten, Assistant City Manager; D. Kinville,
City Clerk; J. Everitt, Superintendent of Schools; A. Clift, School Board; P. Conner,
Director of Planning & Zoning; K. Murphy, City Hall staff; Chief D. Brent, Fire
Department; T. Hubbard, T. Goodwin, Recreation Department; L. Murphy, J. Kochman,
A. Von Ohlsen, Community Library; E. Robenstein, J. Baird, D. Fleming, D. Wilber, S.
Hopkins, J. Wilking, T. Moore
1. Budget Workshop to Review FY2012 Budget:
a) Recreation Department:
Mr. Hubbard said the budget represents true costs, including Worker's Compensation and
property insurances. In addition, programs that are paid for by participants are show
both as an expense and as revenue.
Recreation Department staff includes 4 full-time employees and 40 seasonal employees.
In addition, there are over 3000 hours of volunteer assistance who help with the
department's 377 programs (11,000 hours of facility use). Mr. Hubbard noted that in
2010, 53% of South Burlington households had at least one participant in at least one of
the department's programs. The national average is 32%.
The city has 125 acres of active recreation space, more than 300 acres of open space, and
nearly 20 miles of recreation paths.
Facility improvements planned for FY2012 include new bleachers at Dorset Park and
repairs to the remaining concrete footings on the baseball field.
Mr. Hubbard noted that aside from $81.00, all Recreation Department programs are
covered by revenue. He showed a slide of various programs, their costs and the
revenues they bring in. He also briefly reviewed the pricing structure. Hiring for
seasonal positions for many of these programs is very competitive. Mr. Goodwin noted
that summer camp prices in South Burlington are much lower than camps in other
communities.
Mr. Goodwin then reviewed the fees charges for usage of the city's fields. No fees are
charged for groups entirely comprised of South Burlington residents.
There had been a thought to add to the dog licensing fee to cover operation of the Dog
CITY COUNCIL
13 JANUARY 2011
PAGE 3
users shop in the community, go out to meals, etc.
The current budget includes decreases in printing,program supplies, and advertising
(Front Porch Forum will be used more). Books and programs have been level funded.
There is an increase for children's and adult DVDs. Ms. Murphy said they would like to
add a small music collection to the Library and envision a lot of donations.
Ms. Murphy thanked Mr. Miller and Mr. Rusten for being supportive of staffing and for
the liberty to ask for a supplemental request. She said she feels the Library is
under-serving children with the current staffing, especially young adults and teens. She
also felt that the Library could provide healthy activities for Middle School youth after
school. A pilot program was very successful in accomplishing this. The request is to
bring the current Children's Librarian to 28 hours. The additional cost(with benefits)
would be$14,500. If they eliminated$5500 for the Assistant, the increase would be
$9000. The former Children's Librarian said that when she worked 23 hours, it still
wasn't enough.
Mr. Wilber asked if the plan is still to reduce the library hours by half an hour. Mr.
Miller said that has already been done. Mr. Wilber said he felt it is a disgrace that South
Burlington underfunds its Library. He noted that 73%of the budget goes to Police and
Fire and the rest have to "beg and scramble"for what is left. Mr. Boucher explained the
need for Police and Fire to serve the large retail environment of the city,but he noted that
these commercial enterprises also provide income through the local option sale tax and
rooms and meals tax. Mr. Miller said that Mr. Wilber is looking only at funds collected
from taxes. The$7,500,000 for Police and Fire represent less than half of the city's
budget, not counting what they bring in as revenue.
Ms. Emery said that next year the Council will see a"cost/benefit" analysis because of
the city's proximity to the Airport, etc.
Mr. Moore asked how much coordination there is with the School District for teen
programs. He said he sees so much emphasis on sports,but a lot of teens aren't
interested in sports. Mr. Boucher said there are a lot of clubs in the school for
non-athletic activities.
Mr. Wilking noted that at the Roundtable meeting discussion was about pre-school age
children. He felt it is important to fund Library services to children properly. He felt
South Burlington is far behind its neighbors in terms of what the city funds. Usage of
the Library is higher than ever, with 130,000 items being signed out per year.
