Council Preview
Hartford City Council Meeting

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

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 Council meeting will be Monday, June 11th and the next public hearing will be Monday, June 18th, both at 7 PM.

There are 26 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.

Director of H&HS - The Council will consider a resolution confirming the Mayor’s appointment of Dr. Raul Pino as Director of Health & Human Services. Dr. Pino has been serving as acting Director for the past year. He holds both a Doctor of Medicine and a Master’s Degree in Public Health. He was previously employed as an epidemiologist with the CT Department of Public Health and was chief of medical services in a 250 bed hospital in Cuba. (Item #2)

HUD Annual Action Plan – The Council will consider a resolution approving projects to be funded in 2012-13 with $6.8 million in grant funds received from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). The City receives grants through four HUD programs: Community Development Block Grant, Emergency Solutions Grant, Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS, and Home Investment Partnerships. The recommended projects include social services, programs for youth, job training, housing programs and projects, economic development activities, homeless shelters, and improvements to public facilities. (Item #3)

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.

FY2012-13 Budget - The Council will take a final vote on the General Fund Budget for Fiscal Year 2012-13. The Council took action on May 18th to reduce the Budget from $546.6 million to $540.3 million. They also made changes to the 2012-13 component of the Capital Improvement Program by adding two projects to the 49 proposed by the Mayor and by increasing appropriations to three of the 49 projects. Those changes have increased the total 2012-13 appropriation for capital projects from $55.6 million to $57.9 million. The Council also reduced the tax rate from 75.3 mills to 74.29 mills. The Mayor approved the changes made by the Council. (Segarra) (Item #1)

Percent for the Arts – The Council will vote on an amendment to the Percent for Arts ordinance. The ordinance currently requires that the City set aside 1% of the cost of all above-ground public construction projects, such as buildings, parks, recreational facilities, parking garages, and schools, which cost more than $1.0 million. The amendment to the ordinance would require that the percent for the arts be applied to any project with a cost of $500,000 or more. Funds are to be used for the creation and placement of public art. Public art is defined as art located on public property and art integrated into the design of a public facility and garden landscaping. The Council’s Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee recommends approval of the amendment. (Cotto) (Items #17 and 24)

Weaver High School Renovations – The Council will vote on a proposed $127 million project to renovate Weaver High School. The Board of Education approved the project on March 20th and the Council is being asked to approve the renovation, to assign oversight of the project to the School Building Committee, and to authorize the Board of Education to apply to the State Department of Education for a School Construction Grant in an amount equal to 80% of eligible project costs. The Council’s Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs and Education Committees both recommend approval of the project. (Segarra) (Item #20)

LIST OF ALL AGENDA ITEMS

Item #

1. 2012-13 Budget. Approval of Fiscal Year 2012-13 General Fund Budget, Capital Improvement Program and Tax Levy. (Segarra)
2. H&HS Director. Confirmation of the Mayor’s appointment of Dr. Raul Pino as Director of Health & Human Services. (Segarra)
3. HUD Funds. Approval of the 2012-13 plan for the use of $6.8 million in funds received by the City from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. (Segarra)
4. HIV/AIDS Commission. Confirmation of the appointment of Mary Prince and Marcia Bok to the Commission on HIV/AIDS. (Segarra)
5. Windsor Avenue Lease. Approval to extend the term of an existing lease for the use of space at 184 Windsor Avenue by the Board of Education for the Pathways to Technology Magnet School. (Segarra)
6. Liberty Street Land Sale. Approval to sell a vacant lot at 37 Liberty Street to Johnny Medina for $500. (Segarra)
7. Ashley Street Land Sale. Approval to sell a vacant lot at 131 Ashley Street to HIB, LLC for $5,000. (Segarra)
8. Locust Street Lease. Approval to extend the term of an existing lease for the use of space at 245 Locust Street by the Board of Education for the MD Fox Elementary and High Road special education program. (Segarra)
9. CL&P Easement. Authorization to grant an easement to CT Light & Power across City-owned property at 321 Park Terrace. (Segarra)
10. Electronic Certified Mail. Approval to enter into a contract with Pitney Bowes for two systems for electronic certified mail. (Segarra)
11. Mail System Lease. Authorization to lease a mail processing system from Pitney Bowes. (Segarra)
12. STD/TB Grant. Authorization to accept a $570,000 grant from the CT Department of Public Health to be used for programs addressing sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis. (Segarra)
13. CRCOG. Appointment of Alex Aponte and Thomas Deller to the Policy Board of the Capitol Region Council of Governments. (Segarra)
14. Committee Report. Report on a round-table discussion held on May 16th at Capital Community College and sponsored by the Council’s Health & Human Services and Planning & Economic Development Committees.
15. Police Union Contract. Approval of a collective bargaining agreement between the City and the Hartford Police Union. (Segarra)
16. Flood Control Improvements. Report by the Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee recommending reallocation of $600,000 in Capital Improvement Funds from Burgdorf environmental clean-up project to the dredging of flood control detention ponds. (Segarra) (also see #22)
17. Percent for the Arts. Report from the Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee recommending an amendment to the City’s public arts policy to state that the City will set aside 1% of the cost of certain construction projects costing more than $500,000 (reduced from $1.0 million) to fund the creation and placement of public art. (Cotto) (also see #24)
18. North Hartford Senior Center. Report from the Operations, Management, Budget & Legislative Affairs Committee recommending reallocation of $1 million in Capital Improvement Funds from a cancelled project to improvements to the North Hartford Senior Center. (Segarra) (also see #23)
19. CRRA Contract. Approval of a five-year contract with CT Resources Recovery Authority for waste disposal and recycling services. (Segarra)
20. Weaver Renovations. Approval of the renovation of Weaver High School at a cost of $127 million and authorization for the Board of Education to apply for a School Construction Grant, for the project, from the CT Department of Education. (Segarra)
21. Lease Extension. Month-to-month extension of lease with Silvester Space Services for office space at 90 Brainard Road occupied by Police Department staff. (Segarra)
22. Flood Control Improvements. Reallocation of $600,000 in Capital Improvement Funds from the Burgdorf environmental clean-up project to the dredging of flood control detention ponds. (Segarra) (also see #16)
23. North Hartford Senior Center. Reallocation of $1 million in Capital Improvement Funds, from a cancelled project, to improvements to the North Hartford Senior Center. (Segarra) (also see #18)
24. Percent for the Arts. Amendment to the City’s public arts policy to state that the City will set aside 1% of the cost of certain construction projects costing more than $500,000 (reduced from $1.0 million) to fund the creation and placement of public art. (Cotto) (also see #17)
25. Caribbean American Heritage. Designation of June as Caribbean American Heritage Month in the city of Hartford. (Anderson)
26. Jones Playground. Naming of the playground at 97 Chatham Street as “Roberta Jones Playground”. (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.