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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 02/25/1999CITY COUNCIL 25 FEBRUARY 1999 The South Burlington City Council held a budget work session on Thursday, 25 February 1999, at 7:30 p.m., in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset Street. Members Present: William Cimonetti, Chair; Terrence Sheahan, David Austin, Joan Britt Also Present: Charles Hafter, City Manager; Margaret Picard, City Clerk; Albert Audette, Bruce Hoar, Street Department; Joe Weith, Director of Planning & Zoning; Claire Buckley, Harriet Long, Chris McCandless, Community Library; Brent Desranleau, Jim Fay, CWD; Don Whitten, Water Pollution Control 1. Water Pollution Control: Mr. Whitten said they now have 5 full time employees plus himself and are planning no new personnel in the new budget. The sewer line maintenance budget is up $7,000 as a lot of major repairs are being required as lines are getting older. The chlorine budget is down $4700 as chlorine won't be used at Bartlett Bay. There is a $6200 increase in heating costs as there are 5 new buildings to heat. In an effort to reduce this impact, they have switched to natural gas. For the first time in many years, there is a reduction in sludge management due to the long-term contract. Electricity will also be up significantly because of the new process at Bartlett Bay. It is hoped the new operations will be 100% on line as of 1 August. The total operating budget is up 3.2% over last year. Capital expenses include: $200,000 to the reserve fund for Bartlett Bay, the second year payment for the sewer vac ($30,000), and pump replacement and repairs. Mr. Hafter noted this is the last year of the WPC debt service ($61,474) Mr. Whitten said he anticipated no rate increase to support this budget. 2. City Clerk: Ms. Picard said her department has 3 employees. BCA salaries are up slightly because of the possibility of more property assessment appeals. Office supplies are up because of additional volumes needed for land records. There is also an increase in travel and training. The department writes its own programs and there is a need to upgrade training in this area. Capital expenses include a new Xerox machine and a new computer for Ann. Mr. Hafter noted that it costs $156,000 to operate the department, and the department generates revenues of $148,000. Mr. Cimonetti asked what is being done to back up records. Ms. Picard said they are kept on disk in the vaults. 3. Planning & Zoning: Mr. Weith said this is the first year of the combining of the two departments into one. There is a $10,000 increase to cover benefits for a retiring long-term employee. The number of employees in the department will remain the same, but one employee will work only half time for part of the year. There is a small decrease in the operating budget. One major item is $3,000 in consulting fees for the second half of a study on formation of a local development corporation. Capital items include a new file cabinet, a map file, and upgrade of the computers. Mr. Cimonetti suggested the department look into a protected back-up system for Planning and Zoning records. Mr. Cimonetti also noted there may soon be a requirement that Certificates of Occupancy be provided in property transactions, etc. The city might have to provide some documentation in instances where such certificates do not now exist. He also questioned whether the city should provide CO's on residences. 4. Natural Resources: Mr. Hafter said the budget is essentially the same as last year. It includes some work on the paths on the Calkins property. 5. Community Library: Ms. Buckley said there will be some increase in personnel costs due to increases in the volume of activities. The Library currently employs four community aides. There will also be increases in books for children and adults. Ms. Buckley noted that circulation at the library is up 20% in the last few months, and this is mainly due to community use. She gave members a graph of tax-supported per capita spending for materials in the County for fiscal 1999. South Burlington is next to the lowest in spending. Mr. Cimonetti felt this was not an "apples to apples" comparison because of the nature of the South Burlington Library. Ms. Long noted that a lot of children's programs are funded by grants and could not otherwise exist. Mr. McCandless said that next year they are hoping to come to the Council to ask for more community support. Capital items in the budget include chairs. Ms. Buckley noted that the new circulation desk was made by Mr. Audette's people who did a wonderful job. They are now working on the back room work space. 6. Water Department: Mr. Desranleau said this is the 6th year of maintaining water rates. They are projecting a 1% increase in water sales and a $6,000 increase in revenues from private hydrant maintenance, etc. The cost for building lease is up because of an additional 259 sq. ft. of space and expansion of the garage facility. Mr. Hafter noted there will be a new billing system. He also noted that there is a very low water loss in the city, only about 6-8%. Mr. Cimonetti asked how the city stands as far as looking after its infrastructure, specifically what would be done to address a major sewer or water system failure. Mr. Hafter said there are some retained earnings in the sewer department, but he wasn't sure about water. For something very large, Mr. Hafter felt they would have to look at funding. Mr. Audette noted that one sewer line is having problems. He didn't know of any problems with water lines. He said there is more likely to be problems with the services than with the pipes. He also noted that they have begun to have problems with deterioration of manholes. 7. Public Works/Park Maintenance: Mr. Audette said they have 20 employees but could use more. The public works budget shows a slight increase in sand and salt. There will be 10 more miles of roads coming on line soon, especially hilly roads in Dorset Park. There is also an increase in vehicle repair parts and for disposal of tires, oil, etc. They are trying to get a grant from the state to replace some traffic lights. With the new, more efficient lights, there would be a 3-5 year payback in energy savings. At a recent meeting, there was discussion of using a "lane miles" designation for Class 2 roads for state aid. This would make a big difference to the city. Capital expenses include replacement of $97,000 work of equipment. $60,000 will come from the budget, the remainder from notes. Park Maintenance will focus on upgrading play areas in parks and on the Dorset Park Fields. Mr. Cimonetti asked about parts of the road and rec path torn up during golf course construction. Mr. Audette felt the contractor will take care of this. The question of a new 5-year street maintenance plan was then addressed. Projects for 1999-2000 would include sidewalks on Shelburne Rd. This is a major problem as road repaving has left sidewalks an average of 6-8 inches below the curb line. The cost of this work would be $35,000 in each of two years. The 5-year plan includes matching funds required for the Kennedy Drive and Lime Kiln Bridge projects. Mr. Cimonetti noted that $164,000 would be required for 1999-2000 work. This would be 1.33 cents on the tax rate. Because of the Charter limitations, this could not be done with the current budget. Mr. Cimonetti was concerned with going outside the operating budget for these funds and felt it might not be in the spirit of the City Charter. Mr. Audette felt the program has been working well and people know when work will be done. Mr. Audette then made a brief presentation on a new public works facility. He showed the existing set-up and the proposed layout. The School District wants to go in with the city and have its maintenance done at one facility. School buses would be stored outdoors with tie-ins to power. Lance Llewellyn will make a full presentation, including costs, at the 15 March meeting. Revenues: Mr. Hafter then reviewed revenue sources and project amounts, including income from Act 60, recording fees, donations to the ambulance service, investments, building/sign permits, police off-duty work, highway state aid, special assessment districts, and the library bequest. He said he tried to budget revenues conservatively. Mr. Hafter then reviewed some remaining questions including: the special highway appropriation, ½ time firefighter position (which would allow full coverage of station #2), the public works garage, and the 10-year operating and capital plan. He gave members some information on possible ways for funding some of these options. Mr. Audette noted that the city just received a $40,000 grant for ice storm clean-up at Red Rocks Park, Szymanski Park, and the Garvey property. Another grant has also been applied for. As there was no further business to come before the Council, the meeting was adjourned at 10:35 p.m. Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.