City Council

AGENDA – MEETING OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH March 1, 2021 7:30 PM The meeting of the Council will seek to comply with the directives of Executive Order 7B-1 issued by Governor Ned Lamont on March 14, 2020, together with any Executive Orders subsequently issued which pertain to such meetings. The Mayor, members of the City Council, the City Manager, City Clerk, Comptroller and Corporation Counsel shall be present in person but separated by appropriate social distancing at Council chambers or participate remotely by conference call, video conference or other technology. The meeting shall be televised on the Public Access Channel and posted on the city website, www.norwichct.org, in real time, consistent with Executive Order 7B-1 and the usual practices of the City of Norwich. All remarks or comments made by the Mayor, the members of the Norwich City Council, city officials, and by the public during the Citizen Comment on resolutions and Public Hearings portion of the meeting, shall be included. The comments of citizen on resolutions may be made telephonically pursuant to the following instructions: Call phone number first dial 860-215-8140 and then when prompted, enter the conference ID# 4038191 followed by the pound (#) key. This number will be available only during the public comment period listed on the agenda as Citizen Comment on resolutions and Public Hearings. Its use commences when Citizen Comment on resolutions and Public Hearings is reached and opened by the Mayor. Any calls must be made prior to the Mayor’s announcement that the Citizen Comment on resolutions and Public Hearings period has ended. Citizen Comments on resolutions limited to the resolutions on the agenda and Public Hearings may also be sent by email or means of other written communication stating the name, address and title if applicable, of the sender. Emails should be sent to the office of the Mayor at mayorsoffice@cityofnorwich.org and other written communication sent or delivered to the office of the Mayor, 100 Broadway, Norwich, CT 06360. Emails must be received by 7:00 p.m., of above mentioned date, and other written communications received by 4:30 p.m., of above mentioned date, to be made available to the City Council for this meeting. Citizen comments and Public Hearings will be limited to the resolutions on the agenda only. All speakers taking part in the Citizen Comment on resolutions portion of the meeting shall clearly state their name, address and title, if applicable, before speaking and will be limited to three minutes. PRAYER PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ADOPTION OF MINUTES: February 1 and 16, 2021 PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS 1. A report will be given by David Eggleston the Rate Payer Representative for Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative (CMEEC). CITY MANAGER’S REPORT CITIZENS COMMENT ON RESOLUTIONS (only on the agenda items) call phone number first dial 860-215-8140 and then when prompted, enter the conference ID# 4038191 followed by the pound (#) key NEW BUSINESS-RESOLUTIONS 1. Relative to the sale of 8 Garfield Avenue. 2. Relative to allow for the substantial amendment and incorporation of CDBG-CV (Round 2). 3. Relative to a reappointment of a regular member to the Redevelopment Agency. 4. Relative to reallocate funds from capital projects for the replacement of a Public Works plow/chipper truck, renovation of the 23 Union Street conference room, and rehabilitation of the Little Plains Park fence. 5. Relative to listing with Signature Properties 33 East Cliff Street. 6. Relative to merge 23-25 Lake Street with the Lake Street Playground property. 7. Relative to approval of the C-PACE Partial Release Agreement. 8. Relative to obtaining potential preliminary estimates to upgrade the dispatch system. City Clerk  PETITION & COMMUNICATION #1 Norwich Ratepayer Representative to CMEEC Annual Report to the City Council This report is my summary of the most significant events that occurred over the past year with CMEEC from my perspective as the Norwich Ratepayer Representative on the CMEEC Board of Directors. Like last year, I’ve provided some basic information about CMEEC and my role to ground everyone. CMEEC’s mission CMEEC predominantly purchases wholesale electricity on behalf of six municipal electric utilities in Connecticut. CMEEC’s stated mission is to provide affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy solutions and to provide world- class energy procurement, production, transmission, and comprehensive specialty services. CMEEC has assets that generate electricity in strategic niches which are intended to lower the cost of electricity to the member utilities. Ratepayer Representative’s Mission Connecticut State law established (in October 2017) the ratepayer representative role and required that the ratepayer representative not be a utility employee or utility professional, and that other qualifications are set by the municipality they