Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 03/05/2018 PRE-TOWN MEETING 5 MARCH 2018 The South Burlington City Council and South Burlington School Board held a pre-Town Meeting public informational hearing on Monday, 5 March 2018, at 7:00 p.m. in the Frederick Tuttle Middle School, 500 Dorset Street. MEMBERS PRESENT: City Council: H. Riehle, Chair; T. Chittenden, M. Emery, T. Barritt; School Board: E. Fitzgerald, Chair; M. Lalonde, B. Burkhardt, A. McHenry ALSO PRESENT: K. Dorn, City Manager; T. Hubbard, Deputy City Manager; D. Young, Superintendent of Schools, J. Aubin, School District; D. Kinville, City Clerk; A. Bolduc, City Attorney; P. Conner, Director of Planning & Zoning; J. Rabidoux, Public Works Director; I. Blanchard, Project Manager; Chief T. Whipple, Police Department; Chief D. Brent, Fire Department; S. Dory, C. Ingalls, City Manager’s Office; C. Holm, Public Information Officer; J. Murray, Librarian; Rep. A. Pugh, M. Kuperman, J. Kochman, T. Riehle, S. Dopp, other members of the public 1. Presentation of proposed School budget for FY 2018-2019: Supt. Young reviewed the components of the School budget as follows: a. Proposed expenditures – an increase of .85% b. Estimated revenues - negligible change c. Yield set by Vermont AOE – a decrease of 3.13% d. Equalized pupils – an increase of 3.97% (the Superintendent explained the difference between equalized and seated students e. Common level of appraisal – negligible change Supt. Young noted that unlike the rest of the state, the number of equalized pupils has increased 5.5% in recent years. He also noted that net spending per equalized pupil will decrease by 2.75% in the coming year, from $15,401 to $14,977. New budget items for FY 19 include: a. 2 contingent teachers ($160,000) b. Board Certified Behavioral Analyst ($60,000) c. Pavement repair at High School and Middle School ($50,000) d. Other Personnel and Facilities expenses ($122,500) Supt. Young explained that the district will be going for a $950,000, 20-year bond to address such needs as restrooms, storage and a team room at Munson Field, Library reconfiguration at the High School, fire alarm upgrades, key/exterior door upgrades. The Superintendent also explained that a bond is the best way to spread out the cost over a long period of time and to achieve “intergenerational equity.” Notable budget items include the following: a. A decrease of $561,405 due to the new health plan b. A decrease of $20,000 in electrical expenses due to the solar array at the landfill c. Funding for security ($258,000) d. Library repurposing ($150,000) e. There will be no new money going into the capital reserve fund. The balance will remain at $300,000. In the future, the hope is to build on this amount. The estimate is for 190 tuition students (this number could be more), 175 at the High School and 15 at the Middle School. Supt. Young said the proposed budget will result in a yearly increase of $71.00 for the average condo and $104 for the average single-family home. Anyone below the $147,000 income level will be entitled to income sensitivity. The Superintendent added that the hope is that any changes made by the Legislature will result in lowering the proposed tax rate increase. Supt. Young then reviewed some student outcomes including: a. The top-ranked Vermont school (by U.S. News and World Report) b. Ranked #1 Best Public High School in Vermont (by Niche.com) c. About 79% of High School graduates continue their education d. There is 80% co-curricular participation e. The graduation rate for 2015-16 was 93.36%. f. Standardized test scores are among the highest in the state. A member of the public asked what taxpayers are now paying on bonds. Mr. Aubin said there are 2 very small bonds. A resident asked about future use of bonds. Supt. Young reminded the public that they are running 60-year old buildings, and have trouble keeping up with the needs. Some buildings have 50-year old windows. He added that the hope is to get to a point where the State would help maintain buildings. 2. Presentation of Proposed City budget for FY2018-2019: Ms. Riehle reviewed the budgeting process noting that the Council had asked for a 3% increase cap. The budget presented to the Council was at 3.44%. The Council then heard from departments as to the restraints the 3.44% budget would impose on them. The Council then identified several critical items to add including additional funds for paving, striping of bike lanes, winter fire coats, and some reserves. This increased the percentage to 3.84%. Ms. Riehle also noted that the Grand List grew only ¾ of a percent in the past year, and that increase was “gobbled up” by a 12% increase in health insurance, a pension increase, and the potential from 3 union negotiations this year. Mr. Hubbard then reviewed the budget as follows: Total General Fund Expenditures..... $23,686,098 General Fund Revenues ....................... 