Council Preview
Hartford City Council Meeting

Tuesday, February 14, 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, February 21, 2012 at 7 PM.

There are 26 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

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

Neighborhood Connectivity Project – The Council will consider a resolution authorizing the City to accept $2,115,134 in grant funding from the Federal Transit Administration and the CT Department of Transportation. Funds will be used to implement the Union Station Pedestrian Neighborhood Connectivity Project by making extensive streetscape improvements in the area between the intersection of Asylum and Farmington Avenues with Broad Street, the Union Station area, and the intersection of High and Ford Streets. These improvements, which will include new sidewalks, decorative streetlights, recycling and trash receptacles, and street trees, are designed to enhance pedestrian access to and from the Asylum Hill Neighborhood, the Hartford New Britain Busway, and Downtown. (Segarra) (Item #2)

Permit Fees – The Council will consider a resolution that will reduce, for one year, the fees that the City charges for building, heating, plumbing, refrigeration, sprinkler, electrical, and elevator permits. The reduction in fees is intended to promote growth and increase the grand list by reducing the cost of development. Specific fee reductions will provide incentives for “green” (LEED certified) development, for construction starts within one year of demolition, and for the use of identical floor plans for multi-story buildings. (Segarra) (Item #5)

Financial Report – The Council will receive a report from the Mayor providing a financial status report as of the end of December 2011. The report is a projection of revenues and expenditures in the General Fund for the fiscal year (July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012) based upon actual figures for the first six months of the year. The report projects a gap between revenues and expenditures of $3.7 million. The gap results from a projected decrease in revenues of $1.8 million and a projected increase in expenses of $1.9 million. The report also sets forth a series of actions which will be taken by the Administration in order to complete the fiscal year with a balanced budget. (Segarra) (Item #13)

General Obligation Bonds – The Council will consider an ordinance which will authorize the City to issue $5.3 million in General Obligation Bonds for the purpose of providing a grant to the owners of the Colt Gateway project for the renovation of the South Armory building into 79 units of housing. The project is the site of the former Colt Manufacturing Company and, when renovations are completed, will include residential, office, and retail development. The designation of the area as a National Park is currently pending. (Segarra) (Item #25)

LIST OF ALL AGENDA ITEMS

Item #

1. License Agreement. Approval to enter into a license agreement with Downes Construction for use of 22-38 Park Street and 14-16 John Street for equipment storage and employee parking during construction of a parking garage and wellness facility for Hartford Hospital. (Segarra)
2. Pedestrian Project. Authorization to accept $2.1 million in grants for construction of pedestrian improvements which will connect the areas from the Asylum/Broad/Farmington intersection with Union Station and the High/Ford intersection. (Segarra)
3. Riverfront Parks. Approval for subcontractors of Riverfront Recapture, Inc. to serve alcohol at events in the Riverfront Parks. (Segarra)
4. Mattress Legislation. Resolution of support for passage of State legislation holding mattress manufacturers responsible for the disposal/recycling of old mattresses. (Segarra)
5. Permit Fees. Reduction of building permit fees for one year to encourage development in the city. (Segarra)
6. Redevelopment Agency. Confirmation of appointments of Bernadine Silvers, Suzanne Hopgood, and Steven Bonafonte to the Hartford Redevelopment Agency. (Segarra)
7. Commission on Women. Confirmation of the appointment of Sweets Wilson to the Permanent Commission on the Status of Hartford Women. (Segarra)
8. Planning & Zoning Commission. Confirmation of appointments of Ramon Espinoza, Anthony Koos, and John Lupo as regular members, and Gerry Pleasant as an alternate member, of the Planning & Zoning Commission. (Segarra)
9. Assessment Appeals. Confirmation of the reappointment of Allen Ackerman and William Smith to the Board of Assessment Appeals. (Segarra)
10. Food Policy. Confirmation of the appointment of Martha Page to the Commission on Food Policy. (Segarra)
11. Vehicle Purchase. Authorization to accept a $50,000 grant from the CT Department of Transportation to offset the cost of purchase of ten alternative fuel vehicles. (Segarra)
12. Parking Authority. Confirmation of the appointment of Mathew Jasinski to the Hartford Parking Authority. (Segarra)
13. 2nd Quarter Financial Report. Report of the City’s financial position at the end of December 1, 2011, including projections of revenues and expenditures for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012. (Segarra)
14. Education. Report by the Council’s Education Committee on discussions held with Superintendent of Schools Kishimoto regarding the school reform process and other education issues.
15. Violence. Report by the Council’s Quality of Life, Public Safety, and Housing Committee on discussions held by the committee with members of the Police Department and the Hartford community about addressing violent crime in the city.
16. Underwood Elderly Tax Abatement. Authorization to enter into a 30 year tax abatement for the 136 unit Underwood Elderly housing complex. Report from PED Committee. (Segarra) (also see #22)
17. 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)
18. Capitol Towers Tax Abatement. Authorization to enter into a 30-year tax abatement for the 144 unit Capitol Towers elderly housing complex. Report from PED Committee. (Segarra) (also see #20)
19. Underwood Large Family Tax Abatement. Authorization to enter into a 30-year tax abatement for the 25 unit Underwood Large Family housing complex. Report from PED Committee. (Segarra) (also see #21)
20. Capitol Towers Tax Abatement. Authorization to enter into a 30-year tax abatement for the 144 unit Capitol Towers elderly housing complex. Report from OMBLA Committee. (Segarra) (also see #18)
21. Underwood Large Family Tax Abatement. Authorization to enter into a 30-year tax abatement for the 25 unit Underwood Large Family housing complex. Report from OMBLA Committee. (Segarra) (also see #19)
22. Underwood Elderly Tax Abatement. Authorization to enter into a 30 year tax abatement for the 136 unit Underwood Elderly housing complex. Report from OMBLA Committee. (Segarra) (also see #16)
23. 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)
24. Bed Bugs. Ordinance concerning the management and enforcement of bed bug extermination in Hartford residences. (Segarra)
25. Bonding. Authorization to sell $5.3 million in General Obligation Bonds to provide a grant to Colt Gateway for rehabilitation of the South Armory building into housing units. (Segarra)
26. Special Assessment. Creation of a process and procedures for placing a special assessment on blighted properties. (Segarra)

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.