represent. Our Norwich ordinance (#1762) requires the representative to be without conflicts of interest, be a professional or otherwise able to be of assistance to the Board, and be able to make the commitment to the Board. Neither the state law or Norwich ordnance say anything about what the representative does except serve on the CMEEC Board of Directors. As far as CMEEC is concerned, I am a Board member equal to any other Board member except on decisions involving how the member utilities choose to financially support or invest in projects. The utility heads make those decisions. As far as I’m concerned, I am there to understand and challenge how CMEEC makes decisions and how CMEEC functions. For example, I can challenge how costs are accounted for and reported. I can ensure that audits are routinely conducted and a forensic audit is conducted every five years. I want to understand that processes are in- place for proper function and accounting. Most importantly, I want to know that CMEEC performance results in reliable electricity at the lowest reasonably achievable cost. CMEEC expects board members to serve on committees, preferable at least two. Last year I served on the Budget and Finance Committee and on the Risk Committee. This year I am serving on the Compensation and Personnel Policy Committee and on the Legislative Affairs Committee. Between the Board and the Committees, I attended 22 meetings last year. Committee meetings are typically two hours and Board meetings are typically three hours and all meetings take place during normal weekday business hours. Cost Performance In 2020, CMEEC continued to procure wholesale electricity and deliver it to the member utilities at a rate significantly below the benchmark. CMEEC used its assets to produce electricity in niche applications to further improve their cost performance compared to the benchmark. CMEEC has performed similarly well for years. The benchmark used for tracking performance is Eversource. When CMEEC undertakes a project (like a solar farm), they obtain financing to pay for the associated acquisition of equipment and construction. Once operational, the revenue from the project covers debt service and provides income which offsets the cost of electricity for member utilities resulting in net benefit to the members over the life of the project. Rating agencies periodically review CMEEC to determine their creditworthiness. CMEEC succeeded in improving their rating from Fitch from A+ to AA- which essentially matches the Moody’s rating of Aa3. This enabled CMEEC to refinance debt at a lower interest rate. The refinance led to roughly a million dollars per year savings. CMEEC policy is to buy most of the necessary electricity well in advance of need. The greatly reduces the risk of a weather or disaster-related spike in energy prices. But the approach, called “hedging”, doesn’t always get CMEEC the best price. CMEEC employees noticed that in the “day ahead” wholesale energy markets, electricity could be purchased at very good rates. The Risk Committee recommended and the Board approved a reduction in the minimum hedging requirement so CMEEC could take advantage of advantageous day-ahead market prices. The expectation was the hot summer months were going to be their best opportunity. But COVID has altered the daily patterns of energy use. Even so, CMEEC successfully applied the policy in the latter half of 2020 and will find opportunity in 2021. Continuing with the policy changes I observed in 2019, CMEEC finalized or made additional policy changes in 2020 which increase transparency in cost reporting and establish controls on spending. (travel, events, and retreats policy). Budget Process Serving on the Budget and Finance Committee was very informative. The draft budget presented at committee meetings was detailed and presented with rationale. It’s almost overwhelming and it takes time to digest all the information. More importantly, every line item in the budget gets scrutiny. No line item is an automatic carry- over. Rationale for changes is always discussed. CMEEC staff came up with cost savings ideas that reduced or eliminated some line items. I observed the new CEO challenge and question CMEEC staff on the basis of the budget. You may recall that the current CEO, David Meisinger, was newly appointed in late 2019, so this was his first time through the CMEEC budgeting process. He gave it a critical evaluation from a fresh perspective. COVID-19 Challenges Shortly after COVID-19 restrictions were put in place, CMEEC did some stress testing, i.e. financial math exercises to understand how CMEEC finances would handle COVID induced changes to the marketplace. The exercise was mainly to understand the impact of the loss of revenue from businesses shutting down. The postulated extreme circumstances never materialized but it was good to see CMEEC working to get in front of the pandemic and formulating a plan. CMEEC staff worked remotely to the extent they could. All Board and Committee meetings were conducted