CITY COUNCIL
13 JANUARY 2011
PAGE 5
Legal and IT services have been moved to the City Manager's budget.
Mr. Conner said he has two additional requests. The first is to hire an intern for 12
weeks in the summer to help with permitting and planning projects. The second is to
increase Mapping to engage GIS services for zoning amendments, Comprehensive Plan
maps, etc.
The additional cost for both of these would be$7000.
Department revenues come from two main sources: development review fees and permit
fees. Staff is proposing an increase to both of these fees. This would mean that
development review costs would be borne by applicants,not taxpayers, with the fees to
be based on staff review costs. Permit fees would also increase for larger developments
as would external fees (e.g., legal reviews). There would also be penalties for late
permits. Mr. Conner said these fees are within the range charged by other communities.
With these fees, there would have been$60,000 additional revenue this past year, and the
average for the past 3 years would have been more. Council members were OK with
these fees. Mr. Miller expressed appreciation to Mr. Conner and his staff for this
research and said it meets the objectives he had set for staff.
Mr. Miller said he will provide the Council with the impacts of the additional requests at
the next meeting, including the accompanying tax rate. The$200,000 in additional
requests would be significant in terms of the tax rate.
Members of the audience thanked staff and the City Council for their efforts in dealing
with the city's financial situation. They added that the challenge now is to explain
things to the public. Mr. Rusten said that with a realistic budget,he anticipated that
departments will be living within their means.
Mr. Moore said he was sorry more citizens hadn't attended these workshops as it has
been fascinating.
2. Executive Session:
Ms. Dooley moved that the Council meet in executive session to discuss personnel, legal
matters and contract negotiations, and to resume regular session only for the purpose of
adjournment. Mr. Knapp seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
CITY COUNCIL 18 JANUAR7 2011
The South Burlington City Council held a regular meeting on Tuesday, 18 January
2011, at 7:00 p.m.,in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset St.
Councilors Present: M. Boucher, Chair; S. Dooley,M. Emery, J. Knapp, F. Murray
Also Present: S. Miller, City Manager; R. Rusten, Assistant City Manager; P. Conner,
Director of Planning&Zoning; Chief D. Brent, C. Follensbee,Fire Department; K.
Murphy, City Hall Staff; S. Dopp, A. Cliff, R. Greco
1. Other Business &Announcements:
Chief Brent noted that he had been asked to explore potential additional savings. He
indicated that he met with his staff and some options were developed. A veteran Captain
in the Department will be retiring soon and it was thought that this occasion might be
used to save some money. As a result of discussions with the Firefighters Association,
the membership has allowed the position of the Administrative Captain's position to
remain vacant at this point in time and to transfer those duties to another officer. The
Association also agreed to purchase a"Quint" fire truck which will replace 2 existing
vehicles. The savings from both of these actions is at least $130,000.
Firefighter Follensbee said the Firefighters made a decision to help the citizens of South
Burlington without jeopardizing the safety of citizens or of Firefighters. He added that
the Firefighters fully support the city's budget. He stressed that the actions taken by the
Association will not affect the quality of services the Department provides.
Mr. Miller said he felt the proposal has a great deal of merit, and both he and Mr. Rusten
thanked the Association for their willingness to make these offers. He asked the Council
to authorize the city to enter into a memorandum of understanding to memorialize these
changes,which the Council did by assent.
Mr. Boucher thanked Firefighters for stepping up and understanding the position the city
is in. Their actions will save money and will still enable the Department o provide the
same excellent service.
2.Announcements & City Manager's Report:
Mr. Murray: He will not be seeking re-election in March. He thanked voters their faith in
him and thanked fellow Council members and city management for their respect and
courtesy. He encouraged people to apply for his Council seat.
Ms. Dooley: The School Superintendent search committee will be interviewing
candidates on 24 and 25 January and 1 March.
CITY COUNCIL
18 JANUARY 2011
PAGE 3
That small trash cans are not included in the screening requirement.
