Council Review
Hartford City Council Meeting

Monday, July 9, 2012

Prepared by:
Hartford Public Library, and Hartford 2000

There were 23 items on the original agenda. One additional item was submitted during the meeting. The next regular Council meeting will be held on Monday, August 13, 2012 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, July 16, 2012 at 7 PM, preceded at 6 PM by an open public comment period.

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

Farewell – Before the Council took up its business, it bid farewell to Councilman Luis Cotto who has resigned his position and is moving to the Boston area. This was Councilman Cotto’s last Council meeting and his Council colleagues and the Mayor thanked him for his hard work and his willingness to take strong positions on matters of importance to the people of Hartford. The Council and the audience gave him a standing ovation.

COPS Hiring Grant – The Council referred to its Quality of Life and Public Safety Committee, a resolution authorizing the City to accept a three-year $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice through its Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program. The grant will enable the City to pay for the personnel costs of twelve officers who were previously scheduled to be laid off. In accepting the grant, the City agrees to pay for the salary and benefits of the officers for at least one year after the 3-year grant ends. (Segarra) (Item #7)

260 Huyshope Avenue – The Council passed a resolution authorizing the City to enter into a license agreement with Colt Gateway LLC for their use of a City-owned parcel of land at 260 Huyshope to create 500 parking spaces for commercial tenants in the former Colt factory. The license agreement is for ten years with an option for a 5-year renewal, although the City can terminate the agreement at any time. Colt Gateway will pay the City $6,000 per year for the first ten years of the agreement and $8,000 per year during the 5-year extension. (Segarra) (Item #10)

Blighted Housing Special Assessment – The Council postponed action on an ordinance establishing a Blighted Housing Special Assessment as part of the City’s Anti-Blight Program. Annually, a special assessment would be levied on housing units that are determined by the City to be blighted. This assessment would result in an additional tax to the owners of blighted property. The amount of the additional tax would be determined by adding up the direct costs to the City for public safety, code enforcement, and property maintenance for the blighted properties, and dividing the total cost by the number of blighted housing units. The cost of blighted housing would therefore be shifted from the general public to the owners of the properties. (Segarra) (Item #15)

Outdoor Music – The Council considered two resolutions concerning outdoor music as part of community celebrations. They passed one resolution allowing the West Indian Social Club (3340 Main Street) to use an outdoor sound system on Tuesday, August 7th from 9 PM to 11:30 PM and on Friday and Saturday, August 10th and 11th , from 9 PM to 1 AM, as part of West Indian Celebration Week. The Council referred, to its Quality of Life and Public Safety Committee, a second resolution which would authorize the Jamaican Progressive League (1118-1120 Albany Avenue) to use an outdoor sound system on August 25th from Noon to 9 PM. (Anderson) (Items #19 and 20)

Street Closure Study – The Council referred to its Planning & Economic Development Committee, a resolution requesting the Administration to study options for and impacts of closing certain streets to vehicular traffic in order to increase neighborhood liveliness. Such closings would create pedestrian malls and walkways which could have the result of attracting people, both residents and visitors, to local businesses, such as restaurants and galleries. The resolution asks that the study be completed within three months. (Deutsch) (Item #22)