via Zoom starting in March and continuing to the present. Despite this, CMEEC performance did not change. Every CMEEC function continued unabated. Committees adapted to the Zoom meeting format. The Board met as scheduled and functioned as planned. Legal Issues There has not been significant progress on the pending criminal and civil trials against the former CEO and other individuals. The criminal trial must go first and it has been delayed multiple times. COVID-19 is hampering progress. It’s somewhat dismaying to watch the legal issues drag on. There has also been little progress in the legal action against the insurance company who sold CMEEC their Directors and Officers (D&O) policy. CMEEC believes the D&O policy should be paying for significant portions of the legal fees incurred over the civil and criminal trials. The insurance company disagrees. The legal issues are not a distraction to the Board or to CMEEC staff that I can see. Strategic Plan With an acting CEO for over a year, CMEEC had not devoted significant attention to long term plans. Consequently, preparing a strategic plan was one of the imperatives for the new CEO. I have read on my own and heard from CMEEC that the electric power industry is entering a period of rapid change and it is necessary to be thinking and planning ahead for change. CMEEC staff and Board members put a lot of effort into developing a strategic plan last year. In general, the plan reaffirms CMEECs commitment to low-cost electricity while putting itself and the member utilities in a position to navigate the anticipated changes. Legislative Affairs The State of Connecticut is considering establishing a goal to be carbon neutral or 80 percent neutral by 2040. There are number of issues that make this goal challenging. The State has asked for comment on their plan and CMEEC is providing comments this month. CMEEC wants to meet the goal but needs more latitude than a prescriptive regulated solution. Industry experts almost uniformly say that the wholesale energy market needs an overhaul before industrial scale renewables and green power are viable. And the transmission grid will need significant upgrades to accommodate electricity sources that behave fundamentally different from our current natural gas, nuclear, and hydroelectric sources of electricity. If not done right, achieving the State’s goal could be costly. CMEEC will be watching to see if industry feedback on the State’s proposed goal is taken into account. Summary I believe CMEEC is on a good path. The new CEO appears to be a good fit. He is sustaining the changes that have brought increased transparency and accountability at the Board level. I believe I have witnessed cost-conscious behavior in the CMEEC staff and CEO. And CMEEC is actively preparing for the future. David Eggleston  RESOLUTION #1 WHEREAS, the City of Norwich, is utilizing the services of Signature Properties as a realtor, which has listed the property at 8 Garfield Avenue and received an offer to purchase. WHEREAS, the Council has resolved that upon receipt of a Purchase and Sales Agreement containing an offer to purchase on such terms and conditions as are satisfactory to the City Manager, he was to notify the Council of the proposed Purchase and Sales Agreement for its consideration and possible approval; and WHEREAS, City Manager John Salomone has received a Purchase and Sales Agreement from Signature Properties containing an offer to purchase 8 Garfield Avenue, the offer being the sum of $___________________ with property to be conveyed in “as is” condition. 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 to enter into a Purchase and Sales Agreement on behalf of the City of Norwich to sell said property at a price of $_______________ to ________________ pursuant to the terms of said Purchase and Sales Agreement and, upon timely tender of the purchase price subject to standard adjustments, to execute and deliver a deed of conveyance to _______________________ or his designee for the property known as 8 Garfield Avenue, and to execute, deliver, and receive such other documents as are necessary to complete the transfer of title in keeping with the terms and conditions of the Purchase and Sales Agreement. Mayor Peter Albert Nystrom President Pro Tem Mark M. Bettencourt Alderwoman Stacy Gould  RESOLUTION #2 WHEREAS, the City of Norwich Office of Community Development, as guided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, is proposing a second substantial Amendment to the City of Norwich’s Annual Action Plan and budget for FY 2019-2020 to incorporate $544,143.00 of CDBG-CV Cares Act funds; and WHEREAS, the Community Development Advisory Committee (CDAC) has held public meetings and voted on their recommendations for CDBG-CV allocations in the months of January and February; and NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH that the Council shall and hereby does allow for the substantial amendment and incorporation of CDBG-CV CITY OF NORWICH - CDBG-CV Requests (ROUND 2) PY45 