City Council

JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH MAY 16, 2016 A regular meeting of the Council of the City of Norwich was held May 16, 2016 at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers. Present: Mayor Hinchey, Aldermen Nystrom, Philbrick, Braddock, Gould, Martin and Nash. City Manager Salomone and Corporation Counsel Michael Driscoll were also in attendance. Mayor Hinchey presided. Ald. Martin read the opening prayer and Ald. Gould led the members in the Pledge of Allegiance. Mayor Hinchey called for citizen comment. David Burley, 638 Scotland Rd, talked about several City departments giving up resources in the upcoming budget yet there have been and continue to be several increases in the water and sewer rates and felt it is the Council and Public Utilities Commissioners job to protect the public interest. He felt that NPU is spending is out of control. Rodney Bowie, 62 Roosevelt Ave, spoke against increasing the budget and asked this Council to stop the spending. He also agreed with the previous speaker. David Crabb, 47 Prospect St, talked about that in the past few years Norwich income distribution for property owners has decreased causing weak home ownership recovery. Abby Dolliver, 6 Deepwood Dr, talked about the State cuts to Board of Education mandated programs that effect school transportation. Norwich budget is being cut $500,000 to public school transportation and $70,000 to non- public school transportation which will have to be absorbed by Norwich because it is mandated. Gregg Grippo, member of the Norwich Heritage Trust, stated he was very disappointed to see the Historic Reid and Hughes building is being torn down and questioned why. He also talked about the new development at Ponemah Mills. He questioned what the City is doing. John Blackburn, 15 Alice St, talked about the state budget and felt it would be difficult to set our budget and even harder for the taxpayer to shoulder the burden. Mayor Hinchey declared citizen comment closed Upon motion of President Pro Tem Nystrom, seconded by Ald. Braddock, it was unanimously voted to enter in to the record that Regan Miner was the recipient of the 2016 State of Connecticut Tourism Rising Star Award and Mayor Hinchey congratulated her. 1 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH MAY 16, 2016 Upon a motion of Ald. Braddock, seconded by Ald. Martin, it was unanimously voted to accept the communication letter from the Department of Transportation. City Managers Report: To: Mayor Hinchey and members of the City Council From: John Salomone, City Manager Subject: City Manager’s Report Date: May 16, 2016 The state budget looms heavily on the city’s budget process as we wait to hear the amount of state funding the City of Norwich will receive. In preparation, I held a meeting with department heads to discuss the affects to city budget based on potential funding levels. I’m pleased to report that interviews for the City Planner position were held recently. We interviewed five highly qualified candidates for the position and an offer was made and accepted. Collective bargaining negotiations are continuing with the Public Works Supervisors Union and the Norwich Fire Department. I attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Lofts of Ponemah Mills project. This is an exciting project which will add substantial value to the village of Taftville and the City of Norwich as a whole. I also attended the NPU Business Breakfast, held on Tuesday, May 10th. During this event, NPU General Manager John Bilda and staff presented an overview of the NPU budget to a large group of NPU’s business customers. I met with Elanah Sherman to discuss the formation of an Open Space Commission. A meeting was held to discuss the possible relocation of the Norwich Human Services department to city hall. I met with Ryan Thompson, Josh Pothier and Attorney Driscoll to address process flow improvements for city properties. This includes notice of sale, disposition, and property follow-up. 2 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH MAY 16, 2016 I continue to attend the NPU City Wide Coordination Meetings to receive information on active developments throughout the city. Attached you will find a report summarizing key indicators and updates