Common Council

SPECIAL MEETING OF THE COMMON COUNCIL MIDDLETOWN CONNECTICUT COMMUNITY MEETING OCTOBER 11, 2018 DRAFT MINUTES The Special Meeting of the Common Council of the City of Middletown, also known as the Community Meeting, was held in the Council Chamber of the Municipal Building on Thursday, October 11, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. Present: Councilwoman Mary Bartolotta Councilwoman Eugene Nocera Councilman Gerald Daley Councilman Philip Pessina Councilman Sebastian Giuliano Councilman Linda Salafia Councilman Deborah Kleckowski Councilman Robert Santangelo Absent: Councilman Robert Blanchard; Councilman Carl Chisem, Councilman Grady Faulkner; and Councilman Thomas Serra Also Present: Linda DeSena, substituting for Common Council Clerk Members of the Public: 3 1. Call to Order Councilman Robert Santangelo calls the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. He invites those present to join in the Pledge of Allegiance. He welcomes the public to this meeting. Linda DeSena reads the Call of the Meeting and Councilman Santangelo declares the call a legal call and meeting a legal meeting. 2. Public Comment Councilman Santangelo opens the public comment session at 7:03 p.m. He invites anyone wishing to speak to come to the podium, asking that they state their name and address for the record and keep remarks to five (5) minutes. Dennis Bitzaya, 1-6 Countryside Lane: He explains that he bought a salvage car a couple of years ago. He appealed the assessed value to the Board of Assessment Appeals. Although the book value of the vehicle was $11,000, after reviewing the history, the assessment was reduced to $6,000. He was also told to come back annually for the review. This year he came back and had an interview with David Boyce. Mr. Boyce asked him if he had the assessment papers from last year. Since he did not have them with him, he explains that he offered to go home to get the paperwork. Mr. Boyce told him that he did not need to go home since they could look up the information in City Hall. A few weeks later, he received a letter with an assessed value of $9,000, up from $6,000 last year. He explains that it seems that no one looked at the file from last year, which documented the salvage. He went to the Assessor’s  OCTOBER 11, 2018 SPECIAL COMMON COUNCIL MEETING – COMMUNITY MEETING Page 2 Office and spoke with the Tax Assessor (Damon Brassch). He specifically asked the Tax Assessor if the $9,000 value was an error. The Tax Assessor told him to go thru the City, which is required by State statute. Mr. Bitzaya states that he subsequently met with the Mayor, who said it is an error. The Mayor told him to go back to the Tax Assessor. He was told to email Ryan Kennedy and David Boyce. He emailed, but it has now been two (2) weeks with no response. He went back to the Mayor’s Office to get their addressed and mail the letter to them. He could not get the addresses, so he met with the Tax Assessor again. He was told that his only recourse is to go to court and sue the City. He does not understand how the assessment could go from $6,000 last year to $9,000 this year. He was then sent to the Common Council Office, but the Clerk explained that she could not give out their home addresses, having been instructed by the mayor to remove that information. The Clerk did explain that there is a Community Meeting and that he could share his problem with the Council, which is why he is here tonight. Councilman Sebastian Giuliano reviews the time line. He bought a car and it was salvaged. He notes that under State law, the title must indicate that it is a salvaged vehicle. Mr. Biztaya confirms that the title does indicate that it is a salvaged vehicle. Councilman Giuliano asks if the City first assessed the vehicle at Blue Book value. Mr. Bitzaya replies that, when he first bought the car, he went to the tax Board and showed them the salvage title. Councilman Giuliano replies that after that the assessment was reduced to $6,000. Mr. Bitzaya replies, yes, exactly. Councilman Giuliano asks if the current assessment is again the Blue Book value. Mr. Bitzaya replies, yes, they took the Blue Book value without considering that it is salvaged. Councilman Giuliano confirms that Mr. Bitzaya appealed the assessment again this year, but it was reduced only from $9,800 to $9,000. Mr. Bitzaya replies, yes, as if it was not salvaged. Councilman Giuliano confirms that it is the same vehicle with the same salvage title. Mr. Bitzaya confirms, yes, nothing has changed. Councilman Giuliano replies that the assessment seems to be an error, not a difference of opinion in the value of the car. He believes that, given this information, the Tax Assessor can correct an error just like putting a decimal in the wrong place. It should not require going to court. Mr. Bitzaya reiterates that the Tax Assessor insists that he cannot do anything and that the matter must go to court. He states that the Tax Assessor was not helpful and, in sharp contrast, downstairs, the secretary of the Council was an angel, by trying to help. He states that the secretary in the Mayor’s Office was also helpful, but the Assessor was not helpful. Councilman Giuliano states that, if the Tax Assessor has dug his heels in, he does not believe that the Council can compel him to do something different. He adds that he also believes that the Assessor has the authority to correct and error, noting that the appeal is by difference of opinion on valuation. It’s the same title, the same information, so it seems that they simply missed it. Mr. Bitzaya notes that the Tax Assessor told him that they use the book value, not the salvage value. Councilman Giuliano states that he does not believe that they can choose not to take the salvage