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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 02/15/1988CITY COUNCIL 15 FEBRUARY 1988 The South Burlington City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, 15 February 1988, at 7:30 pm, in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset Street Members Present Paul Farrar, Chairman; Michael Flaherty, Molly Lambert, George Mona Also Present William Szymanski, City Manager; Wendy Schroeder, Mary McKearin, Business Managers; Jane Lafleur, City Planner; John Dinklage, Jim Condos, City Center Committee; John Race, Police Dept; Albert Audette, Street Dept; Sid Poger, The Other Paper; James Goddette, Fire Department; Bruce O'Neill, Recreation Department, Marnie Kneeland, Community Library, Margaret Picard, City Clerk/Treasurer; Gregory Dicovitsky, Leonard Brown Comments & Questions from the Audience (not related to items on the Agenda) No issues were raised. Start review of City Budget a) Community Library: Ms. Knee land outlined the supplemental requests which include the last part of the computer system and the training of staff and provision of benefits for part-time staff. She felt that keeping the excellent people they have now is the top priority. Mr. Farrar asked if there is anything in the regular budget that could be reduced or eliminated. Ms. Kneeland felt that $630 in the program account for the story teller could be done without. b) Recreation: Mr. O'Neill said they are asking for an increase in part-time salaries as they need to attract and keep good people. Lifeguards are particularly hard to find, and the swimming instruction program suffered this past year in terms of quality because of the lack of experienced staff. An increase in postage and printing reflects brochures which have been sent out and which are getting a very good public response. Under facilities improvements, they are asking for $9500 as it appears there will be no federal funding. There is also a request for a basketball court at the new Andrews Ave-Stonehedge Park. Mr. O'Neill said they would like to put up a gate to limit access from Red Rocks Park to the area above the CWD pumping station as this has attracted "party-goers" and others who might be injured at this site. He also noted that the stone walls along the trails in Red Rocks Park need repair. Mrs. Lambert asked about the condition of playground equipment at JC Park. Mr. O'Neill said the merry-go-round needs to be reset, and he may ask to take out the slide. Mrs. Lafleur asked if there is money in the budget for the scenic overlook on Spear St. for such things as landscaping, seeding, grading, a bench, trash cans, blacktop, etc. She said an estimate is available for these items. Mr. Farrar said the Council will consider it. Mr. O'Neill said he would like a very clear definition of who is responsible for what in the budget in relation to parks. Mr. Farrar asked what Mr. O'Neill felt he could do without. Mr. O'Neill said facility improvements, reluctantly. c) Fine Arts: Mr. O'Neill indicated there were no new line items. Money for materials, supplies, and instructors was up. Continue Public Hearing on Proposed Amendments to the 1985 Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Regulations for the New Central District located on Dorset Street Mr. Dicovitsky outlined the problems with the proposed city street plan at Corporate Circle and then presented proposed changes to the plan. Corporate Way would still go through to Hinesburg Rd. They would, however, eliminate the road at the edge of the school property with feeder roads to it. This, they felt, would be safer as it would provide a right angle intersection off Corporate Way. They also feel they have a right of way which can connect directly from opposite the southern entrance to University Mall and go through to the Midas Rd. This would eliminate the series of turns now required to get from Dorset St. to Midas Rd. Mrs. Lafleur said Lake Buick is still contesting that right of way; Mr. Dicovitsky said their lawyer says the right of way does exist. Mr. Dinklage said the Dorset St. Committee felt that an entrance opposite the southern end of University Mall is a good thing. Mrs. Lafleur said she had no problem with the Midas/Corporate Way layout and also agreed that trying to get the Lake Buick right of way was good. The important thing, she felt, was that Corporate Way needs a grid layout within it. Mr. Dicovitsky said they had no disagreement with that. Mr. Condos stressed that this is not supposed to be a throughway to Williston Rd. but is supposed to be a downtown. There was no objection to the City laying out a grid system within the major road layout as set out at this meeting. Mrs. Lafleur will consult with school people to see where they would like the access to the school to be. Mr. Dicovitsky said they are committed to providing that access. Mrs. Lafleur noted that Mr. Dicovitsky