Council Preview
Hartford City Council Meeting

Monday, April 23, 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 next Council Meeting will be Monday, May 14th at 7 P.M. preceded by public comment at 6 P.M.. A public hearing on the Mayor’s Recommended Budget for fiscal year 2012-13 will be held on Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 6 P. M. at Bulkeley High School.

There are 20 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

FY2012-13 Budget - The Council has received the Mayor’s Recommended General Fund Budget for Fiscal Year 2012-13. The Budget totals $546.6 million. The proposed tax rate is 75.3 mills. Although the mill rate is higher than FY 2011-12, the amount of revenue it will generate is $11.6 million less than in 2011-12, due to decreases in property values and the revaluation of property recently completed. The Recommended Budget also includes a five-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The 2012-13 component of the CIP contains 49 projects at a total cost of $60.9 million. It is proposed that these costs be funded by $16.4 million in grants and $44.5 million in City bond funds. A public hearing on the Recommended Budget will be held at Bulkeley High School on Wednesday, April 25, 2012 beginning at 6 P.M. The Recommended Budget may be reviewed on-line at http://managementandbudget.hartford.gov/default.aspx . (Segarra) (Item #1)

Percent for the Arts – The Council will consider an amendment to the Percent for Arts ordinance. The ordinance currently requires that the City set aside 1% of the cost of all above-ground public construction projects, such as buildings, parks, recreational facilities, parking garages, and schools, which cost more than $1.0 million. Funds are to be used for the creation and placement of public art. Public art is defined as art located on public property and art integrated into the design of a public facility and garden landscaping. The amendment to the ordinance would require that the percent for the arts be applied to any project with a cost of $500,000 or more. (Cotto) (Item #19)

LIST OF ALL AGENDA ITEMS

Item #

1. Budget. Mayor’s Recommended General Fund Budget for Fiscal Year 2012-13 in the amount of $546.6 million. (Segarra)
2. JAG Grant. Authorization for the City to accept a grant of $200,793 from the US Department of Justice to support additional police presence in the community. (Segarra)
3. LGBTI Appointment. Confirmation of the Mayor’s appointment of Dianne B. Waller to the Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues. (Segarra)
4. PRAC Appointment. Confirmation of the Mayor’s appointment of Kevin J. Greene to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission. (Segarra)
5. Lease Extension. Month-to-month extension of lease with Silvester Space Services for office space at 90 Brainard Road occupied by Police Department staff. (Segarra)
6. Food Policy Report. Report and recommendations by the Commission on Food Policy. (Segarra)
7. Property Sale. Approval to sell property at 41 and 42 Grand Street to the Charter Oak Health Center. (Segarra)
8. Police Union Contract. Request for the Council to enter Executive Session for discussion of potential approval of a collective bargaining agreement with the Hartford Police Union. (Segarra)
9. Education Committee Report. Report of discussions, held by the Committee on April 16, 2012, regarding the school construction program.
10. COW Meeting. Report of discussions, held by the Council’s Committee of the Whole on April 17, 2012, concerning the appointment of Thomas E. Deller as Director of Development Services.
11. 58 Chapel Street. Approval for the City to purchase property at 58 Chapel Street as part of the Downtown North Redevelopment Plan. (Segarra)
12. Thelma Dickerson Way. Request that the portion of Blue Hills Avenue between Chatham and Plainfield Streets be superimposed as Thelma Dickerson Way. (Wooden)
13. Bill Brown Way. Request that the portion of Albany Avenue between Woodland Street and Blue Hills Avenue be superimposed as Bill Brown Way. (Wooden, Anderson)
14. 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)
15. CRRA Contract. Approval to enter into a five-year contract with CT Resources Recovery Authority for waste disposal and recycling services. (Segarra)
16. Marshall House. Allocation of $40,676 to Marshall House for its shelter for women and families. (Deutsch, Jennings)
17. Flood Control Improvements. Reallocation of $600,000 in Capital Improvement Funds from Burgdorf environmental clean-up project to the dredging of flood control detention ponds. (Segarra)
18. North Hartford Senior Center. Reallocation of $1 million in Capital Improvement Funds from a cancelled project to improvements to the North Hartford Senior Center. (Segarra)
19. Percent for the Arts. Amendment to the City’s public arts policy to state that the City will set aside 1% of the cost of certain construction projects costing more than $500,000 (reduced from $1.0 million) to fund the creation and placement of public art. (Cotto)
20. Traffic Study. Request that the Administration conduct a traffic study of the area surrounding the intersection of Franklin and Maple Avenues. (MacDonald)

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.