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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 02/09/2015 CITY COUNCIL 9 FEBRUARY 2015 The South Burlington City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, 9 February 2015, at 6:30 p.m., in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset Street. MEMBERS PRESENT: P. Nowak, Chair; H. Riehle, C. Shaw, M. Emery, J. Simson (by phone) ALSO PRESENT: K. Dorn, City Manager; T. Hubbard, Deputy City Manager; D. Kinville, City Clerk; I. Blanchard, Project Manager; P. Conner, Director of Planning & Zoning; J. Rabidoux , D. Parot and other members of the Public Works Department; J. Ladd, HR; J. Louisos, Planning Commission; T. Chittenden Executive Session: Ms. Nowak advised that Councilor Simson would be participating in the executive session by telephone for appointments in Areas 1, 2, and 3, but he would recuse himself for the “at large” appointment as he is a candidate for that position. Mr. Shaw moved that the Council meet in executive session to consider appointments to Boards, Commissions and Committees and that the City Manager and Deputy City Manager attend the executive session along with Councilor Simson by phone. Ms. Emery seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Regular Session: 1. Agenda Review: Additions, deletions or changes in order of agenda items: Members agreed to move Agenda item #6 up to follow item #3. 2. Comments & Questions from the public not related to the agenda: There were no issues raised. 3. Announcements and City Manager’s Report: Council members reported on meetings and events they had attended. Mr. Dorn: Joined Ms. Nowak and Mr. Hubbard for the budget presentation on Channel 17. Discussions on shared services are continuing with other City/Town Managers. The lease agreement for the upper floor of the Police Station has been signed by the Veterans’ Administration. Mr. Dorn cited the enormous work done on this by Ilona Blanchard. Mr. Conner, Ms. Blanchard, and Mr. Hubbard are working on a TIF policy which will come to the Council for approval. 4. Make Appointments to South Burlington Boards, Commissions, and Committees: Ms. Riehle moved to appoint Patty Tashiro to the Energy Committee. Mr. Shaw seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Ms. Emery moved to make the following appointments to the Chamberlin/Airport Study Committee: Area 1: Waldon Rooney and Greg Severence Area 2: Linda Brakel, Marc Companion, Lisa LaRock Area 3: Carmen Sargent, George Maille, Kim Robison Mr. Simson seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Following this vote, Mr. Simson no longer participated in the meeting. Ms. Emery moved to appoint John Simson and Patrick Clemins to the Chamberlin/Airport Study Committee as representatives from the Greater South Burlington Area. Ms. Riehle seconded. Motion passed 4-0. 5. Retirement Resolution recognizing Daniel Parot for 25 years of service in the Public Works Department: Ms. Nowak read the Resolution. Mr. Rabidoux cited Mr. Parot as a mentor, leader and skilled employee, 100% available to the city at all times. He has been lead person on construction jobs and has mentored people to soften the blow of losing his skills. He leaves the city a better place than when he arrived. 6. Consent Agenda: a. Sign Disbursement b. Approve Minutes for 12 January and 20 January Council meetings Ms. Emery moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Mr. Shaw seconded. Motion passed 4-0. 7. Consider and possibly approve Resolution setting towing and storage fees under the Motor Vehicle and Traffic Regulation Ordinance and the Fire Lane Ordinance: Mr. Dorn noted that members of the public had spoken with the Council regarding the ambiguity of a flyer regarding vehicle towing during winter months and fees they had to pay when their cars were towed. That flyer has now been replaced. Staff felt that the two people who came to the Council were understandably confused by the old flyers, and they will be reimbursed for the towing fees they paid. The new Resolution sets the maximum towing fee at $90. Chief Whipple will insure that towers can’t charge more or they will not get the city’s business. Chief Whipple has said there are companies willing to tow for that amount. Ms. Riehle moved to approve setting the maximum towing fee under the Motor Vehicle and Traffic Regulation Ordinance and the Fire Lane Ordinance at $90.00 and the maximum storage fee at $40.00 per day. Ms. Emery seconded. Motion passed 4-0. 8. Discuss and possibly approve Resolution establishing Ad Hoc Public Art Selection Committee: Ms. Blanchard said the city is coming to a time to start selecting public art, and the aim is to have a fair selection process. The proposed policy is based on policies from around the country and sets out the committee’s purpose. The recommendation is to give the Vermont Council on the Arts a seat on the committee, if they choose to participate. The policy is only for City Center. Public art could run to 2% of a project’s cost or a maximum of $50,000, excluding maintenance. Public Art could be interior or exterior permanent art. Ms. Nowak asked about staffing. Mr. Dorn acknowledged it would be “a stretch,” but it is folded into the rest of City Center work. Ms. Nowak said her concern was the economic impact. Mr. Shaw felt it makes sense to have attractive projects for City Center, and the investment pays for itself. He cited the art work at Healthy Living as a good example of public art. Following a brief discussion, Ms. Riehle moved to approve the Resolution (with spelling and grammatical corrections) establishing an Ad Hoc Public Art Selection Committee. Ms. Emery seconded. Motion passed 4-0. 