LIST OF ALL AGENDA ITEMS

Item #

1. Grandparents Commission Annual Report. Report by the Commission on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren on their activities during the 2011-12 fiscal year and plans and recommendations for the upcoming year. (Segarra) Received
2. HIV/AIDS Commission. Confirmation of the Mayor’s appointment of Mary Prince to the Commission on HIV/AIDS. (Segarra) Referred to Health & Human Services Committee
3. Lead Hazard Reduction. Approval for the City to extend its contracts with Rebuilding Together Hartford, Boston Lead, and TRC Environmental Corporation for services including education and outreach, assessment and remediation of lead hazards in homes, and training in lead safe work practices. (Segarra) Referred to Health & Human Services Committee
4. Weidlich Claim. Proposed settlement of Darren Weidlich’s workers compensation claim for $66,000. (Segarra) Passed
5. Teen Pregnancy Prevention. Authorization for the City to extend its contracts with nine organizations who are providing services and programs to prevent pregnancy among Latino and African-American youth between 13 and 19 years old. (Segarra) Referred to Health & Human Services Committee
6. Donation of Computers. Acceptance of a donation of ten laptop computers and five printers by the Aetna Insurance Company for use by the Shooting Task Force. (Segarra) Passed
7. COPS Hiring Grant. Approval for the City to accept a $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to fund the salaries of 12 police officers for three years. (Segarra) Referred to Quality of Life & Public Safety Committee
8. Lease-Purchase Agreement. Authorization for the City to enter into agreements with Grant Capital Management and First Niagara Bank for the purpose of securing a line of credit to purchase replacement vehicles and other equipment for use by City departments. (Segarra) Referred to Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee
9. CRCOG. Appointment of Alex Aponte and Thomas Deller to the Policy Board of the Capitol Region Council of Governments. (Segarra) Tabled
10. 260 Huyshope Avenue. Authorization for the City to enter into a license agreement with Colt Gateway LLC for the use of a City-owned parcel of land at 260 Huyshope Avenue for parking for commercial tenants at the former Colt factory. (Segarra) Passed
11. 451 Ann Uccello Street. Authorization for the City to grant an easement across City-owned property at 451 Ann Uccello Street to the Greater Hartford Police Federal Credit Union for a driveway from their property at 220 High Street to Ann Uccello Street. (Segarra) Passed
12. Mattress Recycling. Approval to contract with Recyc-Mattresses for recycling of mattresses and box springs collected within the city by the Department of Public Works. (Segarra) Passed
13. PRAC Appointment. Confirmation of the Mayor’s appointment of Kevin J. Greene to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission. (Segarra) Passed
14. Parks & Recreation Commission. Confirmation of the Mayor’s reappointment of Craig Mergins and appointment of David Morin to the Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission. (Segarra) Passed
15. Blighted Housing Special Assessment. Ordinance establishing a special assessment on blighted housing which will result in owners of blighted housing being liable for an additional tax. (Segarra) Postponed
16. Transfer of Capital Funds. Approval for the City to transfer an unused appropriation of $500,000 in the Capital Improvement Fund to a project to improve the City-owned building at 525 Main Street which is occupied by the Department of Public Works. (Segarra) Referred to Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee and Public Hearing
17. North Hartford Senior Center. Approval to transfer approximately $495,000 in balances from completed capital projects to the project for renovation of the North Hartford Senior Center. (Segarra) Referred to Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee and Public Hearing
18. CRCOG. Appointment of Councilmen Alexander Aponte and Sean Wooden to the CRCOG Policy Board. (Wooden, Aponte, Anderson, De Jesus, Kennedy, and MacDonald) Passed
19. Outdoor Music. Approval for the West Indian Social Club to utilize an outdoor sound system on August 7th from 9 PM to 11:30 PM and on August 10th and 11th from 9 PM to 1 AM. (Anderson) Passed
20. Outdoor Music. Approval for the Jamaica Progressive League to use an outdoor sound system on August 25th from noon to 9 PM. (Anderson) Referred to Quality of Life & Public Safety Committee
21. Juan Fuentes. Designation of July 18, 2012 as Juan Fuentes Vizcarrondo Day in the city of Hartford. (Cotto) Withdrawn
22. Street Closures. Request for analysis of the impacts and benefits of closing streets throughout the city for the purpose of creating pedestrian malls and walkways that would generate neighborhood liveliness and attract visitors and residents. (Deutsch) Referred to Planning & Economic Development Committee
23. Alcohol. Approval for the Amos Family to serve alcohol at an event in Keney Park on August 25, 2012. (Jennings) Referred to Public Works, Parks & Environment Committee
24. Funding for Primary. Approval to transfer $80,000 from Contingency to the Registrars of Voters Office to cover costs of August primary election. (Segarra) 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.