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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 03/01/2010CITY COUNCIL 1 MARCH 2010 The South Burlington City Council held a regular meeting AND Town Meeting on Monday, 1 March 2010, at 7:00 p.m., in the Cafeteria of the Frederick Tuttle Middle School, Dorset St. Members Present: M. Boucher, Chair; S. Dooley, M. Emery, J. Knapp, F. Murray Also Present: C. Hafter, City Manager; D. Gravelin, Assistant City Manager; D. Kinville, J. Everitt, Superintendent of Schools; City Clerk; E. Fitzgerald, A. Clift, J. Allo, School Board; City Staff, P. Flaherty and family; community members 1. Consideration of City Council Action to Dedicate the New Police Station at 19 Gregory Drive in honor of Michael D. and Paula M. Flaherty: Mr. Boucher asked Mr. Murray to speak on behalf of the proposed action. Mr. Murray spoke first on the nature of the City Council and how proud Mike Flaherty would have been of them, for choosing the one dissenting vote on the purchase of 19 Gregory Drive to speak about the dedication of the building. Mr. Murray then reviewed Paula Flaherty’s service as an educator in South Burlington schools and Mike Flaherty’s service as a City Councilor, State Representative and member and Chair of the Airport Commission. Mr. Murray then read the Resolution and moved its adoption. Ms. Dooley seconded. The motion passed unanimously. 2. Presentation of Proposed City Budget for FY2011 and Town Meeting Day Ballot Items: Mr. Boucher said the City’s goal for this budget was that there is no tax increase except for the Police Station bond approved by the voters. Mr. Boucher noted that the budget includes a $300,000 increase in salaries, half of which is the voter approved SAFER grant for 6 additional Firefighters. He added that over 50% of the payroll increase is due to health insurance and pension. Mr. Boucher stressed that unlike the State and many other communities, South Burlington is meeting its pension obligations. Operating expenses are up $80,000 for FY2011. This includes a conservative amount for utilities at 19 Gregory Drive since it is not known what those expenses will be. With the exception of the Police Station bond, capital expenses have gone down. Mr. Boucher noted there is an item on the ballot to allow for the use of collected Rooms & Meals tax money for paving and street repair in the city. The City will also be using $400,000 from collected local option Sales Tax reserves to keep down the property tax bill. Mr. Boucher said the city has been fortunate in that sales tax income has not been down as much as anticipated. Mr. Boucher noted that 58% of the City budget is related to public safety (Police and Fire). He said that because there is so much commercial property in the city, both the Police and Fire Departments have to be bigger; however, the city also collects $8,800,000 in non-residential property taxes. Mr. Boucher explained that for every $100,000 of property value, a tax payer would see a $4.00 increase in taxes for both the City and Schools together. He also noted that South Burlington will have the lowest utilities costs in Chittenden County. Mr. Hafter then reviewed the three ballot items that voters will be considering: 1. Use of a portion of the voter-approved 1-cent conservation fund tax for maintenance of city-owned land. Mr. Hafter reviewed the properties that had been purchased from these funds and said it is now important to maintain these lands and to provide signage for public use of trails, etc. 2. Use of $130,000 from the collected local option Rooms & Meals Tax and $80,000 from collected fees for repair of city streets. Mr. Hafter noted that these costs have gone up considerably in the past few years and presented a list of expected roads targeted for work in the budget year. He noted that in the event that ballot item does not pass this list will be revised. There will also be work done on curbs and sidewalks, traffic calming, and crack sealing. 3. City Charter Amendment to accommodate the change in voting from May to March. This involves changing the timing of the annual report, warnings, etc. A member of the public asked if any money has been appropriated to maintain the exterior of city properties. Mr. Boucher said that will need to be dealt with A member of the public asked if any money has been appropriated for upgrade of pump stations. Mr. Boucher said there is over $200,000 appropriated for that use. Mr. Hafter then explained how storm water fees were determined. A member of the audience asked if there is any money in the budget for renovation of City Hall. Mr. Boucher said that is still to be discussed. There are numerous options including a “short fix” prior to a move to City Center, a long­term fix, and options in the middle. There has also been discussion of sharing the City Hall building with the School District. Sarah Dopp commended the Council on addressing the stewardship of city-owned lands. Mr. Boucher noted that this will be Mr. Hafter’s final budget presentation as he will be retiring in May. Mr. Hafter thanked Department Heads and said they deserve all the credit. 3. Presentation of Proposed School Budget for FY2011: Superintendent Everitt said it has been a wonderful experience to be Superintendent for the past 3 years. He then outlined the guiding principles for the proposed budget: 1. “Ends Policy” (outcomes) A. Disposition of learning B. Academic proficiency C. Personal development D. Citizenship 2. Cost Containment A. Avoid future problems B. Avoid impact on student learning 3. Acknowledgement of difficult financial situation Supt. Everitt then reviewed enrollment projections and noted that it is anticipated that school population will be steady over the next few years. Estimated revenue for the School District is up $1,322,504. This includes funds from federal programs, State special Ed and a carryover of funds. Total expenses budgeted for FY2011 are $40,296,044 of which $32,000,000 is for salaries and benefits, $5,500,000 is for services, $1,800,000 is for supplies and $700,000 is for equipment. Supt. Everitt then reviewed changes in the budget from the previous year: 1. New efficiencies in technology and staff 2. Increase of school Guidance teacher (.3 FTE) 3. Increase of World Language teacher (.4 FTE) 4. Increase in preschool support 5. Staff retirement obligation 6. Reduction of health teacher (.2 FTE) 7. Reduction of administration (.9 FTE) 8. Rescheduling in stewardship plan. Reduction in expenses includes scaling back the summer school program to the prior year’s program, reducing the contribution to “School’s Out,” and reduction in Central Office Administration. The total proposed budget in $40,296,044, which is below the Charter limit. The estimated per pupil cost is down 3.1%. The increase per $100,000 of assessed property value is $2.00 (based on an 88.2 cent State tax rate and not considering income sensitivity.) Supt. Everitt noted that they are waiting to see what the Legislature does with the State tax rate because last year they increased it. A member of the audience asked how predictable federal money is. Supt. Everitt said they are quite confident they will have the money for next year. He had no confidence beyond that. An audience member asked how that uncertainty affects programming. Supt. Everitt said they are talking about that all the time and want to keep providing the best programs possible for students. The question arose as to the possibility of relating teacher pay to student performance. Supt. Everitt said no one has yet been able to make that work, but President Obama is now talking about it. As there was no further business to come before the Council, the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m. ________________________________ Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.