9. Review and discuss Tax Increment financing district finance plan: Ms. Blanchard reviewed the background. She noted the time in which the city can borrow has changed from five to ten years, which means the city can incur debt through March, 2022. Ms. Blanchard said no projects have been added to the plan. There have, however, been changes to costs as there are now better cost estimates for such things as sewer lines, water, etc.). Two percent has been added for inflation until the year the project is built. The total cost for all projects is $98,000,000. $56,000,000 of this would be from TIF funds. There are also potential state grants and other sources of financing. Ms. Nowak asked if the city goes ahead and focuses on public use of space, would this be a way to be more “complacent” with getting other uses (i.e., commercial, residential) in place. Ms. Blanchard said that because there is more time, both public and private sectors will have more time to plan, and the public doesn’t have to precede the private sector. Mr. Dorn said there is a lot of projecting involved. They are trying to look at the absorption rate, the buildout rate, and what the investment would be. He stressed the need for some faith in the project as this is not an exact science. He also stressed that there is nothing built there now. Ms. Blanchard also noted they have added the Saxon Partners piece and have amended building height to 3-6 stories instead of just 3 stories. Ms. Nowak cited the need to take a leap of faith but also to be cautious as there is still tax money at stake if there isn’t enough development to provide that money. Ms. Nowak asked if the plan still works without the school property. Ms. Blanchard said it does. She added that the plan provides a path, but the city doesn’t necessarily have to go down that path. She also noted that the city is working with a financial planner who specializes in TIF districts. Mr. Hubbard added that the funding for the financial planner is in the FY16 budget as a replacement for a former city employee position. Ms. Blanchard said the next step is to have the plan adopted at the 17 February meeting. Ms. Nowak reminded members and the public that because the city does not own the land, private development will determine how much public development there can be 10. Review and discuss Potential City Center Public Project List Financeable through TIF Revenues: Ms. Blanchard reminded the Council that they do not have to select all of the projects. Staff will have a recommendation as to what to bring to the public in June. Ms. Blanchard asked the Council what they need from staff in order to make that decision. Mr. Shaw asked the outlay for Market Street and Dumont Park. Ms. Blanchard said $2-3,000,000 for Market Street and the same for Dumont Park. She noted that the remainder of the design could be funded by an anticipation note, thereby holding the other funds for other projects. Mr. Shaw asked about the potential Library. Ms. Blanchard said having that on the ballot would allow the city to fund design costs. Ms. Nowak asked about having the Library, City Hall and Recreation Center in one building. Ms. Blanchard said that could save from $500,000 to $2,000,000. Mr. Dorn noted that due to work being done by the City/Schools Task Force, it may be possible to use the elementary schools for community centers. Ms. Riehle noted the need to consider ongoing cots (staffing, roads to plow and patrol, etc.). She noted the theory is that the tax base from the development supports that. Mr. Dorn added there may also be some fee base for that. He stressed there are ways to offset those costs. Members questioned how often to go to the voters as people get tired of it. Ms. Blanchard explained what other communities do, and that the message has to be the benefit to the community (she cited the current work in Burlington on the old Moran Plant). Ms. Nowak noted the success of one project can help the passage of the next project. 