City Council

JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH APRIL 6, 2020 The regular meeting of the Council of the City of Norwich was held April 6, 2020, at 7:30 PM in Council Chambers. Present by a roll call vote: Mayor Nystrom, Ald. Bettencourt (via phone), Gould, Wilson, Myles (via phone) and DeLucia. City Manager Salomone and Corporation Counsel Michael Driscoll were also in attendance. Ald. Nash had an excused absence. 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 Ald. Wilson, on a roll call vote it was unanimously voted to adopt the minutes of March 2 and 16, 2020. Please be advised that meetings of the Norwich City Council can be viewed in their entirety on the City of Norwich website “norwichct.org”. City Manager Salomone report: City Manager proposed budget 2020-2021 Mayor Nystrom called for citizen comment on resolutions. Emails received: Robert J Allen, 8 West Town St, Exhibit #A, Peter Clark Exhibit #B , Matthew Clement, no address listed, Exhibit #C, Chris Colonair, Capt. Yantic Fire Company #1, Exhibit #D, Brian Cubanski, Exhibit #E, Peter Cuprak, 85 Lambert Dr, Exhibit #F , Robert Drozynski, 33 Sachem Plains Rd, Exhibit #G, William Hadam, Asst. Chief Taftville Fire Dept., Exhibit #H, Gloria Hayes, 93 Lafayette St, Exhibit #I , Adam Herz, 151 Yantic Rd, Exhibit #J , Brian Huggard, 130 North Wawecus Hill Rd, Exhibit #K , Joseph Jackson, 7 Perry Ave, Exhibit #L , Jennifer Kayser, 18 Maplewood Ct, Exhibit #M , Louise Leake, no address stated, Exhibit #N, Gerald Martin, Gillette Rd, Exhibit #O , Cameron Milton, no address given, Exhibit #P, Ryan Mocek, no address given, Exhibit #Q, Melanie Moon, 130 North Wawecus Hill Rd, Exhibit #R, Fred K Potter, no address given, Exhibit #S , Tom Quinley, Yantic Firefighter, Norwich VFFRF Chair, Exhibit #T , Robin Sieczkowski, 48 McClellan Ave, Exhibit #U , Pat Stolz, no address given, Exhibit #V , Gregory Stott, Plain Hill Rd, Exhibit #W , Jerry Verant, Deputy Chief East Great Plain Vol Fire Co., Exhibit #X , Volunteer Fire Chiefs, Yantic, Taftville, East Great Plain, Laurel Hill, Occum, Exhibit #Y Elizabeth Wilson, no address given, Exhibit #Z , Kyle Wilson, no address given, Exhibit #AA . See attached emails: LINK TO EXHIBITS Speakers via telephone: Joanne Philbrick, Norwichtown, felt that bringing forward Resolution #5 at this time is inappropriate. Marvin Serruto, 100 Starr St, stated that this was not the most convenient time to bring Resolution #5 forward. 1 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH APRIL 6, 2020 Shiela Hayes, 382 Laurel Hill Ave, questioned the new applicant on Resolution #4 and talked about the RFP on Resolution #5. Peter Cuprak, 85 Lambert Dr, spoke against Resolution #5. Mayor Nystrom declared citizen comment closed. Upon a motion of Ald. Wilson, seconded by Ald. Gould, on a roll call vote it was unanimously voted to adopt the following resolution introduced by City Manager Salomone. Relative to setting the first and second public hearings on the budget for Fiscal Year 2020-21. RESOLVED, that the first public hearing on the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2020- 21 will be held on Thursday, April 16, 2020, 7:30 PM in the Council Chambers of City Hall or in another location or locations by a Virtual Meeting conducted remotely but compliant with conditions imposed under the suspension of open-meeting requirements established in Executive Order 7B issued by Governor Ned Lamont and such other Executive Orders or directives as may then be applicable to such hearing.. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the second public hearing on the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2020-21 will be held on Monday, May 11, 2020 at 7:30 PM in the Council Chambers of City Hall or in another location or locations by a Virtual Meeting conducted remotely but compliant with conditions imposed under the suspension of open- meeting requirements established in Executive Order 7B issued by Governor Ned Lamont and such other Executive Orders or directives as may then be applicable to such hearing. Upon a motion of Ald. Wilson, seconded by Ald. Gould, on a roll call vote it was unanimously voted to adopt the following resolution introduced by President Pro Tem Bettencourt, Ald. Gould and Myles. BE IT RESOLVED that the below named be reappointed as a regular member to the Senior Affairs Commission with a term to expire on September 1, 2021 or until a successor is appointed: Laurieann Messore (R) BE IT RESOLVED that the below named be reappointed as an alternate member to the Senior Affairs Commission with a term to expire on September 1, 2021 or until a successor is appointed: Rebecca Melucci (U) Upon a motion of Ald. Gould, seconded by Ald. Wilson, on a roll call vote it was unanimously voted to adopt the following resolution introduced by President Pro Tem Bettencourt, Ald. Gould and Myles. 