has done an economic analysis of whether it would be practical for existing properties to tear down and rebuild under proposed zoning. This will be discussed later. Lot Coverage: In all City Center districts coverage will be 40% for buildings and 90% overall. CD-3, which abuts residential districts, will require 10% more green space than other areas. Increased lot coverage is needed in order to give the commercial character to the area. All of these properties will front on Dorset St. Many uses in CD-3 are conditional uses, and the character of the neighborhood will be looked at very carefully. Density: Mr. Dicovitsky raised the question of using .5 as the FAR (floor area ratio). He felt the present system works well and that this change would preclude multi level parking. He said you can get more with today's code if you put in underground parking than you can with the new proposal. Mr. Dinklage noted the Planning Commission can grant relief up to 1.8 FAR in exchange for more public amenities, TDR's, etc. Mr. Farrar said he had discussed with Mrs. Lafleur the possibility of allowing a number of trips per acre. Mr. Dicovitsky said he wasn't sure if this made sense or not. Mr. Dinklage said that the kind of density Mr. Dicovitsky says is possible now doesn't exist anywhere in the city because land values don't justify it. With the City Center, land values would justify it, and the City would need another level of control. Mrs. Lafleur said if the City believes land values will increase, they could do nothing and wait to see what happens. Maybe people would put in underground parking, etc. Mr. Flaherty noted the whole thing depends on bonuses. Mr. Dicovitsky agreed and said if they knew the bonus system, there might be no arguments. Mr. Flaherty moved to continue discussion until the next regularly scheduled meeting in March. Mr. Mona seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Continue Public Hearing on Miscellaneous Amendments to the Zoning Regulations Members objected to the allowing of "bed and breakfasts" in R-4 zones. Mrs. Lafleur noted there are larger homes in these districts and residents have been wanting to convert. Mr. Flaherty moved to eliminate Section 9.206. Mr. Mona seconded. Mr. Mona said he felt this would change the character of neighborhoods. Mrs. Lambert felt that this use is very unobtrusive and did not generate high volumes of traffic or require additional services in a neighborhood. Mr. Dinklage noted it would be a conditional use. People can already rent out rooms to long-term users, and there are many families that have a large fleet of cars in and of themselves. In the cases which the Zoning Board heard there was no opposition from neighbors. With appropriate restrictions, this was viewed as a very rational use under some situations. Mr. Mona noted there are complaints about the renting out of rooms. In the vote which followed the motion passed 3-1 with Mrs. Lambert opposing. In Section 18.110, Mrs. Lafleur said there was a question of whether "the purpose permitted" includes conditional uses. The proposed change would make it clear that it includes both permitted and conditional uses. Mr. Farrar said it was the intention of the Council not to include conditional uses. Mr. Flaherty moved to change Sect. 18.110 to read " . . . any use allowed as a permitted use not including conditional uses." Mr. Mona seconded. Motion passed unanimously. In Sect. 19.104, Mrs. Lafleur explained that since there are no requirements for individual lot landscaping, they had to require 2 trees per lot. In Sect. 20.201, the language was changed from "...the building" to "...water meter and water service installation." Under the definition section, Mr. Mona moved to strike the word "large" from the definition of Recreational Vehicle. Mr. Flaherty seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Flaherty moved to change the definition of Retail Store by striking "personal establishment" to "...a building or portion of a building where the principal activity is the offering of goods and/or services at retail cost." Mr. Mona seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Regarding the noise ordinance, Mr. Mona asked if it is enforceable if only one person can measure it. Mr. Farrar suggested linking it back to an accepted standard. Mrs. Lafleur will check on this. Mr. Farrar suggested reconsidering the proposed change to the Zoning Map and give the rest back to the Planning Commission. Mrs. Lambert suggested having Mr. Deslauriers back with Mrs. Lafleur present to discuss the map change. Mrs. Lambert moved to split the document into 2 pieces: 1) all changes up through Section 3 and 2) the Zoning map changes. Mr. Mona seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Flaherty moved to refer back to the Planning Commission for comments changes to the Zoning Ordinance. Motion passed 3-1, Mr. Mona opposing. Mrs. Lambert moved to continue