Council Preview
Hartford City Council Meeting

Monday, January 9, 2012

Prepared by:
Hartford Public Library, and Hartford 2000

The Council meeting will begin at 7 P.M. at Hartford City Hall in Council Chambers. The meeting will be preceded, at 6:00 PM, by an open agenda public hearing. The next public hearing will be Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 7 PM.

There are 36 items on the agenda. Below is detailed information about items of special interest to neighborhoods. Following those details is a listing of all agenda items, in layperson’s language. The complete official agenda for the Council meeting is available online by clicking on “Council Agendas” at the following web site: http://www.hartford.gov/government/Town&CityClerk/Minutes/council_meeting_minutes.htm

ITEMS OF SPECIAL INTEREST

New Agenda Items: The following items appear for the first time on the Council's Agenda.

Sale of Tax Liens – The Council will consider a resolution that authorizes the City to sell tax liens on 217 Beacon Street to the West End Civic Association (WECA) for $1.00 and the promise to pay the City the amount due under the liens. The liens were placed by the City as a result of the failure of the current owner to pay property taxes owed on the property, which is a blighted two-family house. WECA will foreclose on the tax liens and take ownership of the property. They will then transfer title to a contractor who will renovate the building in a manner that is consistent with the architectural character and historical nature of the property and neighborhood. (Segarra) (Item #13)

New Voting Districts – The Council will consider a resolution approving the boundaries of new voting districts for the city of Hartford. Every ten years, the boundaries of Connecticut’s House, Senate, and Congressional districts are adjusted based upon population changes reflected in the U.S. Census. These changes have resulted in the need to reconfigure the city’s voting districts. Maps of the new districts and legal descriptions of the boundaries are available in the office of the Town and City Clerk. (Segarra) (Item #14)

Tax Collector’s Report – The Council will receive the Tax Collector’s Annual Report for the fiscal year July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011. The report indicates that tax collections exceeded the budgeted amount by $4.7 million. The report also provides highlights of actions taken by the City to improve customer service, including a one-time fee relief program, which allowed delinquent motor vehicle tax payers to pay amounts due without added collection fees, and a change to motor vehicle collection procedures which allows taxpayers to make payments at City Hall instead of to the collection vendor. (Nelson) (Item #16)

Council Rules – The Council will adopt Rules for the 2012-2016 term. The proposed rules include meeting schedules, procedures for conducting meetings, the process for accepting items for consideration at a Council meeting, and the establishment of committees. The proposed rules call for eight Council committees: Education, Health & Human Services, Labor & Workforce Development, Operations, Management & Budget, Planning, Economic Development & Legislative Affairs, Public Works, Parks & Environment, Quality of Life, Public Safety & Housing, and a Committee of the Whole. Council meetings will continue to be held on the 2nd and 4th Mondays at 7 PM and Public Hearings on the 3rd Monday at 7 PM. The Rules also provide for public comment between 6 and 7 PM on the date of the first Council meeting of the month and at every Council Committee meeting. (Wooden) (Item #22)

Charter Revision – The Council will consider a resolution stating that a Charter Revision Commission be appointed for the purpose of undertaking a review of the current City Charter and all aspects of the structure of Hartford City Government. (Cotto) (Item #27)

Previously Submitted Items: The following items were previously on the Council Agenda and were included in the Council Preview/Review. They were referred to committees and/or public hearing or action was postponed by the Council. They are now on the agenda again for action.

Sale of City-Owned Land – The Council will consider a resolution authorizing the City to sell a vacant parcel of land, located in the Parkville Neighborhood adjacent to the Stop & Shop Supermarket, to Hayes Property for construction of a fueling station. The City acquired the four properties at 126 and 130 New Park Avenue and 8 and 161 Francis Court and issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for development of the site. Hayes Properties responded to the RFP and was selected to be recommended to the Council as the developer. The proposed use is subject to approval by both the Capitol Region Council of Governments and the Hartford Planning & Zoning Commission. The Parkville NRZ opposes the sale and the Council’s Planning & Economic Development Committee voted to table the item. (Segarra) (Item #17)

