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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 10/07/2013CITY COUNCIL 7 OCTOBER 2013 The South Burlington City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, 7 October 2013, at 7:00 p.m., in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset St. Members Present: P. Nowak, Acting Chair; R. Greco, H. Riehle, C. Shaw Also Present: K. Dorn, Interim City Manager; T. Hubbard, Interim Deputy City Manager; I. Blanchard, Project Manager; J. Rabidoux, Public Works Director; M. Lyons, Assessor's Office; J. Fay, CWD; B.Nowak, P. Galbraith, S. Gardner, & other members of the Bartlett Bay Neighborhood Association; L. Meyers, 1. Executive Session: Mr. Shaw moved that the Council meet in executive session to discuss personnel issues relating to the Champlain Water District, legal issues associated with Development Review Board decisions and issues pertaining to the hiring of a permanent City Manager. Ms. Riehle seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Regular Session: 1. Agenda Review: No changes were made to the Agenda. 2. Comments & Questions from the Public not related to the Agenda: a. Mr. Galbraith and Mr. Gardner addressed the Council regarding flooding issues on Bartlett Bay Road. Water appears to be coming through one culvert, and there is no retention. This is affecting the Lake as well as residents. Mr. Rabidoux indicated he had spoken with the Stormwater Superintendent and the current proposal is to address ten of these types of issues through the normal budget process. b. Mr. Meyers raised the issue of the 8% penalty for late payment of taxes. He noted the state charges 2% per month and IRS only ½%. He also noted there are no warning letters and no mechanism for appeal. He felt there should be more compassion shown. 3. Announcements and City Manager's Report: Council members reviewed meetings and events they had attended. Mr. Dorn updated the Council on the city's intervenor status with regard to the Clair Solar Project. He noted the Public Service Board seemed receptive to the stipulations that involve the city. A decision is being drafted. 4. Consent Agenda: A. Sign Disbursements B. Approve Minutes for 25 and 28 September C. Approve Interim City Manager's decision to terminate access by vehicular traffic to a portion of the far northerly section of Airport Drive and sign documents approving licensing agreement with the City of Burlington D. Accept Blackberry Lane as a City Street and authorize Interim City Manager to sign any pertinent documents E. Review August 2013 financials F. Approve entertainment permits for: 1. American Cancer Society, 20 October 2013 2. Arthritis Foundation, 27 October 2013 Ms. Riehle moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Mr. Shaw seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 5. Review of Current Issues Relating to the Champlain Water District: Mr. Fay noted that CWD just celebrated its 40th anniversary. They were the first water district in the nation to receive the national "Excellence in Water Trust Award". Former City Manager Bill Szymansky is the longest standing member of Water Commission. Mr. Fay then reviewed what CWD does, the population it serves, usage, etc. He also reviewed debt service and future proposed projects. In response to a question from Mr. Shaw, Mr. Fay outlined measures taken to insure the safety and security of water. Ms. Greco asked about conservation efforts. Mr. Fay explained the difficulty in having two systems, one for drinking and one for other uses. He said this would be very difficult to fund. Mr. Fay then outlined the challenges in the coming years including buried infrastructure, underground pipe assessment, and corrosion of the outside of pipes (the insides are fine). 6. Approve Resolution Establishing Charge for City Center Public Facilities Task Force and Appoint Task Force Members: Mr. Dorn said the Task Force would be of short duration and would look at costs, what the TIF would cover, and other financing. They would report to the City Council by December 20th as to what facilities it is advisable to do in the City Center. Proposed task force members are: Ms. Riehle moved to approve the resolution and appointees as presented. Mr. Shaw seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 7. Public Hearing and Approval of Amendments to Capital Improvement Program (CIP): Mr. Shaw moved to open the public hearing. Ms. Riehle seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Ms. Blanchard noted that revisions were made to accommodate changes to the Impact Fee Ordinance. Changes include separating out the Police Station and adding roadways and recreation paths. There was no pubic comment. Ms. Riehle moved to close the public hearing. Mr. Shaw seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Shaw moved to approve the Amendments to the Capital Improvement Program as presented. Ms. Riehle seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 8. Review and Discussion of Issues Associated with the Late Filing of the Homestead Declaration with the State Department of Taxes: Mr. Dorn explained that in the past year the State changed the way Homestead Declarations were to be filed. In addition, because this year the residential tax rate is higher than the non-residential rate, the penalty for late filing is 8%. There are 196 South Burlington residents subject to this late filing penalty. Some of these people have asked about appealing. Appeals go to the City Assessor, but he cannot make these decisions, so the appeal then goes to the Board of Civil Authority. Ms. Lyons noted that a majority of the 196 people got a letter saying they had until 1 October to file, but the letter did not indicate there was a penalty for not meeting this deadline. Ms. Nowak noted that some communities waive this penalty, but South Burlington does not. Mr. Shaw asked if it is within the Council's power to authorize the Assessor to take action. Mr. Dorn said that is a decision made by the Council. Mr. Shaw then asked if there is a role for the City Manager in this. Ms. Lyons said the process as she understands it circumvents the City Manager. 9. Review and Discussion regarding anticipated FY15 budget pressures including budget guidance: Mr. Hubbard outlined impacts on the FY15 budget including: 1. Contractual salary increases ($357,000.00) 2. CIP Projects (increased paving, reduction in bonded debt, etc.) ($100,000.00) 3. Health insurance increase ($211,000.00) (Mr. Hubbard noted the city is soliciting comps from Blue Cross/Blue Shield and other providers) 4. Loss of revenue from Airport houses ($40,000.00) The total of these items is $709,000.00 which represents a 2.15 increase in the tax rate and a 5.33 increase overall. Other impacts (police grant, City Center budget, Gregory Drive architecture fees, elections) total $113,191.00 which should be offset by the Grand List. Additional requests for funding include $900,000 for paving and 496,500 for an additional Police officer. The city has also been approached to create a percentage for a housing trust fund. Mr. Hubbard said staff is looking for guidance from the Council as to what to pass along to Department Heads who are preparing budgets. He noted that the Police Department has indicated it will cost $153,000 more to maintain their current level of service. Mr. Dorn indicated they are trying to get into the budget cycle earlier this year as there are some tough issues. He reminded the Council that "budget day" is Saturday, 14 December. 10. Review 16 October Steering Committee Agenda: The Steering Committee will meet at Tuttle Middle School at 6 p.m. Members approved the Agenda. 11. Other Business: A. Items Withheld from the Consent Agenda There were no withheld items. b. Bike Rack: 1. Traffic Lights & Sequencing 2. City Street Lights (adequacy/number) 3. Advertising logos or names on City Property 4. Taser Policy 5. East Terrace Ordinance 6. Policy regarding landscaping City-owned land and Request from Hadley Road 7. Council-approved Minutes Resolution 8. Closure of Market Street Members agreed to add comments regarding the penalty charged for late tax payments to the Bike Rack. Members also agreed to add to the next agenda: the Minutes Resolution, tax penalties, the closure of Market Street, and logos/names on city property. As there was no further business to come before the Council, Ms. Greco moved to adjourn. Ms. Riehle seconded. Motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m. Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.