HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - City Council - 03/04/2024 - Town Meeting180 MARKET STREET, SOUTH BURLINGTON, VERMONT | (802) 846-4107 | WWW.SOUTHBURLINGTONVT.GOV
STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING
(Joint meeting of the City Council and School Board)
MEETING AGENDA
MARCH 04, 2024
Participation Options
In Person: 180 Market Street, Main Floor, Auditorium
Assistive Listening Service Devices available upon request
Electronically: https://meet.goto.com/SouthBurlingtonVT/citycouncilmeeting03-04-2024
You can also dial in using your phone. (872) 240-3212 Access Code: 589-515-581
Pre-Town Meeting Public Information Session and Public Hearings 6:30 p.m.
1.Pledge of Allegiance (6:30 p.m.)
2.Instructions on exiting building in case of emergency and review of technology options – Jessie
Baker, City Manager (6:31–6:32 p.m.)
3.Agenda Review: Additions, deletions or changes in order of agenda items (6:33–6:34 p.m.)
4.Comments and questions from the public not related to the agenda (6:35–6:45 p.m.)
5.*** Presentation of the FY25 City Budget – Jessie Baker, City Manager (6:45-6:55 p.m.)
Complete City Town Meeting Day information is available here:
www.southburlingtonvt.gov/government/town_meeting_day_2023.php
6.*** Public information session and public hearing on the $5,750,000 Water Storage Tank
General Obligation Bond – Thomas DiPietro, Public Works Director (6:55-7:10 p.m.)
7.*** Public information session and public hearing on the City Charter Amendment ballot item to
increase the number of South Burlington School District School Board Members to seven – Jessie
Baker, City Manager (7:10-7:20 p.m.)
8.*** Presentation of the FY25 School Budget and Ballot items – Violet Nichols, Superintendent
(7:20-8:20 p.m.)
Complete School Budget information is available here:
www.sbschools.net/page/fy2025-budget-information
180 MARKET STREET, SOUTH BURLINGTON, VERMONT | (802) 846-4107 | WWW.SOUTHBURLINGTONVT.GOV
9. Interested in learning more about our City Council and School Board Candidates? Please watch
the South Burlington High School Debate Team’s Candidate Forum available here:
www.tinyurl.com/sbdebate2024.
10. Adjourn Pre-Town Meeting
Respectfully submitted:
Jessie Baker
City Manager
***Attachments included
FY25 City Budget and Ballot Items:
Pre-Town Meeting Day Public Information
Session and Public Hearings
March 4, 2024
Jessie Baker, City Manager Steven Locke, Deputy City Manager
Martha Machar,Finance Director Thomas DiPietro, Public Works Director
FY25 City-wide Budget
2
General
Fund
Drinking
Water
Stormwater
Wastewater
Special
Funds
FY25 City Budget General Fund $35,251,108.44
Drinking Water $ 3,876,831.35
Stormwater $ 4,181,968.61
Wastewater $ 6,124,656.24
Special Funds*$15,481,500.00
$64,916,064.64
*Special Funds include TIF, Energy Fund, Impact Fee Funds, etc.
Of this total budget, $21M is
proposed to be raised from
property taxes.