from the Norwich Police Department. I have also attached a copy of a memo outlining the revisions to the 2016-2017 revenue estimates and recommendations on expenditure adjustments. This memo was emailed to you on May 13th. I am happy to discuss any of the above with you in further detail. /jmk Attachments NORWICH POLICE DEPARTMENT M E M O R A N D U M DATE: May 16th, 2016 TO: John L. Salomone, City Manager FROM: Louis J. Fusaro, Sr., Chief of Police RE: NPD - Key Indicators and Updates CRIME I AM PLEASED TO REPORT THAT THE PART I CRIME RATE IS DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY IN NORWICH FOR THE LATEST REPORTING YEAR OF FBI UNIFORM CRIME REPORTS FOR THE CITY OF NORWICH. THE CRIME INDEX IS DOWN BY 25% FOR 2014 VS 2015. THIS IS A CREDIT, IN LARGE PART, THE GREAT WORK OF OUR OFFICERS, DETECTIVES AND THEIR SUPERVISORS AND OUR MANY PARTNERSHIPS AND WORK WITH COMMUNITY GROUPS. IT HAS RESULTED IN AN HISTORIC DROP IN CRIME. THIS IS A POSITIVE TREND STARTED AND HAS CONTINUED EVER SINCE THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL BEGAN SUPPORTING OUR STRATEGIC STAFFING PLAN IN 2011. THE INCREASE IN POLICE STAFFING GAVE US THE ABILITY TO RE- INVIGORATE OUR EFFORTS IN COMMUNITY POLICING, AND THE ABILITY TO INCREASE OUR POLICE PRESENCE ON OUR STREETS AND IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS THAT LED THE DROP IN CRIME. WE ARE ARCHIVING THE POSITIVE RESULTS WE PROMISED AS PART OF THE STAFFING PLAN MUCH QUICKER THAN I EVER ANTICIPATED. HOWEVER, NARCOTIC TRAFFICKING AND THE RELATED HEROIN OVERDOSES, DEATHS AND RELATED CRIME CONTINUE TO BE A VERY SERIOUS CONCERN. WE 3 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH MAY 16, 2016 ARE PLACING SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES, BOTH LOCALLY AND REGIONALLY, INTO DEALING WITH BOTH THE SUPPLY AND DEMAND SIDE OF THE TERRIBLE SCOURGE OF HEROIN AND DRUG ABUSE. AND, WHENEVER POSSIBLE, WE REFER VICTIMS OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE TO REHABILITATION SERVICES TO HELP CURB THE PROBLEM. OFFICERS ARE CONTINUING TO SPEND QUALITY TIME DETERRING CRIME BY ENGAGING IN “PROACTIVE” POLICE WORK AND UTILIZING THE COMMUNITY POLICING MODEL TO ADDRESS QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES THROUGHOUT THE CITY IN OUR ATTEMPTS TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE DOWN CRIME AND DISORDER AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS 2014 / 2015 COMPARISON 2014 2015 % CHANGE PART I CRIME 1,001 752 -25% CRIMINAL 3,592 3,262 -9% ARRESTS 1 TRAFFIC WE CONTINUE TO ADDRESS TRAFFIC COMPLAINTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY WITH PROACTIVE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT THAT ADDRESSES BOTH SPECIFIC COMPLAINTS AND AREAS WHERE TRAFFIC CRASHES HAVE BECOME PREVALENT. 2014 / 2015 COMPARISON 2014 2015 % CHANGE MV CRASHES 1,415 1,309 -7.49% MV 8,179 7,191 -12.07 ENFORCEMENT STOPS A common contributing factor in motor vehicle crashes is excessive speed. And, the violations and speeding vehicles are not only confined to the major access roads it also involves the local secondary roads, which primarily consist of residential areas. 4 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH MAY 16, 2016 CALLS FOR SERVICE Calls for police services has gone up slightly this past year as you can see in the below chart. During the same time 911 emergency calls have grown from 20,506 in 2014 to 22,189 in 2015. That represents an increase of over 8% during the past year as you can see below. This has occurred during the past year when the crime rate went down 25%. 2014 / 2015 COMPARISON 2014 2015 % CHANGE CALLS FOR 57,152 57,209 +.09% SERVICE 911 20,506 22,189 +8.2 EMERGENCY CALLS GRANTS We continue to pursue federal and state grants in our efforts to reduce our expenses through grant funding. We have been successful in obtaining competitive grants from both State and Federal grants sources, which has been helpful in giving us additional police officers and promoting community policing and the police presence in our neighborhoods that has helped in reducing crime. ITEM OF NOTE WE HAVE BEEN INFORMED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE NORWICH CHAPTER OF NAACP, MS. JACQUELINE OWENS, THAT TWO OF OUR OFFICERS WILL BE HONORED ON TUESDAY MAY 