Council Review
Hartford City Council Meeting

Monday, March 26, 2012

Prepared by:
Hartford Public Library, and Hartford 2000

There were 31 items on the original agenda. No additional items were submitted during the meeting. The next regular Council meeting will be held on Monday, April 9, 2012 at 7 P.M. in the Council Chambers in Hartford City Hall, preceded at 6:00 PM by a public comment period. The next public hearing will be Monday, April 16, 2012 at 7 PM in Council Chambers.

This Review consists of two sections: Items of Special Interest and Action on All Agenda Items. The City’s official listing of actions taken on all items on this agenda can be found online at: http://www.hartford.gov/government/Town&CityClerk/Minutes/council_meeting_minutes.htm

ITEMS OF SPECIAL INTEREST

Tree Planting Program – The Council referred, to its Public Works, Parks & Environment Committee, a grant of $600,000 to the Knox Parks Foundation to implement a tree planting program in 2012. There are two components to the program. Residents and other volunteers will plant 300 trees along city streets, in community gardens and in Old North Cemetery and two crews of Knox workers will plant 700 trees in parks, at public buildings and parking lots, in the South Meadows, and along city streets. The program will address deterioration of the urban forest due to the old age of many trees and the loss of trees in Storm Alfred. (Segarra) (Item #9)

960 Main Street – The Council referred to its Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee, a resolution authorizing an amendment to the lease between the City of Hartford and the owners of 960 Main Street (the former G. Fox building). Currently, the Hartford Public Schools occupy the 8th and 9th floors and a portion of the basement. They wish to open a welcome center in retail space on the first floor. Under the lease amendment, the City would rent 1,854 square feet of space for an annual rental payment of $22,248 which will include electricity, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. Tenant improvements would be paid for by the Hartford Public Schools and reimbursed by the building owners. (Segarra) (Item #12)

Elderly Tax Relief – The Council received a report from its Operations, Management, Budget, & Legislative Affairs Committee concerning an ordinance which would make changes to the City’s Elderly Tax Relief program. The program provides tax credits to homeowners who are 65 years of age or older whose incomes are below certain limits. The Council will vote on the ordinance at its next meeting. The ordinance would increase the income limits from $35,400 to $45,500 for individuals and from $41,600 to $52,000 for married couples. The $500 tax credit would be retained for one to three family homes but would be increased to $1,500 for four family houses. The ordinance would also replace annual applications with biannual applications. (Segarra) (Item #15)

Student Members of the Board of Education – The Council adopted an ordinance which will implement a provision in the City Charter that allows the Council to create two seats on the Board of Education for students in the Hartford public schools. The positions will be ex-officio and non-voting. The students will be appointed for one-year terms by the Mayor. The ordinance lays out certain qualifications that the Mayor should consider during appointments, including residency in Hartford, experience with student government, and selection by the students’ peers. (MacDonald, Wooden, Deutsch, Anderson, DeJesus, Kennedy) (Items #17 and 22)

Charter Revision – The Council passed a resolution appointing eleven members to the Charter Revision Commission. The Council previously voted, on February 27, 2012, to create a Charter Revision Commission. State law requires that such a commission consist of five to fifteen members. Individuals recommended for appointment are Jeremy Baver, Corey Brinson, Doreth Flowers, Richard Gordon, Kenneth Green, Kevin Henry, John Kennelly, Brendan Mahoney, Thea Montanez, Sharon Patterson-Stallings, and Bruce Rubenstein. (Mayor and all Council members) (Item #24)