4. Height of Structures: The amendment applies to 3 zoning districts along the
waterfront. There had been 2 different sets of standards. The amendment would limit
heights to 25 feet and allow up to 35 feet if a strict set of standards is met. A table is
provided to show standards more clearly. Mr. Conner noted that this table had been
inadvertently omitted from the Council's notes.
Included in this section is a change to heights in City Center. Previous language
referred to "post construction"grade which is different from the rest of the city. New
language refers to "preconstruction" grade.
5. Heights of Fencing in Queen City Park/Lakeview Districts: Fences between 4'
and 6' in height will require a permit. No fences can exceed 6' in height. For fences 4-6
feet, at least 50% of the construction must allow a"see through."
6. Group Homes: Group homes of 8 or fewer residents which are not less than
1000 feet from another such group home are considered single family homes and require
no DRB review(complies with State law). Those which do not meet this standard can be
reviewed.
7. Accessory Dwelling Units: If an accessory unit is entirely within a pre-existing
structure,there is no DRB review(complies with State law). If an accessory unit
expands a building or is a new building, it can be reviewed. Accessory units must be
either efficiency or 1-bedroom units, and the building must be owner-occupied(State
law). Currently, South Burlington requires the owner to live in the principle unit. The
amendment would allow the owner to live in either the principle or accessory unit.
8.Number of Housing Units on a Private Road: In separate sections of the
regulations,the number of units allowed is referred to as either 3 or 5. The reference to 3
units will be changed to 5 which was the number decided upon several years ago.
9. Location of Parking on a Parcel: Language has been cleaned up to be clearer.
Drawings will be added in the future for further clarity. There is also clarification that
when a property faces 2 roads,parking should be on the quieter road. Also, when
parking faces an Interstate, there should be screening.
10. Homes in Southeast Quadrant Resource Protection District: A grant has been
applied to address this concern. In the meantime, 2 issues have been addressed. With
more than 15 acres in the Resource Protection District, 3 homes can be built. If a
property has land in both a developable and resource protection area, there can't
CITY COUNCIL
18 JANUARY 2011
PAGE 5
possibility occurred in a recent development.
Mr. Knapp felt the language regarding group homes was unclear.
The Council agreed to approve those amendments which had no issues and to delay
action on the others.
Ms. Emery moved to table tt1 and to schedule a public hearing on 22 February 2011. Ms.
Dooley seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
Ms. Dooley moved to table the"Number of Units on a Private Road" and schedule a
public hearing for 22 February with an amendment to remove the change in Section E-1-
1-. Mr. Murray seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
Members agreed not to act on the amendment regarding Accessory Units.
Ms. Emery moved to approve all amendments except the 3 noted above. Ms. Dooley
seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
4. Consider Accepting Municipal Planning Grant and Authorize Execution
of an Agreement from Vermont Department of Housing and Community Affairs:
Mr. Conner explained that the city was awarded$15,000 to review zoning in the City
Center and to consider expanding the district to include a portion of Williston Rd. There
is a$3,500 local match.
Mr. Miller said there is money in the FY2012 budget for the local match. If the cost
increases,he will let the Council know.
Mr. Murray moved to accept the Municipal Planning Grant and to Authorize Execution
of the Agreement from the Vermont Department of Housing& Community Affairs as
presented. Ms. Emery seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
5. Consideration of 2006 Comprehensive Plan Re-Adoption Amendment:
Mr. Conner noted that the Planning Commission undertook a complete review of the Plan
which entailed more of a time commitment than had been anticipated. The
recommendation is to re-adopt the existing Plan with a few changes so that the city will
have a plan in effect until the revised plan is completed(in March or early April). Mr.
Conner then noted the changes being made to the existing plan:
CITY COUNCIL
18 JANUARY 2011
PAGE 7
5. Looking for additional revenues and cost savings
6. Asking employees and bargaining units for suggestions.
Consideration is also being given to the following:
A. Restructuring the Airport Parkway Plant project financing(this may involve
interim borrowing for the $2,500,000 shortfall)
B. Restructuring internal financial operation and management
C. Increased feed(planning, highway, and ambulance services)being used to
lessen property tax increase.