2 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH APRIL 6, 2020 BE IT RESOLVED that the below named be reappointed as a regular member of the Recreation Advisory Board with a term to expire on March 15, 2021 or until a successor is appointed: Raymond Stewart (D) BE IT RESOLVED that the below named be reappointed as regular members of the Recreation Advisory Board with terms to expire on March 15, 2022 or until a successor is appointed: Julie Feindt-Cagle (D) Jeffery Blinderman (D) Upon a motion of, Ald. Gould, seconded by President Pro Tem Bettencourt, on a roll call vote it was unanimously voted to adopt the following resolution introduced by President Pro Tem Bettencourt, Ald. Gould and Myles. BE IT RESOLVED, that the below named be and hereby is appointed as a public member to the School Building Committee 2020 for a term to expire January 21, 2022 or until a successor is appointed. Kristen Talley (D) Upon a motion of Ald. Delucia, seconded by Ald. Wilson, on a roll call vote to put the following resolution introduced by President Pro Tem Bettencourt, Ald. Wilson, Myles and DeLucia on the floor. Upon a motion of Ald. DeLucia, seconded by President Pro Tem Bettencourt, to refer the following resolution to The Public Safety Committee for consideration and recommendation in writing to the City Council on or before the Council meeting on May 4, 2020. Mayor Nystrom reiterates motion to amend. Discussion ensues. Motion to amend passes on a roll call vote of 4-2 with Mayor Nystrom and Ald. Gould voting in opposition. Mayor Nystrom calls for comments on the resolution as amended which was challenged by Ald. DeLucia. Discussion ensued, Mayor Nystrom ruled the resolution was amended which was then appealed by President Pro Tem Bettencourt, seconded by Ald. DeLucia. On a vote of 4-2 with Mayor Nystrom and Ald. Gould voting in opposition the Mayors ruling was overturned. The following resolution is referred to the Public Safety Commission. WHEREAS, Connecticut General Statute § 7-148(c)(4) delegates certain traditionally public functions that fall within the state’s police powers to municipalities; and WHEREAS, Connecticut General Statute § 7-148(c)(4)(B) provides that all municipalities have the power to: 3 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH APRIL 6, 2020 “Provide for fire protection, organize, maintain and regulate the persons providing fire protection, provide the necessary apparatus for extinguishing fires and do all other things necessary or desirable for the protection of the municipality from fire” ; and WHEREAS, Chapter III, Section 1 of the Charter of the City of Norwich provides: “The City shall have the specific power to provide, organize, maintain and regulate a fire department, provide the necessary apparatus for extinguishing fires and do all other things necessary or desirable to protect the city from fire” ; and WHEREAS, Chapter X, Section 4 of the Charter of the City of Norwich provides: “The fire department shall be responsible for the protection of life and property within the city from fire and for the enforcement of all laws, ordinances and regulations relating to fire prevention and fire safety.” ; and WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Norwich recognizes that the safety of the community, including all its residents, and all fire personnel involved in providing responsible and necessary fire protection for the city, a benefit for all residents, businesses, structures and facilities located throughout the city, is of paramount importance to Norwich; and WHEREAS, a comprehensive fire suppression capability analysis to determine the City’s fire risk and the ability of the Fire Service to suppress fires was last undertaken in 1989; and WHEREAS, the requirements to be considered by the city in providing fire protection, taking into account, among other things, the location and condition of structures, the concentration of residents in various areas of the city, and changes in the amount of traffic and traffic patterns, have changed in the 31-year period since that study was completed, and the standards, needs and ability to provide effective fire suppression have changed over the same period and is there for both reasonable and prudent to conduct a focused, yet comprehensive study of the fire suppression capabilities of the Fire Service; NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH, that, the City Manager is hereby authorized and directed to solicit a Request for Proposal from qualified consultants to complete an analysis of the entirety of the City’s Fire Service, with focus on six (6) specific areas; 1) Response and Dispatch assignment order – commonly referred to as “run cards”, the study is to include an assessment of apparatus response practices to determine; a) if service delivery modalities are aligned with industry best-practices and standards, and b) can mutual aid and automatic aid response plans within all fire departments of the City of Norwich be reconfigured for more efficient and effective results. 4 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH APRIL 6, 2020 2) Standardized response-time data collection – the study is to include; a) an assessment of the current methods, standards, and protocols for determining the response time to an emergency, and b) make recommendations for the collection and analysis of reliable and valid response- time data. 3) Communications – the study is to review and make overall recommendations in critical areas involving radio communications to include; a) dispatch staffing, b) interoperability of communication between departments, and c) identify best practices and ways to enhance radio communications. 4) Fire apparatus – the study is to review and make overall recommendations in the area of fire apparatus to include; a) current inventory deployment, b) apparatus procurement protocols, and c) apparatus replacement schedule. 5) Purchasing of equipment and Inventory control – the study is to review and make recommendations in the procurement of, and accountability for, necessary capital improvement items including, but not limited to; a) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), b) support equipment, and c) inventory control. 6) Staffing – the study is to review and make overall recommendations in the area of staffing to include; a) administration and support staff, b) suppression staff, c) EMS staff, and d) responsibilities and activity levels of personnel. