Prepared by: Citizens’ Research Education Network,
Hartford Public Library, and Hartford 2000
There were 66 items on the regular agenda: one item was
walked in at the meeting. All of the
Council members were present. The
Council recessed until Thursday, June 29 at 3:30 PM. The next regularly scheduled Council meeting will be July
10. The next public hearing will be
July 17.
Charter Revision -- The Council postponed action on
the final report from the Charter Revision Commission until Thursday, June 29
at 3:30 PM. The final report reflects
changes made by the Commission after discussion with Council members and
includes:
- A
stronger mayor with broader powers of appointment
- Four
year terms for the mayor and Council members
- An
increase from nine to 15 Council members
- Election
of Council members by districts. (Under
the revised Charter the city would be divided into five districts with each
district having three representatives.)
- A
seven member Board of Education; four elected, three appointed
- Residency
requirements for department heads and coordinators
The Council has 15 days from the date of submission (June
19, 2000) of the final report to respond. The Council may approve or reject the report, approve or reject parts of
the report, and determine when the approved portions will be placed on the
ballot for referendum.
Cintron Consent Decree and Racial Trigger Words --
The Council voted to postpone action, until Thursday, June 29, on a resolution
which would direct the City Manger to join with the plaintiffs of the Cintron
Decree in requesting that Special Master Richard Beider hold a hearing to
determine if police officer Robert Casati is in violation of the Cintron v. Vaughan Consent Decree. Officer Casati was exonerated in May by
State Arbitrator Albert G. Murphy from charges of using racial and bigoted
slurs. According to the resolution,
racial trigger words are illegal under federal anti-discrimination law and
violate the Cintron Consent Decree. The Cintron Consent Decree Order
dates from a 1973 civil action which set standards for a range of police
actions.
Pay Raises for City Employees -- The Council passed a
set of ordinances giving 2% pay increases to some city employees who are
appointed or elected. The employees
effected are non-union. The ordinances
were reviewed for a second time by the Operations, Management, Budget,
Education, and Labor Committee which is recommended removal of 20 of the pay
increases. The pay increases would be
retroactive to July 1, 1997.
Contracts for Firefighters and City of Hartford
Professional Employees Association --
The Council passed resolutions ratifying labor contracts for
the Hartford firefighters and the City of Hartford Professional Employees
Association (CHPEA).
Bond Issue for November -- On the recommendation of
City Manager Kee Borges, the Council voted to send to public hearing July 17
and to the Operations, Management, Budget, Education, and Labor Committee a
bond ordinance for $35,000,000 for streetscape improvements. The ordinance
would fund streetscape improvements, pedestrian enhancements, street
reconstruction, and improvements to the city’s drainage and flood control
system.
If approved after public hearing by the Council the
ordinance would be placed on the November 7 ballot for voter referendum. There are seven other bond ordinances which
could be added to the November ballot. (These ordinances have been to public hearing but were not on the agenda
for the Council’s June 26 meeting.)
Body Piercing
Revisited -- On recommendation of Deputy Mayor Sanchez, the Council passed
an ordinance amending the recent action on body art statutes. The ordinance
will allow ear-piercing procedures performed with a “mechanical device which
utilizes pre-sterilized earrings in a single-unit, single-use cartridge system
or is a disposable device.”
Preservation Policy -- On the recommendation of
Deputy Mayor Sanchez, the Council passed a resolution directing the city to
reevaluate its demolition policy. The
resolution argues that the city should strongly consider “each building shell
for reconstruction by removing impediments to redevelopment.”
Lewis Street Development -- The Council sent to
public hearing Monday, July 17 and to the Housing Committee a resolution which
would authorize the sale of properties on Lewis, Trumbull, and Pearl Streets,
to Trumbull Centre, LLC. Trumbull
Centre is proposing to build apartments and a parking garage on the properties.
Pope Park Swimming Pool -- The Council referred to
public hearing July 17 and to the Operations, Management, Budget, Education,
and Labor committee an appropriation ordinance which would fund the replacement
of Pope Park swimming pool. The cost of
the new pool would be $1,581,070. Financing would come from the FY 1999-2000
General Fund, $1,381,070, and from the
FY 2000-2001 budget, $200,000.
If you have any questions about the agenda call Greg Vickers at CREN, 249‑1416. The Citizens' Research Education Network is a non‑profit information and research center for Hartford community‑based organizations.
|