Mr. Miller said he is recommending increasing an item in the Planning Department
budget for GIS mapping services from$1000 to $3000.
Mr. Rusten added that they are looking beyond the FY2012 budget to try to achieve
financial stability.
Mr. Boucher thanked everyone for the work they've done through some tough sledding in
past months. Mr. Murray echoed these sentiments and said it is amazing what has been
accomplished.
Ms. Emery thanked Mr. Boucher and Mr. Murray. She praised Mr. Boucher's leadership,
and stressed that no one on the Council saw the financial issues coming.
Ms. Dooley corrected a misconception that appears to be circulating that the City
Manager is getting a 35%increase in salary. She said the increase is due to the addition
of other employees' salaries to the City Manager's budget.
7. Consider Authorizing Re-financing of a Stormwater Mitigation Grant
Anticipation Note for$300,000:
Mr. Miller explained that the city got a more favorable interest rate from the Merchant's
bank(1.7%instead of the previous 1.99%).
Mr. Murray moved to authorize the Re-financing of the Stormwater Mitigation Grant
Anticipation Note for$300,000 from TD Bank to Merchant's Bank which will reduce the
interest being paid. Mr. Knapp seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
8. Review Minutes of 3 January and 5 January 2011:
Mr. Murray moved to approve the Minutes of 3 January and 5 January 2011 as written.
i Z
CITY COUNCIL 20 JANUARY 2011
The South Burlington City Council held a special meeting on Thursday, 20 January
2011, at 6:00 p.m., in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset St.
Councilors Present: M. Boucher, Chair; S. Dooley, M. Emery, J. Knapp, F. Murray
Also Present: S. Miller, City Manager; R. Rusten, Assistant City Manager; D. Kinville,
City Clerk; P. Conner, Director of Planning &Zoning; Chief T. Whipple, Police
Department; Chief D. Brent, Fire Department; K. Murphy, City Manager's Staff; J.
Rabidoux, Public Works Superintendent; L. Murphy, Community Library; T. Hubbard,
Recreation Department; D. Fleming, R. Greco, K. Donahue, B. Gilbert, F. Geier, B.
Bull, Mr. &Mrs. Moore
1. Review Agenda:
Mr. Boucher reviewed the meeting agenda.
2. Comments & Questions from the Audience, not related to agenda items:
No issues were raised.
3. Budget Workshop to Review FY2012 Budget:
A. Capital Budget:
Mr. Miller explained the City Clerk's "200 Budget"which includes funding for"Help
America Vote,"the digitizing of land records, and the preservation of land records.
Mr. Rusten said there has been an effort to reduce the number of special funds. The plan
had been to eliminate all of them; however, the Auditor suggested not doing that this
year. The relationship of these funds to the General Fund is not yet known, and there is
a question as to whether these funds owe money to the General Fund or vice versa. Mr.
Rusten noted that nothing was budgeted for these funds, but over$1,000,000 was spend
and about $1,000,000 has been received. It is also possible that in FY2010 these funds
may have brought in more money than was spent.
The City Manager's Fund is money from a community development grant for planning
work. It appears that some of this money may have been used to offset the tax rate. Mr.
Hubbard said a number of uses never came through the Recreation Department,but a
majority of that money was used to offset the bonded debt at Dorset Park.
Mr. Rusten noted that the only special fund that is in a separate account is the Blanchette
Fund, which was a bequest to the Community Library. Mr. Miller said there is
something over$300,000 in that account, and the money being spent from it is not as
much as
CITY COUNCIL
20 JANUARY 2011
PAGE 3
plan makes sure the impact on the taxpayer isn't wildly different from one year to the
next.
Mr. Fleming said he was encouraged to see this kind of planning. He asked whether
there is anything on the horizon development-wise that could affect these numbers. Mr.
