City Council

JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH JANUARY 17, 2017 A regular meeting of the Council of the City of Norwich was held January 17, 2017 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. Herbert Nyberg, 6 Hawthorne Rd, Old Lyme, from Colonial Car Wash on West Main St, talked about the negative economic impact traffic circles will have on West Main St. He talked about other cities who grew in population yet saw a decrease in business potential because of the traffic circles. He asked the Council to reject the traffic circles. Marvin Serruto, 100 Starr St, asked to have a picture of light up city hall placed in the success jar and he also donated to the fireworks fund. He asked the Council to be vigilant and diligent following through and when you see something say something. Beryl Fishbone, 19 Bliss Place, talked about the importance of marketing, promotion, sponsorship, empowerment and encouragement for others to become stronger in success and watch the community grow. She asked the community to work together as a whole. She reminded everyone about First Friday February 2, a bird count program, snow sculptures, and a sneaker collection drive. Susan Masse, 1 Sachem Terrace, talked about historical buildings in downtown representing Norwich. She stated we need more people living downtown and also asked the Council not to tear down a building that constituents want to keep. She asked the Council to take the Women’s Institute offer as a reliable and viable alternative. Lee-Ann Gomes, Director of Human Services, introduced Angela Duhaime, Coordinator with Partnerships for Success the department received a $138,000 grant for four years to be used to reduce the rate of use of prescription drugs and illicit opioid misuse and abuse (age 12-25) and underage alcohol use (age 12-20) in Norwich. She thanked Kay Eyberse for her role is this program. John Oldfield, 185 Laurel Lane, stated he submitted an ethics complaint. David Crabb, 47 Prospect St, talked about NPU bonding for water metering and he did an eight year study on water and sewer seeing a steady price increase. He stated he still has a meter in his basement since 1970 and it still works fine. Dale Plumber, 25 Broadway, urged the Council to rescind the vote to demolish the Reid & Hughes building and rescind the 800,000 bond. He stated this will save the City money by restoring it through the Women Institute. Marie Jolicoeur, 161 Broadway, supporting the Historian and hope the Council would reconsider the decision to demolish the Reid & Hughes in the hope that apartments will be built there to generate revenue. 1 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH JANUARY 17, 2017 Mayor Hinchey declared citizen comment closed Mayor Hinchey opened the Public Hearing. Mayor Hinchey stated a referral was sent to the Mohegan Park Improvement & Development Advisory Committee: Mayor Hinchey called for a Public Hearing on AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SEC. 14-11.1 OF THE NORWICH CODE OF ORDINANCES CONCERNING THE PERMIT FEE FOR THE USE OF THE MOHEGAN PARK GROUP PICNIC AREA AND LAKESIDE PAVILION Speaking in favor: no one spoke Speaking in opposition: no one spoke There being no speakers Mayor Hinchey declared the public hearing closed. Mayor Hinchey called for the second reading and action on AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SEC. 14-11.1 OF THE NORWICH CODE OF ORDINANCES CONCERNING THE PERMIT FEE FOR THE USE OF THE MOHEGAN PARK GROUP PICNIC AREA AND LAKESIDE PAVILION Upon a motion Ald. Philbrick, seconded Ald. Braddock, it was unanimously voted to waive the reading of the full text and incorporate it into the minutes this being its second reading. Ald. Martin motioned, seconded by Ald. Gould, to adopt the following ordinance introduced by Mayor Hinchey. AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SEC. 14-11.1 OF THE NORWICH CODE OF ORDINANCES CONCERNING THE PERMIT FEE FOR THE USE OF THE MOHEGAN PARK GROUP PICNIC AREA AND LAKESIDE PAVILION BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH THAT: Sec. 14-11.1. Permit fee for Mohegan Park group picnic area and lakeside pavilion. (a) Any individual or organization wishing to use the group picnic area or lakeside pavilion in Mohegan Park shall obtain a permit for such use from the director of public works, or his designate, and shall pay the sum of $100.00 $200.00 therefor. (b) Any individual or organization wishing to use the lakeside pavilion in Mohegan Park shall obtain a permit from the director of public works, or his designate, and shall pay the sum of forty dollars($40.00)(thirty dollars($30.00)) therefore. (b) The monies received from the collection of fees for issuance of such permits shall be used to defray the operating expenses of said group picnic area and lakeside pavilion. 