LIST OF ALL AGENDA ITEMS

Item #

1. Appointment. Confirmation of the appointment of Joanna Iovino to the Human Relations Commission. (Segarra) Referred to Operations, Management, Budget, & Legislative Affairs Committee
2. Medical Claims Administration. Approval of a contract with Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield for administration of medical claims for employees of the City and the Hartford Public Schools. (Segarra) Referred to Operations, Management, Budget, & Legislative Affairs Committee and Health & Human Services Committee
3. Dial-a-Ride Grant. Authorization to accept a grant of $369,049 from the CT Department of Transportation for operation of the Dial-a-Ride program. (Segarra) Passed
4. CRRA Contract. Approval to enter into a five-year contract with CT Resources Recovery Authority for waste disposal and recycling services. (Segarra) Referred to Operations, Management, Budget, & Legislative Affairs Committee and Public Works, Parks & Environment Committee
5. 58 Chapel Street. Approval for the City to purchase property at 58 Chapel Street as part of the Downtown North Redevelopment Plan. (Segarra) Referred to Planning & Economic Development Committee and public hearing on April 16
6. Shared Services. Authorization for the City to participate with the Capitol Region Council of Governments in two regional shared services projects: Law Enforcement Data Sharing and a Regional Property Assessment Study. (Segarra) Passed
7. Evaluation Report. Submission of a report entitled “Defined Contribution Plan Financial Evaluation” prepared by PFM Asset Management. (Segarra) Received
8. Employee Health Clinic. Approval of a lease agreement with St. Francis Care, Inc. for space on the ground floor of City Hall for use as an employee health clinic. (Segarra) Referred to Operations, Management, Budget, & Legislative Affairs Committee and Health & Human Services Committee and public hearing on April 16
9. Tree Planting Program. Authorization to provide a grant of $600,000 to the Knox Parks Foundation for the planting of 1,000 trees along streets and in parks, community gardens, and cemeteries. (Segarra) Referred to Public Works, Parks & Environment Committee
10. GMO Labeling. Resolution supporting CT House Bill 5117 to require the labeling of food products containing Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). (Segarra, Deutsch) Passed
11. Appropriation. Committee report recommending authorization to appropriate $642,545 to the Board of Education. (Segarra) (also see #23) Received
12. Lease Agreement. Amendment to a lease between the City and the owner of 960 Main Street for rental of an additional 1,854 square feet on the first floor for use as a welcome center for the Hartford Public Schools. (Segarra) Referred to Operations, Management, Budget, & Legislative Affairs Committee
13. Assessment Appeals. Confirmation of the reappointment of Allen Ackerman and William Smith to the Board of Assessment Appeals. (Segarra) Passed
14. Easement. Approval for the City to enter into an agreement to allow Comcast of Connecticut to use a 10’ by 700’ piece of City land at 61 Savitt Way to install underground communication cables. (Segarra) Passed
15. Elderly Tax Relief. Amendments to the Elderly Tax Relief program to raise income limits to $52,000 for a married couple and $45,500 for a single individual and to increase the tax credit on a 4-family home from $500 to $1,500. (Segarra) Received
16. Los Amigos. Allocation of $3,000 for payment of fees for the use of Colt Park softball fields by Los Amigos Softball League. (Cotto) Passed
17. Student Members. Committee report recommending adoption of an ordinance creating two ex-officio non-voting student members of the Board of Education. (MacDonald, Wooden, Deutsch, Anderson, DeJesus, Kennedy) (also see #22) Received
18. Tax Lien Sales. Proposal to allow Hartford residents and business owners a 30 day preference period to purchase tax liens prior to City issuance of a request for proposals to sell tax liens in bulk. (Winch) Withdrawn
19. Planning & Zoning Commission. Confirmation of Ramon Espinoza and John Lupo as regular members, and Gerry Pleasant as an alternate member, of the Planning & Zoning Commission. (Segarra) Postponed
20. Redevelopment Agency. Confirmation of reappointment of Steven Bonafonte to the Hartford Redevelopment Agency. (Segarra) Postponed
21. Marshall House. Allocation of $40,676 to Marshall House for its shelter for women and families. (Deutsch, Jennings) Postponed
22. Student Members. Ordinance creating two ex-officio non-voting student members of the Board of Education. (MacDonald, Wooden, Deutsch, Anderson, DeJesus, Kennedy) (also see #17) Adopted
23. Appropriation. Authorization to appropriate $642,545 to the Board of Education. (Segarra) (also see #11) Adopted
24. Charter Revision. Appointment of eleven members to the Charter Revision Commission. (Mayor and all Council members) Passed
25. Public Safety Academy. Recommendation that the Hartford Public Schools give consideration to the location of the Public Safety Academy in Weaver High School. (Anderson, Jennings, Aponte) Withdrawn
26. New Park. Resolution asking for a study of the feasibility of making the parcel of land known as Turning Point Park a dedicated City park. (Aponte) Referred to Public Works, Parks & Environment Committee
27. YMCA. Allocation of $1,000 to the Wilson-Gray YMCA Youth and Family Center. (Deutsch) Referred to Operations, Management, Budget, & Legislative Affairs Committee
28. Tax Delinquencies. Request that a Council committee develop a policy on disposition of tax delinquent properties. (Deutsch) Postponed
29. Bids for City-Owned Property. Eight week extension of deadline for submitting bids for property at 126 and 130 New Park Avenue and 8 and 161 Francis Court. (Deutsch) Tabled
30. Park Clean-up. Request that the Department of Public Works provide supplies for a clean-up of Rocky Ridge Park by volunteers on April 21st. (Jennings) Passed
31. Abe Giles Way. Designation of the corner of Windsor and Main Streets as Abraham Giles Way. (Jennings) Referred to Public Building Dedication Committee and to public hearing on April 16

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.