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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 11/30/2022 SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL 30 NOVEMBER 2022 The South Burlington City Council held a special meeting on Wednesday, 30 November 2022, at 6:30 p.m., in the Auditorium, 180 Market Street, and by Go to Meeting remote participation. MEMBERS PRESENT: H. Riehle, Chair; M. Emery, T. Barritt, Sen. T. Chittenden, M. Cota ALSO PRESENT:J. Baker, City Manager; A. Bolduc, Deputy City Manager; C. McNeil, City Attorney; P. Conner, Director of Planning & Zoning; M. Machar, Finance Officer; I. Blanchard, Community Development Director; J. Murray, Librarian; J. Bellevance, J. Klllacky, J Simson, J. Morrill, P. Engels, L. Bailey, D. Peters, T. Perrin,J. Burton, S. Dopp, E. Quillen, S. Dooley, A. Holland, G. Silverstein, S. Babbitt, D. Leban, E. Goldman, M. More, K. Buckley, N. Simson, V. Bolduc, M. Bailey, M. Simoneau, 0. Pierson, B. Britt, L. Kupferman, B. Milizia, P. Gagne, C. Trombly, P. Tompkins, T. Stratman, J. S. Chalot, T. Brady 1. Instructions on exiting building in case of emergency and review of technology option: Ms. Baker provided instructions on emergency exit from the building and reviewed technology options. 2. Additions, deletions or changes in the order of Agenda items: Ms. Baker asked to add 2 items to the agenda: the Planning Commission's recommendation for the use of ARPA funds (as item 9J) and a Resolution honoring Andrew Bolduc, outgoing Deputy City Manager 3. Comments and questions from the public not related to the agenda: No issues were raised. 4. Announcements and City Manager's Report: Council members reported on meetings and events they had and/or will attend. Ms. Baker: As of midnight, the winter parking ban will be in effect from Midnight to 8 a.m. until 1 April 2023 At the regular City Council meeting on 5 December, the Council will receive budget presentations. There will also be several public hearings. CITY COUNCIL 30 NOVEMBER 2022 PAGE 2 Illuminate Vermont will be held on 16 and 17 December, 4-8 p.m. on Market Street and in City Hall. 5. Resolution recognizing the service of Deputy City Manager Andrew Bolduc: Ms. Riehle read the Resolution. Mr. Barritt noted that Mr. Bolduc filled very big shoes when he became Deputy City Manager. Mr. Barritt moved to approve the Resolution as read. Ms. Emery seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Bolduc said it has been an honor to serve the city. 6. Consider placing a proposed change to the City's Charter on the Town Meeting Day 2023 ballot enabling the regulation of thermal energy systems in existing residential and commercial buildings and setting two Public Hearings for 3 January 2023 at 8:30 p.m. and 17 January 2023 at 8:30 p.m.: Mr. Conner said the language is the same as what the Council previously saw with the exception of where in the City Charter it would be placed. Mr. McNeil said the Council would have to approve the language at this meeting for it to be placed on the March ballot. Sen. Chittenden said that though he agrees with the regulation he is not in favor of doing it now for a number of reasons including the reliability of income sensitivity and the fairness of the carbon tax (which he felt the State could do better), the comparison to the City of Burlington since South Burlington does not have an electric utility or a power plant, and the process of bypassing the City Charter Committee as they have asked for time to see it. Sen. Chittenden said the State is likely to do this at this session. Ms. Emery felt the city could possibly do it more quickly than the State. She also did not understand the comparison to the City of Burlington. Regarding the City Charter Committee, she said this is an issue regarding governance, and it is the Council's job to decide whether to put it before the public. She did not see any reason not to put it on the ballot. Sen. Chittenden said the City of South Burlington does not have the infrastructure to do this right. CITY COUNCIL 30 NOVEMBER 2022 PAGE 3 Mr. Barritt said he did not support passing this tonight. He would support the thermal regulation without the tax as he was concerned with equity and with seeing "an end plan." He did not want the city to have to administer this. He felt that should fall on the State as they regulate utilities. He added that when he sees a plan as to how this will work, he will look at it. He also said the city can make a regulation without a Charter change. Ms. Riehle said this will require a lot of public education, and this could be a start of that. Mr. Cota said he also would not vote in favor. Mr. Silverstein said he was not clear that the public has the wealth of knowledge to make a decision on this. People conclude that Green Mountain Power (GMP) is 68% carbon free, and that is not true. They are part of larger grids. All the electricity in the City Hall building is from larger grids. 