Council Review
Hartford City Council Meeting

Monday, August 8, 2005

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

There were 64 items on the agenda: two additional items were walked in during the meeting.  The next public hearing will be Monday, August 17.  The next Council meeting will be Monday, September 12^th.

Parkville Neighborhood Loan Guarantee:  The Council passed a resolution authorizing the reprogramming and use of $250,000 from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)  Economic Development Loans to establish the Parkville Neighborhood Loan Guarantee Program with the Community Economic Development Fund (CEDF). The City of Hartford and People’s Bank established a similar program in 1997, but it expired in 2001.  The CEDF has expressed its commitment to ensure its continuation. Under the new program, loans between $5,000 and $150,000 will be made to neighborhood businesses.  

Surveillance Cameras:  On the recommendation of Council member Kenneth H. Kennedy Jr. (D), the Council referred to the Quality of Life and Public Safety Committee a resolution that would direct city employees to research the possibility of installing surveillance cameras throughout the city.  The purpose of the cameras would be to deter criminal activity.

Sound Judgment: The Council voted down a resolution submitted by Mayor Eddie Perez which would have expressed the city’s opposition to the construction of floating liquid natural gas regasification and storage facility in the Long Island Sound.  According to the resolution, Broadwater Energy is proposing to build the floating facility.  The resolution argues that the facility would pose a threat to the health and ecological safety of the Sound and would reduce the area available to public access of the Sound.  Several Council members argued before the vote that while they agreed with the resolution’s intent, they did not think that the quality of the Sound was important enough to Hartford to warrant passage. 

Hartford Police Department Firearm Policy:  The Council passed on consent a resolution which directs the Mayor and the Hartford Police Department to review its firearm guidelines in light of state laws and national standards.  The present firearm guidelines policy was written almost 17 years ago.  The Quality of Life and Public Safety Committee recommended passage.

Hartford Human Development Fund:  The Council passed a resolution calling for the creation of the Hartford Human Capital Development Board.  The original resolution was funded by funds to be received from the Connecticut Resource Recovery Agency (CRRA).  The resolution was amended during the meeting so that references to the Board’s funding were removed. 

If you have any questions about the agenda call Brenda Schack at CREN, 509-3702 Liz Dupont-Diehl 509-3701, 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.