Council Review
Hartford City Council Meeting

Monday, May 24, 2010

Prepared by:
Hartford Public Library, and Hartford 2000

There were 30 items on the original agenda. Three additional items were submitted during the meeting. The next regular Council meeting will be held on Monday, June 14, 2010 at 7 P.M. in the Council Chambers in Hartford City Hall, preceded at 6:00 by a public comment period. The next public hearing will be Monday, June 21, 2010 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

Adoption of the 2010-2011 Budget as Amended – The Council passed a resolution adopting the Budget for the Fiscal Year 2010-2011 (which begins July 1, 2010). The Mayor's submitted budget was amended by increasing revenues by $3,880,000 and reducing expenditures by $9,838,397. The Council also adopted accompanying resolutions and ordinances including a resolution adopting the Appropriation Ordinance in accordance with the amended General Fund Budget, an ordinance concerning appropriations in the Capital Improvement Fund, and a resolution adopting the Tax Levy Ordinance in accordance with the amended Budget. The tax rate was set at 72.79 mills. (Segarra) (Item #1)

Graffiti – The Council postponed action on a proposed ordinance addressing the issue of graffiti. The proposed ordinance acknowledges that graffiti removal is the responsibility of each individual property owner and that local government cannot afford to clean up every instance of graffiti. The 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 #10)

Determining Absence or Disability of the Mayor – The Council referred, to its Legislative Affairs and Operations, Management, & Budget Committee, a resolution calling on those two Council Committees to immediately begin to draft ordinances to address the requirement in Chapter V Section 4 of the City Charter that an ordinance be adopted that specifies a procedure for determining absence or disability of the Mayor. (Segarra) (Item #18)

Percent for the Arts – The Council adopted a resolution requesting that the Chief Operating Officer identify three "Percent for the Arts" projects for the current fiscal year and three more such projects for next fiscal year for consideration by the cultural affairs standing committee on public art. In 2009, the Council passed an ordinance which mandates that 1% of the budget for up to three Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) over $1 million per fiscal year be set aside for public art associated with these CIP projects. (Cotto) (Item #26)