11. Update and discussion of South Burlington Planning Commission Projects: Ms. Louisos said the Commission has begun work on the Comprehensive Plan in earnest. There was an inspiring discussion regarding demographics, and the Commission will be discussing how to revise goals based on this. There are also recommendations from various committees. The Commission is trying to narrow the strategies. Work is also continuing on the Official City Map. The Land Development Regulations are close – there has been a lot of public input and concerns from landholders and stakeholders. Ms. Louisos stressed that there are so many pieces that need to be right. The hope is for public hearings in May and to bring something to the Council in early summer. Work on the future land use map is continuing. They are working with landowners as to what they might want to do with their properties. Ms. Louisos noted the Commission got a grant to work on a master planning/PUD process. Mr. Conner cited a discussion of the Hill property where current zoning may not be the best next to the residential area. Ms. Nowak asked what the Sustainable Agriculture Committee is doing. Ms. Louisos said they are now asking landowners if they would lease land for growing things. Ms. Nowak expressed concern that communication from that Committee is vetted by the Planning Commission before it goes out. She cited a misunderstanding that arose on the part of the UVM/Medical Center with regard to sewage capacity. 12. Other Business: A. Items Held from Consent Agenda No items were held. Ms. Nowak noted the Firefighters Dinner will be held on 19 February. Tickets are available. As there was no further business to come before the Council, Mr. Shaw moved to adjourn. Ms. Riehle seconded. Motion passed 4-0. The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m. Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works. CITY COUNCIL               12 JANUARY 2015    The South Burlington City Council held a special meeting on Monday, 12 January 2015, at 6:30 p.m., in  the Main Conference Room of City Hall, 575 Dorset Street    Members Present: P. Nowak, Chair; H. Riehle, C. Shaw, M. Emery, J. Simson    Also Present: K. Dorn, City Manager; T. Hubbard, Deputy City Manager; T. Whipple, Chief of Police, D.  Brent, Fire Chief, T. Chittenden, R. Nowak, J. Kearns, C. Burdick    1. Agenda Review:    No changes were made to the Agenda.    2. Comments & Questions from the Public not related to the Agenda:    There were no comments offered by members of the public.    3. Approve Minutes from December 15, 2014 Council Meeting    Ms. Riehle moved to amend the minutes with language provided by Ms. Emery.  Mr. Simson seconded  the motion.  The motion passed unanimously.  Ms. Riehle moved to approve the minutes as amended.   Mr. Shaw seconded the motion.  The motion passed unanimously.    4. Continued Discussion and Approval of FY 2016 Budget to be presented to the voters on  March 3, 2015.    Chief Whipple briefed the Council on the schedule for vehicle replacement and how cars move on the list.   The list changes based upon the evolving condition of the vehicles.      Mr. Shaw expressed concern about Police Department staffing levels.  Chief Whipple noted he is two  officers short of staffing a “team approach.”  Chief Whipple described that he is not working at full  complement today and is never at full staffing due to officers joining and/or leaving the force.    Mr. Shaw asked Chief Whipple if his priority would be to add an officer or to purchase a new vehicle.   Chief Whipple preferred an additional officer.      Ms. Nowak asked for more information on the proposed PD computer upgrade.  Mr. Hubbard noted  $50,000 was in the ’16 budget, $20,000 was coming from drug forfeiture money.  The project needs to  be added to the CIP under advice from City technology consultants and be looked at for replacement on a  5 year basis.    The Council discussed the value of adding approximately 1/3 of a cent to support hiring an additional  officer.  Chief Whipple noted that one additional officer would increase the PD staffing level to the  highest it has ever been.    Ms. Nowak asked Chief Brent how much it would cost to add an additional fireman.  Chief Brent  answered about $80,000.  Chief Brent noted that before he would suggest adding an additional fireman  the City should really do the work necessary to create a plan to cover all needed public services as the  community grows, to create a type of “personnel CIP”.  Chief Brent said that he could provide a high  level of service for another year with his existing staff until such a plan can be created.  Ms. Nowak  noted that our existing staffing levels in Public Safety are adequate at this time to ensure the community  is well protected.  CITY COUNCIL  12 JANUARY 2015  PAGE 2      Mr. Dorn noted the work he and others in City government are engaged in to look at shared services with  other communities that may lead to a more efficient delivery of services.      Ms. Emory asked Chief Whipple if adding another officer would help in retention.  Chief Whipple said the  added flexibility would help to some extent as it would reduce the number of “order‐ins”.      Mr. Simson asked if any modeling had been done to plan for future public safety needs expressing  confidence that such models must exist.  Mr. Dorn agreed that such planning needed to be done and  could occur as planning continues with other communities around shared services.    Mr. Shaw moved to adopt the FY 2016 budget as presented and add adequate funding to hire one  additional police officer.  Ms. Riehle seconded the motion.  The motion passed unanimously.    The Council endorsed the continued discussion with neighboring communities regarding shared services.    