BURLINGTON BOARD OF FINANCE

BUSHOR CONF. ROOM, 1ST FLOOR, CITY HALL

BURLINGTON, VERMONT

MINUTES OF MEETING

September 27, 2021

 

MEMBERS PRESENT:                   Max Tracy

Karen Paul

Zoraya Hightower

Miro Weinberger/Katherine Schad

 

 OTHERS PRESENT:                   Katherine Schad

                        Rich Goodwin

                        Mark Barlow

                        Sarah E Carpenter

                        Jack Hanson

                        Norm Baldwin

                        Martha Keenan

                        Tyeastia Green

                        Tony Berry

                        Kerin Durfee

                        Kara Alnasrawi

                        Rebecca Reese

                       

                       

                       

                       

 

 

1.0 CALL TO ORDER and AGENDA

 

Chief Administration Officer Schad called the Board of Finance meeting to order at 5:00 PM.

 

    1. Motion to amend/adopt agenda

 

MOTION by Councilor Paul, SECOND by Councilor Dieng, to amend and adopt the agenda as follows:

  • note revised version of agenda item 4.01 (per Sara Katz per Councilor Paul)

 

VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.

 

2.0   PUBLIC FORUM (VERBAL)

2.01 Verbal Comments

  • Sharon Bushor spoke about the $40,000,000 infrastructure bond. She said that though there has been clarification about the delayed payment regarding interest, she expressed concern that with reappraisal and other rate increases, there may not be an appetite from the public to take on more. She advised waiting to see whether Congress passes an infrastructure bill and potentially leveraging that federal funding for part of it. She also expressed concern about student housing on the UVM campus and that it could impact housing in the City once those students matriculate or move off campus.

 

3.0       CONSENT AGENDA

3.01 motion to adopt the consent agenda and take the actions indicated

 

3.02 September 13, 2021 Board of Finance Minutes – approve the minutes.

MOTION by Councilor Hightower, SECOND by City Council President Tracy, to approve the consent agenda and take the actions indicated for items 3.01-3.02.

 

VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.

 

4.0      FOR APPROVAL AND RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL

4.01 Reclassification of One (1) BCA Position - BCA/HR

 

MOTION by Councilor Hightower, SECOND by Councilor Paul, to recommend that City Council approve the reclassification of the Assistant Event Coordinator, a Limited Service, Part-time, Non-Exempt, Non-union, Grade 15, position to Event Manager, a Regular, Full-time, Non-Exempt, Nonunion, Grade 17, position.

 

VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.

 

4.02 Creation of a Regular, Full-Time, Exempt, Non-Union, Grade 18, Water Resources GIS & Field Specialist position - DPW Water

Resources/HR

 

MOTION by Councilor Paul, SECOND by Councilor Hightower, to approve and recommend that the City Council authorize the creation of a Regular, Full-time, Exempt, Non-Union, Grade 18, Water Resources GIS & Field Technician within the Department of Public Works, Water Resources Division.

 

VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.

 

4.03 Reclassification and Retitling request for Community Outreach & Support Specialist - BPD/HR

 

Human Resources Manager Cota said that with the CSL position, the department didn’t have anyone to train and supervise these positions, and that after reviewing the job description and adding supervising responsibility, they are requesting a reclassification of the position in order to account for the supervising and the training components of the duties.

 

MOTION by Councilor Hightower, SECOND by City Council President Tracy, to approve the reclassification and retitling of the Community Outreach & Support Specialist, a Regular, Full-time, Exempt, Non-Union, Grade 16 position to Community Outreach & Support Supervisor, a Regular, Full-time, Exempt, Nonunion, Grade 20, position.

 

 

VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.

 

4.04 Reclassification of one (1) position - HR/CEDO-CJC

 

MOTION by Councilor Paul, SECOND by Councilor Hightower, to recommend that City Council approve the reclassification of the Youth Restorative Services Coordinator position, a Regular, Full-time, Exempt, AFSCME, Grade 14, position to Youth Restorative Services Coordinator, a Regular, Full-time, Exempt, AFSCME, Grade 16, position.

 

VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.

 

4.05 Reclassification of Two (2) and Creation of Four (4) New REIB Positions - HR/REIB

Director Green noted that there are two reclassifications for manager positions as well as the creation of a supplier diversity analyst, a data analyst, who will focus on race and racial equity issues, an event planner who will plan Juneteenth and other cultural events in the City, and a digital design who would be promoting those events.

 

Councilor Paul confirmed that two of the positions (the reclassifications) are already filled, but that the four new positions are vacant and would need to be recruited and hired for.

