Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 02/21/2008CITY COUNCIL BUDGET WORK SESSION 21 FEBRUARY 2008 The South Burlington City Council held a Budget work session on Thursday, 21 February 2008, at 7:00 p.m., in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset St. Members Present: C. Smith, Chair; M. Boucher, S. Magowan, D. O'Rourke Also Present: C. Hafter, City Manager; D. Gravelin, Assistant City Manager; J. B. Hinds, Director of Planning & Zoning; B. Hoar, Director of Public Works Department; T. DiPietro, Stormwater Superintendent; J. Nadeau, Chittenden Water District; D. Brent, Fire Chief; S. Crosby, Water Quality Department; D. Lambert 1. Public Works/Parks/Stormwater: Mr. Hoar indicated his intention to redo Dorset St. this year, from Williston Road to Kennedy Drive. Some of the $500,000 project cost will come from State aid and some from Fund 234 (right-of-way permits). Mr. Hoar felt it would be about a 2-week project, with some of the work being done at night. With only about $110,000 left in the paving budget, not much else will be done next year. Mr. Hoar said the city will have to start putting more money into paving in order to keep up with the need. Mr. Hafter suggested a dedicated portion of the Rooms & Meals local option tax go for roads. Mr. Boucher asked whether the roads that are dedicated to the city are in good shape. Mr. Hoar said they are usually new roads, possibly with some minor imperfections. Mr. Hafter added that the City won't take any road when its condition will put a burden on the taxpayers in the foreseeable future. Mr. O'Rourke complimented the Public Works Dept. on the fabulous job they have done with snow plowing in this very difficult year. Members asked if there is any intermediate work that can be done on Spear St. before it is repaved in 2009-10. They noted the road is getting bad. Mr. Hoar agreed that it is bad from Swift St. to the Jughandle. He said there is some money in the budget this year for "band aid" work, but that can't happen until winter finally ends. Mr. O'Rourke cautioned the Department to keep an eye on the Public Works building and keep up with maintenance, so there won't be major issues. Mr. Hoar noted the roof is still under warranty. Mr. O'Rourke made a plea for a light at the foot of the flag pole in Overlook Park. He said the flag should either be illuminated or taken down each night. Stormwater: Mr. O'Rourke asked what legal fees are covered in the budget allocation. Mr. DiPietro said mostly for agreements and title searches. Mr. DiPietro noted they will do work at Butler Farms (a small detention pond). They have also applied for a grant for work at the south end of that neighborhood, and the project is ranked #1. Other projects will include a culvert on Patchen Road, work on Farrell Street, and catch basin repair. Mr. DiPietro noted they now have cameras with which to inspect pipes. These can be used for the Sewer Department as well. Major purchases being proposed include a new street sweeper and a Department vehicle. Mr. Boucher noted the budget is up 14% from this year. Mr. Hafter said that is because some projects didn't get done this year. The Department is also being charged for city services which did not happen during the first 2 years of the new utility. The Stormwater Utility will also pay 50% of the new City Engineer's position. Mr. Hafter noted that no rate increase is being proposed. 2. Water Department: Mr. Nadeau said no rate increase is being proposed for the coming year, but with the increase in CWD rates, he anticipated an increase in coming years. Mr. Nadeau noted that CWD is researching "leak detection" equipment so that leaks can be located and corrected before they become major problems to deal with. He indicated that the City has been fortunate with only 3 water breaks since July 1 (Burlington is averaging one a week). A study will be done next year to see where there are immanent problems. 3. Water Quality Department: Mr. Crosby gave members a copy of a typical utility bill for Chittenden County for a family 4 using 165 gallons per day. This includes rates for 2008-9. The Department will require an 8% increase to support the proposed budget. There is a request for a new mechanic, a share of the new City Engineer position, and significant increase in lab supplies. Mr. Crosby noted that some equipment failed last year. Equipment will be purchased as part of the bond for the Airport Parkway Treatment Plant. There is also a significant increase for sludge management. The only capital expenditure is a new vehicle. The Department is following the pump repair/replacement schedule set up by George Dow. There is a supplemental request for a second mechanic. Mr. Dorsey said this is a safety issue with only one person working by himself. The cost would be $52,000, including benefits). Adding this person would increase the rate increase to 11%. 4. Department of Planning & Zoning: Ms. Hinds said there are no staff changes in the Department. 