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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 07/06/1988CITY COUNCIL 6 JULY 1988 The South Burlington City Council held a regular meeting on Wednesday, 6 July 1988, at 8:00 pm, in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset Street Members Present Paul Farrar, Chairman; Molly Lambert, Michael Flaherty, John Dinklage Also Present William Szymanski, City Manager; John Belter, Mary-Barbara Maher, Planning Commission; David Boehm, James Thibault, Zoning Board; Albert Audette, Street Dept; Joe Randazzo, F. Howard Taylor, Bob Watson, Bill Craig, Merle Edwards-Orr Comments & questions from the public not related to items on the agenda No issues were raised. Review City Manager's Report on progress of 1987-88 Goals Mr. Szymanski said new goals will be added for the next report. Interview applicants for reappointment and appointment to Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Adjustment a) John Belter (for reappointment to 4-year term on Planning Commission): Mr. Belter said he has concerns that landowners have things happening to their land that they are not aware of. Ms. Lambert noted that Mr. Belter had stepped down from the Board a number of times due to conflict of interests and asked if he felt this was a problem. Mr. Belter said he did not. He said he has a keen interest in what is going on and would hate to see an entire Commission of non-landowners determining what happens to his land or to anyone else's. He noted there are other conflicts on boards, such as Mr. Jacob who is a realtor and is Chairman of the Planning Commission. Mr. Dinklage asked if there were any part of the ordinances the Commission deals with that Mr. Belter felt gave a particular problem in interpretation or implementation. He said it bothers him that developers are asked for contributions to improvements beyond their development. He would prefer the first few years taxes to be used for this. He said such fees have added thousands of dollars to the cost of lots and he has seen developers going to Williston and other towns where such fees do not exist. Mary-Barbara Maher (reappointment to 3-year term on Planning Commission): Mrs. Maher said she feels she renders a service to the City being at the other end of the spectrum from Mr. Belter. She described herself as the one a little person calls when they feel they're being taken advantage of. She said she has no problem interpreting the ordinances. She did ask the Council to provide guidelines for the Commission as to when they can meet in executive session. Mr. Farrar said the Council had thought of having the City Attorney in to spend an evening going over procedures since each Board has its own peculiarities. Mrs. Maher also noted that at last night's Commission meeting owners of the Spear Street properties that fall in the "interim zoning" district indicated they would talk to the city about possible sale of view rights or building rights so that possibly the panoramic vista could be saved. Mr. Dinklage asked if the Commission had the benefit of the Findings of Fact of the City Council. Mrs. Maher said that was not given to them before the meeting. Mr. Dinklage noted the Council should be sensitive to sharing information with other Boards involved in similar deliberations. Mrs. Maher also expressed concern with an occurrence at the end of last night's meeting when a site plan was presented that was not on the Agenda. It involved a situation that has pending litigation, and she felt decisions were being made that shouldn't have been made under the circumstances. Jim Thibault (reappointment to 4-year term on Zoning Board of Adjustment): Mr. Thibault said he is very concerned about the quality of development in the City as he is a lifelong resident. He said he is very comfortable with using the 5 criteria as they are now being used as it puts the burden on the person making the presentation. He felt implementing some of the regulations posed a problem particularly for existing businesses or residences that want a slight variance to an older non-conforming lot. David Boehm (reappointment to 3-year term on Zoning Board of Adjustment): Mr. Boehm said he has seen a lot of improvement on procedures but still has concerns on how some decisions are made where the Board does not follow the letter of the law. He cited the Cumberland Farms case as an example. Mr. Boehm noted the Board is often put in a difficult position by an inflexible ordinance. He said he wants to remain on the Board because the position he feels very strongly about is not well represented there. He hoped a lot of consideration was given to who fills the 3 vacancies on the Board. Joe Randazzo: Mr. Randazzo said he has lived in the City for 4 years and is plant manager at Lane Press. He first got interested in serving during the hearings on the Deslauriers property. He believes in development for growth and in the City Center project, but believes the Ordinance has to be followed or changed where needed. F. Howard Taylor: Mr. Taylor is with the Tax Dept. in Waterbury working closely with assessors and listers. He has lived in the City for a year and served on the Park Commission in his previous location. He feels the traffic situation in the City needs to be worked on and commended the city for its vitality and excellent schools. Bob Watson: Dr. Watson is a pediatric dentist who has lived in the area 21 years. He cited improvement in the City's attempt to gain an identity and feels this is a vibrant place to live and practice. He considers himself a futurist, feeling that you have to be