Council Preview
Hartford City Council Meeting

Monday, April 12, 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 meeting will be preceded, at 6:00 PM, by a public comment period. The next public hearing will be Monday, April 19, 2010 at 7 PM.

There are 54 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. Names in parenthesis following the item description identify the person or committee who submitted the item to Council. 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.

5-Year Community Development Plan – The Council will consider a resolution authorizing the City to submit a 5 year Consolidated Community Development Plan for the use of Federal grant funds which the City will receive from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (Community Development Block Grant, HOME, Housing for People with AIDS, and Emergency Shelter Grant). The plan is available for review on the City's web site at www.hartford.gov/development/grants-mgt . (Perez) (Item #1)

Latino Studies Academy – The Council will consider a resolution approving a construction project which will renovate a portion of Burns Elementary School for a Latino Studies Academy for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Construction will include roof repairs and code compliance and will cost approximately $1.4 million. The Connecticut Department of Education will reimburse the City of Hartford for 80% of these costs. (Perez) (Item #8)

Batterson Park – The Council will consider a resolution that authorizes the submission of a grant application to the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection for funding, through the DEP's Urban Green and Community Garden Initiative, for the construction of hiking and nature trails and an overnight campground in Batterson Park. The cost of the project is estimated at $214,000. The grant requires a 35% match from the City which may be provided through in-kind services. (Perez) (Item #10)

Allocation of HUD Funds – The Council will consider the allocation of $8.4 million in Federal grant funds which will be received by the City from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development for the fiscal year 2010-11. The allocations include $4.6 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to be used for a variety of community and social services, economic development, rehabilitation, repair, demolition, park improvements, and administrative costs. $161,000 in Emergency Shelter Grant funds are to be allocated to nine emergency shelters and approximately $1.0 million in HOPWA funds (Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS) are allocated to ten programs in the region serving individuals and families living with AIDS/HIV. $2.3 million in HOME funds (HOME Investment Partnerships) is set aside for housing assistance programs, including home-buyer assistance and financing of rehabilitation or new construction. (Perez) (Item #11)

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.

One City, One Plan (Plan of Conservation and Development) – The Council will consider a resolution endorsing One City, One Plan (the Plan of Conservation and Development). The City has conducted an inclusive and vigorous public outreach participation process in drafting the Plan. Over 1,000 individuals as well as neighborhood and business groups have participated to date. The Council has 65 days to submit comments on the Plan to the Planning and Zoning Commission. The Planning & Economic Development recommends postponing action on this item pending further public discussion. (Perez) (Items #5 and 13)

M.L.King Elementary School – The Council will vote on a resolution requesting the Hartford Preservation Alliance to consider the inclusion of the Martin Luther King School building on the State Register of Historic Places. The building was formerly Weaver High School, was designed in 1922 by architects Frank Cooper and Philip Mason, and is an architecturally distinguished Collegiate Gothic high school. The Planning & Economic Development Committee recommends approval. (Ritter) (Item #15)

Graffiti – The Council will take action on a proposed ordinance addressing the issue of graffiti. The proposed ordinance defines graffiti and prohibits the application of graffiti and the possession of graffiti implements in public parks and facilities and within 50 feet of public infrastructure, such as bridge abutments or underpasses, holds both graffiti artists (and their parents if they are children) and property owners responsible for graffiti removal, and imposes penalties, including a fine of $100 per day, for failure to remove the graffiti. A public hearing was held on this item on March 15, 2010. (Perez) (Item #28)

Corporation Counsel – The Council will consider a resolution that requests the Council to take a vote of no confidence in Corporation Counsel John Rose due to recent involvement of the Corporation Counsel's office in election contests, losses of Freedom of Information (FOI) appeals, and unnecessary expenses for taxpayers. (Deutsch) (Item #54)