Substantial Amendment #2 CDBG-CV $ 544,143.00 Request CDAC Recommendation CD Office - Administration $ 49,338.00 $ 44,143.00 Public Services The ARC of Eastern CT $ 10,500.00 $ - NHS Norwich CARES $ 350,000.00 $ 275,000.00 United Way of SECT $ 75,000.00 $ 75,000.00 Total Public Services $ 435,500.00 $ 350,000.00 Non-Public Services Norwich Housing Authority $ 150,000.00 $ - NCDC Employee Retention Program $ 200,000.00 $ 150,000.00 Total Non-Public Services $ 350,000.00 $ 150,000.00 Public Service $ 435,500.00 $ 350,000.00 Non-Public Service $ 350,000.00 $ 150,000.00 CD Administration $ 49,338.00 $ 44,143.00 Total All Funding $ 544,143.00 $ 544,143.00 Mayor Peter Albert Nystrom President Pro Tem Mark M. Bettencourt Alderwoman Stacy Gould  RESOLUTION #3 WHEREAS, the City Manager John L. Salomone has re-appointed with Council approval as a regular member to the Redevelopment Agency for a term to expire on 2/28/25 or until a successor is appointed; James Quarto (D) NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Norwich hereby acknowledges the appointments of the above named to the Redevelopment Agency. City Manager John L. Salomone  RESOLUTION #4 To reallocate funds from capital projects for the replacement of a Public Works plow/chipper truck, renovation of the 23 Union Street conference room, and rehabilitation of the Little Plains Park fence. WHEREAS, the Public Works department is requesting to replace a 16-year old gas powered, plow/chipper truck with over 100,000 miles on it; and WHEREAS, the Planning & Neighborhood Services and Community Development departments are requesting to make improvements to the basement floor conference room in the 23 Union Street building in order to make it more functional; and WHEREAS, the Public Works department is requesting to rehabilitate and repaint the historic cast iron fence surrounding the Little Plains Park; and WHEREAS, there are funds available from previously approved capital projects which have been completed at less than their original appropriations. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH, that $216,000 be and hereby is reallocated from the Capital Improvement Fund projects listed in 1. to the projects listed in 2. below: 1. Projects to reallocate funds from: Org Object Project Description Amount 36024151 57200 C2008 23 Union Street Improvements 8,907.69 36024151 57340 C2106 Permit Software 95,000.00 36022013 57242 Mohegan park improvements 6,573.62 36022017 57242 Retaining wall repairs. 12,670.62 36022019 53010 MS4 compliance 3,134.07 36022019 57328 PW Vehicles 3,224.36 36024303 57320 C2131 Catch basin cleaner truck with jet 86,489.64 Total 216,000.00 2. Projects to reallocate funds to: Org Object Project Description Amount 36024303 57320 C2140 Plow/chipper truck 86,000 23 Union Street Conference 36024151 57200 C2141 30,000 Room Little Plains Park fence 36024305 57100 C2142 100,000 rehabilitation Total 216,000.00 Mayor Peter Albert Nystrom President Pro Tem Mark M. Bettencourt Alderwoman Stacy Gould Alderman Joseph A. DeLucia  RESOLUTION #5 WHEREAS, the City of Norwich acquired the property located at 33 East Cliff Street, Map 102, Block 5, Lot 9 by a Foreclosure by Sale Committee Deed recorded at volume 3225 page 31 of the Norwich Land Records following a foreclosure of tax liens; and WHEREAS, said property is improved by a structure; and WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Norwich has determined it to be in the best interest of the City of Norwich to attempt to dispose of this property by a negotiated sale using the services of Signature Properties of New England, listing the property at a price recommended to it by Signature Properties of New England. 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 on behalf of the City of Norwich to enter into an individual real estate listing agreement satisfactory to him with Signature Properties of New England offering to sell the property at 33 East Cliff Street at a proposed sale price recommended by Signature Properties of New England; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH, that, upon receipt of a Purchase and Sales Agreement from a prospective purchaser containing the proposed sales price recommended by Signature Properties of New England and containing such terms and conditions as are satisfactory to City Manager John Salomone, then, City Manager John Salomone shall be and hereby is authorized and directed to notify the Council of the City of Norwich of the proposed Purchase and Sales Agreement, which the Council may then approve by a resolution authorizing City Manager John Salomone to enter into a Purchase and Sales Agreement as presented for the subject property on behalf of the City of Norwich and, upon timely tender of the purchase price subject to standard adjustments, to execute and deliver a deed of conveyance for said property and to execute, receive and deliver such other documents as are necessary to complete the transfer of title in keeping with the terms and conditions of the Purchase and Sales