 

MOTION by Councilor Paul, SECOND by Councilor Hightower, to recommend that City Council approve the: ·Reclassification of one Public Policy & Research Analyst, a Regular, Full-time, Exempt, Non-Union, Grade 17, position to Justice & Policy Manager, a Regular, Full-time, Exempt, Non-Union, Grade 20, position; · Reclassification of one Public Policy & Research Analyst, a Regular, Full-time, Exempt, Non-Union, Grade 17, position to Strategy and Innovation Manager, a Regular, Full-time, Exempt, Non-Union, Grade 21, position; · Creation of the Supplier Diversity Analyst, a Regular, Full-time, Exempt, Non-Union, Grade 19, position; · Creation of the Data Analyst, a Regular, Full-time, Non-Exempt, Non-Union, Grade 16, position; · Creation of the REIB Event Planner, a Regular, Full-time, Non-Exempt, Non-Union, Grade 17, position; and · Creation of the REIB Digital Designer, a Regular, Full-time, Non-Exempt, Non-Union, Grade 16, position.

 

VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.

 

    1. Creation of one (1) role and reclassification of one (1) role within the Human Resources Department - HR

 

MOTION by Councilor Hightower, SECOND by City Council President Tracy, to approve and recommend that the City Council approve the: Creation of the Human Resources Benefits Manager, a Regular, Full-time, Non-Exempt, Non-union, Grade 19, position; and the reclassification of the Human Resources Information Specialist, a Regular, Full-time, Non-Exempt, Non-union, Grade 16, position to Human Resources Generalist, a Regular, Full-time, Non-Exempt, Non-union, Grade 17, position.

 

VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.

 

    1. Authorization to Issue Early Learning Initiative Capacity Grant for ONE Arts Inc. $103,676.61 - Economic Recovery Team

Councilor Paul recused herself from this item citing conflict of interest with her employer.

Director Alnasrawi said that the Early Learning Initiative invests in affordable childcare through the First Steps Scholarship Program, which goes directly to families to help them pay for high-quality childcare, and the second is through a capacity grant. She noted that the capacity grants are disbursed to existing childcare centers to expand access or they are distributed to the ONE Arts Center, which does after-school and summer arts programming, and that they have been working to become a full childcare facility (which this grant would support). She noted that there is a need in the ONE neighborhood for high-quality childcare.

 

Councilor Hightower asked what the selection process looks like for capacity grants. Director Alnasrawi said that they conduct outreach to various organizations, but that this is the only active application currently.

 

City Council President Tracy expressed support for this application, noting that the location will be put to good use as a childcare services provider.

 

MOTION by City Council President Tracy, SECOND by Councilor Hightower, to approve and recommend to the City Council that it authorize the Economic Recovery Manager to enter into a capacity grant agreement with ONE Arts, Inc. for $103,676.61, subject to conditions enumerated in the grant capacity agreement to be reviewed and approved by the City Attorney’s Office.

 

VOTING: unanimous (Councilor Paul recused herself); motion carries.

 

    1. Preliminary Committal Materials for VTrans Bicycle & Pedestrian Program Grant Intervale Road Shared-Use Path – DPW

City Engineer Baldwin noted that residents have expressed interest in a shared-use path on Intervale Road and there have been planning studies conducted by CCRPC and that there is funding available to support this request. He noted that the State has put together a commitment letter requesting authorization for the director to execute it, which binds the City to accepting the grant around this work and also commits them to the local match obligation. He said that they are seeking approval from the Board of Finance and City Council for this preliminary authorization step.

 

Councilor Hightower asked for more detail about the work plan and what it would entail. City Engineer Baldwin replied that planning studies had shown that a shared use path could be developed to separate bicycles and pedestrians from car traffic, and would be in the current right-of-way. He said that the shared use path would extend from the beginning of Intervale Road to the bottom of the hill (in current preliminary plans).

 

City Council President Tracy asked why a shared-use path was selected instead of a sidewalk and bicycle lane. City Engineer Baldwin replied that they will work out details around the path during the design phase, and that there will be opportunity for input from the public and others at that juncture.

 

MOTION by Councilor Hightower, SECOND by City Council President Tracy, to approve and recommend that the City Council authorize the Director of Public Works to execute the Project Commitments Form from the Vermont Agency of Transportation for the Intervale Road Shared-Use Path design and construction, obligating the City to commit a local match of $290,500 (20%) of the total project budget of $1,452,500 in furtherance of accepting a reimbursable grant amount up to $1,162,000, subject to approval by the City Attorney’s Office.

 

VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.

 

    1. Budget Amendment to Regional Programs Budget - Public Safety Transformation - CAO/REIB

Chief Administrative Officer Schad said that this amount had not previously been carried over from the last fiscal year, and that they are seeking approval to do so now.

 

MOTION by Councilor Paul, SECOND by Councilor Hightower, to approve and recommend that the City Council approve the: • Moving $208,153 from Unassigned Fund Balance to 101-01-001-7650_355 Regional Programs Police

Transformation Budget Amendment 2; and • Then moving $38,393 from 101-01-001-7650_355 Regional Programs Police Transformation to 101-17-050-6500_118 BPD Professional Services and Consulting, to reimburse that line item for paying for

the initial invoice.

 

VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.