2 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH JANUARY 17, 2017 (c) The Council may by resolution increase or decrease the permit fee for the use of the group picnic area or lakeside pavilion in Mohegan Park to reflect any increase or decrease in the operating expenses for said group picnic area and lakeside pavilion. On a roll call vote of 7-0 the above ordinance passes unanimously. Upon a motion of Ald. Martin, seconded by Ald. Gould, it was unanimously voted to accept the following referral: Audit report presented by Ron Nossek of Blum Shapiro PC. 3 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH JANUARY 17, 2017 Presentation from Bill Champagne and Regan Miner about the 2016 Tourism Activities in Norwich. Upon a motion of Ald. Gould, seconded by Ald. Braddock, it was unanimously voted to accept that the Norwich Fire Department and Emergency Medical Technicians are cleared for the implementation of the 2016 Connecticut State EMS Protocol with congratulations to all involved. Upon a motion of Ald. Gould, seconded by Ald. Braddock, it was unanimously voted to accept the letter from the Senior Affairs Commission regarding Olive Buddington, thanking her all the hard work and dedication in creating a Senior Center and serving on this board for over 20 years. City Manager’s Report: ESTABLISHED 1659 CITY OF NORWICH CONNECTICUT 100 Broadway Norwich, CT 06360 JOHN SALOMONE 100 Broadway CITY MANAGER Norwich, CT 06360 (860) 823-3747 Fax (860) 885-2131 To: Mayor Hinchey and members of the City Council From: John Salomone, City Manager Subject: City Manager’s Report Date: January 17, 2017 The Mayor and I continue our weekly meetings. We also met twice with a concerned citizen to address an issue he had and to keep him updated with the status of his inquiry. On Friday, January 6th several city staff members, members of Norwich Heritage Trust, and I met with Todd Levine from SHPO. Betsy Crum, executive director of the Women’s Institute, Bill Morse, and others were also in attendance. The group will meet again at the end of January providing additional documentation is received from Ms. Crum regarding funding and stabilization of the building. 4 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH JANUARY 17, 2017 Later in the day Josh Pothier and I met with representatives from William Blair, (Investment Bank & Financial Asset Management Company) regarding refunding bonds which is resolution #2 on this evening’s agenda. Brigid Marks, Human Resources Director attended the January meeting for Commission for Persons with Disabilities to discuss their request for the City to have a communication hand out for new and existing employees regarding effective communication for persons with disabilities. Brigid also attended the Diversity in Employment Committee which discussed replacing the Chair, Dianne Daniels who resigned to assume her new duties as President of the NAACP. Congratulations to Dianne on her new appointment. There was also discussion on adding members to the committee. My assistant, Jacquie Barbarossa has started co-coordinating on-line ethics training for all council members, city department heads, volunteer fire chiefs, and the heads of various agencies including Norwich Community Development, Norwich Housing Authority, Norwich Public Schools, Norwich Public Utilities, Otis Library and Uncas Health. Positive feedback has been received and those contacted have until January 31st to complete the training. I will keep you informed of our progress and next step. Upon a motion of Ald. Martin, seconded by Ald. Nash, it was unanimously voted to adopt the following resolution introduced by Mayor Hinchey. WHEREAS, Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless has requested to lease from the City of Norwich space on an existing light pole located at 8 Mahan Drive (Fontaine Field) to install, operate and maintain antennas, remote radio heads and other appurtenant equipment and to include an non- exclusive right of ingress and egress from a public right-of-way for the purposes of installation, operation and maintenance of the communication facilities; and WHEREAS, said proposal will be submitted to the Connecticut Siting Council following a conditional approval by the City of Norwich; and WHEREAS, the City of Norwich and Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless propose to agree on the terms of a lease agreement prior to submission to the Connecticut Siting Council. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH, that City Manager John Salomone be and hereby is authorized and directed, with such assistance as he may require, to negotiate a lease agreement between the City of Norwich with Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless for the installation, operation and maintenance of the communications facility as described herein if it is determined that there is likely to be no interference caused by such cell tower to communication facilities required and maintained by the City of Norwich and that an appropriate municipal gain will be maintained on the tower for the benefit of the City of Norwich. Mayor Hinchey called for citizen comment on resolutions. David Crabb, 47 Prospect St, spoke in opposition to resolution #2 stating that people lost their homes due to this resolution and asked how this intends to make taxpayers whole. Mayor Hinchey declared citizen comment on resolutions was closed. 