Agreement. Mayor Peter Albert Nystrom President Pro Tem Mark M. Bettencourt Alderwoman Stacy Gould Alderman Joseph A. DeLucia  RESOLUTION #6 WHEREAS, the City of Norwich acquired the property located at 23-25 Lake Street, Map 93, Block 6, Lot 13 by a Tax Collector’s Deed recorded June 30, 2014 at volume 2863 page 69 of the Norwich Land Records; and WHEREAS, said property contains approximately .05 acres; and WHEREAS, the property abuts the Lake Street Playground; and WHEREAS, the Norwich Recreation Department has requested the city consider adding the property at 23-25 Lake Street to the Lake Street Playground; and WHEREAS, the Public Works Committee of the Council supports the request of the Recreation Department that the property be added to the Lake Street Playground. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH, that this resolution be referred to the Commission on the City Plan for its input and recommendation and upon receipt of the same, if the recommendation is favorable, the property located at 23-25 Lake Street be merged with the Lake Street Playground property and adequately secured for playground use; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH, that City Manager John Salomone be and hereby is authorized and directed to execute such a deed on behalf of the City of Norwich and to arrange, with the assistance of such city employees as he may wish, to provide adequate protections to the property for such use. Mayor Peter Albert Nystrom President Pro Tem Mark M. Bettencourt Alderwoman Stacy Gould Alderman Joseph A. DeLucia  RESOLUTION #7 WHEREAS, section 157 of Public Act No. 12-2 of the June 12, 2012 Special Session of the Connecticut General Assembly (the “ACT”) established a program, known as the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) Program to facilitate loan financing for clean energy improvements to commercial properties by utilizing a state or local assessment mechanism to provide security for the repayment of loans; and WHEREAS, the Act authorized the Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (the “Authority”), a public instrumentality and public subdivision of the state charged with implementing the C-PACE Program on behalf of the state, to enter into a written agreement with participating municipalities pursuant to which municipalities might agree to assess, collect, remit, and assign, benefit assessments to the Authority in return for energy improvements for benefitted property owners within a municipality and for costs reasonably incurred by the municipality to perform such duties; and WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Norwich, by a resolution adopted September 16, 2013 acknowledged that it, constituting the legislative body of the City of Norwich, approved a proposed C-PACE agreement with the Authority and authorized City Manager Alan H. Bergren to execute and deliver the C-PACE agreement on behalf of the city of Norwich; and WHEREAS, Norwich currently has two C-PACE accounts for which it receives an annual administrative fee of $500; and WHEREAS, the Connecticut Green Bank f/k/a the Authority is making changes to the C-PACE Program including the shifting of billing and collecting C-PACE tax assessments from the city to the Connecticut Green Bank which will require Norwich to execute a C-PACE Partial Release Agreement, a copy attached to this resolution as Exhibit A, freeing Norwich from the billing and collection aspects of the program, the change to be implemented for the July 2021 tax collection cycle. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH: (a) That we, the Council of the City of Norwich, constituting the legislative body of the City of Norwich hereby approve of the C-PACE Partial Release Agreement freeing Norwich from the building and collection aspects of the C-PACE Program, and (b) That City Manager, John Salomone, be and hereby is authorized and directed on behalf of the City of Norwich to execute and deliver a C-PACE Partial Release Agreement satisfactory to him, substantially in the form of Exhibit A as attached hereto, to the Connecticut Green Bank f/k/a Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority or as he otherwise determines, the delivery requested to take place by the end of April 2021. Mayor Peter Albert Nystrom President Pro Tem Mark M. Bettencourt Alderwoman Stacy Gould  EXHIBIT A RESOLUTION #7 EXHIBIT A C-PACE PARTIAL RELEASE AGREEMENT THIS C-PACE PARTIAL RELEASE AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of the ____ day of _________, 2021 (the “Effective Date”), by and between NORWICH, CONNECTICUT, a municipal corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Connecticut (the “Municipality”), and the CONNECTICUT GREEN BANK, F/K/A CLEAN ENERGY FINANCE AND INVESTMENT AUTHORITY, a quasi-public agency of the State of Connecticut, having its business address at 845 Brook Street, Rocky Hill, Connecticut 06067 (the “Green Bank”). RECITALS WHEREAS, Municipality and Green Bank entered into that