5. Update on status of the City of Burlington appeal of the assessed value of Burlington  International Airport.    Mr. Dorn briefed the Council on the ongoing efforts to reach a negotiated settlement with the City of  Burlington regarding the assessed value of Burlington International Airport properties.    6. Other Business.    The Council discussed various future agenda items of interest.  Mr. Shaw and Ms. Nowak expressed an  interest in receiving an update from the Planning Commission regarding the status of their projects.  Mr.  Shaw expressed an interest in learning more about a recent letter sent to landowners by the Sustainable  Agriculture Subcommittee of the Planning Commission regarding land conservation.      Mr. Simson made note of his interest in serving on the Chamberlin/BTV planning project after he leaves  the Council.      Mr. Simson discussed the need to present information to the voters regarding the establishment of a  Housing Trust Fund and provisions in the FY 2016 budget to fund the Trust.  Ms. Riehle agreed to author  a “Councilor’s Corner” article in the Other Paper discussing the Housing Trust initiative.    As there was no further business to come before the City Council, Ms. Emery moved to adjourn.  Ms.  Riehle seconded and the motion passed unanimously.  The meeting was adjourned at 8:35 p.m.        _______________________________________  Clerk     CITY COUNCIL 20 JANUARY 2015 The South Burlington City Council held a regular meeting on Tuesday, 20 January 2015, at 6:30 p.m., in the Conference Room of the Police Station, Gregory Drive. Members Present: P. Nowak, Chair; H. Riehle, C. Shaw, M. Emery, J. Simson Also Present: K. Dorn, City Manager; T. Hubbard, Deputy City Manager; I. Blanchard, Project Manager; J. Rabidoux, Director of Public Works; J. Ladd, Human Resources; P. Taylor, L. Brakel, P. Clemins, P.Blizzard, L. Michaels, R. Greco, M. Burke, T. Chittenden, D. Crawford, A. Davis, K. Robinson, P. Tashiro, T. Harrington 1. Agenda Review: No changes were made to the Agenda. 2. Comments & Questions from the Public not related to the Agenda: Ms. Greco directed attention to articles in Seven Days regarding energy efficiency in new construction. She felt that City Center could be constructed at “net zero.” 3. Announcements and City Manager’s Report: Mr. Dorn: Reminded members of the Steering Committee meeting tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. The City/School Master Planning Task Force will be providing a report at that meeting. Mediation with the City of Burlington regarding the property tax appeal has ended. The next step will be to go to court, probably in late spring or early summer. City Councilors reported on meeting and events they had attended. 4. Consent Agenda: A. Sign Disbursements B. Approve Minutes for 5 January and 10 January 2015 C. Entertainment permit - Magic Hat - 26/15 D. FY16 CCRPC Planning Work Program Request Ms. Riehle moved to approve the Consent Agenda. Mr. Shaw seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 5. Presentation on Pension Plan: Mr. Blizzard and Mr. Burke updated the Council on the performance of the city’s pension plan investments. They noted recent investor anxiety due in part to the decline in oil prices. Mr. Blizzard noted a 45% rise in oil production in the U.S. and Mexico which has had an impact as well. Mr. Burke stressed the need to be sure “we’re playing defense” and getting set up for increasing interest rates in coming years. He also stressed that they do investing with a long term vision and with diversification in mind. Mr. Burke then reviewed the total plan performance and noted it is outperforming the index. Mr. Blizzard added that this includes fees for SEI’s services. He said that despite the volatility in December, the city’s portfolio has held up well. They do not recommend any radical changes. CITY COUNCIL 20 JANUARY 2015 PAGE2 Mr. Blizzard then reviewed SEI’s background and philosophy and how they approach investing. He again stressed the long-term vision. Mr. Simson asked if all Pension Committee members are getting adequate information and have any questions answered. Ms. Ladd said she is amazed at the education they have gotten on the Committee. Ms. Nowak asked if there are any “missing pieces” or anything on the horizon that the city should be aware of. Mr. Blizzard reported that: 1. Inflation expectations have been reduced substantially, and there is a question now of the role of inflation protection 2. The role of alternatives – Mr. Blizzard said they can provide/offer alternatives (e.g. real estate) 3. A dynamic asset allocation fund which moves assets more efficiently. Mr. Blizzard said they can continue to discuss these and provide information on any recommendations in advance of any proposal. 