Council Preview
Hartford City Council Meeting

Monday, November 23, 2009

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 next meeting will be on Monday, December 14, 2009 at 7 PM, preceded by a public comment period at 6 PM, and the next public hearing will be Monday, December 21, 2009 at 7 PM.

There are 29 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/government/Town&CityClerk/Minutes/council_meeting_minutes.htm

ITEMS OF SPECIAL INTEREST

New Agenda Items:

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

COPS Technology Grant - The Council will consider a resolution accepting a grant of $750,000 from the US Department of Justice for the purchase and installation of audio and visual technology equipment in the new public safety complex. In addition to supporting the work of the Emergency Services, Police and Fire Departments, the equipment will be available to community groups though the Community Policing Initiative. (Item #1)

Tax Relief for the Elderly - The Council will vote on a proposed ordinance amending the Municipal Code pertaining to tax relief for the elderly for taxes due on the list of October 1, 2009. The proposed amendment raises the qualifying income limits to $35,400 for individuals and $41,600 for married couples. Qualifying income is defined as adjusted gross income (Internal Revenue Code guidelines) plus tax-exempt interest, dividend exclusions, gifts, bequests, social security benefits, railroad retirement benefits, and income from all other tax-exempt sources, but not including any credits received under this program. (Item #19)

Administrative Salary Adjustments/Increments for Exceptional Service – The Council will vote on a proposed ordinance stipulating that the Director of Human Relations will provide the Mayor and City Council with a quarterly report that itemizes all exceptional service payments, specifies the source of funds, describes the reason for each payment, and includes other documentation. The Council is also considering a proposal that Council would approve guidelines for exceptional service pay for City employees as well as any lump sum exceptional service payments. (Items # 11 and 20)

Protecting Pocket Parks – The Council will vote on a resolution urging the Planning & Zoning Commission to identify the numerous small and medium sized , City-owned parcels that are used as parks by residents (such as Brackett Park, Cronin Park, Lozada Park, and others) and re-zone them as "P Public Property and Cemetery District" to prevent them from being developed. (Item #23)

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.

Shepherd Park - The Council will act on a resolution amending a tax abatement and lease, originally executed in 1979, with the owners of Shepherd Park, housing for low and moderate income individuals and families. The current owners are assigning their interest in the project to Retirement Housing Foundation, which wishes to extend the agreements for 99 years. If the City approves the assignment and extension, it will be entitled, under the lease, to a payment of $1.5 million. A public hearing on this item was held on Monday, November 16. The Council's Operations Management and Budget Committee recommends approval. (Item #6)

Pedal Cabs – The Council will consider an ordinance governing "pedal cabs". The ordinance defines a pedal cab as "a multi-wheeled vehicle propelled by human power, capable of transporting passengers…and which is made available to the public as a mode of transportation". The ordinance requires drivers to secure a license for $25 annually, requires owners to register their vehicles for $50 per year, and regulates equipment and operation for safety purposes. A public hearing was held on this matter on October 19. The Operations, Management & Budget Committee recommended postponement pending revisions to the ordinance and the Council has postponed consideration of the item. (Item # 9)

Illegal Dumping - The Council will consider ordinance amendments which make it illegal to dump solid waste in Hartford in any location not licensed for dumping. Fines, which were previously set at $100 per day, are proposed to be changed to $1,000 for a first offense and $5,000 for every subsequent offense. The amendments would also result in better signage in locations found to be significantly problematic for dumping. A public hearing was held on this matter on October 19 and the Council previously postponed action. (Item #10)