8,413,924 General Fund Tax Levy ....................... 15,272,174 Proposed Tax Rate Increase ....................... 3.84% The total Grand List value is $29,736,718. Major considerations for this budget included: City Council guidance Maintaining the current level of services Meeting contractual obligations Supporting the Capital Improvement Plan Supporting annual assessments and “other entities” (e.g., County Court) Key components of the budget increase include: Grand List growth of ¾% Significant requests/projects in the CIP Pension contribution increase ($290,000) Health insurance increase of 12% ($218,000) Projected agreements with 3 bargaining units Reduction in revenue items Projects that were not funded included: Some projects in the CIP Stabilization fund (should be at $1,700,000 but is now at $1,300,000) Full recommended funding for the stewardship plan No new staff positions One Police cruiser and fit-up In addition, Public Works fleet replacement was reduced by $105,000, Social Services was cut by $25,000, the designated reserve fund was reduced by $100,000, the City Center reserve fund was reduced by $110,000, and the projections for fire inspection revenues were reduced. The proposed budget will result in an increase for the average condo of $43.96 for the year and for the average single-family home an increase of $63.86. In addition, the total increase for water, sewer and stormwater will be $16.77 for the year. Mr. Dorn then asked the Public Works Director to explain one of the ballot items. Mr. Rabidoux noted that the city has been paying the City of Burlington for sewer service for about 100 South Burlington homes. Burlington’s sewer rate recently increased substantially, and the cost this year would have been $240,000. The proposed bond will allow the city to reroute the sewage from those 100 homes to the Bartlett Bay Treatment Plant. The cost will be shared by all sewer rate payers at approximately $60,000 a year less than currently being paid to the City of Burlington. Mr. Dorn then asked the Police and Fire Chiefs to explain the second ballot item. Chief Whipple explained that Article 4 will allow the City Council to consider joining a Union Municipal district for emergency dispatch. Currently, South Burlington has just one dispatcher on duty at a time. With consolidation, there could be multiple dispatchers in a room to handle multiple calls and to better serve in case of a catastrophic situation. There will also be the potential for personal advancement for the dispatchers which they currently do not have. Chief Brent added that time is the critical factor. He noted that the same technology is being used by E-911 today as was used in 1993. A unified district 911 center could reduce response time by 71 seconds, about 25% off the current response time. Mr. Dorn said there will also be new technology that will be able to view all available equipment to send the closest available equipment. A resident asked if this is supported by officers. Mr. Dorn said 18 Chiefs in Chittenden County have endorsed the regional dispatch center. A resident noted the recent test in Burlington of what 110 decibels (from F-35s) would sound like. Those providing the test were arrested for violating the city’s noise ordinance. Ms. Riehle said the City is making an effort to work with the FAA regarding the components of noise mitigation. Ms. Emery added that the FAA has agreed to produce a new noise exposure map relative to the F-35s so the city will have accurate data. She also noted the South Burlington’s noise ordinance does not cover aircraft or airport related noise. A resident thanked Police and Fire Chiefs for their work. He also noted that South Burlington is ranked #2 in a ranking of “safe communities” in the country. He didn’t see a gain from collaborating with 7 other cities on dispatch. As there was no further public comment and no further business to come before the Council and School Board, the meeting was adjourned at 8:23 p.m. Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.