certain Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (“C-PACE”) Agreement dated October 7, 2013 (the “C-PACE Agreement”) pursuant to section 16a-40g of the Connecticut General Statutes (the “C-PACE Statute”) associated with the administration of the clean energy program authorized under the C- PACE Statute (the “C-PACE Program”). WHEREAS, pursuant to the C-PACE Statute, Green Bank is the statewide administrator of the C-PACE Program and, among other things, establishes the program guidelines for the C- PACE Program (the “C-PACE Guidelines”); WHEREAS, Green Bank has recently amended the C-PACE Guidelines to permit billing and collection of all C-PACE Program benefit assessment liens by the Green Bank; WHEREAS, Green Bank and Municipally desire to release the Municipality of certain billing and collections obligations under the C-PACE Agreement to facilitate the billing and collection of benefit assessment liens by Green Bank, in accordance with the C-PACE Guidelines. NOW THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements set forth herein, it is hereby agreed as follows: 1. Defined Terms. All capitalized terms used in this Agreement and not otherwise defined shall have the respective meanings set forth in the C-PACE Agreement. 2. Release of Certain Billing and Collection Obligations. As of the [Date], Green Bank shall be deemed to have released Municipality from liability for all billing and collection covenants and obligations set forth in Section 3(e) and Section 3(f)(1) of the C-PACE Agreement with respect to any Benefit Assessment Liens recorded by the Municipality prior to and after the Effective Date (the “Released Obligations”). Such Released Obligations shall not, however, include the obligation of Municipality to pay to Green Bank any funds received, due to error or any other reason, which Municipality knows or  EXHIBIT A has reason to believe are associated with a Benefit Assessment Lien, no later than thirty days after the month that such funds are received. 3. Release of Annual Fee Obligation. After the Municipality receives the Annual Fee for the fiscal year 2021, Municipality shall be deemed to have released Green Bank from the obligation to make any future Annual Fee payment to Municipality. Such release shall not, however, include the obligation of Green Bank to cover the Municipality's out of pocket costs and expenses in discharging its duties under the C-PACE Agreement in accordance with Section 3(g) thereof. 4. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and all of which together shall constitute but one and the same instrument. 5. Amendment and Waivers. Any amendment to or waiver of any provision of this Agreement must be in writing and mutually agreed to by the Green Bank and the Municipality. 6. Entire Agreement. This instrument constitutes the entire agreement between the parties and supersedes all previous discussions, understandings and agreements between the parties relating to the subject matter of this Agreement. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Municipality and Green Bank have each caused this Agreement to be executed and delivered as of the date indicated above: NORWICH, CONNECTICUT By: ______________________________ John Salomone, City Manager CONNECTICUT GREEN BANK By: ______________________________ Bryan T. Garcia, President  RESOLUTION #8 WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Norwich has received an Analysis of the Fire/EMS Services and had the opportunity to present questions regarding the same to members of the McGrath Consulting Group, Inc., which prepared the analysis, at the council meeting held February 16, 2021; and WHEREAS, the report addresses upgrades recommended for the dispatch system presently utilized by the police department, fire departments and EMS services of the City of Norwich; and WHEREAS, the Council recognizes that any changes and upgrades to the dispatch system will involve multiple departments, and require consideration and resolution of issues with respect to equipment, software, staffing, training, and bandwidth, among others; and WHEREAS, the Council recognizes that any information obtained at this point in the process will be preliminary, but desires to obtain a working estimate with respect to the potential cost of upgrading equipment and software available to be used in upgrades of the dispatch system. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH, that City Manager John Salomone, together with other city officials and employees whose services he may wish to utilize, including but not limited to Police Chief Patrick Daley, as well as the assistance of the Public Safety Committee, be and hereby is directed to prepare preliminary estimates of the potential cost of equipment and software improvements suitable for upgrades to the dispatch system and to report the same to the Council of the City of Norwich by ___________________________ Mayor Peter Albert Nystrom President Pro Tem Mark M. Bettencourt Alderman Bill Nash Alderwoman Stacy Gould Alderman Joseph A. DeLucia