Monday, January 11, 2016

FIRST MEETING OF NEWLY ELECTED COUNCIL TONIGHT

The first meeting of the newly elected City Council will be preceded by the monthly Public Comment session at 6:00PM a, anyone can speak at that point providing you sign up prior to the meeting


Council Preview

Hartford City Council Meeting

Monday, January 11, 2016

Prepared by Hartford 2000

The Council meeting will be held on Monday, January 11 at 7 PM, preceded at 6 PM by a public comment period.  The next regular Council meeting will be held on Monday, January 25 at 7 PM.  The next regular public hearing will take place on Tuesday, January 19, at 7 PM (change due to Martin Luther King holiday).  All meetings are in Council Chambers in Hartford City Hall.

There are 19 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 official agenda for the Council meeting is available online by clicking on the meeting date at the following web site: http://www.hartford.gov/townclerk/council-agenda .

ITEMS OF SPECIAL INTEREST

New Agenda Items:  The following item appears for the first time on the Council’s Agenda.


Council Rules – The Council will vote on its 2016-2020 Rules.  Changes to Council Rules previously in effect are limited to the establishment of Standing Committees and the schedule of their regular monthly meetings. Committees are listed below.

·         Labor, Education, & Workforce Development: 3rd Wednesday at 5:30 PM
·         Health & Human Services: 1st Monday at 5:30 PM
·         Operations, Management & Budget: 3rd Wednesday at 5:30 PM
·         Planning, Economic Development & Housing: 1st Tuesday at 5:30 PM
·         Parks & Recreation, Environment & Public Works: 4th Thursday at 5:30 PM
·         Quality of Life & Public Safety: 3rd Tuesday at 5:30 PM
·         Legislative Affairs: 2nd Wednesday at 5:30 PM
·         Committee of the Whole: 1) Prior to first Council meeting of the month (2nd Monday, except for holidays) from 6 to 7 PM, and 2) Within 15 days of the submission by the Mayor of appointments of department heads, Chief Operating Officer, or Corporation Counsel.

Previously Submitted Items:  The following items were previously on the Council Agenda.  They were referred to committee and/or to public hearing and are now on the agenda again for action.

Leibert Road – The Council will consider a resolution approving the sale of City-owned vacant, wooded land at 34 and 36 Leibert Road to the CT Department of Transportation for a price of $323,000.  The CT Transit Bus Facility is located on adjacent land at 100 Leibert Road and the acquired parcels will be used to expand the surface parking lot at the facility. (Bronin) (Note: This item was not acted upon by the previous Council by the end of its term.  It has been resubmitted.) (Item #6)

Registrars of Voters – The Council will consider an ordinance which changes the selection process for Registrars of Voters.  Currently, Registrars of Voters are elected every four years.  The ordinance provides that, beginning in 2016, the Court of Common Council will appoint a registrar for each major party, as defined by State law. Currently, the two major parties are Democrat and Republican.  Prior to such appointments, the Council will solicit applications and hold public interviews of at least 5 of the individuals who have submitted qualifying applications.  Registrars shall serve four year terms beginning in January of 2017. (Wooden) (Item #10)

Appropriations – The Council will consider an ordinance which makes three appropriations totaling $1.3 million from surplus funds generated in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2015.  The estimate of the FY15 surplus is about $7.3 million.  The three appropriations are 1) $497,000 to the Police Department for purchase of Shotspotter equipment, which pinpoints the location of gunfire in real time to allow officers to respond quickly to incidents, 2) $300,000 to the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) for implementation of the Public Safety Initiative which works with young people to introduce them to public safety careers with the goal of increasing the number of Hartford residents in such jobs, and 3) $300,000 to the Department of Families, Children, Youth & Recreation to increase the number of young people participating in the Youth Employment Program. (Segarra) (Item #11)


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LIST OF ALL AGENDA ITEMS

Item #

  1. Director of H&HS. Confirmation of the Mayor’s appointment of Gary A. Rhule, MD/MPH as Director of the Department of Health & Human Services. (Bronin)

  1. Director of Development Services. Confirmation of the Mayor’s appointment of Sean M. Fitzpatrick, JD as Director of the Department of Development Services. (Bronin)

