Council Previews & Reviews >> Reviews > April 9, 2012

Council Review
Hartford City Council Meeting

Monday, April 9, 2012

Prepared by:
Hartford Public Library, and Hartford 2000

There were 28 items on the original agenda. One additional item was submitted during the meeting. The next regular Council meeting will be held on Monday, April 23, 2012 at 7 P.M. in the Council Chambers in Hartford City Hall. The next public hearing will be Monday, April 16, 2012 at 7 PM.

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

COPS Grant – The Council referred, to its Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee, a resolution authorizing the City to accept a grant of $1,933,760 from the U. S. Department of Justice through its Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant program. The grant will be used to pay the salaries and benefits of ten new Police Officers for three years. As a condition of the grant, the City must maintain funding for the ten officers for at least one year after the grant ends and must improve the rate at which homicides are solved. (Segarra) (Item #1)

Tree Planting Program - The Council passed a resolution allocating $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. The Public Works, Parks & Environment Committee recommends approval. (Segarra) (Item #18)

Elderly Tax Relief – The Council passed an ordinance which will 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 ordinance will 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 will be retained for one to three family homes but will be increased to $1,500 for four family houses. The ordinance will also replace annual applications with biannual applications. (Segarra) (Item #25)

LIST OF ALL AGENDA ITEMS

Item #

  1. COPS Grant. Approval to accept a three-year grant of $1.9 million from the U.S. Department of Justice to be used to pay salaries and benefits for ten new police officers. (Segarra) Referred to Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee
  2. Library Renovations. Approval to accept grants of $250,000 and $150,000 from the CT State Library and the Library's Endowment Fund to complete renovation projects at the downtown Library. (Segarra) Passed
  3. Parks & Recreation Commission. Confirmation of the Mayor's reappointment of Craig Mergins and appointment of David Morin to the Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission. (Segarra) Referred to Public Works, Parks & Environment Committee
  4. Worker's Compensation Claim. Proposed settlement of a worker's compensation claim by Daniel Meehan for $82,500. (Segarra) Passed
  5. Contract Claim. Proposed settlement of a claim for payment made by New England Construction & Landscaping for expenses related to the Main & Tower streetscape project. (Segarra) Passed
  6. CRCOG. Appointments of Councilman Alexander Aponte and Jonas Maciunas to the Policy Board of the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG). (Segarra) Referred to Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee
  7. Development Services Director. Confirmation of the Mayor's appointment of Thomas E. Deller as the Director of Development Services. (Segarra) Referred to Committee of the Whole
  8. H&HS Report. Report by the Council's Health & Human Services Committee on discussions that took place at the committee's meeting on April 2, 2012. Received
  9. 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
  10. Planning & Zoning Commission. Report by the Planning & Economic Development Committee on appointments of Ramon Espinoza and John Lupo as regular members, and Gerry Pleasant as an alternate member, of the Planning & Zoning Commission. (Segarra) (also see #21) Received
  11. Redevelopment Agency. Committee report on confirmation of reappointment of Steven Bonafonte to the Hartford Redevelopment Agency. (Segarra) (also see #22) Received
  12. Dillon Stadium. Committee report on resolution asking the Mayor to issue a Request for Proposals for naming rights for Dillon Stadium. (Cotto) Received
  13. 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) (also see #15) Postponed
  14. Commission on Aging. Confirmation of reappointments of Harry Hartie and Ethel Wallace-Jenkins to the Commission on Aging. (Segarra) Passed
  15. Employee Health Clinic. Report by Health & Human Services Committee on discussion of a lease agreement with St. Francis Care, Inc. for space on the ground floor of City Hall to be used as an employee health clinic. (Segarra) (also see #13) Withdrawn
  16. Investigation. Call for investigation, by the Public Works, Parks & Environment Committee, of the poor conditions of city streets brought about by work done by construction and utility contractors. (Deutsch) Passed
  17. ArtWalk Reception. Authorization for the Hartford Public Library to serve alcohol at an ArtWalk Reception on April 27, 2012. (Jennings) Passed
  18. 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) Passed
  19. CRRA Contract. Approval to enter into a five-year contract with CT Resources Recovery Authority for waste disposal and recycling services. (Segarra) Postponed
  20. New Park. Committee report concerning resolution asking for a study of the feasibility of making the parcel of land known as Turning Point Park a dedicated City park. (Aponte) Withdrawn
  21. 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) (also see #10) Failed
  22. Redevelopment Agency. Confirmation of reappointment of Steven Bonafonte to the Hartford Redevelopment Agency. (Segarra) (also see #11) Passed
  23. Marshall House. Allocation of $40,676 to Marshall House for its shelter for women and families. (Deutsch, Jennings) Postponed
  24. Tax Delinquencies. Request that a Council committee develop a policy on disposition of tax delinquent properties. (Deutsch) Withdrawn
  25. 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) Passed
  26. Valet Parking. Amendment of an ordinance passed in December of 2012 to clarify that the penalty for operation of a valet parking operation without a permit is $100. (Segarra) Referred to Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee and to public hearing on April 16
  27. Cloud Computing. Request that a cost-benefit analysis be carried out on the possibility of switching City networks to a cloud computing infrastructure. (Cotto) Referred to Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee
  28. Guakia. Allocation of $2,000 to the Guakia Performing Arts Program. (Deutsch) Referred to Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee
  29. Lawsuit. Settlement of Stewart v. City of Hartford litigation for $107,000. (Segarra) Passed

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.

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