innovative to achieve what you want without stepping on others. He cited affordable housing as a national problem and feels it is incumbent on communities to make it a reality. He felt it was dangerous to shut out younger people who are on the way up. Bill Craig: Mr. Craig said he was mostly interested in the Planning Commission. He has lived in the City 10 years and is currently Chairman of the Shelburne Rd. Committee. He believes growth is inevitable and that the City needs to learn how to do it gracefully in order to maintain the attributes of the community. Merle Edwards-Orr: Mr. Edwards-Orr is Chairman of the Social Science Dept. at Trinity College and has been in the City for 4 years. He prefers the Zoning Board and feels his strong point is in applying well-set rules to particular situations. He has grown increasingly interested in local government and land use in particular. Mr. Farrar thanked all the applicants. Consider Street Superintendent's recommendations for Solid Waste Disposal Fees Mr. Farrar read the Resolution (attached). He then asked if there was a problem with out-of-towners using the City's landfill. Mr. Audette said mostly from Shelburne and Williston and that they try to police this problem. Mr. Flaherty asked if the proposed fees will cover increased cost. Mr. Audette said it would. Mr. Farrar said they will have to watch out for Burlington usage with their much higher fees. He estimated 1500 cars use the facility on a Saturday and about 3,000 in an average week. Mr. Audette said they are also trying to work out a recycling system and are looking for State funding for this. Mr. Dinklage moved that the Council approve the new rates for the landfill usage. Mr. Flaherty seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Discuss disposition of former Water Department Building at 400 Dorset Street Mr. Szymanski noted the Water Dept. has moved to the CWD building for more room. The Solid Waste District has asked to use the old building for a rental of $100/month. The City owns the land and the Water Dept. the building. The Water Dept. would like the City to take over the building. Mr. Szymanski noted the City pays the insurance for the building. Mr. Dinklage moved the City Council accept the Water Department building at 400 Dorset St. Mr. Flaherty seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Review Zoning Agenda No issues were raised. Sign proclamation on Bicycle Safety Awareness Week Mr. Flaherty moved the Council sign the Proclamation on Bicycle Safety Awareness Week. Mrs. Lambert seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Accept Resignation of Judy Hurd from Planning Commission Mr. Flaherty moved the Council accept the resignation of Judy Hurd from the Planning Commission and instruct the City Manager to send a letter of thanks for her service. Set Date for Video Taping City Council Meeting The community access channel has asked to film a City Council meeting and possibly other public meetings in S. Burlington and other communities. Mrs. Lambert suggested a date in the fall when there is a full Council. Minutes of June 16 and June 20 Mr. Dinklage noted a spelling correction of the word "insurance" on p. 5. Mr. Flaherty moved the Minutes of June 16 and June 20 be approved as amended. Mr. Dinklage seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Other Business Chief Goddette updated the Council on the new fire station. To date, $254,912 has been spent, $87.14 under budget. This does not include equipment for the station which Chief Goddette estimated at $4500. The parking lot will be paved in mid-August. The Chief also noted that Mr. Moffatt in Burlington is cooperating with the Fire Dept. in case there is a traffic problem due to construction and it is necessary to put a truck in the new station for a day or 2. Executive Session Mr. Flaherty moved the Council meet in Executive Session to discuss acquisition of land. City Personnel, and appointments to Boards and Commissions and to resume regular session only to make appointments and to adjourn. Mr. Dinklage seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Regular Session Upon resuming regular session the Council reappointed Mr. Belter and Mrs. Maher to the Planning Commission and Messrs. Boehm and Thibault to the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Mr. Craig was appointed to serve the remainder of the 3-year term on the Planning Commission and Mr. Randazzo to serve the remaining term on the Zoning Board. As there was no further business to come before the Council, the meeting adjourned at 10:45 PM. Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works. In accordance with Section 6, permits, Subsection b, Use Fee of the South Burlington Sanitary Landfill ordinance, the City council hereby resolves to amend the landfill permit fee as established January 1. 1987. Residents and non-residents, doing business or performing work within the City haulingwaste generated within the City, the following fee schedule shall apply: , Reside s own household waste, hauled by r sident Carsrpickups and vans with up to 5 bag3 Pickups, vans & vehicles w/utility trailers w/more than 5 bags 5.00 **Packers and roll-off containers 6.00/YD : All vehicles and roll-off containers carrying non-residentjal/household waste in a non- compacted form All dump or rack style trucks carrying other than demolition All trucks carrying demolition All tires **All Packers To Be Rated According To Rating Capacity Plates Attached To Units By Manufacturer. Dated this 6th day of July 1988 Effective date: SOUTH BURLINGTON CITY COUNCIL . -- -. .- . ranc cis 'x. Murray