5 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH JANUARY 17, 2017 Upon a motion of Ald. Braddock, seconded by Ald. Gould, it was unanimously voted to adopt the following resolution introduced by Mayor Hinchey. WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Norwich, by resolution adopted January 6, 2014, recognized the efforts of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee to organize a St. Patrick’s Day Parade funded by private contributions and sponsorships, and also recognized the planned St. Patrick’s Day Parade as a City of Norwich function; and WHEREAS, St. Patrick’s Day Parades so organized, have been held annually in March since; and WHEREAS, local business owners, Norwich residents and other interested individuals, assisted by the Norwich Community Development Corporation, have joined together as the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee to organize, promote and present a St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Norwich to be held on Sunday, March 5, 2017, the parade to be funded by private contributions and sponsorships. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH that it recognizes the planned St. Patrick’s Day Parade as a City of Norwich function, and welcomes the participants and spectators who will come to Norwich on March 5, 2017 for the event, inviting them to enjoy the hospitality and entertainments provided with this event by its sponsors and the ambience of downtown Norwich; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH that the Council of the City of Norwich offers its thanks and appreciation to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee and all donors and sponsors for their efforts. Upon a motion of Ald. Gould, seconded by Ald. Braddock, it was unanimously voted to adopt the following resolution introduced by City Manager Salomone. A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE AND SALE OF UP TO $3,500,000 FOR THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH CITY OF NORWICH GENERAL OBLIGATION REFUNDING BONDS BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH: Section 1. General Obligation Refunding Bonds of the City of Norwich, Connecticut (the “City”) in a principal amount of not more than $3,500,000 (the “Refunding Bonds”) are hereby authorized to be issued in one or more series and in such amount or such lesser amount as shall be necessary to refund, including any advance refunding, all or any portion of one or more series of the City’s outstanding general obligation bonds, including, but not limited to, the City’s 2009 Series A Bonds (the “Prior Bonds”), and the payment of principal, interest and any call premium on such Prior Bonds, as determined by the City Manager and the Comptroller to be in the best interest of the City for the purpose of achieving net present value savings and/or to moderate debt service payments and to finance such additional costs and expenses related thereto, as the City Manager and the Comptroller shall approve for the funding of necessary and appropriate financing and/or issuance costs including, but not limited to, legal, advisory, rating, escrow fees, credit enhancement, verification fees, 6 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH JANUARY 17, 2017 investment fees, net temporary interest, trustee, underwriters’ discount and printing and administrative expenses. Section 2. The Refunding Bonds shall be issued in fully registered form, be executed in the name and on behalf of the City by the facsimile or manual signatures of the City Manager and the Comptroller, bear the City seal or a facsimile thereof, be certified by a bank or trust company, which bank or trust company may be designated the registrar and transfer agent, be payable at a bank or trust company, and be approved as to their legality by Pullman & Comley, LLC, Bond Counsel. The Refunding Bonds shall be general obligations of the City and each of the Refunding Bonds shall recite that every requirement of law relating to its issue has been duly complied with, that such Refunding Bond is within every debt and other limit prescribed by law, and that the full faith and credit of the City are pledged to the payment of the principal thereof and interest thereon. Section 3. The City Manager and the Comptroller are hereby authorized to determine the aggregate principal amount of the Refunding Bonds, the annual installments of principal, date, maturity, prices, interest rates (whether fixed or variable), form, redemption provisions, if any, the certifying registrar and transfer agent, the manner of sale or other terms and conditions of the Refunding Bonds, and whether any of the Refunding Bonds issued will be issued as taxable bonds, all in such a manner as the City Manager and Comptroller shall determine to be in the best interests of the City and in accordance with the General Statutes of Connecticut, Revision of 1958, as amended (the “Connecticut General Statutes”), and