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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 09/18/2012CITY COUNCIL 18 SEPTEMBER 2012 The South Burlington City Council held a regular meeting on Tuesday, 18 September 2012, at 5:00 p.m., in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset Street. Members Present: R. Greco, Chair; P. Engels, P. Mackenzie, H. Riehle Also Present: S. Miller, City Manager; R. Rusten, Deputy City Manager; J. Rabidoux, Public Works Director; K. Murray, Planning Department; G. Maille, M. Emery, G. Palumbo, K. Easton 1. Executive Session: Ms. Riehle moved that the Council meet in executive session to discuss personnel, contract negotiations and litigation and to continue deliberative session on interim zoning applications. Mr. Engels seconded. Motion passed 4-0. Following the executive session, Mr. Engels moved to exit executive session. Ms. Riehle seconded. Motion passed 4-0. Regular Session: 1. Agenda Review: Mr. Miller asked to add an additional warrant to the consent agenda to cover the Comcast payment. Members had no objection. 2. Comments & Questions from the public not related to the agenda: An audience member asked if there is a plan to repaint Williston Road where you exit Midas Drive. Mr. Rabidoux said that will be done following the final course of paving. 3. Announcements and City Manager's Report: Mr. Miller: Attended the Managers/Administrators luncheon. At the meeting there was a comparison of what various municipalities are being charged by Front Porch Forum. There is a wide variance, with some paying nothing. Mr. Miller noted the city has agreed to what it is being charged, and Front Porch Forum has a very high penetration rate in the neighborhoods. He suggested the possibility of a discussion with them. Also attended the 9/11 Memorial event at Overlook Park. Ms. Mackenzie: At the invitation of Sen. Leahy, met with Federal Communication Commission people. It was noted that Vermont is the only state where you can text a 911 call. Mr. Engels: The Form Based Codes Subcommittee walked the City Center area and had a good informal discussion. They meet again this Thursday. They will start looking at city-wide form based codes. Ms.Greco: Also attended the 9/11 memorial. Had a Sustainable Agriculture Subcommittee meeting. Received an e-mail from Attorney James A. Dumont who represents citizens regarding F-35 issues. He has filed a "freedom of information act" request and is also seeking information regarding compensation to homeowners for loss of value, scoring sheets, etc. 4. Consent Agenda: a. Approve Minutes of 6 and 27 August 2012 b. Sign Disbursements c. Review Financial Statements for August 2012 d. Approve Entertainment Permits for the following: Carrie Premasagar Foundation - 30 September 2012 Magic Hat - 6 October 2012 Making Strides (American Cancer Society) - 21 October 2012 e. Appointment of Paul Conner, Director of Planning & Zoning, to the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission Planning Advisory Committee f. Monthly Comcast payment (added by consent) Mr. Engels moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Ms. Mackenzie seconded. Motion passed 4-0. 5. Update on Airport Strategic Planning Committee and the Airport Commission: Mr. Miller advised that the Committee met last Thursday. It was noted that the Burlington City Council is considering amending their action to include a voting representative for South Burlington and for Winooski. The city will be getting a power point presentation regarding the Airport. It was reported that the Airport does well in some respects, not so well in others. The next Committee meeting is on 27 September. Mr. Palumbo, the city's representative to the Airport Commission, said he has attended 2 meetings since being appointed. He noted that the FAA has reallocated a sum of money so 12 more homes can be purchased. These are part of the originally stated 200 homes. The City Council has been sent a legal brief which lists 124 homes; there still does not appear to be a list of the full 200. Mr. Miller commented that the numbers don't seem to add up. The city is trying to figure out what has been bought, what has been demolished, etc. It is estimated that purchase of a home costs about $330,000 plus relocation expenses. Members asked Mr. Palumbo to get whatever information he can get. Mr. Palumbo noted that Jeff Munger is now the Airport Commission Chair. Ms. Greco said she would like to know how many homes the Airport is intending to purchase under the current purchase program; how may have been purchased; how many have been demolished; how many are waiting to be demolished; how many more will they purchase. Mr. Maille noted that the Airport has been purchasing