LIST OF ALL AGENDA ITEMS

Item #

1. NSP Grant. Authorization to accept a $1,625,000 grant from the CT Department of Economic & Community Development to be used for renovation of blighted buildings in Frog Hollow, Clay Arsenal, and Asylum Hill for homeownership. (Segarra)
2. Lead Poisoning Prevention. Approval to accept $79,394 from the CT Department of Public Health to be used for lead poisoning prevention activities. (Segarra)
3. Park Street Grant. Authorization to accept $4.7 million in grant funds from the CT Department of Economic & Community Development to be used for façade improvements along Park Street and renovation of the Lyric Theater for use as an Hispanic Cultural Center. (Segarra)
4. Brownfields Grant. Approval to accept a grant of $450,000 from the CT Department of Economic & Community Development for remediation of contaminated soil on the site of the former Capewell factory. (Segarra)
5. Cities Readiness. Authorization to accept $26,000 from the CT Department of Public Health for emergency preparedness enhancements. (Segarra)
6. Land Sale. Approval for the City to sell 41 and 42 Grand Street to the Charter Oak Health Center for surface parking lots for staff and patients. (Segarra)
7. PAL. Resolution accepting the donation of space by the T.W. Raftery Company for use by the Police Activities League (PAL). (Segarra)
8. Motorcycle. Acceptance of the donation of a 2009 Harley Davidson Motorcycle from Whelen Engineering Company for use by the Hartford Police Department’s Traffic Division. (Segarra)
9. Capitol Towers Tax Abatement. Authorization to enter into a 30-year tax abatement for the 144 unit Capitol Towers elderly housing complex. (Segarra)
10. Underwood Large Family Tax Abatement. Authorization to enter into a 30-year tax abatement for the 25 unit Underwood Large Family housing complex. (Segarra)
11. Underwood Elderly Tax Abatement. Authorization to enter into a 30 year tax abatement for the 136 unit Underwood Elderly housing complex. (Segarra)
12. Settlement. Request for the Council to enter into Executive Session to discuss a proposed settlement of M.A. New England v. City of Hartford for $437,500. (Segarra)
13. Sale of Tax Lien. Authorization to sell the tax liens on 217 Beacon Street to the West End Civic Association for $1.00. (Segarra)
14. Voting Districts. Approval of new voting districts for the city of Hartford. (Segarra)
15. Transfer of Funds. Transfer of $55,000 to the Office of the Registrars of Voters. (Segarra)
16. Tax Collector’s Report. Report of activities and collections during the period July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011. (Nelson)
17. Sale of City Land. Approval of the sale of City-owned land at 126 and 130 New Park Avenue and 8 and 161 Francis Court to Hayes Properties for construction of a fueling station. (Segarra)
18. Power Generation. Establishment of a task force to investigate the creation of a municipally-owned power generation and supply facility. (Deutsch)
19. LGBTI Commission. Ordinance changing the composition of the Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues from all Hartford residents to a majority of Hartford residents. (Segarra)
20. Bed Bugs. Ordinance concerning the management and enforcement of bed bug extermination in Hartford residences. (Segarra)
21. Appointment. Appointment of James Sargent as Executive Assistant to Council President Shawn Wooden. (Wooden)
22. Council Rules. Adoption of Council Rules for the period 2012 – 2016. (Wooden) (also see #31)
23. Appointment. Appointment of Monique Daley as Executive Assistant to Councilman Kyle Anderson. (Anderson)
24. Reappointment. Reappointment of Olga Colon as Executive Assistant to Councilman Alexander Aponte. (Aponte)
25. CT Pride. Allocation of $2,000 to CT Pride Hartford. (Aponte)
26. UANC. Allocation of $2,000 to the Upper Albany Neighborhood Collaborative. (Aponte)
27. Charter Revision. Establishment of a Charter Revision Commission. (Cotto)
28. Appointment. Appointment of Fernando Marroquin as Executive Assistant to Councilman Luis Cotto. (Cotto)
29. Traffic Study. Resolution asking the Mayor to conduct a study of the possibility of changing one-way directions on School and Colonial Streets. (Cotto)
30. Appointment. Appointment of Giselle Feliciano as Executive Assistant to Councilman Raul DeJesus. (DeJesus)
31. Council Rules. Proposed amendment to Council Rules setting time limits for Committees to report back to Council. (Deutsch, Jennings)
32. Reappointment. Reappointment of Shelly Jackson as Executive Assistant to Councilman Larry Deutsch. (Deutsch)
33. Appointment. Appointment of Jean Ward as Executive Assistant to Councilwoman Cynthia Jennings. (Jennings)
34. West Indian Foundation. Allocation of $2,500 to the West Indian Foundation. (Kennedy)
35. Reappointment. Reappointment of Georgiana Holloway as Executive Assistant to Councilman Kenneth Kennedy. (Kennedy)
36. Majority Leader. Appointment of Councilman Alexander Aponte as Majority Leader of the Court of Common Council. (Kennedy, Wooden)

If you have any questions about the agenda, please call Richard Frieder at the Hartford Public Library, 695-6365, or email Linda Bayer at lbayer@Hartford2000.org. The Council Preview/Review is a joint project of Hartford 2000 and the Hartford Public Library.