Council Review
Hartford City Council Meeting

Tuesday, May 29 , 2012

Prepared by:
Hartford Public Library, and Hartford 2000

There were 26 items on the original agenda. Three additional items were submitted during the meeting. The next regular Council meeting will be held on Monday, June 11, 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, June 18, 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

FY2012-13 Budget - The Council adopted the Fiscal Year 2012-13 General Fund Budget in the amount of $540.3 million. They also adopted a $57.9 million Capital Improvement Program and a tax rate of 74.29 mills. The budget takes effect on July 1, 2012. (Segarra) (Item #1)

Director of H&HS - The Council referred, to the Committee of the Whole, a resolution confirming the Mayor's appointment of Dr. Raul Pino as Director of Health & Human Services. Dr. Pino has been serving as acting Director for the past year. He holds both a Doctor of Medicine and a Master's Degree in Public Health. He was previously employed as an epidemiologist with the CT Department of Public Health and was chief of medical services in a 250 bed hospital in Cuba. (Segarra) (Item #2)

HUD Annual Action Plan – The Council referred to its Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee, a resolution approving projects to be funded in 2012-13 with $6.8 million in grant funds received from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). The City receives grants through four HUD programs: Community Development Block Grant, Emergency Solutions Grant, Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS, and Home Investment Partnerships. The recommended projects include social services, programs for youth, job training, housing programs and projects, economic development activities, homeless shelters, and improvements to public facilities. (Segarra) (Item #3)

Percent for the Arts – The Council passed 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. 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. 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 Council's Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee recommended approval of the amendment. (Cotto) (Items #17 and 24)

Weaver High School Renovations – The Council considered both a resolution and an ordinance addressing the proposed renovation of Weaver High School. They postponed action on the resolution which will approve the renovation, assign oversight of the project to the School Building Committee, and authorize the Board of Education to apply to the State Department of Education for a School Construction Grant in an amount equal to 80% of eligible project costs. They referred the ordinance, which will appropriate $100 million and authorize the issuance of bonds to finance the project, to public hearing on June 18th, to the Planning & Zoning Commission, and to the Council's Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs and Education Committees. The resolution and ordinance will be considered together. The Board of Education approved the project on March 20, 2012. (Segarra) (Item #20 and 27)

LIST OF ALL AGENDA ITEMS

Item #

1. 2012-13 Budget. Approval of Fiscal Year 2012-13 General Fund Budget, Capital Improvement Program and Tax Levy. (Segarra) Passed
2. H&HS Director. Confirmation of the Mayor's appointment of Dr. Raul Pino as Director of Health & Human Services. (Segarra) Referred to the Committee of the Whole
3. HUD Funds. Approval of the 2012-13 plan for the use of $6.8 million in funds received by the City from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. (Segarra) Referred to Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee
4. HIV/AIDS Commission. Confirmation of the appointment of Mary Prince and Marcia Bok to the Commission on HIV/AIDS. (Segarra) Referred to Health & Human Services Committee
5. Windsor Avenue Lease. Approval to extend the term of an existing lease for the use of space at 184 Windsor Avenue by the Board of Education for the Pathways to Technology Magnet School. (Segarra) Referred to public hearing on June 18th and Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs and Education Committees
6. Liberty Street Land Sale. Approval to sell a vacant lot at 37 Liberty Street to Johnny Medina for $500. (Segarra) Referred to public hearing on June 18th and Planning & Economic Development Committee
7. Ashley Street Land Sale. Approval to sell a vacant lot at 131 Ashley Street to HIB, LLC for $5,000. (Segarra) Referred to public hearing on June 18th and Planning & Economic Development Committee
8. Locust Street Lease. Approval to extend the term of an existing lease for the use of space at 245 Locust Street by the Board of Education for the MD Fox Elementary and High Road special education program. (Segarra) Referred to public hearing on June 18th and Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs and Education Committees
9. CL&P Easement. Authorization to grant an easement to CT Light & Power across City-owned property at 321 Park Terrace. (Segarra) Referred to public hearing on June 18th and Planning & Economic Development Committee and Planning & Zoning Commission
10. Electronic Certified Mail. Approval to enter into a contract with Pitney Bowes for two systems for electronic processing of certified mail. (Segarra) Referred to Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee
11. Mail System Lease. Authorization to lease a mail processing system from Pitney Bowes. (Segarra) Referred to Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee
12. STD/TB Grant. Authorization to accept a $570,000 grant from the CT Department of Public Health to be used for programs addressing sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis. (Segarra) Referred to Health & Human Services Committee
13. CRCOG. Appointment of Alex Aponte and Thomas Deller to the Policy Board of the Capitol Region Council of Governments. (Segarra) Referred to Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee
14. Committee Report. Report on a round-table discussion held on May 16th at Capital Community College and sponsored by the Council's Health & Human Services and Planning & Economic Development Committees. Received
15. Police Union Contract. Approval of a collective bargaining agreement between the City and the Hartford Police Union. (Segarra) Passed
16. Flood Control Improvements. Report by the Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee recommending reallocation of $600,000 in Capital Improvement Funds from Burgdorf environmental clean-up project to the dredging of flood control detention ponds. (Segarra) (also see #22) Received
17. Percent for the Arts. Report from the Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee recommending an 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) (also see #24) Received
18. North Hartford Senior Center. Report from the Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee recommending reallocation of $1 million in Capital Improvement Funds from a cancelled project to improvements to the North Hartford Senior Center. (Segarra) (also see #23) Received
19. CRRA Contract. Approval of a five-year contract with CT Resources Recovery Authority for waste disposal and recycling services. (Segarra) Failed
20. Weaver Renovations. Approval of the renovation of Weaver High School and authorization for the Board of Education to apply for a School Construction Grant, for the project, from the CT Department of Education. (Segarra) (also see #27) Postponed
21. 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) Withdrawn
22. Flood Control Improvements. Reallocation of $600,000 in Capital Improvement Funds from the Burgdorf environmental clean-up project to the dredging of flood control detention ponds. (Segarra) (also see #16) Passed
23. 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) (also see #18) Passed
24. 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) (also see #17) Passed
25. Caribbean American Heritage. Designation of June as Caribbean American Heritage Month in the city of Hartford. (Anderson) Passed
26. Jones Playground. Naming of the playground at 97 Chatham Street as "Roberta Jones Playground". (Kennedy) Referred to public hearing on June 18th and to the Public Building Dedication Committee
27. Weaver High School. Appropriation of $100 million for the renovation and improvement of Weaver High School and authorization to issue general obligation bonds to fund the project. (Segarra) (also see #20) Referred to public hearing on June 18th, to the Planning & Zoning Commission, and to the Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs and Education Committees
28. Festival del Coqui. Approval to serve alcohol at the Festival on June 3rd in Bushnell Park Pavilion. (Cotto) Passed
29. 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) Amended to require that CT Children's Medical Center be an in-network provider and 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.