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Prepared by:
Citizens’ Research Education Network, Hartford Public Library, and Hartford 2000
There were 84 items on the original agenda. No new items were submitted during the meeting. The next regular Council meeting will be Monday, June 26, 2006 at 7 P.M. The next public hearing will be Monday, June 19, 2006.
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
Amendment to Fire Code – The Council passed an ordinance which amends the fire code to provide an exception to the existing prohibitions/restrictions with regard to assembly halls above the second floor. The exception will apply to buildings protected by an Approved Automatic Sprinkler System. A public hearing on this matter was held on Monday, May 15, 2006 and the item had been recommended by the Quality of Life and Public Safety Committee. (Item #44)
Bond Sales for Public Improvements – There were two items on the agenda that would authorize the sale of General Revenue Bonds for a variety of public improvement projects contained in the Capital Improvement Program of the Mayor’s Recommended 2006-2007 Budget. The Council passed one ordinance authorizing the sale of bonds totaling $7,415,000 (item #42) and postponed action on an ordinance that would authorize the sale of $4,750,000 worth of bonds (Item #43). A public hearing on this matter was held on Monday, May 15, 2006.
Civilian Police Review Board – The Council passed an ordinance which modifies several aspects of the operation of the Civilian Police Review Board. A public hearing on this matter was held on Monday, May 15, 2006 and the Quality of Life and Public Safety Committee made minor changes to and recommended approval of the ordinance. One proposed change allows the Board to hire independent investigators to investigate allegations of police misconduct and make recommendations. Such investigators shall have the same access to files and reports as the Internal Affairs unit of the Police Department. Another change authorizes the Mayor to designate one of the members of the Board as the Chairperson. Previously, the chair was elected by the Board. (Item #49)
Gitano Food Warehouse – The Council passed a resolution to provide $100,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and UDAG repayment funds to the Gitano Food Warehouse, a new supermarket which will open on Park Street at the corner of Lafayette Blvd. Funds will be used by Gitano for working capital. The Council’s Planning and Economic Development Committee had recommended approval. (Item #19)
West Middle School – The Council postponed action on this ordinance authorizing the issuance of $600,000 in municipal bonds and the appropriation of those funds to provide additional classroom space in the building at 875 Asylum Avenue, which is leased by the City for West Middle School. A public hearing on this matter was held on Monday, May 15, 2006 and some opposition was expressed. The Council’s Management & Budget and Planning & Economic Development Committees recommended that the ordinance be tabled by the Council and sent to the Board of Education for approval prior to action by the Committees and Council. The Council also postponed action on this item at its May 22nd meeting. (Item #41)
Institute for the Hispanic Family Center – The Council referred to the Planning and Economic Development Committee, a resolution to allocate $355,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for the purchase, by the City, of 43 Wadsworth Street and 44, 55, and 58 Cedar Street. The resolution further authorizes the subsequent sale of the property to Catholic Family Charities for the construction of the Institute for the Hispanic Family Center, a multi-service center serving youth and families. (Item #15)
Block Parties – The Council passed a resolution, recommended by the Council’s Public Works, Parks and Environment Committee, which establishes guidelines for block parties to address issues such as noise, vending, clean-up, etc. (Item #25).
Elizabeth Park – The Council referred to its Public Works, Parks and Environment Committee, an ordinance appropriating $200,000 for roadway improvements between Asylum Avenue and the Pond House Restaurant within Elizabeth Park. The funds have been provided by the Ethel F. Donaghue Trust for Elizabeth Park and will be used for material upgrades to the roadway, such as the use of brick pavers and granite curbs in place of standard bituminous materials. A public hearing on this item will be held on Monday, June 19, 2006. (Item #54)
Hartford Commission to End Homelessness – The Council referred to its Health and Human Services Committee an ordinance amending the Municipal Code to change the name of the existing “Commission on the Homeless” to “The Hartford Commission to End Homelessness” and to define the primary role of the commission as “to further develop and implement the Mayor’s plan to end chronic homelessness in the Hartford region by 2015”. The ordinance also increases the size of the commission from 13 to 21 members. A public hearing on this matter will be held on Monday, June 19, 2006 (Item #56)
Police Substation – The Council referred to the Management and Budget Committee a resolution authorizing the City to lease space on the first floor of the former Hastings Hotel at the southwest corner of Farmington Avenue and Sigourney Street (soon to be The Culinary Institute) for the purpose of operating a police substation. A public hearing on this matter will be held on Monday, June 19, 2006. (Item #64)
Caribbean American Heritage Month – The Council passed a resolution designating June as Caribbean American Heritage Month in the city of Hartford. (Item #68)
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, 509-3710. The Council Preview/Review is a joint project of the Citizens' Research Education Network, Hartford 2000, and the Hartford Public Library.
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