status into account. He believes that they cannot take the vehicle with a salvage title into account and ignore another with the similar salvage title. They cannot sometime do it and sometime not, adding they should be able to correct it. Perhaps he is misreading State law. Councilwoman Mary Bartolotta recounts the history and notes that it is the Appeals Board that has to address the value. Having been thru something similar, they cannot change it; rather the Appeals Board needs to address the issue; that is, they need to recognize their mistake. She asks that he leave the  OCTOBER 11, 2018 SPECIAL COMMON COUNCIL MEETING – COMMUNITY MEETING Page 3 information with the clerk and she will follow-up with them. The Tax Assessor cannot overwrite an appeal. Councilman Pessina asks whether or not the Tax Assessor checked the old file. Mr. Biztaya replies, yes, he went into the paper file and had it in front of him from when they assessed it, he states no typo. When asked about the higher value this year, the tax Assessor said it is the Blue Book value. Councilman Pessina suggests that he bring that paperwork over there. He should get on the agenda. Mr. Bitzaya said they don’t meet again until March 2019. Councilman Pessina said it is inappropriate to say go sue the City rather than trying to resolve the matter. Mr. Bitzaya said he has lived here for more than 20 years. Councilman Gerald Daley states that he would like to clarify that this is all the same vehicle. He has had the same vehicle and it is still salvaged. Mr. Bitzaya replies that it is always salvaged. The reason he bought it is that it has problem with the Focus transmission. Once salvaged, Ford drops the warranty so his transmission skips. He took it to the dealer and paid over $3,000. After parts were ordered, the dealer said it was salvaged. Councilman Daley (inaudible) Mr. Bitzaya replies there is a chassis problem, lose all the warranty. It is 2015 vehicle with only 36,000 miles. The dealers buy and fix the vehicles, but they are deemed salvaged. Councilman Giuliano explains that DMV issues the salvage title, noting that the salvage status is permanent. Councilwoman Bartolotta explains that she just made a call and confirmed that a salvage vehicle is salvaged. After 20 years, it falls under different guidelines. Councilman Santangelo states that Councilwoman Bartolotta has been kind enough to say that she would help. Give her the information. Rev. Yvonne Gallagher, 280 Cross Street: Pastor of Deliverance Church, Main Street -- She is here tonight because she understanding that in March 2018 approved a lease to the Community Health Center (CHC) on the old gas station lot at Grand and Main for $1 for five (5) years. She understands that CHC was going to landscape and maintain the property. She heard it as a rumor and called the Mayor’s Office, playing phone tag with the Mayor. She emailed Councilman Faulkner to ask the procedure for property leased by the City. She was then directed to PCD Director Joe Samolis. He responded to her first email on the procedure. In early September, the CEO of CHC talked about what he would do with the property. She read the minutes and was familiar with the plan for an urban park. Mr. Samolis said that anyone can lease City property; it simply needs to go to the Mayor and then to the Common Council. She asks, due to the proximity of the Church at that property she believes it would have been a courtesy to ask the abutting owners of they had any concerns. While she knows they cannot tell the Council what to do. Before the project was built, former PCD Director Bill Warner came to the church to share the plans. From that point on, the City looked for other properties to swap with CHC to have the Church property. The CEO never approached the Church; everything was done thru the Mayor’s office and Bill Warner. The Church was not looking to move. Her mother, the Senior Pastor, called the CEO. He said the best he could do was $300,000. They discussed the cost of building a new Church. If the City was so involved, when this was done, why didn’t anyone ask if the Church had any concerns. CHC has a community park next to their rental park. The keep it locked and open it when they want. It was locked due to drugs and alcohol. If this is an urban park, an herb garden, accessible to the community, that same people being locked out. These are the people who will be in the new urban park next to the Church. It creates a liability to the Church. She asks about drug and alcohol on this new property; garbage, using it as a bathroom. They have increased police presence on Main Street. Someone has bene throwing rocks breaking Church windows. It has  OCTOBER 11, 2018 SPECIAL COMMON COUNCIL MEETING – COMMUNITY MEETING Page 4 happened more than five (5) times and we get a police report. On Main Street, someone was intoxicated, lying on the Church steps. People have been urinating and defecating in front of the Church. Now they go to the area between the Church and the new park. Her concern is that, if the City is so involved, why did they not show the courtesy to hear our concerns. Even with the new CHC project behind the Church, no one at City Hall has approached the Church to hear our concerns. The Church has been here for over 32 years. Should the Common Council show common courtesy. Last week she received a letter from Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) stating that the St. John Square and Mina Street project will begin on Grand Street and that they are requesting for $5.8 sq. ft. of the driveway of the Church. They will widen Grand Street. If they take 51.8 sq. feet and now that the new CHC building sits on the property line near the sidewalk, how much are they taking from CHC. Connecticut DOT is taking