Watertown

Watertown City Council

Tuesday March 12, 2024

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The order of items in transcripts is the chronological order in which they were taken up. Some Agenda items may have been skipped.

Section 1

The Watertown City Council meeting began with a speaker calling the meeting to order and introducing the clerk to announce that the meeting was being broadcast and recorded. The meeting was a hybrid, with participants able to join via Zoom or telephone. The speaker then asked the clerk to call the roll. Some councilors were present, while others were joining via Zoom. The speaker then asked for a motion to go into executive session to discuss collective bargaining and potential litigation. The motion was seconded and a roll call was taken to approve it. After the executive session, the meeting returned to open session with the recitation of the pledge of allegiance. The next item on the agenda was a public forum, but no members of the public wished to speak. The next item was the presentation of a proclamation designating March as Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month. The proclamation was read by Councilor Airasian and was approved by a roll call vote. The next item on the agenda was the examination of minutes from a previous meeting, which were approved by a roll call vote. The President's report included two items to be referred to committees: an update on the noise ordinance to be referred to the rules and ordinances committee, and a discussion on the status of opioid litigation settlements to be referred to the human services committee. The first reading of a proposed amendment to the fiscal year 2024 budget was also approved, which would transfer funds to the city council reserve to fund a ratified contract with DPW Teamsters Local 25. A first reading was also given to a proposed ordinance regarding planning board alternates, which would add an associate member to the board. The next item was a resolution authorizing a transfer of funds to update the city's code of ordinances. The funds would be used to hire the Collins Center to help create an administrative code between the city charter and the rest of the code of ordinances. This would clarify rules for boards and commissions and ensure that all related ordinances are in one place. The meeting concluded with brief discussion and approval of various warrants, and the next meeting was scheduled for March 12th.

Section 2

The city council is considering updating the personnel ordinances in the code of ordinances, as they are outdated and in need of modernization. They also discussed repurposing funds for projects at Victory Field and Casey Park, including relamping the lighting at Victory Field and purchasing backer panels and sound deadening insulation for the Casey Park multipurpose rink. The council also voted to approve exemptions for existing city employees to work in summer, winter, holiday, and after school programs, in accordance with general law.

Section 3

The speaker reported on two committee meetings: one regarding a motion to approve an exemption, and the other regarding the creation of a Blue Ribbon Committee for councilor salary. The committee discussed the duties, eligibility, size, and recruitment process for the Blue Ribbon Committee. The report was accepted by the council.

Section 4

The City Council's Budget and Fiscal Oversight Committee met on three occasions to review the five-year capital improvement plan and make recommendations to the council. The plan includes a new line for a senior center and a $2.1 million funding gap for the high school project. The committee also discussed ARPA funds and identified a need for more charging stations for municipal vehicles. They made 54 recommendations, including canceling previous loan orders and proceeding with new ones for various projects. The projected capital spending for fiscal year 2025 is estimated to be $35.7 million, with $20.9 million for the Building for the Future initiative. This represents 17.58% of the proposed operating budget, or 7.3% without the Building for the Future projects.

Section 5

18 communities out of the 18 have half day Fridays, but that is a minor reduction compared to the average in the communities of the communities that we examined. There's also some reduction in the number of hours that, I would say a modest reduction in the number of hours that city hall would be opened, but we would be open more consistently during our core business hours. The memo outlines a number of both pros and cons to this, which we'll raise with the council, and we're happy to provide any additional information that you need. Once again, I want to thank the council for considering our request for a referral to committee to talk this through. SIDERIS - Thank you, Mr. Manager. This will go to the committee on finance. Next is request for acceptance of fiscal year 2022 tax classification. Mr. Manager. PROAKIS - Thank you, Mr. President. I'm also passing to the council tonight something that is familiar, it's something that we do every year, and that's to set the tax rate for the city. Attached is a recommendation from the assessor for a tax rate for fiscal year 2020. The city's tax rate would be $13.88, the residential factor would remain at 0.82, which is something that we've done consistently for a number of years, and our commercial tax rate would be $28.18. That's a $0.18 reduction in our commercial tax rate. It's based on the recommendation of the assessor who sees our commercial values going up at a slightly higher rate than our residential values. And this will be something that I'll ask the council to consider to meet in a couple of weeks, middle of December, to set the tax rate. But this is the first step in the process. Once again, the tax rate would be, the residential rate would be $13.88, and the commercial rate would be $28.18. I'm happy to answer any questions anyone has about this, but I wanted to make sure that the council had this information prior to the public hearing that we'll be scheduling on this shortly. SIDERIS - Thank you, Mr. Manager. This also will go to the committee on finance. Next item is a request for transfer of funds for the Watertown Food Pantry. Mr. Manager. PROAKIS - Thank you Mr. President. We're pleased to report that Kerry Place

Section 6

A city official discusses potential changes to employee schedules, while also addressing upcoming events and projects in the community. A member of the public also brings up concerns about traffic flow and impingement on properties.

Section 7

The speaker closes a public forum and asks for a motion to adjourn. The motion is seconded and a roll call is taken with all members in attendance saying yes. The president also agrees and the meeting ends.