to take such actions and to execute such documents, or designate other officials or employees of the City to take such actions and to execute such documents, as deemed to be necessary or advisable and in the best interests of the City by the City Manager and Comptroller in order to issue, sell and deliver the Refunding Bonds. Section 4. The City Manager and Comptroller may irrevocably call for redemption such maturities of the Prior Bonds, as they determine to refund from the proceeds of the Refunding Bonds and other moneys as they may be determined to make available for this purpose, and to defease such Prior Bonds by executing and delivering an escrow agreement in such form and upon such terms as they shall approve, such approval to be conclusively evidenced by their execution thereof. The City Manager and Comptroller are further authorized to appoint an escrow agent, a verification agent to verify the sufficiency of the escrow investments and other professionals, and to execute and deliver any and all escrow, investment and other agreements necessary to provide for the payment when due of the principal of and interest and redemption premium, if any, on the Prior Bonds. Section 5. The net proceeds of the sale of the Refunding Bonds, after payment of costs of issuance, shall be invested in appropriate legal investments including, but not limited to, non-callable direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed by, the United States of America, or any other investments permitted by the Connecticut General Statutes, all of which shall not be callable or pre-payable, the principal of and interest on which, when due, shall be in an amount sufficient to pay the principal of, interest and redemption premium, if any, on the Prior Bonds at maturity, or to redeem the Prior Bonds at the redemption price prior to maturity, pursuant to the plan of refunding. Section 6. The Refunding Bonds are to be sold by the City Manager and Comptroller in a competitive offering or by negotiation in their discretion. If sold in a competitive offering, 7 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH JANUARY 17, 2017 the Refunding Bonds shall be sold at not less than par and accrued interest on the basis of the lowest net or true interest cost to the City. If the Refunding Bonds are sold by negotiation, the provisions of the bond purchase agreement shall be approved by the City Manager and Comptroller. Section 7. The City Manager and Comptroller are hereby authorized, if they determine it is in the City’s best interests, to acquire, on behalf of the City, bond insurance or other forms of credit enhancement guaranteeing the Refunding Bonds on such terms as the City Manager and Comptroller determine to be appropriate, such terms to include, but not be limited to, those relating to fees, premiums and other costs and expenses incurred in connection with such credit enhancement, the terms of payment of such expenses and costs and such other undertakings as the issuer of the credit enhancement shall require. Section 8. In connection with the issuance of the Refunding Bonds authorized herein, the City may exercise any power delegated to municipalities pursuant to Section 7- 370b, including the authority to enter into agreements managing interest rate risk. The City Manager and Comptroller, on behalf of the City, shall execute and deliver such reimbursement agreements, letter of credit agreement, credit facilities, remarketing, standby marketing agreements, standby bond purchase agreements, and any other commercially necessary or appropriate agreements which are necessary, appropriate or desirable in connection with or incidental to the sale and issuance of the Refunding Bonds. Section 9. The City Manager and Comptroller are hereby authorized, on behalf of the City, to enter into agreements or otherwise covenant for the benefit of bondholders to provide information on an annual or other periodic basis to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (“MSRB”) and to provide notices to the MSRB of material events as enumerated in Securities and Exchange Commission Exchange Act Rule 15c2-12, as amended, as may be necessary, appropriate or desirable to effect the sale of the Refunding Bonds authorized by this resolution. Any agreements or representations to provide information to the MSRB made prior hereto are hereby confirmed, ratified and approved. Section 10. The City Manager and Comptroller are hereby authorized to prepare and distribute preliminary and final Official Statements of the City, to execute and deliver on behalf of the City all such other documents, and to take all action, necessary and proper for the sale, issuance and delivery of the Refunding Bonds in accordance with the provisions of the Connecticut General Statutes and the laws of the United States. Section 11. This resolution shall become effective immediately upon passage and shall remain effective until December 31, 2017. Upon a motion of Ald. Martin, seconded by Ald. Nash, it was unanimously voted to adjourn at 8:20 pm. CITY CLERK 8