6. Report from Correction Center Liaison Adrianne Carr and Superintendent Edward Adams: Ms. Nowak said she received an e-mail from Ms. Carr who mentioned the need for books. At a recent Library Board of Trustees meeting, the Librarian and Board said they are willing to participate in an even greater capacity. Ms. Carr said she toured the women’s facility and appreciates what Superintendent Adams is doing for the women there in the way of programming and support. She was impressed with the fact that the population is being kept within the numbers agreed upon. This is so much better than when there were too many “bodies” in a small space. She felt the city can be proud of the fact that there is a real working arrangement with the facility. Supt. Adams said the culture in a women’s facility is much different than in a male facility. He also said the best work being done in such facilities is being done in South Burlington. There are full-time substance abuse counselors and education leading to job potential (e.g. computer education). Ms. Nowak asked Ms. Carr how she felt she could best handle her role with the facility. Ms. Carr said she wants to continue to learn. She also stressed the need for community mentors for the women. Supt. Adams added that having “successful” women come in to speak is very important as there have not been a lot of positive role models in the lives of women in the facility. He also invited Council members to tour the facility. Supt. Adams noted that one of his dreams is to have affordable transitional housing for women leaving the facility. He said that women tend to have fewer resources than males (e.g., first month housing, family support) and tend to have more failures before they succeed. Males have more economic power (e.g. construction jobs) when they come out, and women have a different skill set. Ms. Carr added there are also job restrictions in areas such as health care because of prior drug issues. CITY COUNCIL 20 JANUARY 2015 PAGE 3 7. City Center Update: Ms. Blanchard updated the Council on City Center progress and issues. She noted they have a fairly aggressive calendar and are looking at the first opportunity to go to the voters to borrow funds for a public infrastructure project (Market Street). That project is well into engineering and will then go to bid for construction. The city will have to get approval from the Economic Council for the financing plan. The intent is to submit this to the Council by the end of January and to hold a public hearing on 17 February. The public vote would be on 9 June. Ms. Nowak noted the week of 17 February is very difficult with many public events. Mr. Shaw asked what language the public would be voting on. Ms. Blanchard said the maximum possible amount (a figure which is not yet definite). She added that with the new regulations, she wasn’t sure of the exact language. She said it would be a general obligation bond which means that if the TIF doesn’t perform, there would be a public obligation to pay for it. Ms. Blanchard also noted that there will be a public meeting on Thursday, 7 p.m. at City Hall regarding planning for Dumont Park. Mr. Dorn noted there is also the possibility of a school question on the June ballot. 8. Interviews for Appointments to South Burlington Boards, Committees and Commissions: The Council interviewed the following applicants for the Chamberlin/Airport Study Committee. Linda Brakel Area 2 Patrick Clemins Greater South Burlington area member David Crawford Adam Davis Area 2 Kim Robison Area 3 Patricia Tashiro Energy Committee Jon Simson Greater South Burlington area member Ms. Nowak explained that the Council will meet in executive session to decide upon the Committee’s membership. 9. Acceptance of Corporate Way (nka Market Street): Ms. Shaw moved to accept Corporate Way, presently known as Market Street, as described in the Warranty Deed from South Burlington Realty Corporation dated February 4, 1982 and recorded November 3, 2004 in Volume 687, page 143 of the South Burlington Land Records. Ms. Emery seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 10. December Financials: Mr. Hubbard reported that half way through the fiscal year expenditures are at 52% of the budget and revenues are at 61%. CITY COUNCIL 20 JANUARY 2015 PAGE 4 The city anticipates getting the second of three local option tax payments in mid-February and the third in May. Planning & Zoning and Fire inspections are still above projections. Ambulance billing is keeping pace, but the city may have to decide to write off some of the liabilities there. Highway revenues are high, but are offset by expenses. Most expenditures are on target including fleet replacement, paving, and recreation/parks. Overtime for Police and Fire are being monitored. Enterprise accounts are all within anticipated levels for both expenditures and revenues. 11. Approve and Sign Warning for 2015 Annual City Meeting: Mr. Hubbard noted that today was the deadline for any petitions to go on the March ballot. There were none received. The budget figure shown on the Warning represents all expenses. Of that amount, $13,272 is to be raised from taxes. Mr. Dorn said there will be an explanatory advertisement in The Other Paper. Mr. Hubbard added that on 3 February, there will be presentation of the budget on Channel 17, and there will be a pre-town meeting on Monday, 2 March. Ms. Riehle moved to approve the Warning for the 2015 Annual City Meeting as presented. Ms. Emery seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 12. Other Business: A. Items held from Consent Agenda There were no items held from the Consent Agenda. 