the sidewalk. It’s not just the need of the driveway. The Church has heard nothing from the City since this is a City road not a State road. If we do not take their offer, they will take the property by eminent domain. Since CHC could not get the Church property, this seems the next best thing. They did not bid on the property since their need is parking and there was no longer parking on that site. If the Church knew that t could lease the City property, they could have leased it for $1 per year and planted grass. So much is going on now that the Church finds out about after the fact. This is our concern, asking what they can do aout it. Councilman Santangelo states that the meeting is not to do something, but rather to listen. Councilwoman Bartolotta adds that they could go to the Public Safety Commission. Reverend Gallagher says that they have until October 15th. She adds that Councilman Faulkner explained that there is a Citizens’ Advisory Commission. She will go to the next meeting. Councilman Giuliano asks who imposed the timeframe. Rev. Gallagher replies that the State has offered $525 for 51.8 sq. ft. Councilman Giuliano replies that there are three councilmembers on the Public Safety Commission and none know anything about the proposed widening of Grand Street. Rev. Gallagher reiterates that the State is taking nothing from CHC. Councilman Pessina suggests that this is for the bump outs that the State has proposed. (Inaudible discussion.) Nora Fitzpatrick, North End: She asks for a moment of silence for children being murdered in America. She is here because she is angry and heartbroken by people running this City. She wants to be respectful. She was raised by German-Irish, Catholic women. Her skin color is from her father, who is black and Native American. She states that she will wait until they put down their phones, adding that we don’t know if you are paying attention when you are on the phone. She was born and raised in Patterson, NJ in the 1970’s during the crack era. She moved to the Newark. She was protected. She went to school and came home. She is on Connecticut on Greene Street and she is devastated that children do not have what she had. We all remember what happened to the Green Street Arts Center. She is so disrespected for her skin color, her speech, her head cover. She knows that everyone talks a certain way. She is trying to make some points. Her people are suffering, people of color: people in the North End. Everything good happened from Washington south; every festival, every event is on the south side. She is a member of St. John’s Church which is 175 years old. Her ancestors built this City. She would gladly run the City, but she cannot do it alone. Since 1900, her grandmother is Fitzpatrick and she is researching her genealogy. You can one something, but what do you do with it. She is poor and has an illness, which has caused weight loss and uses a walker. She is only 44 years old. She has dug deep in her soul to get up every day to walk to the garden to grow vegetables, for women who have lost their husbands. She loves the City and anyone in the City, even those who don’t love her. She knows the people, the organizations, and the schools. She states that the Council can help make things better or she can call Channel 8. There is a proposal to provide her with a stipend to  OCTOBER 11, 2018 SPECIAL COMMON COUNCIL MEETING – COMMUNITY MEETING Page 5 run the garden. She will do the job for three (3) years and pass it on. The garden has reached capacity. They hope to start a gardening class. There are two (2) empty lots on Green Street. They would like to create an urban farm. She hopes to bring Make Wahlberg here for opioid crisis and open a center here. She was nervous to come tonight to speak tonight. She asks the Council: she is in paid all day; her pain is 5,000 or 10. She is afraid of everything and everybody. She hears people say they hate the Council. She is trying to be a bridge. She is a nationally recognized Muslim Chaplin and worked in the prison system for five (5) years. She saw a movie at Wesleyan and was hoping that there would be more non-white people. Her grandfather is John Thomas Mobius and she believes it is her job to defend her pole. She rends the council that they had the keys to the City. She wants a piece of land to start this farm for the young to the elderly. Wesley has agreed to give the money to build the raised beds. She needs soil for the beds since the ground soil is contaminated. The closest store is two (2) miles away and not everyone has a car and we know the bus situations. Middletown has the potential – Middletown is a model for other cities around the world. Not one child has been killed by a police officer in Middletown, but not everyone feels this way. She asks why she has to come home and see someone drunk in the road. The rain was swirling around the road and there were 100 nip bottles in the water. Drinking is what happens here. Build gardens to create someplace to go. Build a farm and work together the same way that St. Sebastian’s was built from that very effort. She needs the Council’s help. 3. Public Comment Closes Councilman Santangelo states that, seeing no additional members of the public wishing to speak, the public comment session is closed. The public comment session closes at 8:00 p.m. 4. Meeting adjourned Councilman Sebastian Giuliano moves for adjournment. Councilman Philip Pessina seconds the motion. The Chair calls for the vote. It is approved unanimously with seven (7) aye votes. The Chair states the motion passes with seven (7) affirmative votes. The meeting is adjourned at 8:02 p.m. ATTEST: LINDA S.K. REED, COMMON COUNCIL CLERK K: review/minutes/ 18 October 11 community meeting minutes October 11, 2018