Carla Occaso
Spring is almost here, and that means city councilors can expect homeless encampments, according to Zack Hughes, co-chair of the Homelessness Committee, which was formed in November as an offshoot of the former Homelessness Task Force, per the city’s website. Hughes spoke during the city council meeting March 11 after newly elected Mayor Marc Gwinn addressed the council and was sworn in by City Clerk John Odum.
Hughes welcomed Gwinn and the new city manager, Kelly McNicholas Kury, and then warned them of what was coming.
“We are going to start seeing people come out and they are going to be camping,” Hughes said. “There’s going to be issues. This is just the way this is going to be.”
He went on to say he did not want to see a repeat of last year where people without homes were told to get out of Montpelier. “We should treat these folks like they live here. Citizens might have a different view, but they also pay a form of taxes every time they go to the gas station (and purchase items).” Hughes said he has renewed energy and is happy to be able to work with everyone on the issue.
City Councilor Jim Sheridan asked the council to officially change the configuration of the homelessness committee from nine to seven members with two alternates; the committee has not been getting full attendance, and it’s been hard to get a quorum to approve minutes and take votes. Councilors unanimously approved Sheridan’s request.
McNicholas Kury said she had been asked to seek legal advice about the encampment policy. For example, she noted, if a violent crime occurs on city property, would the city be liable? And who is responsible if someone’s property gets damaged? The councilors unanimously approved authorizing McNicholas -Kury to get legal advice on the matter. Several people noted that the city manager is allowed to seek legal advice with or without a vote.
Stephen Whitaker also spoke at the beginning of the meeting, warning the new city manager and mayor that the Country Club Road development project is not moving forward the way he thinks it should be. He said city leaders are making decisions without citizen input, and that the brownfield status of the building site has not been fully assessed nor cleaned up.
Public Records, Procedures
The council held an orientation session covering the “mechanics” of how to conduct local government. McNicholas Kury said she was brushing up on how things are done in Vermont and reviewed the public records law. This law requires the staff of local and state government to respond within three business days after a citizen asks for a record.
Acting Assistant City Manager Evelyn Prim said she tries to avoid the necessity of public records searches by posting everything online, but some public records requests require research.
As for general procedures, Odum said city council meetings are run using Robert’s Rules of Order. Robert’s Rules were codified in 1876 by Henry Martyn Robert following a meeting he was trying to run that descended into chaos, according to robertsrules.com/our-history. This makes it the 150th birthday of Robert’s Rules, Odum said.
Odum also advised that motions must be stated clearly and in detail, if not written out ahead of time, rather than simply saying “so moved.” He also advised that adding items to an agenda and voting on them immediately is technically legal but is ill-advised unless truly urgent.
The council also reappointed Councilor Pelin Kohn as president, Councilor Sal Alfano as vice president, and Councilor Ben Doyle as parliamentarian.
City Manager’s $20,000 Relocation Expense Approved
Councilors approved a $20,000 relocation allowance for McNicholas Kury, who moved to Vermont from Colorado. This is in addition to her $160,000 annual salary, according to her contract dated Jan. 15, 2026. For comparison, longtime Montpelier City Manager Bill Fraser’s final annual salary was $161,255 before councilors voted to terminate his contract in February 2025.