13. Executive Session: Due to the length of this meeting, members agreed not to hold the executive session but to reschedule it for 6:30 p.m. prior to the 2 February Council Meeting. 14. Make Appointments to Boards, Committees and Commissions: The Council agreed to announce the appointments to the Chamberlin/Airport Committee at the 2 February meeting. As there was no further business to come before the City Council, Mr. Simson moved to adjourn. Mr. Shaw seconded. Motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 9:22 p.m. _______________________________________ Clerk RESOLUTION BE IT RESOLVED, by the South Burlington City Council that in accordance with Section 37 of the Motor Vehicle and Traffic Regulation Ordinance and Section 8 of the Fire Lane Ordinance, the City Council hereby resolves to establish the following fees for violation of the referenced ordinances: Maximum towing fee $90.00 (including mileage) Maximum storage per day fee $40.00 Approved this 9nd day of February 2015. ______________________ Pat Nowak, Chair _______________________ Meaghan Emery, Clerk ________________________ John Simson ________________________ Helen Riehle _________________________ Chris Shaw 575 Dorset Street South Burlington, VT 05403 tel 802.846.4107 fax 802.846.4101 www.sburl.com TO: Kevin Dorn, City Manager FROM: Ilona Blanchard, Project Director SUBJECT: City Center Public Improvement Projects DATE: February 2, 2015 BACKGROUND: Eleven projects were approved in the TIF District Plan. The timeline for these projects has been revised in the proposed Financing Plan to reflect better information, a more flexible timeline during which the City may issue debt, and discussions with property owners and potential developers. This spring, the City Council will need to determine which projects to put before the voters to request debt authorization. Several of these projects would rely on debt funding for design work in the proposed FY2016 budget: City Center Park/Dumont Park and Public Facilities (Library, Recreation Center, City Hall). Alternate sources could be used to fund design, but these would then not be available for other uses such as recreation or servicing future debt related to the City’s share of City Center projects. MARKET STREET Market Street is 100% eligible for TIF District Financing. 5.48 million dollars has been secured as a Federal earmark. The City has also dedicated nearly half a million dollars of existing Roadway Improvement Impact Fee funds to this project and is working towards breaking ground in 2016. There will likely be sufficient increment by 2017 to fund the remaining cost of development of Market Street. GARDEN STREET This project includes Garden Street from Dorset to Williston Road via Midas Drive and the Williston Road intersection improvements as required by the Federal Environmental Assessment to support the development of City Center. The City is using $793,000 in existing Roadway Improvement Impact Fee funds to make this project shovel ready for 2016. The City has not yet accepted a design concept for this project. CITY CENTER/DUMONT PARK This project is 95% eligible for TIF District Financing. The City has contracted with consultants to spend approximately $350,000 on design and engineering for the park. $178,000 will be funded using Recreation Impact Fees with the intention to use TIF District funding (debt) for the remainder. The City does not yet have an accepted concept for this park and the cost may vary considerably depending upon the final concept. In addition, this project may be built in phases to coincide with development improvements. COMMUNITY CENTER (LIBRARY, CITY HALL, RECREATION CENTER) The City Center Public Facilities are recommended to be built as one community center by the City’s Public Facilities Task Force. If built separately, this will add approximately .5 million per facility to the cost. A Recreation Center is 30% is eligible for TIF District financing, a Library is 30% is eligible for TIF District Financing, and a City Hall is 10% is eligible for TIF District Financing. The CIP Reserve fund is currently proposed as one of the tools used to service debt related to City costs. This year’s proposed budget contributes an additional 1.25 cents on the Grand List, and next year’s CIP proposes an additional 1.25 cent on the Grand List to be added so that baseline of approximately $1,000,000 is annually budgeted to be transferred to the CIP reserve fund. Thereafter, the annual contribution would be increased by the year over year reduction in annual bond payments. Approximately 22% of the cost of these facilities, if sized to accommodate growth in the City, are estimated to be eligible to be paid for by funds collected through a recreation or public facility impact fee. Note this has not been verified by a study. The City Council has directed the City Manager to begin work on updating the impact fee ordinance to include a public facility impact fee and modify the existing Recreation Impact Fee. The Library Trustees have begun