Connor said housing is steady, but there was nothing anticipated commercial-wise in
FY12012. Mr. Miller said the anticipation is that there will be a Y2% growth for the
grand list in 2012.
Ms. Greco questioned whether growth brings in more tax money. Mr. Miller said it
depends on the type of growth, whether it is high or low density, etc. He stressed that it
is not a simple thing.
4. Consideration to Adopt FY12 General Fund, Special Funds, Water,
Stormwater, and Water Pollution Control Budgets:
Mr. Miller drew attention to the added interest costs that have been provided. These
result in a tax rate of 2.61. He encouraged the Council to increase the staff challenge to
$250,000. This would bring down the tax rate to 2.25. For a$100,000 home in South
Burlington, this would mean a$22.50 tax increase for FY2012. For the average home in
the city($316,000), it would mean a$71.10 increase. For the average condominium
($208,000), it would mean an increase of$46.80.
Mr. Miller noted that the school tax rate is being reduced by 1 cent. So the total increase
for municipal and school will be 1.25 cents.
Mr. Miller stressed that the city's unions worked with the city to address financial
problems. This has resulted in savings in medical insurance and other expenses. He
said the hope is to continue to do this.
A member of the audience asked where the city would be authorized to make cuts if the
$250,000 challenge isn't met. Mr. Gilbert asked where the state looks for cuts and noted _
it is usually with highway aid, which puts the burden for this back on the property tax.
He said what concerns him most is that there is less paving done and this has an impact
on the city's roads. He was also concerned that the state is now keeping some fees for
itself that used to be shared with towns. Mr. Miller said the city tries to advocate for
taxpayers at Montpelier and with the federal government and has been successful in
getting many grants.
Mr. Donahue asked if impact fees have been eliminated. Mr. Connor explained that
there are still impact fees for recreation, roads, and fire service/equipment. The impact
fee for
CITY COUNCIL
20 JANUARY 2011
PAGE 5
Mr. Boucher said that he has asked that when the city does take over the ponds, there is
an understanding of what this will mean in the long term.
Mr. Miller said there is money in the budget to do the improvements with those
associations that the city has already worked with.
4. Consider requesting the Planning Commission to add specific focus
areas/projects to their FY2012 Workplan:
Ms. Dooley noted that the Planning Commission is looking at "projects on the horizon"
and has prioritized 34 such projects. She said that she and Councilor Emery have a list
of things they want the Commission to look at.
Mr. Boucher noted the Council and staff only got these materials today, and it is difficult
for them to consider a response. Mr. Connor said he would glad to bring these to the
Planning Commission for their consideration.
Ms. Dooley said first on the list for consideration is affordable housing. She noted that
housing is usually at the high end of what is affordable, and this is too high for a majority
of those who meet"affordability"criteria. She said she would favor a change that would
provide a range of affordability.
Mr. Connor said affordability is on the Commission's list, but the solution will be
challenging. He noted that South Burlington's density bonus for affordability is the only
one that developers have ever taken advantage of.
Ms. Dooley said the second concern is the application of TDRs in the Southeast
Quadrant. She noted that the regulations allow density to go from 1.2 per acre to 4 per
acre with a TDR with nothing to align the development to adjacent densities. The
suggestion is for the possibility of R-2, R-3 and R-4, depending on location.
Mr. Connor said he can present this to the Planning Commission. He noted that the
premise is a balance between sending and receiving areas. In order to provide that range
of densities, there would have to be a reduction in the areas to be conserved or the
identification of additional areas to receive increased densitities.
Third on the list would be a buffer between residential and commercial districts. Ms.
Emery noted that the Airport is exempt from the city's Noise Ordinance. Mr. Connor
noted that the Airport is already on the Commission's list of priorities.
Next on the list is the possibility of a minimum lot size for a PUD. Ms. Emery said that
•
CITY COUNCIL
20 JANUARY 2011
PAGE 7
6. Regular Session:
Council returned to regular session. As there was no further business Mr. Knapp moved
for Council adjournment. Ms. Dooley seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
Council adjourned.
Clerk