40-45% of ISO New England is fossil fuel, and if the city required all electric, 40- 45% would be coming from fossil fuel (natural gas). GMP does not deny this. They only say they "follow state policy." He was concerned that people don't understand this. They also do not understand the cost. Mr. Silverstein said fossil fuels are not going away any time soon, and natural gas is the one who can most quickly ramp up the grid. Mr. Goldman said he did not dispute the grid information but felt it was irrelevant as emissions are still lower that using natural gas. He felt the city needs to do more conversion to electricity than it is doing, and there is need of an enforcement method. He did agree that there are equity issues to sort out. Mr. Chalnick said he would love to see a clean heat standard at this Legislative session. He felt this was something the city could attack as a town that would be a "guard rail" if the Legislature doesn't act. Mr. Engels noted there was no vote at the City Charter Committee following Mr. McNeil's acknowledgement that this would be happening. Mr. Mittag reminded the Council that the target is to switch 360 homes a year from fossil fuel. He felt the Charter change is a way to go in that direction. Ms. Yankowski said electricity is wonderful until it doesn't work. She cited massive outages during the ice storm when people did not have power for 3 days. She said the city needs to wait and learn more. CITY COUNCIL 30 NOVEMBER 2022 PAGE 4 Ms. Emery then moved to place a Charter change on the Town Meeting Day 2023 ballot enabling the regulation of thermal energy systems in existing residential and commercial buildings and to set two public hearings for 3 January 2023 at 8:30 p.m. and 17 January 2023 at 8:30 p.m. Ms. Riehle seconded. The vote on the motion was 2-3 with Messrs. Barritt, Chittenden and Cota voting against. The motion was deemed to have failed. 7. Receive an update from the Vermont League of Cities and Towns on services provided and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) assistance: Ms. Baker explained the city's relationship with VLCT. Mr. Brady explained the nature of VLCT and enumerated the 5 services it provides to Vermont towns: a. Supports municipalities by bringing resources and people together b. Provides knowledge through attorneys, staff, model policies, etc. They have now hired a government finance person to provide free high-level assistance and training. c. Represents communities with a lobbyist in Montpelier who lost year logged 2500 hours. Affordable housing was the #1 issue. d. Provides risk pools for insurance. e. Provides the opportunity for connections between municipalities including an annual "Town Fair." Mr. Brady noted the most recent offering has been an ARPA assistance and coordination program. They were charged by the Legislature to inform municipalities how ARPA dollars can be spent. Ms. Buckley said there were 277 recipients in Vermont who signed up for ARPA funding. She has been tasked to work with communities as to how to use those funds. The State received $1,250,000,000. $200,000,000 of that was earmarked for municipalities. Mr. Brady said the spirit of ARPA is to help communities recover from COVID and to be more resilient going forward. He noted that South Burlington received the second largest allocation in the State. He added that using some of those funds to promote affordable housing was a great use. CITY COUNCIL 30 NOVEMBER 2022 PAGE 5 Ms. Buckley said the entire award can be claimed as "lost revenue." The funds can be spent on the provision of government services. She felt decisions should be "big and bold." She also noted that ARPA money can also be used as a match for other State and Federal grant programs, which is very rare. Mr. Bolduc asked what are the best uses VLCT has seen for these funds. Ms. Buckley said the money for affordable housing which the City of Barre also did. There have been water and wastewater projects in smaller towns as well as Town Hall renovation projects. Ms. Riehle asked about child care. Ms. Buckley said Alburg is using the money for that. She acknowledged this is a major concern state-wide. Mr. Cota asked if there is a way to facilitate towns working together on joint projects. Ms. Buckley said she has heard those conversations and acknowledged that the Regional Planning Commission is the best organization to facilitate that. She stressed that it is critical to channel resources, and it is more financially sustainable if assets can be grouped. Ms. Riehle said South Burlington is looking to do things that have a lasting impact, not just to buy something. 8. Receive an overview of the City's current allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds: Mr. Bolduc said the city has already allocated $2,500,000 for uses that include refunding 3 positions that were frozen during COVID, a grant match with Illuminate Vermont, COVID- deferred Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) projects, and affordable housing. CIP projects in the next budget have been discussed including DPW garage bay expansion, a generator at Fire Station #2, and a second ambulance. This would leave $1,000,000 to allocate. Mr. Cota asked where the money actually is located. Mr. Bolduc said it is in a bank account and is generating interest. Ms. Riehle said it was sobering when she looked at what all the committees asked for. Ms. Baker thanked committee members who have spent time making suggestions. She said all requests will be considered. No decisions will be made at this meeting. CITY COUNCIL 30 NOVEMBER 2022 PAGE 6 9. Receive presentations from City Committees on how best to use ARPA funds for transformational projects to support community resiliency and provide direction to staff: Planning Commission: The Planning Commission made the following suggestions: a. Implementation of the Climate Action Plan b. Acquiring additional open space/conservation areas c. Support for child care Recreation and Parks: Mr. Pierson noted that the condition of facilities is an issue with crumbling infrastructure and long-deferred maintenance. The top 3 public responses related to recreation (including a pool) were: a. A parks master plan ($150,000) b. Deferred maintenance/upgrades c. Red Rocks Park bathhouse facility ($1,500,000 cost) Mr. Pierson said that pieces of these things could be done and still have a lasting impact and help people connect. Mr. Rees noted that the bathhouse was identified as a