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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 02/27/1989CITY COUNCIL 27 FEBRUARY 1989 The South Burlington City Council held a meeting on Monday, 27 February 1989, at 7:30 p.m., in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset Street. Members Present Paul Farrar, Chairman; Michael Flaherty, Molly Lambert, John Dinklage Also Present William Szymanski, City Manager; Wendy Schroeder, Business Manager; John Race, Lee Graham, Police Dept; James Goddette, Fire Dept; Albert Audette, street Dept; Bruce O'Neill, Recreation Dept Jean MccAndless, Dr. Mary Scollins, Ellen Waite, Social Awareness Committee Comments & Questions from the public not related to items on the Agenda No issues were raised. Continue review of proposed 1989-90 City Budget Ms. McCandless said the Committee recommended a 50% increase in human services funding but also presented recommendations for a 15%, 25%, or 35% increase. The following appropriations were recommended (figures in parentheses indicate 15%, 25%, 35% increases in funding): Committee on Temporary Shelter $500 (320, 460, 500) Champlain Valley Area Agency on Aging $2400 (1730, 1960, 2400) RSVP $2100 (1960, 2010, 2100) SSTA $6500 (5500, 5840, 6300) VNA $14,600 (14,200; 14,250; 14,500) Women Helping Battered Women $2,000 (1700; 2000; 2150) Baird Center $4400 (0, 500, 1,000) Champlain Drug & Alcohol Services $2150 (1260, 1750, 2150) Vt. Center for Independent Living $700 (0, 200, 370) Social Awareness Committee Recommendations $5,725 Total for human services funded in 1988-89 was $23,200. The recommended total for 1989-90 is $35,350. Ms. Lambert questioned the $4,000 for the Baird Center which serves only 2 families in the city. Ms. McCandless said the Center serves the neediest in the Community. Highway: Mr. Farrar asked if the city is getting ahead or keeping up with street work. Mr. Audette felt they are keeping up and beginning to make some progress. He noted Ethan Allen Drive is deteriorating because of commercial use. Kennedy Dr. is also deteriorating and he didn't see where the city could get the funds without federal/state funding. Mr. Farrar said the city may have to do something about Kennedy Dr. itself. Mr. Audette then reviewed the proposed projects, noting that Old Cross Rd. and Dorset Heights have been moved up to this year. Mr. Farrar indicated the best estimate is that the Grand List will be $6,375,000, which represents a 6.9% increase over last year. Police Dept: Chief Race indicated that the most cost effective item on his "wish list" is law enforcement accreditation as it will ultimately save in insurance costs. He noted a number of carriers offer better rates and it may be hard even to get insurance without accreditation. Mr. Dinklage asked if Chief Race anticipated any procedural changes as a result of accreditation. The Chief said that phone and radio lines will have to be taped, but he didn't foresee personnel changes. He also noted that the Vermont Chiefs Association has adopted the national standards as the State standard. Ms. Lambert asked why the Police Dept was over budget this year on overtime. Chief Race felt they had under-budgeted last year and felt that they should estimate 10% of base salaries for overtime. The Chief noted that the youth services program has been very successful and the Dept. may get more grant money. A number of their programs have been cited as exemplary. Ms. Lambert noted excellent community feedback on the youth programs. Chief Race said the federal government has asked them to do some training on this in the spring. Mr. Farrar questioned the increase in gasoline. Chief Race noted some of it is refunded at the end of the year because of tax credits. They also have a new supplier who is charging a higher rate. Mr. Farrar suggested one contract for the whole city. Mr. Dinklage questioned the large increase in mandatory funding for the County Courthouse. Mr. Szymanski will check on this. Members briefly discussed the comp time proposal. Ms. Schroeder noted that $10,000 is a minimum just to keep things where they are todate. Ms. Lambert noted this is not really an additional expense, just a recognition of an existing expense. Mr. Dinklage said he would like to re-examine how this is managed. He felt it is ultimately a discretionary matter. City Hall Budget: Mr. Farrar suggested a report be given to employees on the benefit package they receive. Mr. Szymanski noted the Xerox machine will have to be replaced. A computer system is also being requested for the City Clerk's office. Mr. Farrar suggested looking into how this can be tied into the Police computer for storage along with all the PC's. Ms. Schroeder noted that till now the network software has not been very good. Members also questioned the service contract on the new Planning Dept. computer and asked that all service contracts be examined. Members then considered the Supplemental List. Mr. Dinklage noted that many items would be money well spent. He suggested adding together several of them which are one-time expenses for a ballot item. These might include the call recorder, traffic lights, work on the basketball courts, law enforcement accreditation, JC Park renovations. Mr. Farrar noted some items could be moved out of the budget and voters asked to approve spending above the budget limit since these items are funded by other sources. These would include the grant for one additional police person and the Act 200 funds. He reminded members that the City would need authorization to spend additional funds even if they were available. After a lengthy discussion, members agreed to add the following items to the budget: Chamber of Commerce Convention Bureau $3,000 Additonal parttime help for city offices $5,000 Employee Accumulated Vacation/Comp Time Benefits $5,000 Playground Equipment $3,500 Maternity Leave $600 Fire Dept. Personnel $15,000 Police Accreditation $5,000 Police Pagers $1,800 Traffic Light (Timberland)$40,000 Social Awareness Committee Recommendations $5,725 Members felt the Police Call Recorder could be a ballot item. Memo Regarding Public Comments made at the 20 February meeting of the City Council Mr. Dinklage moved to accept the City Manager's memo of 24 February regarding public comments made at the 20 February City Council meeting. Ms. Lambert seconded. Motion passed unanimously As there was no further business to come before the Council, the meeting adjourned at 11:05 p.m. Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.