FY25 City Budget
Continues commitment to service delivery
•Makes strategic investments in public safety
̶Completes implementation of the second ambulance ($220,000)
̶Adds a Highway position ($77,000)
•Increases in sidewalk maintenance ($38,000)
•Adds a part time Library position ($23,500)
•Increases funding to the Housing Trust Fund ($25,000)
3
FY25 City Budget
Continues Investments in School
Safety
•Reinstates the SBPD Youth Services
Sergeant ($107,000 net)
•Funds School Crossing Guards at 50%
($30,000)
•Directs capital funds to infrastructure
improvements on Dorset Street at the Middle
School and High School ($100,000)
4
FY25 City Budget
Takes first financial steps to implement
the adopted Climate Action Plan
•General Fund capacity for a Climate Director and
targeted consulting needs ($190,000)
•Fund Green Mountain Transit increase ($63,000)
•Allocates ARPA funding ($417,000) for
̶Electric lawn mower
̶Charging stations at DPW
̶Weatherization and window replacement
̶Public Transit Study
̶Active Transportation Projects
5
FY25 City Budget
Assumptions
•2.0% growth in the total Grand List
•4.4% growth in the TIF Grand List
•7.0% increase in the Local Options Tax
•Contractual COLA of 2.80% and related step increases
•New Child Care Contribution payroll tax (.33% or $48,253)
•Health insurance increase of 16.4%
•Property and equipment insurance increase of 8%
6
FY25 General Fund Budget FY24 FY25 % change Tax rate
change
General Fund $31,140,318.33 $35,251,108.44 13.20%
Non-property Tax Revenue $11,752,019.41 $14,207,968.22 20.90%
To be Raised by Property Tax $19,388,298.92 $21,043,140.22 8.54%
Total Estimated Tax Rate (with pennies)$0.4916 $0.5202 5.82%$0.0286
Impact (with pennies)Difference
Avg Condo $1,457.14 $1,543.03 $84.85
Avg House $2,150.18 $2,278.76 $125.31
FY25 General Fund Budget
FY24 average condo assessment = $296,619
FY24 average house assessment = $438,050
7
Utilities
FY25 proposed total annual increase to average homeowner = $64.29
Stormwater•Personnel and related benefits cost
Sewer•Personnel and related benefits cost•Increase in chemical costs allow us to lower phosphorus to the lake•Building capacity to pay for bond
Water•Personnel and related benefits cost•Second water tower for the high service area
Utility
Existing
Fiscal Year 2024
Rate
FY24 Annual
Fee for the
Average
Home-
owner*
Proposed Fiscal
Year 2025 Rate
% Increase
from FY24
to FY25
Annual
Increase for
South
Burlington
Homeowner
Stormwater $7.44 per
month for
residential units
$89.28
$7.68 per
month for
residential
units
3.2%$2.88
Sewer $48.20 per
1,000 cubic feet $386.56 $52.42 per
1,000 cubic feet 8.75%$33.82
Water $36.21 per
1,000 cubic feet $290.40 $39.65 per
1,000 cubic feet 9.5%$27.59
* Calculation based on 1 ERU for stormwater and 8,020 cubic feet / year of
sewer and water usage.
8
FY25 General Fund Summary
9
Administration
15%
City Clerk
2%
City Council
0%
DPW
19%
Fire & EMS
19%
Library
3%
Outside
Organizations
3%
Physical Plant
4%
Planning & Zoning
2%
Police
22%
Recreation & Parks
4%Debt &
Capital
Reserve
7%
Water Tank Expansion
Bond Vote
10
Project Description
•Construction of an additional 2.1 million gallon welded steel
water tank at the existing site on Dorset Street.
11
Photo of Existing Tank Rendering of Site with Second Tank Added
System Overview
Source Water Treatment Distribution Network
Storage
(Lake Champlain)
(CWD)
(City)
(City)
(CWD)
Project Benefits
More Water Storage
•Will provide enough water in the high service area for the foreseeable future (50+ years).
•Allow us to meet regulatory requirements.
•Provides more water storage in the event of an emergency (e.g.CWD pump / pipe failure, large water usage for firefighting, etc)
Maintenance & Redundancy
•More easily complete maintenance by temporarily taking one tank off-line.
Pressure
•The project will not increase pressure beyond what is provided today, but the second tank will provide greater operational flexibility so that the system can be operated towards the higher end of operating pressures.