priority. It didn't make the list for open space funding because of the heavy cost. Ms. Rees also noted the possibility of doing a parks master plan in conjunction with the Bike/Ped Committee. Pubic Art Committee: Members suggested using fund to develop a South Burlington Cultural Plan to get a better understanding of what the city has in the way of artists. Mr. Killacky noted an 18-1 payback from the arts. CITY COUNCIL 30 NOVEMBER 2022 PAGE 7 Sen. Chittenden said he always laments that the city has nothing for 4th of July or New Year's Eve. He felt those were opportunities for local artists to shine. Natural Resources and Conservation Committee: Members opted for a plan to address the city's tree canopy, especially in light of the emerald ash bore issue. They also recommended open space planning and the hiring of a consultant to help with that. Mr. Kupferman noted these are modest requests. Mr. Bolduc said the open space planning might be a questionable use of these funds. Library Board of Trustees: Their#1 request is a Book Van to make the Library more accessible to people who cannot visit the new Library. It would be shared with Parks/Recreation for recreational activities. The van could service city child cares and also older adults. Sen. Chittenden noted that Essex does this. Energy Committee: Mr. Goldman outlined a number of small things recommended by the committee: a. Education of the public regarding heat pumps b. Public education regarding electric lawn mowers c. Electric vehicle infrastructure d. Mass transit (bus stop) e. Micro transit services pilot f. Implementation of the Climate Action Plan Ms. Baker noted that staff time would be needed for some these things. Tax capacity would also have to increase to do some of these things over time. CITY COUNCIL 30 NOVEMBER 2022 PAGE 8 Economic Development Committee: Mr. Burton said investment in child care is key to retaining employees and businesses. The committee encouraged talking with provided regarding issues and finding ways to help them expand. The committee also recommended a revolving loan fund that could help businesses to expand, possibly with a matching fund requirement. Their final recommendation was to help address the challenges with new stormwater guidelines. Ms. Riehle asked about the possibility of childcares located within a business. Mr. Burton said this is not popular because of the liability issues. Sen. Chittenden noted that he will be introducing a bill in the State Senate for a stipend related to child care. Committee for Common Areas for Dogs: Ms. Milizia said this is an important concern for 40% of the city's residents. She noted that the new dog park is now drawing use from people from other towns. She cited the need for repairs at the Farrell St. dog park, particularly fencing, resurfacing and grading. Ms. Milizia noted that when City Center builds out, there could be hundreds of dogs living there, and sanitation will have to be addressed. She noted there is only one reference to dogs in the Comprehensive Plan and that relates to licensing. She also suggested working with the Planning Department as dogs are not being considered in planning. The Committee recommends hiring a consultant to look for 3 more potential dog park sites in the city. Bike/Ped Committee: The committee recommends a 10-foot shared use path between Kennedy Drive and Hinesburg Road. This would involve the O'Brien development and neighborhoods on Hinesburg Rd. They also suggested a green path to connect children from the Prouty Parkway area to the schools. CITY COUNCIL 30 NOVEMBER 2022 PAGE 9 Ms. Gagne noted that having ARPA funds available can help them access grant monies. Sen. Chittenden asked why they are asking for a 10-foot path instead of the usual 5-foot. Ms. Gagne said there is the standard, and it is also a high stress area. Affordable Housing Committee: Mr. Trombly said that a lot of existing information is out of date, and they are looking to refresh demographic data for the city. They also propose an RFP to support a child care grant and small grants to kick-start accessory units as short-term rentals. Sen. Chittenden asked how they would guard against using the money to start airbnbs. Mr. Trombly said Montpelier has had some success with this, and the committee would use that model. Ms. Freeman asked where the allocated $1,000,000 for child care is going. She felt the decision should be for the majority of the community and did not favor giving it to Let's Grow Kids as she felt they have enough money. Ms. Riehle said this was a major issue for the public. There has been no decision as to how it will be addressed. Ms. Dooley noted that she volunteers at a child care to read to the children. She expressed her willingness to serve on a committee to address this issue. She also noted that it came out first as a concern in the community survey. Ms. Riehle stressed that a key piece in all of this is the capacity of the city to manage what is decided upon as an investment for the city. Sen. Chittenden suggested the possibility of a matrix that Council members could score. He noted there could be lot of overlap to get the biggest advantage. Ms. Baker said staff could provide a matrix by the end of December. Ms. Riehle asked Council members to email her their top choices. Ms. Baker noted she had been in contact with Let's Grow Kids regarding shoring up existing providers and capacity building. Ms. Emery said she would want to look at the quality of child care. CITY COUNCIL 30 NOVEMBER 2022 PAGE 10 10. Other Business: No other business was presented. As there was no further business to come before the Council, the meeting was adjourned by common consent at 9:53 p.m. 7;:c'74 Clerk