discussion of the Zoning map amendment until the next available meeting. Mr. Flaherty seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Continue discussion on removal of trees on public property Mr. Farrar said they have not yet had an answer from the City Attorney. Mr. Stitzel suggested asking the Police if there is a safety hazard. Mr. Brown read a prepared statement which he gave to the Council. He noted the question had been asked about the possibility of trimming the tree, and Mr. Audette had said this couldn't be done without hurting the tree. Review Proposed Amendments to the Solid Waste District Charter Mr. Audette said the original Charter had called for one vote to one community. A compromise was reached which will allow 1 vote for every 5,000 population with a maximum of 5 votes Appropriation of revenues had been on the basis of the Grand List or whatever the Board considered fair. The new proposal is on the basis of estimated annual volume of solid waste generated by the community. In the original proposal, termination of membership was a lengthy process. The new proposal allows termination after 1 year by a majority of voters. Termination would take affect immediately upon delivery of notice by Certified mail and the signing of an agreement to pay the community's share of indebtedness and costs resulting from its withdrawal. Municipalities cannot sell allocations or capacity or rights without approval of at least 2/3 of the Board of Commissioners. Mr. Mona moved to approve changes to the Solid Waste District Charter as proposed by the Champlain Solid Waste District as presented in the letter of 29 January 1988 from Brendan Kelleher. Mr. Flaherty seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Review and Adopt resolution of support for payment in lieu of taxes on State owned property Mr. Farrar noted there is a real problem being addressed here. The State and Federal governments can acquire land which is not always used in the manner municipalities intend for it to be used. Mr. Flaherty moved to sign the resolution in support of payment in lieu of taxes on State owned property. Mrs. Lambert seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Continue Review of 1988-9 City Budget Police: Chief Race said training and youth programs have top priority, and youth program have been expanded from $500 to $8700. Contracting services of $4,000 cover a psychologist on a consulting basis which the Chief felt had saved on sick time and has been able to diffuse a lot of situations. There is also exposure with mental patients in the area and the consultant has given guidance which can prevent tragic results. His wish list includes manpower (2 detectives having the top priority), the computer, and miscellaneous equipment. Fire Dept: Chief Goddette said most increases are uncontrollable. The capital increase has been built into the budget. His supplemental request of $179,218 includes 6 full-time people (including overtime pay, social security, uniforms and benefits). These could be all volunteers, could be 1 man per shift or 2 men per shift at the new station. Planning: The major change would be for the Pyramid study. City Clerk: There is a request for new voting machines. Review Minutes of 1 February 1988 The amendment cited by Mr. Brown on the possible trimming of the tree on his neighbor's property was made. Mrs. Lambert moved to approve the Minutes of 1 February as amended. Mr. Flaherty seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Sign Disbursement Orders Disbursement orders were signed. Other Business a) Resignation from Zoning Board of Adjustment: Mrs. Lambert moved to remove the resignation letter of David Boehm from the table. Mr. Flaherty seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Mona said he was pleased that the Zoning Board had worked out an approach so Mr. Boehm is withdrawing his resignation. Mrs. Lambert moved that the Council not accept David Boehm's resignation from the Zoning Board. Mr. Flaherty seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Mona suggested the Council send a letter to the Zoning Board indicating that it looks forward to better results in the future. b) Personnel Committee Report: Mrs. Lambert noted that a committee is reviewing personnel rules of the City. She noted that a "salary review committee" is referred to in the Rules and Regulations, but there is none in existence now and there is a question as to how to deal with this. There is also discussion on Council decisions after the City Budget has been finalized which directly affect departments. There is, Mrs. Lambert said, real misunderstanding about that and how it impacts on salaries and benefits. She felt employees ought to have a better understanding of how the budget works. As there was no further business to come before the Council, the meeting adjourned at 11:30 pm. Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.