Council Review
Hartford City Council Meeting

Monday, June 9, 2003

Prepared by: Citizens’ Research Education Network, Hartford Public Library, and Hartford 2000

There were 74 items on the agenda. The next Council meeting will be Monday, June 23 at 8 P.M. at Hartford City Hall in Council Chambers. The next public hearing will be June 16^th at 8 P.M. in Council Chambers.

Hartford Police Department Staffing – The Council passed three resolutions authorizing the City to apply to and contract with the United States Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) for the funding of new police officers. The first resolution will make funding available to the police department to hire new school resource officers and will provide funds of up to $125,000 per officer for salaries and fringes over a period of three years. The second resolution will make $250,000 available to pay overtime costs related to homeland security. The final resolution will provide funding to the Hartford Police Department to hire up to twenty new officers. The U.S. Department of Justice will provide up to $75,000 per officer for salaries and fringes over a period of three years.

City of Hartford Performance Measures – The Council referred to the Operations, Management, and Budget Committee a resolution authorizing the Purchasing Agent to contract with The Abrahams Group to implement a performance management system within city departments for the period of July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2004. The City has been working with the Connecticut Policy and Economic Council (CPEC) in an effort to develop performance measures, gather performance data regarding service issues that matter to citizens, and publicize the information in an easily understood format.

Stowe Village Construction – The Council referred to the Housing Committee a resolution that will authorize the City Manager, Lee Erdmann, to program $800,000 in Urban Development Action Grant (UDAG) repayment funds to the Hartford Housing Authority (HHA) for the construction of a new street in the final phase of Stowe Village. The Hartford Housing Authority is constructing approximately 30 single-family homes on sites that would be served by the new proposed street. The City’s contribution to the project will help complete the revitalization of Stowe Village, which will trigger additional development in the area, along with increased private investment and new job opportunities.

CDBG Funds – The Council passed a resolution that will authorize the City Manager to reprogram $25,000 in available funds from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Unspecified Local Options (ULO) for the support of Medical Temp Force, LLC. Medical Temp Force, LLC, is a minority-owned, medical personnel temporary employment agency located at 541 Albany Avenue. The agency requested assistance from the City in the form of a grant that would enable them to complete outstanding site improvements estimated between $36,000 and $40,000.

Hartford Magnet Schools – The Council referred to the Operations, Budget, and Management Committee and to the Education Committee three resolutions approving three new magnet schools in the City of Hartford. The Hartford Board of Education approved the submission of an ED-049 form for the Greater Hartford Classical Magnet School, the Pathways to Technology Interdistrict Magnet School, and the University of Hartford High School of Science and Engineering Magnet School. According to the resolution, the Connecticut State Department of Education will provide 100% reimbursement to the City of Hartford through school construction grants for property acquisition, commissioning fit-out, and completion of the new schools based on an estimated total cost of $95,681,093 for all three schools.

Neighborhood Development Report – The Council received the quarterly neighborhood development report that was presented by the Hartford Economic Development Commission to the Planning, Economic Development, and Zoning Committee on June 2, 2003. The report discusses the completion of certain development projects, such as the financing of B&H Overseas Shipping and Moving, LLC and the Medical Temp Force, LLC. The staff is currently managing nine projects, two of which include the development of the vacant site at the corner of Main and Pavilion Streets in the Clay-Arsenal Neighborhood and the development of the Peabody Studio at 40 Elm Street.

Asbestos Litigation System – The Council withdrew a resolution that would have asserted Council’s support for the efforts of the United States Congress to pass legislation to address asbestos litigation.

Affirmative Action Plan – The Council postponed action on the City’s FY2003-2004 Affirmative Action Plan. The plan recommends, among other things, recruitment of more African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and Native Americans for various job positions throughout the City. Additionally, females would be encouraged to apply for nontraditional jobs in fields such as technical and protective services. According to the plan, the City’s workforce on March 24, 2003 was composed of 62 percent minority and 27.5 percent female.

If you have any questions about the agenda call Greg Vickers at CREN, 249-1416 or Richard Frieder at the Hartford Public Library, 695-6365.   The Council Preview is a joint project of the Citizens' Research Education Network and the Hartford Public Library.