LIST OF ALL AGENDA ITEMS

Item #

1. Annual City Budget. Adoption of the Fiscal Year 2010-11 City General Fund Budget, the annual Appropriation Ordinance, the Capital Improvement Program, and the Tax Levy Ordinance. (Segarra) Passed
2. Metzner Center. Authorization for the use of two offices at the Metzner Center by the Honorary Vice Consul of Italy. (Perez) Passed
3. Lawsuit. Request that the Council go into Executive Session to discuss Teodosia Navarro, Admx of the Estate of Luis Diaz versus the City of Hartford, et. al. (Perez) Executive Session
4. Lawsuit. Request that the Council go into Executive Session to discuss Elia Cancel et al v. City of Hartford, et al. (Perez) Executive Session
5. Police Bicycle. Authorization to accept the donation of a 2010 Stumpjumper bicycle from the Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (SINA) for use by the Police Department in the Barry Square neighborhood. (Perez) Passed
6. Neighborhood Assistance Act. Authorization for the City to submit, to the State of Connecticut for approval, a list of programs eligible for the Neighborhood Assistance Act, which allows businesses who make donations to these programs to receive a State tax credit. (Perez) Referred to Operations, Management & Budget Committee
7. Sale of Property. Authorization for the City to sell a vacant lot at 559-561 Garden street to Habitat for Humanity for $7,500 for construction of a single-family home. (Perez) Referred to Housing Committee, Planning & Zoning Commission, and Public Hearing
8. Sale of Property. Authorization for the City to sell three adjacent vacant lots located at 427-435 and 439-443 Albany Avenue and 55-57 Brook Street to Community Health Services for $28,000 for construction of a parking lot. (Perez) ) Referred to Housing Committee, Planning & Zoning Commission, and Public Hearing
9. Waiver of Liens. Authorization of acceptance of $35,000 in payment of $47,751 in principal and interest liens on 59 Branford Street (placed as a result of public assistance to the late Annie Longstreet) to allow the property to be sold by Ms. Longstreet's estate. (Perez) Passed
10. 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) Postponed
11. Appointments. Appointment of Lawrence Davis to the City's Internal Audit Commission. (Segarra) Passed
12. Commission on Cultural Affairs. Amendments to existing City ordinance governing the Commission on Cultural Affairs which would reduce the number of commissioners from 23 to 15, at least 12 of whom must be Hartford voters, including 2 students, and specifying other organizational requirements. (Cotto) Passed
13. Appointment. Appointment of Katie E. Hanley to the Commission on Disability Issues. (Perez) Postponed
14. Appointment. Appointment of Christopher T. Bowen to the Greater Hartford Transit District. (Perez) Postponed
15. Appointment. Appointment of Mary M. Martinez to the Permanent Commission on the Status of Hartford Women. (Perez) Postponed
16. Reduction of Allocation. Reduction of the amount allocated for the Budget Fiscal Analysis Task Force from $7,500 to $4,140. (Segarra) Passed
17. Historic Records. Authorization to apply for a grant of $9,000 from the State of Connecticut for preservation of historic records in the Town Clerk's Office. (Segarra, Cotto) Passed
18. Implementing Ordinances. Resolution directing the Council's Legislative Affairs and Operations, Management & Budget Committees to draft ordinances necessary to implement the section of the City Charter governing the absence or disability of the Mayor. (Segarra) Referred to Legislative Affairs and Operations, Management & Budget Committees
19. Park Place Health Center. Resolution calling on the owners of Park Place Health Center to bargain in good faith with members of the New England Health Care Employees Union, District 1199, and to reimburse the City of Hartford for Police overtime and other expenses connected with the job action at Park Place. (Winch) Passed
20. Fee Waiver. Waiver of fees and street closures for "Love Wins in Hartford" to be held by the Wintonbury Church on Barbour Street on June 29, 2010. (Cotto) Referred to Public Works, Parks & Environment Committee
21. Fee Waiver. Waiver of fees for City Day to be held by the U.S. Army in Colt Park on June 12, 2010. (Cotto) Referred to Public Works, Parks & Environment Committee
22. Fee Waiver. Waiver of fees for "King's Chapel Day" to be held by the King's Chapel Church of God on June 19, 2010 at 400 Woodland Street. (Cotto) Referred to Public Works, Parks & Environment Committee
23. Block Party. Approvals for a series of block parties to be sponsored by the Up or On the Rocks and Black Bear Saloon on Allyn Street and Union Place on May 21, June 18, August 20, and September 17, 2010. (Cotto) Referred to Public Works, Parks & Environment Committee
24. Fee Waiver. Waiver of fees for "Latino Kings and Queens of Comedy" to be sponsored by Luna Productions at Riverfront Plaza on June 18, 2010. (Cotto) Referred to Public Works, Parks & Environment Committee
25. Arts Wall. Authorization to accept the "Urban Arts Wall" being donated by Jose Camacho and the Hartford Skateboarding Task Force for installation in New Ross, County Wexford Park. (Cotto) Passed
26. Percent for the Arts. Request to the Chief Operating Officer to identify three 2009-10 and three 2010-11 construction projects for which 1% of the project budgets are to be set aside for public art, in accordance with the Percent for the Arts Ordinance. (Cotto) Passed
27. Budget. Amendments (to be submitted) to the budget adopted by the Court of Common Council on May 19, 2010. (Deutsch) Ruled out of order
28. Park Place Health Center. Resolution urging the owner of Park Place Health Center to resume settlement talks with SEIU 1199 and stating that the Council stands in solidarity with the SEIU 1199 workers. (Ritter) Withdrawn
29. Knox Parks Foundation. Allocation of $3,000 to the Knox Parks Foundation. (Ritter) Passed
30. Latino Studies Academy. Approval of the construction project for the Latino Studies Academy at Burns Elementary School at a cost of $700,000 and assignment of the project to the Hartford School Building Committee. (Perez) Referred to Operations, Management & Budget and Education Committees
31. Hartford Soccer League. Allocation of $6,000 to the Hartford Soccer League. (Kennedy) Passed
32. MLK Soccer League. Allocation of $3,000 to the Martin Luther King Soccer League. (Kennedy) Passed
33. CIP Plan. Request to the Administration to prepare an implementation and sequencing plan for all capital improvement projects scheduled for implementation in the 2010-11 fiscal year. Passed

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.