discussions on the establishment of a capital campaign to raise funds for a Library. A goal has been tentatively mentioned of 33% of total costs for a capital campaign but not officially endorsed by any public body. The CIP Reserve Fund, impact fee update, and capital campaigns for public facilities combined would be used to pay the City share of the costs for these improvements. Recently, the State revised bond terms. This would allow the City to amortize the cost of construction over the life of a facility, 30 years, as opposed to 20, and reduce annual costs to taxpayers. In today’s low interest environment, that is an attractive option, although if interest rates rise significantly it will become less so. A site has not been selected for this (these) project(s) although the City has held productive conversations regarding site location. CENTRAL URBAN PARK The Central Urban Park is 100% eligible for TIF District Financing and the City anticipates using increment for 100% of the costs. Similarly to the City Center Park (the natural area park) this project has not yet been designed. A site has not been selected for this project although also for this project the City has held productive conversations regarding site location. PUBLIC PARKING Public parking is 100% eligible for TIF District Financing and the City anticipates using increment for 100% of the costs. In the Financing Plan, the number of public parking spaces for a structured parking has been increased from 350 spaces to 450 spaces. As public parking is unlikely to have sufficient demand independent of a high density development with public or quasi-public space attached or adjacent, this project in the Financing Plan has been split into various phases to show that it is likely to be built as several condominiums in private sector projects. STORMWATER TREATMENT AND WETLAND MITIGATION/STREAM RESTORATION Similarly to Public Parking, the need for Stormwater Treatment and Wetland Mitigation will be tied to development, and most likely to occur close to the time of development. This has been split into three phases to recognize that there are three drainage sheds within the TIF District. This project is 100% eligible for TIF District Financing and the City anticipates using increment for 100% of the costs. The City has also secured land for mitigation. WILLISTON ROAD STREETSCAPE The Williston Road Streetscape is 50% eligible for TIF District Financing. The City is working with CCRP on a Williston Road Network Analysis (Phase 1) to understand would be needed in order to achieve a more sustainable transportation system. Once public outreach is completed for this analysis (Phase 2), the City will begin this project. In order to fund this project, the City has programmed in the City’s Capital Improvement Program to use debt serviced by the CIP Reserve Fund and revenues gained by updating the Impact Fee Ordinance. The City’s ordinance was written in a time when roadways, sidewalks, and recreation trails worked independently of each other. An ordinance update will provide the City with the flexibility to add needed multi-modal system capacity to Williston Road related to growth. For a portion of this project, the City can look to our partners at the regional and state level. There are multiple grant programs administered by CCRPC or VTrans using a mix of federal and state funds for which different pieces of this project may be eligible. PEDESTRIAN – BICYCLE BRIDGE OVER INTERSTATE 89 This project is 30% eligible for TIF District Financing and the City would expect to use TIF District increment to cover 30% of the costs. The City has been meeting regularly with our Congressional Delegation regarding City Center and has focused on this project. We continue to reach out to our partners at the State. Potential sources for funding include CMAQ funds, the Surface Transportation Program, and the National Highway Performance Program. These are all federally funded guaranteed allocations apportioned by the State. Burlington and St. Albans have had success in applying for TIGER grants, a very competitive discretionary funding source which replaces the TCSP and other programs. While no grant source is guaranteed, all large regional transportation infrastructure projects require dedicated focus on the part of the locality (South Burlington) to cultivate and work with partners in order to prioritize and secure funds. This project strengthens our region’s multi-modal system by providing connectivity between major residential and employment hubs making it a viable candidate for these programs. ATTACHMENTS: • The TIF District Plan is available on www.sburl.com from the TIF/City Center portion of the website. RECOMMENDATION: Listen to the presentation and ask questions. ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATION: The State requires that if the City is to incur debt financed by the TIF District, South Burlington will need to do so prior to March of 2017, and will only have five subsequent years during which to use this financing tool. The City may only ask voters to vote on the same proposal to use TIF District financing twice in a calendar year.