Council Preview
Hartford City Council Meeting

Monday, February 22, 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 Monday, March 8, 2010 and the next public hearing will be Monday, March 15, 2010 both at 7 PM.

There are 29 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.

Land Sale: The Council will consider a resolution authorizing the sale of a 13 acre parcel of land at 1020 Wethersfield Avenue to the Metropolitan District for a price of $1.6 million. This land will be used by the District for construction of the South Hartford Conveyance and Storage Tunnel which is part of the Clean Water Project. The 13 acres is part of a 21 acre parcel. The City will retain easements to provide access to portions of the City's flood control system including a pumping station and Clark Dike. (Item #6)

Living Wage: The Council will consider amendments to the Living Wage Ordinance which requires that employers with certain contracts with the City must pay a living wage to their employees. The amendments would expand the types of contractors covered by the ordinance to include construction contracts and contracts for management supervision and would apply the provisions of the law to contracts of more than $20,000 (reduced from $50,000). "Living wage" is defined as 120% of the federal poverty level for a family of four. If the employer does not provide health benefits, additional payment must be made to the employee. The ordinance is administered by the Human Relations Department. (Item #19)

Brackett Park: The Council will consider a resolution that requests the Mayor to submit, to the Planning & Zoning Commission, an Application for Zoning Map Change for 44 Westland Street. The land is currently zoned R3 (residential/medium density) but has been used for some time as a neighborhood recreation site known as Brackett Park. The proposal would request rezoning to P (public property/cemetery). (Item #25)

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.

Hilton Hotel – The Council will vote on a resolution authorizing the City to take certain actions that would change the agreements between the Hilton Hotel and the City of Hartford and assist in restoring the hotel's economic viability and stabilizing its operation. Such actions would include an application by the City to the US Department of Housing & Urban Development for a $7.0 million loan to be made to the Hilton, the City's release of all liens against the Hilton, the Hilton's payment of all past due taxes, conversion of an air lease to a ground lease for 11 years, which would make the City the owner of the property, making the property tax-exempt, agreement by the Hilton to pay rent in lieu of taxes, execution of a collective bargaining agreement with the union representing Hilton workers, and execution of a job retention agreement. The Council's Labor & Workforce Development Committee recommends approval. (Item #9)

Graffiti – The Council will consider a proposed ordinance addressing the issue of graffiti. The proposed ordinance defines "graffiti," specifies what acts are prohibited, holds property owners 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. This ordinance was previously withdrawn and has now been re-submitted. (Item #12)

LIST OF ALL AGENDA ITEMS

Item #

1. Legal Matter: Request for Executive Session to discuss MRK Hernandez et al v. Connecticut Court Support SvcDiv. et al.
2. Tax Report: Submission of Tax Collector's Annual Report for July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009.
3. Financial Report: Submission of the 2nd Quarter (October –December 2009) Financial Report.
4. Nurturing Families: Approval to accept a grant of $218,798 from the CT Department of Social Services to support the Nurturing Families Network in reducing abuse and neglect of Hartford children.
5. Healthy Start: Authorization to accept a grant of $170,000 per year for five years to fund the Healthy Start Program which improves access to prenatal care for high-risk pregnant women.
6. Land Sale: Approval to sell a 13 acre land parcel at 1020 Wethersfield Avenue to the Metropolitan District for $1.6 million.
7. Election Costs: Authorization to transfer $152,595 to the Registrars of Voters to cover the expense of holding the March 2nd election for Democratic Town Committee members.
8. Park Street Streetscape: Authorization to enter into a contract with the State Department of Transportation for $3,751,000 in Federal Stimulus funds for streetscape improvements on Park Street between Pope Park Highway #4 and Park Terrace.
9. Hilton Hotel: Approval of various transactions with the Hilton Hotel to restore its economic viability and stabilize its operation.
10. Fee Waiver: Waiver of fees for 17 baseball games played during 2009 in Colt Park by The Friends of Vintage Baseball.
11. City's Interest in Seymour Street: Ordinance releasing the City's interest in the discontinued portion of Seymour Street between Jefferson Street and Retreat Avenue.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. Appointment: Reappointment of Regina Dyton to the Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues.
15. Appointment: Appointment of Carol Carson to the Civilian Police Review Board.
16. Appointment: Appointment of Jonathan Hull to the Advisory Commission on the Environment.
17. Appointment: Appointment of Katherine Pacelle to the Commission on Disability Issues.
18. Exceptional Service Increments: Proposal for Council to approve guidelines for exceptional service pay for City employees as well as any lump sum exceptional service payments.
19. Living Wage: Proposal to extend requirements of existing ordinance to contracts of more than $20,000 for construction and management supervision and to define a living wage as 120% of the federal poverty level for a family of four.
20. Appointment: Appointment of Justin A. Zartman to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
21. Appointment: Appointment of Shonya Harrison to the Commission on Disability Issues.
22. Appointment: Reappointment of Richard Twilley to the Hartford Parking Authority.
23. Appointment: Appointment of Barbara A. Payne to the Permanent Commission on the Status of Hartford Women.
24. Appointment: Appointment of Christopher Tillotson to the Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues.
25. Brackett Park: Request to the Mayor to submit an application for zoning change for 44 Westland Street (Brackett Park) from R3 (Residence District) to P (Public Property and Cemetery District).
26. Fee Waiver: Waiver of fees and street closures for the Phagwah Parade to be held by the Shri Krishna Mandir in Goodwin Park and nearby streets on March 6, 2010.
27. Legal Matter: Request for Executive Session to discuss Richard L. Moffitt v. City of Hartford.
28. Funding: Proposal to reduce a previous allocation of $5,000 to Community Services, Inc. to $2,500 and to allocate $2,500 to Mayor Mike's Little League.
29. Police Certification: Request that the Mayor research the process and cost of National Certification of the Hartford Police Department and provide this information 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.