Council Preview
Hartford City Council Meeting

Monday, October 11, 2011

Prepared by:
Hartford Public Library, and Hartford 2000

The Council meeting will begin at 7 P.M. at Hartford City Hall in Council Chambers. The meeting will be preceded, at 6:00 PM, by an open agenda public hearing. The next public hearing will be Monday, October 17, 2011 at 7 PM.

There are 23 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://townclerk.hartford.gov/Webfiles/archive.aspx

ITEMS OF SPECIAL INTEREST

New Agenda Items:

The following items appear for the first time on the Council's Agenda.

Post Offices – The Council will consider two resolutions that would place on record the opposition of the Court of Common Council to the closing, by the U.S. Postal Service, of two branch post offices in Hartford. The Unity Plaza branch P.O. is located at 271 Barbour Street and the downtown branch P.O. is located at 185 Ann Uccello Street. The resolution calls on Hartford's Congressional Delegation to intervene to keep these branches open. (Deutsch) (Items 20 and 21)

Commission Appointments – The Council will consider resolutions appointing ten individuals to five City Commissions: Commission on Cultural Affairs, Commission on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, Planning & Zoning Commission, Fair Rent Commission, and Parks & Recreation Commission. (Segarra) (Items #1 – 5)

Note: Hartford residents interested in serving on a City of Hartford Board or Commission should call the Mayor's Office at 860-757-9564 for more information and to secure an application form.

Previously Submitted Items:

The following item was previously on the Council Agenda and was included in the Council Preview/Review. Action was postponed by the Council. It is now on the agenda again for action.

Fresh Produce – The Council will consider a resolution that calls upon the Connecticut State Legislature to adopt legislation that would allow municipalities to offer a property tax exemption to bodega owners who dedicate at least 30% of their retail space to fresh produce. Many Hartford residents lack access to fresh, healthy food near their homes and this situation often leads to obesity and diabetes and other poor health outcomes. Providing tax exemptions would serve as an incentive to retailers to stock fresh produce, would make access more convenient for residents, and would improve their health. The Council's Legislative Affairs Committee discussed the item and recommended that it be referred to the Health & Human Services Committee before action by Council. (Cotto) (Item #10)

CDBG Task Force – The Council will consider a resolution that would establish a "CDBG Task Force" for the purpose of studying best practices of allocating Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and making recommendations regarding the City's allocation process for CDBG funds. CDBG funds are granted to municipalities by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development and communities have discretion in how they allocate their funds. As funding continues to decrease, competition for funding has increased and it is important that Hartford's allocation process be up-to-date, fair, and streamlined. The Task Force shall submit its recommendations within 120 days. (Cotto) (Item #11)

Item #

1. Cultural Affairs Appointment. Appointment of Beth Miller to Commission on Cultural Affairs (Segarra)
2. Grandparents Appointments. Appointment of Christina LaMorte and Sharon Pope to the Commission on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren. (Segarra)
3. P&Z Appointment. Reappointment of Sandra Bobowski to the Planning & Zoning Commission. (Segarra)
4. Fair Rent Appointments. Reappointments of Beverly Jenkins, Lenora Perryman, Carol Smith-Jestin, and Talia Orr to the Fair Rent Commission. (Segarra)
5. Parks & Recreation Appointments. Appointment of Edith Pestana and Kyran Quackenbush to the Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission. (Segarra)
6. 911 Subsidy Grant. Approval to accept a grant of $639,534 from the State of Connecticut Department of Public Safety for purchase and maintenance of equipment and overtime costs associated with the 911 Dispatch center. (Segarra)
7. 911 Dispatch Training. Approval to accept a grant of $12,406 from the CT Department of Public Safety for training of 911 dispatchers. (Segarra)
8. IQuilt Briefing. Report from the Council's Planning & Economic Development Committee on a briefing held on progress on the IQuilt initiative which is focused on improvements to Bushnell Park and links to other attractions in downtown Hartford.
9. MDC. Resolution calling on the MDC to set aside jobs in the Clean Water Project for residents of member towns and institute elections for MDC commissioners. (Deutsch)
10. Fresh Produce. Request that the State Legislature authorize the City to provide property tax exemptions to bodega owners who dedicate at least 30% of their retail space to fresh produce. (Cotto)
11. CDBG Task Force. Establishment of a task force to study best practices in the allocation of CDBG funds and make recommendations to the Administration. (Cotto)
12. Parks Trust Fund. Ordinance defining the types of costs which are eligible for payment through the Parks Trust Fund as part of capital projects. (Segarra)
13. Sale of 95 & 108 Park Street. Substitute resolution deleting the sale of 108 Park Street from the original resolution approving the sale of 95 and 108 Park Street to the Spanish American Merchants Association. (Segarra)
14. Engineering Contracts. Authorization to enter into contracts with seven firms for on-call engineering services for the Department of Public Works. (Segarra)
15. Executive Assistant Appointment. Appointment of Fernando Marroquin as Executive Assistant to Councilman Luis Cotto (Cotto)
16. Allocation. Allocation of funds to Hartford Knights ($1,500), Center for Urban Research Education & Training ($1,500), Hartford Community Center ($1,500), Mi Casa Family Services ($1,500), Children's Advocacy Center ($1,000), Judah House ($1,000), and Spectrum in Motion ($1,000). (Boucher)
17. Allocation. Allocation of $1,000 to the Children's Advocacy Center at St. Francis Hospital. (Brinson)
18. Allocation. Allocation of $2,500 to the CT Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts of America. (Brinson)
19. Allocation. Allocation of $1,000 to Judah House. (Brinson)
20. Unity Plaza Post Office. Resolution opposing the closing of the branch Post Office located in Unity Plaza on Barbour Street. (Deutsch)
21. Ann Ucello Street Post Office. Resolution opposing the closing of the branch Post Office located on Ann Uccello Street. (Deutsch)
22. Allocation. Allocation of $4,000 to the Hartford Neighborhood Centers. (Kennedy)
23. Allocation. Allocation of $4,000 to Saint Justin's Church. (Kennedy)

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.