Council Preview / Avances de la Agenda
Hartford City Council Meeting / Reunión del Concejo Municipal

Monday, September 23, 2013 /lunes, 23 de septiembre, 2013

Produced by Hartford 2000, Inc., the Hartford Public Library, and the Office of Councilman Joel Cruz, Jr.
Producida por Hartford 2000, Inc. en conjunto con la Biblioteca Pública de Hartford, y la Oficina del Concejal Joel Cruz Jr.

The Council meeting will begin at 7 P.M. at Hartford City Hall in Council Chambers. The next Council meeting will be Tuesday, October 14 (change in day due to the Monday Columbus Day holiday) and the next public hearing will be Monday, October 21, 2013 at 7 PM.

There are 13 items on the agenda. Below is detailed information about items of special interest to neighborhoods. Following those details is a listing of all agenda items, in layperson’s language. The complete official agenda for the Council meeting is available online by clicking on “Council Agendas” at the following web site: http://www.hartford.gov/council-agenda

Items of Special Interest/Articulos de Especial Interest

New Agenda Items: The following items appear for the first time on the Council’s Agenda.

Brownfields Grants – The Council will consider a resolution that authorizes the City to accept three grants of $200,000 each from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through its Brownfields Clean-up Program. Brownfields are defined as abandoned or underused industrial or commercial sites where redevelopment is complicated by environmental contamination. The City applied for EPA funding for the clean-up of three sites which are located in or near areas that the City is working to redevelop. The funds will be used as follows: 1) to remove an underground oil tank and remove soil contaminated by petroleum at 40 Chapel Street, 2) to remove soil at 70 Edwards Street which is contaminated by semi-volatile organic compounds and metals, and 3) to remove soil at 393 Homestead Avenue which has been contaminated by volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, PCBs, and heavy metals. (Segarra) (Item #3)

Mini-Cycles and ATVs – The Council will consider amendments to an ordinance which governs the use of mini-cycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) within the city of Hartford. Currently, the ordinance forbids use of mini-cycles and all-terrain vehicles on streets, sidewalks, and other public property and on private property without permission. Penalties for violation of the ordinance include fines of $99. Proposed amendments would increase fines to $1,000, $1,500, and $2,000 for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd offenses. Penalties for use of ATVs on private property without permission have been added. Also added is a provision that operation of a mini-cycle or ATV on private property may not be in violation of Hartford’s noise ordinance. (Cruz) (Item #11)

Televising Council Committee Meetings – The Council will consider a resolution calling for meetings of the Council’s Committees to be recorded and televised in order that the content and actions of the committees may be more accessible to residents. The resolution notes that the Council values openness and transparency in government and already televises twice-monthly Council meetings and monthly public hearings. (De Jesus, Anderson, Deutsch) (Item #12)

Previously Submitted Items: The following items were previously on the Council Agenda and were included in the Council Preview/Review. They were referred to committees and/or public hearing or action was postponed by the Council. They are now on the agenda again for action.

Project Longevity – The Council will vote on a resolution accepting a $59,700 grant from the CT Office of Policy & Management to be used to fund a program coordinator to implement Project Longevity, a partnership between the Hartford Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The project is a comprehensive initiative designed to reduce gun violence using three approaches 1) the community as an anti-violence moral voice, 2) access to social support services to those who will accept them, and 3) swift and serious legal consequences for groups who engage in violent acts. Stakeholders who will be involved in the project include community members, law enforcement agencies, and social service providers. (Segarra) (Item #9)

All Agenda Items / Todos los artículos de la agenda

Item # Articulo

1. Guertin Settlement. Approval of a workers’ compensation settlement in the amount of $85,000. (Segarra)
   
2. Gallo Settlement. Approval of a workers’ compensation settlement in the amount of $140,000. (Segarra)
   
3. Brownfield Grants. Authorization to accept three grants of $200,000 each from the EPA to remove environmental pollutants at 40 Chapel Street, 70 Edwards Street, and 393 Homestead Avenue. (Segarra)
   
4. Financial Report. Report of revenues and expenditures for the 2012-13 fiscal year. (Segarra)
   
5. P&Z Appointment. Confirmation of the Mayor’s appointment of Sara Bronin to the Planning & Zoning Commission. (Segarra)
   
6. Vehicles. Letter from the Mayor informing the Council that the number of City take-home vehicles has been reduced from 73 to 45. (Segarra)
   
7. Disability Issues Reappointment. Confirmation of the Mayor’s appointment of Kathy Marseglia to the Commission on Disability Issues. (Segarra)
   
8. GRG Appointment. Confirmation of the Mayor’s appointment of Barbara Ruhe to the Commission on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren. (Segarra)
   
9. Project Longevity. Approval to accept a grant of $59,700 from the CT Office of Policy & Management for the implementation of Project Longevity, an anti-gun violence initiative. (Segarra)
   
10. Tax Assessment Fixing Agreement. Authorization for the City to enter into an agreement with Country Realty Company (affiliated with New Country Motor Group) to fix, at a reduced value for seven years, the assessed value of property at 7H Weston Street which will be developed for a Mini Cooper dealership. (Segarra)
    
11. ATVs & Mini-Cycles. Proposed reductions in penalties for use of ATVs and mini-cycles on public property or private property without permission. (Cruz)
    
12. Council Committee Meetings. Resolution calling for meetings of Council committees to be televised. (De Jesus, Anderson, Deutsch)
    
13. MDC Commission. Appointment of Reverend Paul Ritter to the Metropolitan District Commission. (Deutsch)

If you have any questions about the agenda, please email Linda Bayer at Htfd2000@aol.com or Fernando Marroquin at Marrf001@hartford.gov . The Bilingual Council Preview/Review is a joint project of Hartford 2000, the Hartford Public Library, and the Office of Councilman Joel Cruz, Jr.

Si usted tiene alguna pregunta acerca de la agenda, por favor envie un correo electronico a Linda Bayer, Htfd2000@aol.com y en Español a Fernando Marroquin, Marrf001@hartford.gov . La Agenda Bilingüe de las reuniones del Concejo Municipal es un proyecto de Hartford 2000, la Biblioteca publica de Hartford y la Oficina del Concejal Joel Cruz, Jr.