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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 12/21/1998CITY COUNCIL 21 DECEMBER 1998 The South Burlington City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, 21 December 1998, at 7:30 p.m., in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset Street. Members Present: William Cimonetti, Chair; James Condos, David Austin, Terrance Sheahan, Joan Britt Also Present: Charles Hafter, City Manager; Peter Bestenbostel, Asst. City Manager; Joe Weith, City Planner; Albert Audette, Street Dept; Lee Graham, Jon & Deb Kruger, Police Department; Michael O'Neil, Fire Department; Michael Flaherty, Airport Commission; J. J. Hamilton, Bob McKuen, Airport; Rep. Frank Mazur; Channel 17 1. Comments and Questions from the Audience (not related to Agenda items): No issues were raised. 2. Announcements & City Manager's Report: a. Mr. Sheahan thanked Mr. Weith for attending the "Sprawl Committee" meeting in his place. Mr. Weith reported that members talked about regional issues and how elected officials need to get together and address the issues with a single voice. At the next meeting, members will discuss a definition of "sprawl." b. Mr. Hafter noted that tomorrow night the Agency of Transportation will meet with residents of South Burlington and Shelburne on the final draft of Shelburne Rd. landscape plans. c. Mr. Hafter also noted receipt of a letter from Senator Jeffords regarding a forum on air service to be held on 11 January, 10-11 a.m. in Contois Auditorium. Attendees will address efforts to improve air service in small markets. d. Mr. Hafter gave members the budget review calendar which includes work sessions on 18 and 22 February and additional meetings on 25 February and 4 March, if needed. Members will receive the proposed 1999-2000 budget on 15 February. e. Mr. Hafter also gave members a study done by the appraiser showing that sale prices of properties recently appraised are at 99% of the assessed value. 3. Update on Burlington International Airport: Mr. Flaherty also noted the upcoming air service forum and said it will focus on marketability, better pricing, better service, etc. Mr. Hamilton then gave an overview of what has been happening at the Airport. He noted that Mr. Flaherty has been Chair of the Airport Commission for 3 months. Business at the Airport is very good, despite comments in the Free Press describing it as "backward." Mr. Hamilton said the focus in the future will be to provide more jet service and ultimately to lower air fares. There is also a new plan for the southeast quadrant of the Airport involving the air cargo area. Mr. McKuen then thanked the city for support on the recently completed Airport construction. He said the next phase of construction will involve handling of commuter traffic. They hope to expand gates 4-7 to the south and then have a concourse out to aircraft parking (so travelers don't have to walk out past other aircraft). They hope to do this construction in the fall. Mr. Condos asked what the Airport is doing to reduce noise from the airport, noting that the Airport is located in a residential area. He said his neighbors are complaining the that noise is louder and starts earlier and goes on later into the night. Mr. McKuen said regional jets would be quieter than the current turbo-props and assured the Council that the Airport is very conscious of the problem. Mr. McKuen then showed conceptual drawings for the air cargo area. He noted they will have to remove a lot of rock ledge which will involve a lot of blasting. He added that they have received Zoning Board approval and will adhere to stipulations as far as hours of blasting and trucking are concerned. He also noted that sand being removed from the area now is being relocated at Dorset Park. Mr. Cimonetti then addressed a recurring "human engineering" problem which has arriving passengers coming out from planes as far from where they ultimately want to go as possible. Mr. Flaherty acknowledged the problem but noted that when the arrival gate came out near the top of the escalator, greeters assembled there and blocked the area causing accidents. With regard to new service, Mr. Flaherty announced that there will be one jet flight a day on United to Washington and also a jet flight once a week to Cleveland. He noted that business travelers are being hit hard by pricing, and they are meeting with airlines on this. Since planes are being filled, there is no motivation for airlines to lower fares. Mr. Condos said the city hopes to extend Airport Drive to Airport Parkway and also hopes for a new Airport Exit from I-89 at Hinesburg Rd. He said the city may need the Airport Commission's help to make that happen. Mr. Flaherty said they first need to get it on the MPO priority list. 4. Public Hearing on proposed amendment to South Burlington Zoning Regulations: second reading of same: a. Revise official map: Mr. Weith said the revision would change the zoning of 8.3 acres of land from Airport to Airport Industrial. He showed the area on the map. The change was requested by a business owner who wants to lease space for general office use. The change is supported by the Airport Commission. b. Public and private parking facilities as a conditional use: Mr. Weith said this change would allow public and private parking facilities in the C-1, C-2, and I-C Districts. A landowner could build a parking lot and lease it to businesses. Mr. Austin asked if it would make sense to add this to the City Center District as well. Mr. Condos felt this might result in acres of parking. Mr. Weith said the amendment will also add a new section regarding the location of off-site parking, requiring it to be within 800 ft. of the location of a business or office. Mr. Sheahan asked what would happen if a landowner who was leasing parking to an offsite user decided he needed the parking, and what would happen when a lease runs out. Mr. Weith noted that Planning Commission approvals don't expire. If uses change, applicants have to return to the Commission. But, he added, if a business improves so they need more parking, there is a problem. Mr. Austin asked how this will be policed, and what would happen if an applicant didn't pay and a lease was terminated. Mr. Weith said he didn't know. c. Abandonment of structures: Mr. Weith said debris from a destroyed structure must be removed within 6 months of destruction. d. Fence permits: A permit will be required from the Zoning Administrator and the fence must meet standards. Mr. Cimonetti asked about the minimum size of a fence that would require a permit. He also raised the question of decorative fences, railings, etc. He felt the definition of "fence" needs to be addressed. e. Residential height requirements: Mr. Weith said this section would be amended to clarify what structures the height requirements apply to. f. Technical review provisions: This amendment will allow the Planning Commission to require an applicant to pay for an independent technical review if the Commission felt it necessary. This might be a traffic study, drainage study, etc. Members were not ready to vote on the fence amendment but felt they could consider the