Council Review
Hartford City Council Meeting

Monday, October 11, 2011

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 public hearing will be Monday, October 17, 2011 at 7 PM. The next regular Council meeting will be held on Monday, October 24, 2011 at 7 P.M. in the Council Chambers in Hartford City Hall.

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

Commission Appointments – The Council postponed action on four resolutions appointing nine individuals to four City Commissions: Commission on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, Planning & Zoning Commission, Fair Rent Commission, and Parks & Recreation Commission. The Council withdrew from consideration an appointment resolution for the Commission on Cultural Affairs. (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.

Fresh Produce – The Council referred, to its Health & Human Services Committee, 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 adopted a resolution that would establish a six-member “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)

Post Offices – The Council passed two resolutions placing on record the opposition of the Court of Common Council to the closing, by the U.S. Postal Service, of three branch post offices in Hartford: the Unity Plaza branch P.O. at 271 Barbour Street, the Woodland Street Post Office, and the downtown branch P.O. located at 185 Ann Uccello Street. The resolution calls on Hartford’s Congressional Delegation to intervene to keep these branches open. (Deutsch, Kennedy, Winch) (Items 20 and 21)

LIST OF ALL AGENDA ITEMS

Item #

1. Cultural Affairs Appointment. Appointment of Beth Miller to Commission on Cultural Affairs (Segarra) Withdrawn
2. Grandparents Appointments. Appointment of Christina LaMorte and Sharon Pope to the Commission on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren. (Segarra) Postponed
3. P&Z Appointment. Reappointment of Sandra Bobowski to the Planning & Zoning Commission. (Segarra) Postponed
4. Fair Rent Appointments. Reappointments of Beverly Jenkins, Lenora Perryman, Carol Smith-Jestin, and Talia Orr to the Fair Rent Commission. (Segarra) Postponed
5. Parks & Recreation Appointments. Appointment of Edith Pestana and Kyran Quackenbush to the Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission. (Segarra) Postponed
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) Passed
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) Passed
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. Received
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) Tabled
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) Referred to Health & Human Services Committee
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) Passed
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) Passed
13. Sale of 95 Park Street. Approval of the sale of 95 Park Street to the Spanish American Merchants Association. (Segarra) Passed
14. Engineering Contracts. Authorization to enter into contracts with seven firms for on-call engineering services for the Department of Public Works. (Segarra) Passed
15. Executive Assistant Appointment. Appointment of Fernando Marroquin as Executive Assistant to Councilman Luis Cotto. (Cotto) Passed
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) Referred to Operations, Management & Budget Committee
17. Allocation. Allocation of $1,000 to the Children’s Advocacy Center at St. Francis Hospital. (Brinson) Referred to Operations, Management & Budget Committee
18. Allocation. Allocation of $2,500 to the CT Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts of America. (Brinson) Referred to Operations, Management & Budget Committee
19. Allocation. Allocation of $1,000 to Judah House. (Brinson) Referred to Operations, Management & Budget Committee
20. Unity Plaza Post Office. Resolution opposing the closing of the branch Post Office located in Unity Plaza on Barbour Street. (Deutsch, Winch, Kennedy) Passed
21. Ann Ucello Street Post Office. Resolution opposing the closing of the branch Post Office located on Ann Uccello Street. (Deutsch, Winch) Passed
22. Allocation. Allocation of $4,000 to the Hartford Neighborhood Centers. (Kennedy) Referred to Operations, Management & Budget Committee
23. Allocation. Allocation of $4,000 to Saint Justin’s Church. (Kennedy) Referred to Operations, Management & Budget Committee
24. Occupy Hartford. Resolution in support of Occupy Hartford and for continued dialogue that would reach a resolution allowing continued exercise of democracy to continue. (Cotto, Torres) Passed

If you have any questions about the agenda, please call Richard Frieder at the Hartford Public Library, 695-6365, or Linda Bayer at Hartford 2000, 547-1663 X21. The Council Preview/Review is a joint project of Hartford 2000 and the Hartford Public Library.