5. Fire Department: Chief Brent gave members copies of the Department's annual report. He noted that there are so many fixed costs that it is hard for the budget to absorb the Department's needs during the year. With regard to truck replacement, Chief Brent noted they are trying to play catch-up. The vehicles are in tough shape, and it is hard to keep them up. He indicated he will soon give the City Manager a list of what the Department wants. As it is, they are accessing the Public Works Department maintenance people on a daily basis to keep fire trucks on the road. There is also an issue with the garage doors. The Chief noted they go up and down 12,000 times a year and are breaking on a frequent basis. The ambulance is doing a great job for less that $200,000 a year. Capital requests include: 1. a washer/dryer for uniforms (due to exposure to contaminants it is not recommended that firefighters take uniforms home to be washed with family laundry) 2. vehicle replacement reserve 3. hose replacement 4. lockers for Station #2 5. non-invasive carbon dioxide meter (the Chief noted they had an incident with 58 people exposed to carbon dioxide, and it was hard to tell who had significant issues; they eventually transported 7 individuals) 6. a "rhythm generator" to show different heart rhythms 7. vehicle replacement reserve for ambulance service. The supplemental budget requests include upgrading the doors for safety and the SAFER grant. Members then discussed the SAFER grant issues. Mr. Hafter reviewed the history and noted that the grant application has been filed but the City hasn't heard about the grant as yet. Mr. Smith said he does not know how to present this. Mr. Boucher said people have to be told the eventual cost. Mr. O'Rourke noted that in year 4, it is almost 10% of the overall budget. Mr. Hafter said one option is to put it in the budget and have people vote on it. Mr. O'Rourke said he didn't know how the Fire Department could absorb such a cut if the budget didn't pass. Mr. Boucher said they couldn't cut the added firemen or the City would have to repay the grant money. Mr. Boucher suggested doing it as a 10-year special appropriation, which is typically how the City has added firefighters every other year. Members were concerned with another big ballot item, which would be one more thing for people to vote yes or no on. It was felt there is a desire among the public to vote "no" to send a message. Mr. Magowan said he has mixed feelings on a separate item. He felt it was the Council's job to make this decision, but it might result in cuts to other departments. Mr. Smith acknowledged he, too, had mixed feelings. Mr. Hafter said the city could commit to giving the Department one person a year if a ballot item is not successful. Mr. Smith felt that was not the responsible thing to do when the lives of citizens and Firefighters are at stake. The Chief noted that you have to hire in groups of three; one extra person doesn't help them. Firefighters asked if the City Council would publicly support the expenditure. All members said they would. Mr. Boucher said he did not feel this was sustainable. He felt that if the city needs 6 firefighters, it needs to ask the public for them. Mr. Smith said the City has to look at a better way to do budgeting. There are so many departments saying they are underfunded. But there is also the question of dealing with a public that thinks taxes are way too high. He cited needs for paving, vehicles, building maintenance, and said that not addressing those needs is scary. Mr. Magowan noted it is the Fire Department that is more understaffed than any other department. Mr. O'Rourke said he didn't think that any part of the budget should be separately funded, but he noted that 90% of this funding is not city-funded. Mr. O'Rourke suggested the Chief write up something for The Other Paper to let the public know how busy the Department is. Department members cited the dangers of trying to fight fires with not enough personnel. Mr. Smith stressed that the Council understands the problem and is trying to figure out how to get 6 firefighters into the budget. He said everyone wants that to happen. Members agreed to continue the discussion at the March 3rd City Council meeting. 6. Bonded Debt; Other Agencies; Revenue; Special Appropriations: Mr. Hafter noted that the County Court budget is down $3000. Winooski Valley Park District is up $4500 (they have taken over another park in the City). CCTA is up $21,000, mostly due to Special Services. Both Regional Planning and the MPO are down a bit. The estimated income to the City from the 1 cent local option sales tax is $1,860,000. This represents 7 cents on the tax rate or $221.00 savings to the average home. Other revenues are pretty much flat. Requests for Special Appropriations include: 1. Police Dog $12,000 2. Library Staffing $16,000 3. Water Quality Dept. Employee $52,000 (paid by rates) 4. Fire Department ("seeing eye" on door)$2300 Members agreed to the Police Dog and Fire Dept. "seeing eye" door. The Water Quality employee will be added and included in the rate increase. As there was no further business to come before the Council, the meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m. Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.