Prepared by: Citizens’ Research Education Network,
Hartford Public Library, and Hartford 2000
There were 78 items on the regular agenda. The next Council meeting will be October
10, 8 PM, at City Hall. The next public hearing will be Monday, October 17, at
City Hall.
Industrial Reuse Overlay District – The Council began
with a public hearing on 26 zoning ordinances which would increase the
permitted uses in the city’s industrial zones. The ordinances would establish an Industrial Reuse Overlay District
(IROD) and allow a variety of new activities including; art galleries and
museums, multi-unit residential, a variety of schools, and service-oriented
businesses. The affected areas (North and South Meadows, Homestead Avenue, and
the eastern portion of Parkville) are now restricted so that only limited
residential, retail, and other services are permitted. The Commission on the City Plan is
recommending passage of the ordinances. The Council will vote on the ordinances at a later meeting.
Charter Revision – The Council passed a resolution
adding election of council members by district and the creation of districts
Council districts to the December 5 referendum. The Council had voted on June 29 to send all of the
recommendations of the Charter Revision to public referendum – except for the
recommendations of election of council members by district. A petition of voters to add election of
Council members by district was filed with the Town Clerk’s Office requiring its
addition to the referendum.
Certificates of Apartment Occupancy – After much,
discussion the Council passed a resolution requiring landlords to have their
apartments inspected before allowing tenants to move in. Opponents argued that there is insufficient
staff at the Department of Licenses and Inspections to perform the inspections
in a timely manner. Those in favor
argued that the ordinance was necessary to ensure that renters were protected
and that Hartford’s housing stock was kept from deteriorating.
CDBG Funds for Brownfield Projects -- The Council
passed on consent a resolution which authorized City Manger Kee Borges to
program $60,000 of Community Development Block Grant Funds to be used for
environmental assessments of Adriaen’s Landing, the Main and Pavilion
Neighborhood Mall and Cityscapes. The resolution authorizes the City Manger to contract with Fuss and
O’Neill to perform the assessments. The
environmental assessments are required prior to the application of HUD
funds. The funding for the assessments
comes from the CDBG 25th year City Manger’s Site Remediation Fund
and from the 25th Year Future Projects Pool.
City Services
Satisfaction Survey – The Council referred a resolution authorizing the
City Manager to contract with Impact Strategies to conduct surveys to track
changes in satisfaction with city services to the Operations, Management,
Budget, Education, and Labor Committee. The city contracted with Impact Strategies last June to conduct a random
sample of residents to assess their satisfaction with city services. This survey would provide follow-up information
to the original survey.
Charter Oak Cultural Center – On the recommendation of
Council members Rossetti and Marotta, the Council passed on consent a
resolution to give $85,000 of CDBG 25th Year Revitalization Fund
monies to the Charter Oak Temple Restoration Association. The Charter Oak Cultural Center has secured
$100,000 from the state Office of Policy and Management. The $85,000 from the city along with $15,000
raised by the Association will be used as matching funds for the OPM grant.
Sports Academy to be Housed in Coltsville -- The
Council passed on consent a resolution authorizing the city to enter a five
year lease agreement with Coltsville Heritage Park for use of space for the
Sports Science Academy.
Grandparent Task Force -- On the recommendation of
Council member Horton Sheff, the Council passed a resolution creating a task
force to address the issue of grandparents raising children. The task force will be charged with
reporting on special difficulties grandparents have when raising children and
ways to support them.
If you have any questions about the agenda call Greg Vickers at CREN, 249‑1416. The Citizens' Research Education Network is a non‑profit research and education center for Hartford community‑based organizations. |