Council Preview
Hartford City Council Meeting

Monday, January 25, 2010

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 held on Monday, February 8, 2010 and the next public hearing will be Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 7 PM.

There are 20 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.

Contract With Capital Strategies – The Council will vote on a resolution authorizing the Mayor to contract with Capital Strategies Group, LLC, to advocate on behalf of the City of Hartford before the State Legislature. Hartford competes for millions of dollars in aid every year at the State Legislature. Over the last several years, Capital Strategies, LLC, has been the City's advocate at the state level and has secured millions of dollars. (Item # 3)

Shotspotter System – The Council will vote on a resolution authorizing the Mayor to seek funds for a pilot deployment of the Shotspotter system, which assists police in quickly identifying the location of gunshots while filtering out other sounds. As a result, response time to shootings can be improved. The system is being used in New Haven and other cities around the country. The pilot will begin in 2010-2011 and the results of the pilot will be shared with the City Council within one year of deployment. (Item # 4)

Graffiti – The Council will vote on a proposed ordinance addressing the issue of graffiti. Among other things, the proposed ordinance defines "graffiti," specifies what acts are prohibited and who is responsible for graffiti removal, and describes penalties for non-removal. A copy of the full ordinance may be viewed in the Town Clerk's office. (Item # 14)

Regional Revaluation – The Council will vote on a resolution requesting that the Budget Fiscal Analysis Task Force collaborate with the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) to review relevant legislation and determine the feasibility of implementing regional revaluation with interested municipalities. The resolution requests that findings be reported back to the City Council. Regional revaluation could not only allow the suspension of Hartford's plan for phasing in property revaluation but may also provide significant cost savings and potentially mitigate the impact on taxpayers. (Item # 20)

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.

Day Care Center – The Council will vote on a resolution authorizing the City to lease space at the Wilson-Grey Youth and Family YMCA, at 444 Albany Avenue, for the care and education of children up to 5 years old. The City proposes to lease 2,021 square feet of space for five years at an annual cost of $35,000. This space will replace the day care center currently located in the Martin Luther King Elementary School which is in poor condition. Renovation of the center is not prudent since this school will be closing for repairs in the next few years. (Item #6)

Protecting Pocket Parks – The Council will consider a resolution urging the Planning & Zoning Commission to identify the numerous small and medium sized, City-owned parcels of land that are currently being used as parks (such as Brackett Park, Cronin Park, Lozada Park, and others) and to re-zone them as "P - Public Property and Cemetery District" to prevent them from being developed. The Council's Public Works, Parks & Environment Committee recommended approval. (Note: The January 11th Council Review reported, in error, that this item had been adopted. It had actually been postponed.) (Item #9)

Pedal Cabs – The Council will consider an ordinance governing "pedal cabs". The ordinance defines a pedal cab as "a multi-wheeled vehicle propelled by human power, capable of transporting passengers…and which is made available to the public as a mode of transportation". The ordinance requires drivers to secure a license for $25 annually, requires owners to register their vehicles for $50 per year, and regulates equipment and operation for safety purposes. A public hearing was held on this matter on October 19. The Operations, Management & Budget Committee recommended postponement pending revisions to the ordinance and the Council has previously postponed consideration of the item. (Item #11)

Illegal Dumping - The Council will consider ordinance amendments which would make it illegal to dump solid waste in Hartford in any location not licensed for dumping. Fines, which were previously set at $100 per day, are proposed to be changed to $1,000 for a first offense and $5,000 for every subsequent offense. The amendments would also result in better signage in locations found to be significantly problematic for dumping. A public hearing was held on this matter on October 19 and the Council has previously postponed action. (Item #12)

LIST OF ALL AGENDA ITEMS

Item #

1. Personal Services Contract. Approval of a six-month renewal of contract with Nancy Mulroy for media and communications services for the Police Department.
2. Executive Session. Request for Council to hold an Executive Session to discuss the settlement agreement in Cintron v. Vaughan.
3. Advocacy Contract. Approval of a contract with Capital Strategies Group for advocacy on behalf of Hartford at the State Legislature.
4. Shotspotter. Authorization to seek non-City funding to pilot the use of an electronic gunshot detection system.
5. Public Safety Grant. Approval to apply to the State of Connecticut for $800,000 for the emergency operations center being constructed as part of the Public Safety Complex.
6. Day Care Center. Authorization to enter into a lease for space at the new YMCA on Albany Avenue to house the day care center currently located at Martin Luther King School.
7. Living Wage. Report from the Labor & Workforce Development Committee recommending amendments to the City's Living Wage ordinance, including increasing the definition of a living wage to 120% of the federal poverty level for a family of four plus health benefits and decreasing the amount of a contract that triggers the living wage ordinance from $50,000 to $20,000. (also see #10)
8. St. Martin's Outreach. Allocation of $10,000 to St. Martin's Outreach Certified Nursing Assistant Program. Not supported by Operations, Management & Budget Committee due to lack of funds.
9. Parks and Zoning. Request to the Planning & Zoning Commission to re-zone land parcels that are currently being used as small and medium size parks from their current classifications to "P – Public Property and Cemetery District".
10. Living Wage. Amendments to the City's Living Wage ordinance, including increasing the definition of a living wage to 120% of the federal poverty level for a family of four plus health benefits and decreasing the amount of a contract that triggers the living wage ordinance from $50,000 to $20,000. (also see #7)
11. Pedal Cabs. Regulation of bicycle-type vehicles used as public transportation for up to three riders.
12. Dumping. Proposal to make it illegal to dump solid waste in Hartford in any unlicensed location and to increase fines from $100 per day to $1,000 for first offense and $5,000 for subsequent offenses.
13. Reappointments. Reappointment of Michael Brescia, Elizabeth M. Davis, Carl A. Williams, and Alcides Ortiz to the Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission.
14. Graffiti. Proposal to prohibit the sale of graffiti implements to anyone under 18 years old and to require that perpetrators and property owners eliminate graffiti in a timely fashion. (also see #15)
15. Graffiti. Deletion of existing law regarding graffiti to be replaced with new law as proposed in item #14.
16. Commission on Cultural Affairs. Proposed requirement that, if the Commission does not have a quorum, the City Council shall consult with the Parks & Recreation Commission and other park advocacy groups on any new improvements in public parks.
17. Funding. Allocation of $1,300 to the Greater Hartford Pro-Am, Inc.
18. Alcohol. Approval for the Hartford Public Library to serve alcohol at its ArtWalk Reception on February 19, 2010.
19. Haiti Relief. Proposal for the City to match donations for earthquake relief with an equal amount of City funds to a maximum of $12,000.
20. Regional Revaluation. Request that the Budget Fiscal Analysis Task Force explore the feasibility of regional property valuation and report back to the Council.

If you have any questions about the agenda, please call Richard Frieder at the Hartford Public Library, 695-6365, or Linda Bayer at Hartford 2000, 547-1663 X21. The Council Preview/Review is a joint project of Hartford 2000 and the Hartford Public Library.