17TH, DURING NATIONAL POLICE WEEK, FOR THEIR DISTINGUISHED AND DEDICATED SERVICE TO THE CITY OF NORWICH. WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE PRESENTATION AND THANK THE NAACP FOR HONORING THEM. ________________________________ CHIEF OF POLICE 2 5 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH MAY 16, 2016 6 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH MAY 16, 2016 7 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH MAY 16, 2016 8 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH MAY 16, 2016 9 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH MAY 16, 2016 Mayor Hinchey called for citizen comment on resolutions. No one spoke. Mayor Hinchey declared citizen comment on resolutions was closed. Upon a motion of Ald. Nash, seconded by Ald. Gould, it was unanimously voted to hold a public hearing on the following resolution on June 20, 2016 at 7:00 pm introduced by City Manager Salomone. WHEREAS, the City of Norwich is an entitlement community receiving U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) dollars of $778,804 for program year (PY) 2016; and WHEREAS, the Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC) has held public meetings and voted on their recommendations for CDBG allocations in the month of March; and WHEREAS, the allocation process is subject to a 30-day comment period prior to being placed into effect and the Council of the City of Norwich must hold a public hearing regarding the recommendations prior to the final vote on the allocation. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH that the Council shall and hereby does schedule a public hearing to be held at 7:00 p.m. during the June 20, 2016 Council meeting on the subject of Community Development Block Grant allocation recommendations for PY 2016. CDBG Requests - PY 2016 Anticipated PY 2016 Allocation $ 778,804.00 PY 2016 CDAC Council Request Recommended Recommended 1 CD Office - Administration $ 155,761.00 $ 155,761.00 PUBLIC/SOCIAL SERVICES 2 TVCCA - Home Again Project $ 20,000.00 $ - 3 Norwich Adult Education- ESOL Instruction $ 12,000.00 $ - 4 Our Piece of the Pie - Norwich Work Force Development $ 30,000.00 $ - 5 Madonna Place - Fatherhood Initiative $ 10,000.00 $ - 6 Safe Futures - Domestic Violence Response Team $ 15,000.00 $ 15,000.00 7 Thames River Family Program -Employment & Housing $ 10,000.00 $ - 8 Norwich Human Services - Norwich Works $ 48,884.49 $ 48,884.49 9 Norwich Community Care Team $ 30,000.00 $ 15,000.00 10 NCDC $ 30,000.00 $ - Total Public/Social Service $ 205,884.49 $ 78,884.49 $ - OTHER 11 Norwich Housing Authority - Roof Replacement Sunset Park Phase 2 $ 87,500.00 $ - 12 Norwich Fire Dept - Head Quarters Storage Facility $ 85,000.00 $ 85,000.00 13 Norwich Public Works - Taftville Sidewalks Phase 1 $ 83,000.00 $ 83,000.00 14 Norwich Public Works - Sidewalk Ramps $ 66,000.00 $ - 15 Norwich Public Works - Playground Phase II $ 110,000.00 $ 65,000.00 16 CD Office Neighborhood Preservation/ Property Rehab Program $ 400,000.00 $ 306,158.51 17 Habitat for Humanity - 244 Washington St $ 25,000.00 $ - 18 Disability Network $ 15,000.00 $ 5,000.00 19 Norwich Police Dept-Taftville Public Safety Camera System Expansion $ 99,930.00 Total Public Service $ 205,884.49 $ 78,884.49 $ - Total Other $ 971,430.00 $ 544,158.51 $ - CD Administration $ 155,761.00 $ 155,761.00 $ - Total Requests $ 1,333,075.49 $ 778,804.00 $ - 10 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH MAY 16, 2016 Upon a motion of Ald. Martin, seconded by Ald. Braddock, it was unanimously voted to hold a public hearing on the following resolution on June 20, 2016 at 7:00 pm introduced by Mayor Hinchey. WHEREAS, the R.E. Van Norstrand Neighborhood Assistance Act, Chapter 228a of the Connecticut General Statutes (C.G.S. 12-630aa-12-638) offers certain benefits to municipalities desiring to obtain the same and is administered by the State Department of Revenue Services (Commission of Revenue Services); and WHEREAS, the Neighborhood Assistance Act provides a tax credit for business firms which sponsor local programs; and WHEREAS, such programs must be proposed and conducted by private non-profit agencies or municipalities and be approved by the local legislative body. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH that a public hearing will be held on June 20, 2016 to review applications and receive comments relative to the Neighborhood Assistance Act. Upon a motion of Ald. Braddock, seconded by Ald. Martin, it was unanimously voted to adopt the following resolution introduced by City Manager Salomone. WHEREAS, the City Manager John L. Salomone has appointed as regular members to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a term to expire on 2/28/18 or until a successor is appointed; Henry Olender Jr. (U) Dorothy Travers (D) NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Norwich hereby acknowledges the appointments of the above named to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Upon a motion of Ald. Nash, seconded by Ald. Martin, it was unanimously voted to adopt the following resolution introduced by Mayor Hinchey. WHEREAS, the Italian Heritage and Cultural Committee of Norwich will sponsor the 25th year of “The Taste of Italy” at the Howard T. Brown Park on September 10, 2016. 11 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH MAY 16, 2016 WHEREAS, “The Taste of Italy” allows the Italian Community to share its cultural heritage with the Norwich Community and permits festival goers to enjoy the food, music and entertainment of Italy; and WHEREAS, the Italian Heritage and Cultural Committee of Norwich has requested permission to sell beer and wine during the festival. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that pursuant to Section 13.14.2 of the Norwich Code of Ordinances, the City Manager is authorized to grant the Italian Heritage and Cultural Committee of Norwich permission to serve and sell beer and wine at “The Taste of Italy” festival to be held on September 10, 2016 at the Howard T. Brown Park subject to satisfactory proof that the Italian Heritage and Cultural Committee of Norwich has complied with applicable regulations of the State Liquor Commission. Upon a motion of Ald. Gould, seconded by Ald. Martin, it was unanimously voted to adopt the following resolution introduced by Mayor Hinchey. WHEREAS, section 9-41 of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Norwich provides that the Council may, on or before the fourth Monday of each May, by resolution, change the basic fee schedule for the Rogers Road Transfer Station as set forth in a schedule of fees at section 9-40 of the Code of Ordinances; and WHEREAS, the present schedule establishes a rate of $3.00 for the disposal of any tire 20” in diameter or smaller and provides a rate of $5.00 per tire for other tires. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH that the rate for the disposal of tires be set at $3.00 each for tires 21” in diameter or smaller and $5.00 each for tires greater than 21” in diameter. WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Norwich has held two public hearings on the budget to be adopted for fiscal year 2016-2017; and Upon motion of Ald. Braddock, seconded by Mayor Hinchey, to adopt the following resolution introduced by Mayor Hinchey: WHEREAS, both public hearings were completed prior to the adoption of a budget by the legislature of the State of Connecticut and there existed an unusual degree of uncertainty as to the amount of revenue to be available to the city of Norwich under the state budget for fiscal year 2016-2017 at the time of these public hearings; and 12 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH MAY 16, 2016 WHEREAS, the council finds it would be of assistance to it and in the best interest of the city of Norwich to hold a third public hearing before adopting the budget for the city of Norwich for fiscal year 2016-2017. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH that an additional public hearing on the tentative budget for the fiscal year 2016-2017 be and hereby is scheduled to be held on Monday, May 23, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall. WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Norwich has held two public hearings on the budget to be adopted for fiscal year 2016-2017; and The above resolution fails on a roll call vote of 3-4 with Ald. Philbrick, Braddock, Martin and Nash voting in opposition. Upon motion to Ald. Nash, seconded by Ald. Gould, it was unanimously voted to adjourn at 7:40 pm. CITY CLERK 13