LIST OF ALL AGENDA ITEMS

Item #

1. Community Development Plan. Authorization for the City to submit, to the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, a 5-year Consolidated Community Development Plan. (Perez)
2. Lawsuit. Request for Council to hold an Executive Session to discuss Tanya Wiggins v. City of Hartford. (Perez)
3. Lawsuit. Request for Council to hold an Executive Session to discuss Calwyn Faeron v. Officer Joseph Sherbo and City of Hartford. (Perez)
4. Lawsuit. Request for Council to hold an Executive Session to discuss Juanita Johnson v. GEICO, City of Hartford, and Officer Clarke. (Perez)
5. One City, One Plan Info. Information submitted by members of the public to the City regarding the Plan of Conservation and Development. (Perez)
6. ATM Machine. Authorization to enter into an agreement with the Hartford Municipal Employee's Federal Credit Union to place an ATM machine in the lobby of the Morgan Street Garage. (Perez)
7. Loan Write-Offs. Authorization to write off six loans, made in the 1980s, totaling $326,600, which have been determined to be uncollectible. (Perez)
8. Latino Studies Academy. Approval of construction of a Latino Studies Academy in Burns School at a cost of $1.4 million. (Perez)
9. Historic Records. Approval to transfer City records, dating from 1638 to the mid-1950s, to the Hartford History Center at the Hartford Public Library. (Perez)
10. Batterson Park. Approval to apply for funding from the CT Department of Environmental Protection for construction of hiking and nature trails and an overnight camping area at Batterson Park. (Perez)
11. Allocation of HUD Funds. Approval of allocations totaling $8.4 million that the City receives through four Federal grant programs: Community Development Block Grant, Emergency Shelter Grant, HOME Investment Partnerships, and Housing for People with AIDS. (Perez)
12. Veto. Mayor's veto of Council's approval of a requirement that increments for exceptional service of more than $3,500 be approved by the Council and that a quarterly report of all increments be provided to the Council by the Administration. (Perez)
13. One City, One Plan. Report by the Planning & Economic Development Committee describing discussions at a Committee meeting on April 6th and recommending postponement of action endorsing the draft Ten-Year Plan of Conservation and Development to Council pending further public discussion. (PEDC)
14. Asylum Hill. Report by the Planning & Economic Development Committee recommending postponement of action approving the amended NRZ Strategic Plan for Asylum Hill NRZ pending minor changes to be made. (also see #27) (PEDC)
15. M.L.King School. Request to the Hartford Preservation Alliance to consider the Martin Luther King Elementary School building for inclusion on the State Register of Historic Places. (Ritter)
16. Commercial Vehicles in Parks. Report by the Public Works, Parks & Environment Committee recommending approval of an amendment to the City ordinance to allow only commercial vehicles on City business to drive into the parks (previously only Parks & Recreation vehicles were allowed to do so) and to allow bicycles throughout the parks. (also see #29) (PW,P&EC)
17. Commission on Cultural Affairs. Report by the Public Works, Parks & Environment Committee recommending approval of a proposed requirement that, if the Commission on Cultural Affairs does not have a quorum, the City Council shall consult with the Parks & Recreation Commission on any new improvements in public parks. (also see #22) (PW,P&EC)
18. Street Closures and Fee Waiver. Fee waivers and closures of streets throughout Hartford for the 15th Annual Miracle Ride (motorcycles) to be sponsored by the CT Children's Medical Center on April 25, 2010. (Cotto)
19. Cricket Fields. Request to the Administration to make the Keney Park cricket fields ready for play by June 1st, by installing drainage pipes and re-sodding and repairing damaged areas. (Ritter, Airey-Wilson, Kennedy)
20. Tree Removals. Request for Public Works to notify Council's Public Works, Parks & Environment Committee 30 days in advance of removal of any tree on City property. (Cotto)
21. St. Martin's Outreach. Allocation of $10,000 to St. Martin's Outreach Certified Nursing Assistant Program. (Airey-Wilson)
22. Commission on Cultural Affairs. Proposed requirement that, if the Commission on Cultural Affairs does not have a quorum, the City Council shall consult with the Parks & Recreation Commission on any new improvements in public parks. (also see #17) (Ritter)
23. FOI. Resolution urging the Mayor to not authorize any appeals to Freedom of Information decisions without Council approval and that fines levied on employees be paid by the employee, not by City government. (Cotto, Deutsch, Ritter, Kennedy)
