City Council

JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH OCTOBER 7, 2019 The regular meeting of the Council of the City of Norwich was held October 7, 2019, at 7:30 PM in Council Chambers. Present: Mayor Nystrom, Ald. Nash, Gould, DeLucia, Browning and Burnham. City Manager Salomone and Corporation Counsel Michael Driscoll was also in attendance. Mayor Nystrom presided. Ald. Gould read the opening prayer and Ald. DeLucia led the members in the Pledge of Allegiance. Upon a motion of Ald. Gould, seconded by President Pro Tem Nash, it was unanimously voted to adopt the minutes of September 3 and 16, 2019. Please be advised that meetings of the Norwich City Council can be viewed in their entirety on the City of Norwich website “norwichct.org”. Upon a motion of Ald. Gould, seconded by President Pro Tem Nash, it was unanimously voted to accept the letter of resignation of Gary Schnip from the Norwich Baseball Stadium Authority thanking him for his service. Upon a motion of President Pro Tem Nash, seconded by Ald. Gould, it was unanimously voted to accept the letter of resignation of Peter Barber from the Norwich Harbor Management Commission thanking him for his service. City Manager Salomone report: To: Mayor Nystrom and members of the City Council From: John Salomone, City Manager Subject: City Manager’s Report Date: October 7, 2019 I attended the CIRMA meeting, and the monthly SEAT, SCCOG, Parking Commission and Harbor Management meetings. I also attended the State of the City address and the One City Forum meeting. The City’s Community Development Office has been awarded $2.9 million in federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to continue its efforts to remove lead paint hazards for low to moderate income housing for approximately 110 housing units. This funding will ensure access to safe, quality housing. Interested homeowners, including landlords should contact the Community Development Office for additional information on the program. Disability Awareness Week is being held October 7th-11th. The free events have been posted on the City’s Facebook page. Key employees from Human Resources, Human Services, City Clerk, Police, Fire, Public Works and NPU will be featured at the Municipal Round Table event on ADA relevance on October 10th at the Sr. Center. Disability Awareness week is sponsored by the Norwich Commission for Persons with Disabilities with the support of the City’s Human Resource Director, Mayors Office, Norwich Public Utilities, Otis Library and the Rose City Senior Center. Congratulations to the City’s Recreation Director, Cheryl Hancin-Preston who has been selected as the 2019 Outstanding Professional Award winner from the Connecticut Recreation & Parks Association . She will be honored at a luncheon on Tuesday, November 26th at the Mohegan Sun Convention Center. The City of Norwich Heart Walk team contributed $1,120 to the American Heart Association for the annual walk held at the Mohegan Sun on September 30th. Over $280,000 has been raised in eastern Connecticut. Thank you to those that donated or participated in this event. 1 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH OCTOBER 7, 2019 City Clerk, Betsy Barrett, Executive Assistant, Jacquie Barbarossa and Executive Secretary to the Mayor, Bonnie Cuprak led a group of 20 individuals on the “Golden Clock Tour” on Friday, October 4th as part of the 29th annual “Walktober”. Norwich has several walks planned through the end of October which are listed on the City’s Facebook site. The Norwich Planning and Zoning Staff will be having a Community Conversation on Wednesday, October 16, at Foundry 66 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. The staff is looking for community input for future zoning map and text amendments for the City. The event is free and open to the public. I have attached the Treasurer’s Report from Michael Gualtieri, for quarter and fiscal year ended June 30, 2019 for your review. Please note that the acquisiton by Berkshire Bank of The Savings Institute took place in May 2019. There is also a resolution before you this evening that reflects this. Mayor Nystrom called for citizen comment. There were no speakers. Mayor Nystrom declared citizen comment closed. Upon a motion of Ald. Gould, seconded by President Pro Tem Nash, it was unanimously voted to adopt the following resolution introduced by City Manager Salomone. WHEREAS, Chapter IX, Section 19 of the Charter of the City of Norwich states, “The city treasurer shall have custody of and disburse all funds belonging to the city and shall deposit the same in such banks and trust companies as may be designated by the council on recommendation of the chief executive officer by this charter;” and WHEREAS, the term “financial institution” is defined in Connecticut General Statutes Sections 36a-330(4) as “a bank, Connecticut credit union, federal credit union or an out-of- state bank that maintains in this state a branch as defined in section 36a-410”; and WHEREAS, Berkshire Bank recently acquired the Savings Institute which is one of the banks approved by the Council of the City of Norwich into which the City Treasurer may deposit funds, and by this acquisition has branches in the State of Connecticut; and WHEREAS, at the request of City Treasurer Michael Gualtieri, City Manager John Salomone, as Chief Executive Officer of the City of Norwich, recommends the addition of the Berkshire Bank to the list of banks and trust companies into which the City Treasurer may deposit funds. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH, that the Savings Institute be and hereby is replaced by Berkshire Bank on the approved list of banks and trust companies into which the City Treasurer may deposit funds. Exhibit 1 Complete list of banks and trust companies into which the City Treasurer may deposit funds: • American Freedom US Government Money Market Fund • Bank of America Corporation • Bank of New York • Berkshire Bank • Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. 2 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH OCTOBER 7, 2019 • Charles Schwab Trust Company • Charter Oak Credit Union • Chelsea Groton Bank • Citizens' Bank of Connecticut • Comerica Bank • Connecticut State Treasurer's Short Term Investment Fund • Dime Savings Bank • Eastern Savings Bank • HSBC USA, Inc. • ING Bank N.V. • Liberty Bank • MBIA, Inc. • People's United • Putnam Bank • State Street Corporation • TD Bank, N.A. • UBS AG • US Bank • Webster Bank Upon a motion by Ald. Gould, seconded by President Pro Tem Nash, it was unanimously voted to go into Executive Session pursuant to Connecticut General Statute Section 1-200(6) for the purpose of discussing the acquisition or disposition of real estate or interest in real estate when publicity regarding the site, purchase or construction would adversely impact the price of the same, to review engineering or feasibility estimates and evaluations, made for the City, and to review commercial or financial information given in confidence not required by statute. City Manager John Salomone, Finance Director Joshua Pothier, Planning Director Deanna Rhodes, Robert Mills, President of Norwich Community Development Corporation, and Corporation Counsel Michael Driscoll shall be asked to participate during all or portions of the Executive Session at the request of the City Council. Upon a motion by Ald. Gould, seconded by President Pro Tem Nash, it was unanimously voted to go into Executive Session pursuant to Connecticut General Statute Section 1-200(6) for the purpose of discussing strategy and negotiations with respect to pending claims and litigation. City Manager John Salomone, Finance Director Joshua Pothier, and Corporation Counsel Michael E. Driscoll shall be asked to attend during all or portions of this Executive Session at the request of the City Council. The council was in Executive Session from 7:40 pm to 8:37 pm, at which time Mayor Nystrom, stated no votes were taken. Upon a motion of President Pro Tem Nash, seconded by Ald. Gould, it was unanimously voted to return to regular session. Upon motion of Ald. Gould, seconded by President Pro Tem Nash, it was unanimously voted to adjourn at 8:38 pm. City Clerk 3