homes since 1990, some of which have been razed (e.g., the park and ride area). These may not be included in the count, which may account for the disparity. Mr. Maille also noted that he appealed the demolition of 54 homes, and this is in the Environmental Court. There will be a meeting to decide on mediation. Public perception is that the court proceedings are holding up the demolition. Mr. Maille said it costs about $10,000 per home to demolish a house. Information indicates that all of the money has already been expended for the purchase of homes. Mr. Miller said there is a question of whether the Airport has acknowledged this. Ms. Emery said she would like to know more about the Strategic Planning Committee: who votes? how often they meet? what are their powers? etc. Mr. Miller said there are 9 representatives appointed by the City of Burlington, and the City Manager/or Mayor of Winooski and South Burlington. It is his understanding that each will have one vote. Ms. Emery asked if anyone else is present at the meetings. Mr. Miller said 3 Congressional representatives, a representative of Jet Blue, an Air National Guard representative and possibly Airport Commission members. Mr. Maille spoke to the possibility of forming a board/commission under Title 5. This would give the city authority to regulate lands within 2 miles of the Airport. Mr. Miller said he is expecting to hear from the City Attorney on that soon. Mr. Miller said that one issue that will be dealt with is governance. This will also form the basis for the hiring of a permanent Airport Director. Mr. Palumbo cited the need to follow up on the City Council's meeting with Burlington Mayor Weinberger. 6. Update on Discussion Regarding Railroad Crossings: Mr. Miller noted that he and Mr. Rusten attended a meeting last week with V-Trans, Vermont Railroad, Rep. Kupersmith, and representatives from financial institutions. One thing that was clear is that banks feel there are significant issues with a one-year license agreement. The title insurer outlined a potential compromise which entails the following: 1. An easement to each property owner to cross 2. Liability insurance protecting the state (could be a $1500 cost to the municipality) 3. State responsibility for repairs to the railroad crossing Discussion will continue at a meeting in October. Mr. Miller asked if the Council wants to continue to investigate permanent easements. Members felt this makes sense. Ms. Easton thanked the city for helping their community. The said the situation is increasingly complex. She felt the city's takeover of the crossing is the best solution for the community. She noted there is a homeowner willing to donate land to create a public crossing. Ms. Easton said their fear is that the 12 September meeting included everyone except the homeowners. They want to be at the table, too, and want to take an active part. They don't want anyone else to be "held hostage." 7. Interim Zoning - Continued Public Hearings: A. Continued Public Hearing for Interim Zoning Application #IZ-12-06, John Larkin, 40 unit PUD (phase 1 of 71 unit project), 201 Allen Road: No one was present to represent the applicant. There were no questions from the Council to the applicant. Ms. Riehle moved to continue IZ-12-06 until 22 October 2012 with deliberation to be held in the interim. Ms. Mackenzie seconded. Motion passed 4-0. 8. Introductory Discussion Regarding Reviewing and Possible Revision of City Council Priorities: Members agreed to add the Airport as a priority (to include all Airport issues). Members also agreed to delete the Library from the priority list as that has been addressed. The priority list was revised as follows: With regard to sub-headings, the Council deleted # b, c, i, l, and n under Interim Zoning. Mr. Rusten suggested making the list "goal-oriented" and then listing the tasks that go with the goals. Mr. Miller said staff can restructure this with the tasks. Under the Airport heading, subheadings will include: noise, communication, F-35s, traffic, land, LDRs, etc. Under Traffic/Congestion, #d was deleted; b & g were combined as were a & h. 9. Other Business: Members agreed to revisit priorities on 29 October. Mr. Miller noted he will be gone between 29 September and 11 October; Mr. Rusten will be gone from 7 October to 21 October. During the time both are away, Mr. Rabidoux will be available to address issues that may arise. Future Council meetings are scheduled for 1 October, 22 October and possibly 29 October. As there was no further business to come before the Council, Ms. Mackenzie moved to adjourn. Ms. Riehle seconded. Motion passed 4-0. The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 p.m. Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.