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH, that, the study be completed within 90 days of the contract award. Upon a motion of Ald. DeLucia, seconded by Ald. Wilson, on a roll call vote it was unanimously voted to set the public hearings as stated in Resolution #1 on the following ordinance introduced by City Manager. AN ORDINANCE RELATIVE TO THE APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE CITY OF NORWICH AND THE CITY AND TOWN CONSOLIDATION DISTRICTS OF SAID CITY FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020-21. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH, the following appropriations hereby are made to meet the expense of the City of Norwich and the City and Town Consolidation Districts of the City of Norwich for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2020 and ending June 30, 2021 to wit: 5 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH APRIL 6, 2020 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 Budget Budget Proposed City Council 395,524 429,384 437,037 City Manager 371,699 380,781 415,620 Finance 1,586,154 1,752,343 1,744,646 Assessor 475,881 512,880 512,908 City Treasurer 251,126 275,341 277,127 Law 486,000 431,000 454,000 Human Resources 509,331 544,136 547,129 City Clerk 494,702 508,943 516,657 Planning & Neighborhood 1,019,664 1,106,325 1,083,013 Services Election 145,376 147,449 164,179 Police 16,759,251 17,261,380 17,365,618 Fire - Central 2,081,876 2,120,770 2,189,239 Emergency Management 68,574 82,637 76,173 Fire - East Great Plain 144,138 145,552 149,216 Fire - Laurel Hill 66,396 78,360 78,445 Fire - Occum 71,626 81,393 88,060 Fire - Taftville 153,552 165,713 164,584 Fire - Yantic 168,011 165,341 162,904 Public Works 10,722,406 10,907,164 10,918,855 Human Services 2,015,006 2,156,044 2,112,943 Education 78,469,829 81,039,000 83,000,000 Debt Service 4,262,998 4,383,985 4,097,319 Miscellaneous 4,784,291 5,253,032 5,340,894 City Consolidation District 7,573,222 8,011,975 7,921,577 Town Consolidation District 552,571 537,300 488,814 TOTALS 133,629,204 138,478,228 140,306,957 General Operations 40,294,596 41,984,300 42,199,112 Debt Service 4,262,998 4,383,985 4,097,319 Capital Improvements 2,475,988 2,521,668 2,600,135 Education 78,469,829 81,039,000 83,000,000 City Consolidation District 7,573,222 8,011,975 7,921,577 Town Consolidation District 552,571 537,300 488,814 TOTALS 133,629,204 138,478,228 140,306,957 Upon a motion of Ald. Wilson, seconded by Ald. Gould, on a roll call vote it was unanimously voted to set the public hearings as stated in Resolution #1 on the following ordinance introduced by City Manager. 6 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH APRIL 6, 2020 AN ORDINANCE CONCERNING THE TAX LEVIES ON THE LIST OF OCTOBER 1, 2019 BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH: Section 1. On the City Assessment list of October 1, 2019 a tax of forty-one and three hundredths (41.03) mills on the dollar is hereby established to be levied upon the ratable Real Estate, Personal Property, and Motor Vehicles within the City of Norwich of the inhabitants of said City and all others liable to pay taxes therein. Section 2. On the City Assessment list of October 1, 2019, a tax of thirty-six hundredths (0.36) mills on the dollar, is hereby established to be levied for fire services upon the ratable Real Estate, Personal Property, and Motor Vehicles within the Town Consolidation District of the inhabitants of said District and of all others liable to pay taxes therein. Section 3. On the City Assessment list of October 1, 2019, a tax of seven and eighty-nine hundredths (7.89) mills on the dollar, is hereby established to be levied for fire services upon the ratable Real Estate and Personal Property within the City Consolidation District of the inhabitants of said District and of all others liable to pay taxes therein. Section 4. On the City Assessment list of October 1, 2019, a tax of three and ninety-seven hundredths (3.97) mills on the dollar, is hereby established to be levied for fire services upon the ratable Motor Vehicles within the City Consolidation District of the inhabitants of said District and of all others liable to pay taxes therein. Section 5. Except as provided in Section 6, all taxes on Real Estate and Personal Property listed in Sections 1 through 4 shall become due on July 1, 2020, and payable on said date in whole or in equal installments from that date, namely on July 1, 2020 and January 1, 2021, except that any tax of less than one hundred dollars shall be due and payable on July 1, 2020. If the first installment is not paid on or before August 1, 2020 or if the second installment is not paid on or before February 1, 2021, interest will be charged on any such delinquent payment at the rate of one and one-half (1½%) per cent per month from the due date or $2.00 whichever is greater, as provided for in the general statutes. Any person may pay the total amount of such tax for which he is liable at the time when the first installment shall be payable. Section 6. Taxes on Motor Vehicles shall become due and payable in full on July 1, 2020. If the payment is not paid on or before August 1, 2020 interest will be charged on the delinquent payment at the rate of one and one-half (1½%) per cent per month from due date or $2.00 whichever is greater, as provided for in the general statutes. Upon motion of Ald. Gould, seconded by Ald. Wilson, on a roll call vote it was unanimously voted to adjourn at 8:56 pm. Betsy M. Barrett City Clerk 7