Main
Service
Area
High
Service
Area
Current Capacity
Allocated Capacity
499,100 Gallons Per Day
24% of Storage Capacity
Average Daily Demand
1,435,600 Gallons Per Day
68% of Storage Capacity
Excess Storage
42,300 Gallons
2% of Storage CapacityShelburne Allocation
81,000 Gallons
4% of Storage Capacity
Fire Flow Demand
42,000 Gallons
2% of Storage Capacity
Currently Using an Allocated
98% of Existing 2.1 Million
Gallon Capacity
Average Daily Demand/Usage:
Based on metered data
Allocations: Anticipated usage
based on structure type and size
that must be available
Fire Flow: Storage for sustained
water usage during a fire
Proposed Project
New ‘Twin’ Standpipe Tank
53 ft diameter
127 ft height
2,100,000 gallon capacity
Following Project, High Service
Area would have 4.2 million
gallons of storage capacity,
sufficient for foreseeable long-
term needs.
Total Project Cost
Item Description Total Estimated Cost
Construction of Tank $4,320,000
Construction Contingency (15%)$648,000
Preliminary Engineering $23,200
Final Design and Permitting $259,000
Construction Phase Services $450,000
Other Costs $24,000
Total Project Cost:$5,724,200
Recommended Bond Amount:$5,750,000
•Awarded $500,000 Community Recovery and Revitalization Grant (CRRP). Completing grant agreement now.
Estimated Impact on Rates
•Assuming a $5.75M loan, over a 30-year term, at 4.40%
interest (current rate available).
•Our annual loan payment would be $349,000*
•In order to make this loan payment, our rates would
increase by $4.82* per 1,000 cubic feet of water.
•This would result in an annual increase of $38.66* for the
average residential user.
*These values represent a worst case scenario and do not include project cost
reductions related to grant funding.
Comparison of Regional Water Rates
$-
$100.00
$200.00
$300.00
$400.00
$500.00
$600.00
$700.00
$800.00
$900.00
South
Burlington
Essex Junction Williston Essex Town Shelburne Milton Burlington Hinesburg
An
n
u
a
l
W
a
e
r
C
o
s
t
s
FY 23 Typical Residential Customer
Project Schedule
Projected Date Task
2023
May Start Final Design
December
Final Design 90%
Permit to Construct (PTC)
Application
2024
March
PTC Issued / Complete Final
Design
Conduct Bond Vote
Summer Advertise for Bids
Fall Begin Construction
2025 Fall Finish Construction
This represents the most aggressive possible project schedule. We may choose
to bid in spring 2025 for reasons related to project financing.
Ballot Language
Charter Change on
School Board Expansion
21
Potential Charter Change
•The Charter change would expand the School Board by two (7 total)
•4 members have 3-year terms
•3 members have 2-year terms
•Potential Timeline
̶If voters approve, would go to the Legislature
̶If Legislature approves, would go to the Governor
̶Likely not to be in effect until 2025 or 2026.
Potential
Charter Change
Next Steps
City and School Budget Books and Annual Reports are available.
March 5 –Town Meeting Day!
Polls are open 7:00 am to 7:00 pm
24
All FY25 City Budget documents are available here:
tinyurl.com/SBFY25Budget
Planning for a Vibrant South Burlington is available here:
www.southburlingtonvt.gov
South
Burlington
School District
Pre Town Meeting Day Presentation
FY25 Budget
We inspire all learners to make a difference in the world.
1
Violet Nichols, Superintendent
Tim Jarvis, Sr. Director of Finance and Operations
THE FY25 BUDGET
●Prioritizes student-facing positions
●Includes important school safety
enhancements
●Supports social and emotional learning needs
of students
●Bolsters academic rigor
●Provides structured literacy programming
●Increases multilingual supports
●Maintains Act 173/MTSS
●Features savings for critical future facilities
needs
2
BUDGET INFORMATION
The board-approved FY25 budget is $71.2
million, which is 13.86% higher than FY24’s
budget of $62.5 million (10.82% higher
excluding the proposed $1.9 million
allocation to the Capital Reserve Fund).
With the passage of H.850, the homestead
education property tax rate increase is now
23.25% (up from 18.26% under the prior Act
127 language).