other amendments. Mr. Condos moved to close the public hearing. Mr. Austin seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Condos then moved to approve the proposed amendments to the Zoning Regulations referenced in the 5 December memo, #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7. Ms. Britt seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Condos then moved to send back to the Planning Commission Section 26.47: Fences for more definitive work. Ms. Britt seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 5. Request from South Burlington E-911 Committee to grandfather existing street numbering system: Officer Kruger reviewed the history of this request. He noted that the city has been on the E-911 system using current addresses, and the system is working fine. The new numbering system would still be used for new streets and for a few of the older addresses, but most of the existing addresses would be grandfathered. The Post Office also supports this proposal. Mr. Hafter said they will propose an amendment to the Ordinance and will identify which addresses will be changed. His office will also get the word out that most addresses will remain the same. 6. Police Department Accreditation Update: Chief Graham said it has been 5 years since the Department received accreditation. He then introduced Cpl. Todd Shepard, the new accreditation manager. Cpl. Shepard gave members a handout on the accreditation process. Commission standards have been updated, and the Department needs to comply with the new standards. They are currently in the "self-assessment" phase and are in compliance with all standards applicable to an agency of their size. A "mock assessment" was recently done by Police Executives from Vermont and New Hampshire, and no major issues were found to exist. Public notices have been published, and a public information meeting will be held on 25 January at 7 p.m. City Council members will be invited to attend this meeting. He stressed that it will be important for the examiners to know that the Police Department is supported by its local government. 7. Public Hearing on Proposed Uses for Local Law Enforcement Block Grant: Chief Graham said the public hearing is a requirement in considering how to use the funds from the grant. This year, the Department will get $39,203.00 and needs to provide a $4,000.00 match. This match will come from another grant. The Department is looking to purchase laptops for cruisers and to upgrade the digital photo system. If there is any money left after these items, it will be donated to the Family Center. Mr. Austin asked what officers would use laptops for. Chief Graham said the State doesn't have the ability to dispatch cars by computer. Laptops will enable officers to enter complaint information right away and also to run motor vehicle checks and other processing information at the site of an incident. Public comment was invited. None was forthcoming. Mr. Condos moved to close the public hearing. Mr. Sheahan seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 8. Consider request from Fire Department for upgrade of Scott Air-Pak: Chief O'Neil demonstrated the two units and noted the proposed pak is 10.6 lbs. lighter than the existing units and has the same capability. He said they are getting a substantial price break in order to get the new paks into the field. The new paks also have a longer life span (30 years as opposed to 10 years). Mr. Hafter noted the city bought 26 airpaks 4 years ago. The last payment is being made in this year's budget. There will be a credit when the old paks are turned in. The first payment on the new air-paks would be due in next year's budget and would have to fit within the Department's budget. There would be a 3-year payment plan. Mr. Sheahan moved to approve the purchase of the new air-paks with the financial package as outlined in the City Manager's memo of 21 December. Mr. Austin seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 9. First reading of amendment to Ordinance establishing a "no parking zone" on Airport Drive between north boundary of cemetery and entrance to Burlington International Airport: Mr. Cimonetti noted there would be a restricted area of 700 ft. on the east side of the street. Parking is already restricted on the west side. Mr. Austin moved to schedule a public hearing on 18 January 1999. Mr. Condos seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 10. Discussion on Disbursement of State Property Tax: Mr. Cimonetti noted that the City Council must approve all disbursements. This year, the city must disburse the state property tax to the state. The first payment was made, and the second is due on 5 June. The problem is uncollectible property taxes. Some of these do get collected over time, but some never do. The city will continue to take remedial action to secure payment. In the past, the city has had to absorb these losses within its budget. This time, however, the city is collecting someone else's taxes, and there is concern about sending tax money the city has never collected. Research is being done on this, but there is no definitive answer as yet. Mr. Cimonetti proposed bringing this matter formally to the State Department of Taxes and ultimately to the attention of the Legislature. He asked the City Manager and City Clerk/Treasurer to draft a joint letter of concern. Mr. Cimonetti also noted that in the last tax collection, there was a larger than usual delinquency problem. Payments are being made, but the problem could still exist when the next payment is due to the state. Mr. Austin said he would like to see more research before authorizing the sending of the letter. Mr. Condos felt the matter should also be brought to the attention of the League of Cities and Towns as there will be other communities with the same concern. Members agreed to have the City Manager prepare the letter and bring it and applicable information to the 4 January meeting. The City Attorney will also be asked to attend that meeting. 11. Review Zoning notice for public hearing on 12/28/98: Mr. Condos noted that Appeal #1 involves Queen City Park and a request to convert a garage to an office for a "home office." He felt the Board needs to be very careful about neighborhood impact. He noted that the paragraph on home offices in the Ordinance states that a homeowner can't change the look of a building. This request would involve taking out a garage door and putting in a regular door. 12. Review Minutes of 7 December 1998: Mr. Condos moved to approve the Minutes of 7 December as written. Mr. Sheahan seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 13. Sign disbursement orders: Disbursement orders were signed. 12. Executive Session: Mr. Austin moved the Council meet in executive session to discuss personnel issues and litigation, and to resume regular session only for the purpose of adjournment. Mr. Sheahan seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 13. Regular Session: The City Council returned to regular session. Mr. Condos moved adjournment. Mr. Austin seconded. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 11 p.m. Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.