  1. Fire Chief. Confirmation of the Mayor’s appointment of Reginald D. Freeman as Chief of the Hartford Fire Department  (Bronin)

  1. 960 Main Street. Approval of an amendment to a lease with the owners of 960 Main Street for changes in occupancy by the Hartford Public Schools and extension for an additional five years. (Bronin)

  1. Teen Pregnancy Prevention. Authorization to enter into contracts, using $5.0 in grant funds, with 23 organizations to provide teen pregnancy prevention services. (Bronin)

  1. Leibert Road Sale. Approval for the City to sell land at 34 and 36 Leibert Road to the CT Dept. of Transportation for expansion of parking at the CT Transit Bus Center. (Bronin)

  1. M&B Director. Confirmation of the Mayor’s appointment of Melissa N. McCaw as Director of the Office of Management & Budget. (Bronin)

  1. Corporation Counsel. Confirmation of the Mayor’s appointment of Howard G. Rifkin, JD as Corporation Counsel (Bronin)

  1. TOD Grant. Approval to apply for a $2.0 million grant from the CT Office of Policy & Management for streetscape improvements along Bartholomew Avenue. (Bronin)

  1. Registrars of Voters. Ordinance authorizing the Council to appoint two Registrars of Voters every four years beginning Dec. 20, 2016 and setting forth a process for such appointments. (Wooden)

  1. Appropriations. Ordinance appropriating funds from the FY2015 surplus as follows: $497,000 to the Police Dept. for Shotspotter equipment, $300,000 to the Capitol Region Education Council for the Public Safety Initiative, and $300,000 to Dept. of Families, Children, Youth & Recreation for Youth Employment. (Segarra)

  1. Housing Practices. Ordinance amending the fair accommodation section of the Municipal Code to forbid the denying of housing to anyone by reason of “familial composition” and requiring that the City’s Fair Housing Plan promote equal housing opportunity without regard to familial composition. (MacDonald, Deutsch)

  1. Asst. Majority Leader. Approval of appointment of John Q. Gale as Assistant Majority Leader for a 2 year term. (Clarke, Concepcion, Gale, Sanchez, Thames, Winch)

  1. Majority Leader. Approval of appointment of Julio A. Concepcion as Majority Leader for a 2-year term. (Clarke, Concepcion, Gale, Sanchez, Thames, Winch)

  1. Chairpersons. Approval of the appointments of chairs of standing committees. (Clarke)
Labor, Education, & Workforce Development: rJo Winch
Health & Human Services: Larry Deutsch
Operations, Management & Budget: Glendowlyn Thames
Planning, Economic Development & Housing: Julio Concepcion
Parks & Recreation, Environment & Public Works: Cynthia Jennings
Quality of Life & Public Safety: T.J. Clarke and James Sanchez
Legislative Affairs: John Gale

  1. Council Rules. Adoption of Council Rules for 2016-2020, including the establishment and scheduling of standing committees. (Clarke, Concepcion, Gale, Sanchez, Thames, Winch)

  1. Minority Leader. Approval of appointment of Wildaliz Bermudez and Minority Leader for a 2-year term. (Clarke, Bermudez, Deutsch, Concepcion, Gale, Sanchez)

  1. City-owned Property. Establishment of a policy requiring that proposals for actions to or use of such property be preceded by public release of information, public hearings, and, under certain conditions, referendum. (Deutsch, Bermudez)

  1. Black History Month. Approval to hold an event honoring Hartford’s African American residents on February 5, 2016 in the City Hall Atrium. (Winch)

7 comments:

  1. Excellent script. However, (Hartford 2000) was it Linda Bayer preparing it? If so some young Hartford resident can do this job Bayer has been around to long.

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  2. I'll not attend tonight city council meeting because of earlier commitment, but I'd like all 9 members to know that we'll be watching them.

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  3. Kevin,Explain why CREC needs $300,000 to solicit MORE Hartford residents in the fire and police dept???? The fire dept has a MANDATORY CITY OF HARTFORD RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT ALREADY !!! And check this out, police cadets have to be Hartford residents,,,,they receive pay,benefits,get automatically enrolled in the next class when they become of age and their time goes towards retirement!!! THESE IDIOTS NEED TO "ENHANCE" THEIR RECRUITMENT OF HARTFORD RESIDENTS INTO PUBLIC SAFETY WITH $300,000 ????? KEVIN,PLEASE EXPLAIN AND JUSTIFY THIS NUTTY PROPOSAL!