3
BUDGET DEVELOPMENT INFORMATION: Contributing Factors
Expenditures
●Current estimated inflation rate of 2.5-3.0% will cause
upward pressure on non-compensation expenses (e.g.
supplies, professional services, transportation,
equipment).
●Combined Impact of negotiated CBA settlements for the
teachers and union support staff, increases in
non-union wages, higher staff replacement costs and
proposed net FTE changes will add approximately 5.4%
to the total expense budget for Salaries & Wages. Union
negotiation for Administrators is still in progress.
●Estimated 11.76% increase in health insurance and other
employee benefits will add approximately 2.5% to the
total expense budget.
●Principal and Interest payments on the approved 2023
Bond (ZEMs and Capital Improvements) and other debt
will add approximately $1M in expenses. Continued
focus on addressing deferred maintenance/facilities
needs and school safety enhancements.
Use of Previous Surplus
●$2.27M budget surplus from FY22 is proposed to be
transferred to the Capital Reserve Fund for future facilities needs (requires voter approval).
Revenues
●Impact fees to offset investment in ZEMs (estimated by
city at approximately $1.1M).
State Factors
●The Dec. 1st Tax Commissioner’s Letter announced a
FY25 Yield of $9,452. It has since been adjusted
multiple times (current estimate for model is $9,775)
●Common Level of Appraisal (CLA) or “Real Estate
Inflation Factor” was released the evening of 1/2/24 at
82.54% with SB suffering a 11.22% decrease which
dramatically raises the homestead education tax rate
4
SB Homestead Tax Rates and CLA 5
FY25 NOTABLE INCREMENTAL EXPENSES 6
EXPLANATORY NOTE ON FY22 AUDIT SURPLUS 7
The FY22 financial audit reflected a surplus of $2,266,362. Per Vermont statute, this can
be applied in one of 2 ways:
Option 1: Carry the funds into the FY25 budget as revenue to offset expenditures.
Given the original mechanics of Act 127, choosing this option in the adopted budget
would have had zero impact on the homestead tax rate. This tax dynamic has now
changed under H.850 whereby the tax rate could now be lowered under this option.
Option 2: Allocate the funds to our Capital Reserve Fund for future facilities
improvements. This was the option adopted by the Board and will appear on the
March ballot for voter approval.
CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROPOSED STAFFING LEVELS 8
●Net addition of 0.6 FTEs for FY25 Budget
●Education model changes for Special
Education Services driven by requirements of
Act 173 (MTSS - Multi-Tiered System of
Supports)
●Prioritize elementary literacy program, math
and literacy specialists, multilingual students
with student-facing positions
PROPOSED STAFFING CHANGES 11
RMCSOrchard
SBHS
Additions
●1.0 Student Engagement
Coordinator
Reductions
●0.4 Art
Net addition=0.6 FTE
Chamberlin
Additions
●0.5 Health and Wellness
●1.0 Math Interventionist
●1.0 Literary Specialist
●1.0 Special Educator
Reductions
●2.0 Para Educators
Net addition=1.5 FTE
Addition
●0.2 Health and Wellness
Net addition=0.2 FTE
District
Additions
●1.0 Multilingual Coordinator
(partially grant-funded)
●1.1 Custodians
●1.0 Pre K Coordinator(grant-funded)
Reductions
●2.0 Unfilled Bus Drivers
●0.5 Mentor Coordinator
Net addition=.6 FTE
Additions
●0.5 Health and Wellness
●1.0 Special Educator
●1.0 Contingency Teacher
Reductions
●3.0 Unfilled Interventionists
Net reduction=.5 FTE
FHTMS
Additions
●1.0 Special Educator
●0.2 Health and Wellness
Reductions
●1.0 Universal Design for
Learning (UDL) Coach
●2.0 Para Educators
Net reduction=1.8 FTE
Total Additions=0.6 FTE
Thank you!
DISCUSSION & QUESTIONS
10
www.sbschools.net/budgetfy25