Council Preview
Hartford City Council Meeting

Monday, January 23, 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 next Council meeting will be Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 7 PM. The meeting will be preceded by a public comment period from 6 to 7 PM.

There are 17 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://townclerk.hartford.gov/Webfiles/archive.aspx

ITEMS OF SPECIAL INTEREST

185 Asylum Street - The Council will consider a resolution authorizing the sale of the 1 ¼ acre parcel of City-owned land, located at 185 Asylum Street, for $2.5 million to the owner of City Place I which is built on the parcel. The City has been leasing the site to the owners of the building since 1981 through a 50 year lease. The current owner, CityPlace Owner LLC, has requested that the City sell them the land. (Segarra) (Item #2)

220 High Street – The Council will consider a resolution authorizing the City to sell property at 220 High Street to the Greater Hartford Police Federal Credit Union for $157,000. The Credit Union proposes to rehabilitate the deteriorated historic Italianate building located on the site for use as its offices. The Credit Union is presently located at Police Headquarters on Jennings Road and must relocate when the Police Department moves to the new Public Safety Complex. 220 High Street is located across the street from the Public Safety Complex. (Segarra) (Item #5)

Rehiring – The Council will discuss a resolution that calls on the Hartford Courant to assure that eight building cleaners, who were employed by the Courant's previous cleaning contractor, are rehired at their previous levels of wages and healthcare benefits. The workers were laid off when the Courant changed contractors. (Deutsch, Jennings, Kennedy, MacDonald) (Item #16)

LIST OF ALL AGENDA ITEMS

Item #

1. Board of Education Appointments. Confirmation of the Mayor's appointments of Jose Colon-Rivas, Cherita McIntye, Matthew Poland, Pedro Segarra, and Richard Wareing to the Board of Education. (Segarra)
2. 185 Asylum Street. Authorization for the City to sell the City-owned land at 185 Asylum Street, for $2.5 million, to the owner of City Place I which is built on the parcel. (Segarra)
3. City Insurance Coverage. Approval for the City to contract with Travelers Insurance Company for automobile and commercial liability insurance and workers compensation insurance. (Segarra)
4. Weed & Seed. Authorization to enter into contracts with six nonprofit organizations to provide services to residents of Clay Arsenal and Upper Albany as part of the Weed & Seed Program. (Segarra)
5. 220 High Street. Approval to sell City-owned property at 220 High Street to the Greater Hartford Police Federal Credit Union for $157,000. (Segarra)
6. Refunding Bonds. Authorization for the City to sell $30 million in Refunding Bonds in order to refinance existing General Obligation Bonds at a lower interest rate. (Segarra)
7. Monthly Financial Report. Presentation of the report of revenues and expenditures for the month of December 2011. (Segarra)
8. Fennell Settlement. Proposed settlement of a workers compensation claim made by James Fennell. (Segarra)
9. Rohan Settlement. Proposed settlement of a workers compensation claim made by Jeffrey Rohan. (Segarra)
10. Council Rules. Proposed amendment to Council Rules setting time limits for Committees to report back to Council. (Deutsch, Jennings)
11. 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)
12. Bed Bugs. Ordinance concerning the management and enforcement of bed bug extermination in Hartford residences. (Segarra)
13. Council Rules. Proposed amendment to Council Rules setting the date and time for the monthly meeting of the Operations, Management & Budget Committee at 6 PM on the Wednesday following the first Council meeting of the month. (Wooden)
14. Los Amigos. Allocation of $3,000 for payment of fees for the use of Colt Park softball fields by Los Amigos Softball League. (Cotto)
15. Registrars of Voters. Requirement that the signatures of all three Registrars accompany requests for disbursements of funds in the Registrars of Voters Office. (Cotto)
16. Hartford Courant. Request to the Hartford Courant to make sure that 8 building cleaners, who were laid off when their employer lost the contract to clean the Courant facility, be rehired and their former level of wages and health care benefits be restored. (Deutsch, Jennings, Kennedy, MacDonald)
17. Council Rules. Amendment to Council Rules to hold Education Committee meetings on the 3rd Monday of each month at 5:30 PM. (MacDonald)

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.