LIST OF ALL AGENDA ITEMS

Item #

1. COPS Grant. Approval to accept $750,000 from the US Department of Justice for purchase and installation of audio and visual equipment in the new public safety complex.
2. Executive Session. Request for Council to enter Executive Session to discuss a dispute between Enterprise Rental Car and The Hartford Parking Authority.
3. Executive Session. Request for Council to enter Executive Session to discuss Cintron v. Vaughn litigation.
4. Health & Human Services Report. Report by the Health & Human Services Committee on discussions held at their meeting of November 9th to discuss the no-freeze shelter, H1H1 vaccinations, and the no-smoking ordinance.
5. Pope Park West. Report from the Operations, Management & Budget Committee recommending approval of $139,250 appropriation in the Capital Improvement Fund for improvements to Pope Park West. $90,512 of these funds will be provided by the State of Connecticut. (Council previously approved these allocations in concept in June 2009.) Hearing was held on November 16. (also see #18)
6. Shepherd Park. Approval to extend and amend the lease and tax abatement agreement for the Shepherd Park housing development in return for a payment of $1.5 million. Hearing was held on November 16.
7. Lobbying. Report from the Legislative Affairs Committee postponing action on a resolution to terminate the contract with Baker Donelson for lobbying services, pending receipt of requested information.
8. Living Wage. Amendments to the City's Living Wage ordinance, including increasing the definition of a living wage to 120% of the federal poverty level for a family of four plus health benefits and decreasing the amount of a contract that triggers the living wage ordinance from $50,000 to $20,000.
9. Pedal Cabs. Report by Operations, Management & Budget Committee postponing action on ordinance regulating bicycle-type vehicles used as public transportation for up to three riders.
10. Dumping. Proposal to make it illegal to dump solid waste in Hartford in any unlicensed location and to increase fines from $100 per day to $1,000 for first offense and $5,000 for subsequent offenses.
11. Exceptional Service Increments. Proposal for Council to approve guidelines for exceptional service pay for City employees as well as any lump sum exceptional service payments. (also see #20)
12. Outsourcing. Proposal to prevent the City from engaging private organizations to perform maintenance and other services traditionally performed by City employees.
13. Appointment. Appointment of eleven individuals to the Skateboarding Task Force.
14. Appointment. Appointment of Shawn T. Wooden to the Hartford Public Library Board of Directors.
15. Appointment. Appointment of Erika M. Romero to the Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues.
16. Appointment. Appointment of Sandra E. Thompson to the Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.
17. Appointments. Appointment of Glaisma Perez Silva and reappointment of Janet C. Wallans to the Commission on Disability Issues.
18. Pope Park West. Approval of $139,250 appropriation in the Capital Improvement Fund for improvements to Pope Park West. $90,512 of these funds will be provided by the State of Connecticut. (Council previously approved these allocations in concept in June 2009.) Hearing was held on November 16. (also see #5)
19. Elderly Tax Relief. Increase in the qualifying income limits for property tax relief from $34,200 to $35,400 for an individual and from $39,300 to $41,600 for a married couple.
20. Exceptional Service Increments. Proposal that the Director of Human Resources will provide Council with a quarterly report on exceptional service grants approved and other related information. (also see #11)
21. Appointment. Appointment of Anton Rick-Ossen to the Budget Fiscal Analysis Task Force.
22. St. Martin's Outreach. Allocation of $10,000 to St. Martin's Outreach Certified Nursing Assistant Program.
23. Parks and Zoning. Request to the Planning & Zoning Commission to re-zone land parcels that are currently being used as small and medium size parks from their current classifications to "P – Public Property and Cemetery District".
24. Soccer. Allocation of $2,700 to the Greater Hartford Jaycees Soccer Program.
25. Appreciation. Resolution recognizing and appreciation for the men and women of the Hartford Police Department.
26. Broadband. Resolution supporting broadband deployment, adoption and usage in underserved and un-served areas.
27. Early Childhood Education. Resolution supporting quality early childhood education programs.
28. Bone Marrow Registry. Resolution supporting the Bone Marrow Registry Disparity Program to increase the number of donors in the African American and other minority communities.
29. World Conference on Racism. Resolution urging the State Legislature to support participation of the United States in the next world conference on racism and other discussions of human rights.

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.