City Council

JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH May 13, 2019 The second Public Hearing for the 2019-2020 fiscal year was held May 13, 2019 at 7:30 PM in Council Chambers. Present: Mayor Nystrom, President Pro Tem Nash, Ald. Gould, DeLucia, Browning, and Burnham with Ald. Philbrick absent. City Manager Salomone and Corporation Counsel Michael Driscoll were also in attendance. Please be advised that meetings of the Norwich City Council can be viewed in their entirety on the City of Norwich website “norwichct.org”. Mayor Nystrom opened the Public Hearing. Beryl Fishbone, 19 Bliss Pl., requested that all issues be discussed with the sub-committees before final decisions are made on the budget. Joyce Werden, 13 Lost Acres Rd., supports full funding of the Board of Ed. Rose Fratoni, 67 North B St., expressed her frustrations of the overspending and wants it to stop. Swaranjit Singh Khelsa, 56 Briar Hill Rd, spoke in support of the schools and the Otis Library. Mark Kulos, 327 Broadway, spoke in full support of education. Beth Belliveau, 5 Tower Hill Rd., spoke in full support of education. Lottie Scott, 85 Church St., spoke in full support of education. Marvin Serruto, 100 Starr St., requested the Council not to fall back keep but to keep moving forward in helping the tax payers to afford taxes. Mark Cook, 62 Gulliver Cir., appreciates the lower mill rate and suggested alternative ways to keep the mill rates down and still fund the schools. Karen Cook, 62 Gulliver Cir., requested fully funding of the schools and that there is nothing that can be cut. Diane Stone, Harland Rd., stated education is Economic Development. Shane Roberts, 16 Church St., spoke in full support of education. Christopher Kolter, 25 Parkwoods Dr., stated increasing funding does provide a better education. Dennis Slopak, 8 N Second Ave., stated that some of the complaints made about after school programs etc. are not part of the Education budget but are funded by grant money. Melanie Elliot, 43 Green Ave., spoke in full support of education. 1 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH May 13, 2019 Christopher Bernes, 21 Balawender Dr., requested accountability from both the Council and the Board of Education. Desiree Deilus, 21 Dunham St., state that the daycare services from the schools is paid for through grant money. Mikayla Distasio, 105 Peck St., spoke in full support of education. Ryan Telford, 127 n Wawecus Hill Rd., stated that it is our moral obligation to defend our students. Avelis Alceas, 8 Traders Ct., spoke in full support of education. Kylene Thompson, 61 E Town St., spoke in full support of education. Fannie Andrea Pedraza, 4 Country Dr., spoke in full support of education. Johanna Chaplin, 64 Great Plain Rd., spoke in full support of education. Jessica Quary, 321 old Canterbury Tpk., spoke in full support of education. Allison Logan, 9 Ford Ave., spoke in full support of education. Sarah Generous, 12 North Third Ave., spoke in full support of education. Antonia Revere, 98 Plain Hill Rd., spoke in full support of education. Michele Hamel, 363 N Burnham Hwy., spoke in full support of education. Kevin Saythany, 51 Henry St., spoke in full support of education. Vivian Lau, 156 Summit St., spoke in full support of the Library. Rodney Bowie, 62 Roosevelt Ave., wants a balance taxes are too high. Angela Fuller, 21 Balawender Dr., spoke in support of both education and the Council. Charles Knickleson, Union St., spoke about fixing the problems in the broken system. Peter Procko, 27 Cooper St., spoke about spending being the problem, needing accountability and challenging the public to give a day to public service. Yvette Jacaruso, 192 Wightman Ave., spoke in full support of education. Shiela Hayes, 382 Laurel Hill Ave., suggested a compromise to the budget between the Council and Board of Education by June to move forward. Martha Palmer, 32 Elmwood Ave., spoke in full support of education. 2 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH May 13, 2019 Mary Ann Backus, 8 Paddock Lane, spoke in full support of education. Brian Kobylarz, 16 Hobart Ave., spoke in support of the Otis Library and wants to see an increase in the NPU contribution to the CCD. John Blackburn, 15 Alice St., commented on there always being a shortage in the budget. Zato Kadambaya, 54 Sherwood Lane, spoke about looking at the present and how it will affect our future. What is the priority? Mayor Nystrom closed the Public Hearing. Mayor Nystrom adjourned the meeting at 9:05 pm. Assistant City Clerk 3