 

    1. A Stabilization Plan for the Burlington Police Department – BPD

City Council President Tracy asked for a status update on the proposal. Mayor Weinberger replied that he and the Acting Chief of Police have put together a two-year stabilization plan, with two payments being made in the first year (for half of the funding), and a third payment (with second half of funding) to be made in the second year. He noted that these payments would be funded using federal ARPA dollars. He expressed a willingness to be flexible on the proposal.

 

City Council President Tracy said he appreciated the flexibility and that some alterations to the proposal may make sense, given that there are a number of other priorities in the community and that a broader analysis of how ARPA funds could be spent has not yet been conducted. He added that providing a year of funding to get to bargaining next year makes sense.

 

Councilor Hightower agreed, saying that it would be good to get more consensus around this. She suggested that the intent of the proposal be clarified through timing of payments, since it is unclear whether the funding would be to show appreciation for the officers that remain on the force, or an incentive to retain such officers in future (or if it is both).

 

Councilor Paul suggested not voting on the item tonight, given that Chief Murad is not present currently and that this will be discussed at tonight’s City Council meeting later. Mayor Weinberger expressed hope that the Council will take action on this later and is comfortable with not having a Board of Finance vote.

 

    1. December 7, 2021 - Special City Meeting Issuance Of General Obligations Bonds For Capital Projects - Capital Committee

Mayor Weinberger made comments about several areas in the proposed bond, noting that the administration is putting together projections for spending the additional $40,000,000 that are as accurate as possible. He also noted that this should be the second and last time in the foreseeable future that the City needs to seek a large bond like this. He said that the administration is proposing to fund up to the debt capacity limits set in 2018, and would do so by 2025. He said that they will also be retiring significant amounts of debt in each of those years, and that they also expect that the tax base will continue to grow during those years. He said that between those two forces, the City should move from being at its debt capacity to having some headroom again. He said that after this bond is expended, the majority of deferred maintenance in the City should be completed, and that at that point, the City should increase its annual infrastructure investment from $2 million per year to around $6-to-$7 million per year, in order to avoid large bonds moving forward.

 

Councilor Hightower asked about the $10,000,000 funding for Memorial Auditorium, which hadn’t been included in the bond proposal previously. Mayor Weinberger replied that some of the initial presentations were for $30,000,000 and did not include funding for Memorial Auditorium. He said that the Auditorium is in very dire shape, and that something needs to be done, though the administration is not sure what that would be. He said the school could use it as a gateway site. He said that the Council could also choose to stabilize the building to reopen it, which would require $6 to $10 million of funding. He expressed concern about waiting further to make a decision around the Auditorium. He noted that the bond gives the City the authority to access funding, but that the City Council must approve what the funding can be used for.

 

City Council President Tracy asked how the administration projected infrastructure and construction costs, given the current fluctuation in the cost of building and construction materials. Mayor Weinberger replied that they have built in cost increases each year using a less volatile cost trend assumption.

 

Councilor Hanson asked if the $10,000,000 listed for Memorial Auditorium has the same level of flexibility as the other line items in the bond proposal. Mayor Weinberger replied that the bonding language is flexible and that it delegates the spending authority for the funding to future City Council actions. He said that the resolution does explicitly say that $10,000,000 is reserved for Memorial Auditorium, but that any activity to use that funding must be approved by the Council. City Attorney Richardson added that the bond vote would give the City the authority to borrow money, but that it does not compel the City to borrow it. He said that the language in the bond resolution is flexible enough to account for unforeseen circumstances and future direction, though it does place some general parameters on what the funds could be used for.

 

Councilor Hightower suggested dividing the question on the ballot between the $10,000,000 for Memorial Auditorium and the remaining $30,000,000 for other infrastructure needs.

 

Councilor Barlow said that until spending for the Burlington School District is known, he is not comfortable with the bond. He said that until the BSD costs are known, he is unwilling to support the bond, given that those costs may need a certain amount of the City’s existing debt capacity.

 

MOTION by City Council President Tracy, SECOND by Councilor Paul, to recommend that the City Council approve the attached resolution.

 

VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.

 

5.0 BOARD OF FINANCE APPROVAL ONLY

5.01 Cultural Transformation Assessment and Action Plan--Authorization to Award Consultant Contract – REIB

Director Green said that this assessment would support transitioning the City to a more inclusive and racially-just place. She said that the previous assessment focused on BIPOC, and that this assessment would focus on the entire City, and include speaking events, opportunities, and data assessment to put together a plan for future work. She said that this would bring together the African Black and American Black communities, which have seen some tension.     

 

MOTION by Councilor Paul, SECOND by Councilor Hightower, to authorize the Director of Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging to execute a contract with Noble Julz for $89,600 to complete a cultural transformation assessment and action plan, subject to review and approval by the City Attorney’s Office.

 

VOTING: unanimous; motion carries.

 

6.0   ADJOURNMENT

6.01 Motion to Adjourn

 

With no further business and without objection the meeting was adjourned at 6:15 PM.  

 

RScty: AACoonradt