24. Appointment. Appointment of Craig Mergins to the Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission. (Perez)
25. Appointment. Appointment of Stephen B. Dauphine to the Zoning Board of Appeals. (Perez)
26. Appointment. Appointment of William Young to the Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. (Perez)
27. Asylum Hill. Approval of the amended NRZ Strategic Plan for Asylum Hill NRZ. (also see #14) (Perez)
28. Graffiti. Proposed ordinance to require removal of graffiti by the person who applies it or the owner of the property on which graffiti has been applied and imposition of $100 per day fines for failure to remove the graffiti. (Perez)
29. Commercial Vehicles in Parks. Amendment to ordinance to allow only commercial vehicles on City business to drive into the parks (previously only Parks & Recreation vehicles were allowed to do so) and to allow bicycles throughout the parks. (also see #16) (Cotto)
30. Appointment. Appointment of Kevin Burnham as new director of Public Works. (Perez)
31. Farmers Markets. Establishment of regulations and licenses for vendors at farmers markets. (Cotto)
32. Appointment. Appointment of Sylvia Reid to the Human Relations Commission. (Perez)
33. Appointment. Appointment of Walter Butler to the Human Relations Commission. (Perez)
34. Appointment. Appointment of Cynthia Dubuque to the Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues. (Perez)
35. Appointment. Appointment of David Jorgensen to the Hartford Redevelopment Agency. (Perez)
36. Appointment. Appointment of Hector Rivera to the Commission on Aging. (Perez)
37. Appointment. Appointment of Charles Nobilski to the Advisory Commission on the Environment. (Perez)
38. Fee Waiver. Request for waiver of fees and closure of Clark Street between Nelson and Capen Streets for Earth and Global Youth Day to be sponsored by the Community Renewal Team on Saturday April 24, 2010. (Winch)
39. Youth Football Task Force. Creation of a Youth Football Task Force to expand and improve Hartford's midget football program which serves youth from 7 to 14 years old. (Winch, Cotto, Airey-Wilson, Kennedy, Ritter, Segara)
40. Fee Waiver. Waiver of fees and closures of streets for a Good Friday Procession held by St. Michael's Church on April 2, 2010. (Cotto)
41. Fee Waiver. Waiver of fees and closures of streets for a Good Friday Procession held by St. Anne Immaculate Conception Church on April 2, 2010. (Cotto)
42. Fee Waiver. Waiver of fees and closures of streets for "Imperio" to be sponsored by Our Lady of Fatima Church on May 30, 2010. (Cotto)
43. Fee Waiver. Waiver of fees and closures of streets for a Good Friday Procession held by St. Peter's Church on April 2, 2010. (Cotto)
44. Art Walk Reception. Approval for the Hartford Public Library to serve alcohol at the ArtWalk Reception on June 4, 2010. (Cotto)
45. Party. Approval to serve alcohol at a party to be hosted by Bayyinah Lyons at the Keney Park Pond House on June 5, 2010. (Cotto)
46. Fee Waiver. Waiver of fees for religious services to be held by the Bibleway Temple Nation on various street corners in the Northeast Neighborhood on Tuesday evenings from March 30 to September 7, 2010. (Cotto)
47. Fee Waiver. Waiver of fees for church services to be sponsored by the Greater Hartford Church of Christ in Elizabeth Park on May 30, June 13, July 18, and August 22, 2010. (Cotto)
48. Fee Waiver. Waiver of fees associated with a tulip and daffodil planting to be sponsored by the Alzheimer's Association and held in Bushnell Park on April 24, 2010. (Cotto)
49. Fee Waiver. Waiver of fees for the "Red Bull Manny Mania" to be sponsored by the Hartford Business Improvement District and held at New Ross County Wexford Park on June 26, 2010. (Cotto)
50. Fee Waiver. Waiver of fees for an Easter Egg Hunt held by the Friends of Goodwin Park on Sunday, April 3, 2010 in Goodwin Park. (Cotto)
51. Board of Education Budget. Request to the Board of Education to provide the Council with adopted line-item budgets for the past two fiscal years and year-to-date figures for the current fiscal year. (Deutsch, Segarra)
52. FOI Advisory Board. Request that the Mayor appoint a 3rd person to the Freedom of Information Advisory Board and that the Council call the first meeting of the Board within 30 days of the appointment. (Ritter)
53. Reallocation of Funds. Proposed reallocation of $1,500 from the Juan Castillo Latin-American Basketball League to the City's Recreation Division. (Torres)
54. Corporation Counsel. Request that the Council take a vote of no confidence in Corporation Counsel. (Deutsch)
    

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.