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  4. What was Linda Bayer doing in tonight's city council hearing? What is this woman still doing in this administration? Who's stupid enough to keep her running around city hall? Don't you understand she belongs to the Segarra ruling and mismanagement

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    1. So was Colon and Bronin kept this conniving, lying, gift of gab Napoleon, Segarra's right hand hack around Bronin is not what voters expected. He has started off with questionable and political decisions, married couple, what a leader! ONE TERM LUKE, ONE TERM.

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  5. 10:08PM

    Like the song goes "You can't always get what you want". Be patient, all of the change can not take place at once, some of it must be incremental to maintain some sort of stability at City Hall ( not that Linda Bayer has added to any stability there) I am very encouraged by the changes I have seen so far for the most part and hopefully you will be gratified soon.

    You and numerous other commenters have made your opinions clear

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  6. The only thing on my mind about Hartford these days is the elephant in the room or the Frankenstein monster mistake created by the halfwit nitwit former Mayor Segarra. Honestly, I would rather have had that little petty criminal Eddie Perez (see YouTube search "Mayor Eddie Perez" - another of my songs, pilfering off a city contractor to get his toilet and counter top repaired for free instead of the massive financial blunder that this recent madman mayor achieved. This one stroke of fiscal irresponsibility may ultimately bankrupt Hartford. Oh, you say, it couldn't happen here? Search out "Compton, California" and get back to me. That city kept building edifices until it couldn't afford the debt. The only interests that supported Segarra were those who had direct financial gains to be made on the concept that was doomed from the beginning. It is time for a charter revision twiking that will makes these kinds of huge financial commitments an automatic referendum.

    The best alternative is to cut this monster off at the head. It will never create the intended development and hence, be a lead-weighed expense for the city. In fact, downtown was already a hot area for development and eventually this land would have been scooped up and developed - free of municipal indulgence. This will be an annual-added debt during budget season. We never have enough to meet expenses. We sell off assets to cover for one more year. Now we will have this ball and chain around our financial necks for at least 25 years. Personally the first hint of a tax increase, and I will sell my home and get the hell out of this quicksand-sinking city.

    I sang my song at the council meeting Monday night. And I will be singing it again at any meeting on this boondoggle of a stadium development until they drag me out. And then I'll sing it outside in the snow or rain. I'll sing it with my cloths on and I will sing it naked. I will sing it on opening day and I'll sing it on closing day. And I encourage you all to sing it too. Sing it on a bus. Sing it on the street. Sing it in the mirror. And sing it to the mayor. And sing it in three-part harmony.

    Bill Katz
    Song Title: Dunkin Donuts Stadium (12/23/2015)
    All Rights Reserved

    Dunkin Donuts Stadium, my advice just don't go in
    You can watch baseball in local parks, Kenney, Pope and Goodwin
    But if you leave home to watch the Goats, don't forget Imodium
    Dunkin Donuts Stadium, my advice just don't go in

    The toilets won't be flush-able, they may not even spin
    They may not all be flush-able, then again not even spin
    Centerplan hasn't thought this out | how all the shit would fly
    But the toilets won't be flush-able, might even make you cry

    Poor Pedro thought he had a good idea | one absent-minded day
    He thought to spend some city cash, Hartford could not ever repay
    Fifty Six million down the hole, for 25 more years
    Poor Pedro thought he had a good idea | one absent-minded day

    If you bought a pass to see the Hartford Goats | be sure to put your raincoat on
    If you bought a pass to see the Hartford Goats | be sure to put your raincoat on
    The grandstand roof will not be built, DoNo Hartford has taken note
    One more doozy for the ex-mayor, with his council boys in tow

    Dunkin Donuts Stadium, my advice just don't go in
    You can watch baseball in local parks; Kenney, Pope and Goodwin
    But if you leave home with your kids, don't forget Imodium
    Dunkin Donuts Stadium, my advice just don't go in


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