City Council

JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH June 10, 2024 The regular meeting of the Council of the City of Norwich was held June 10, 2024 at 7:30 PM in Council Chambers. Present: Mayor Nystrom, President Pro Tem DeLucia, Ald. Singh, Ald. Gould, Ald. Bettencourt, Ald. Hayes and Ald. Nash. City Manager John Salomone, and Corporation Counsel Michael Driscoll were also in attendance. Mayor Nystrom presided. Please be advised that meetings of the Norwich City Council can be viewed in their entirety on the City of Norwich website “norwichct.org”. Ald. Nash read the opening prayer and Ald. Bettencourt, led the members in the Pledge of Allegiance. Upon a motion of Bettencourt, seconded by Ald. Hayes, the following resolution introduced by Mayor Nystrom Pres. Pro Tem Delucia and Ald. Gould was put on the floor. Upon a motion of Pres. Pro Tem Delucia, seconded by Ald. Singh, it was proposed to amend the resolution with the following amendments: City of Norwich Potential amendments to tentatively adopted 2024-25 budget Exhibit A Increases in revenue estimates recommended by Comptroller and City Manager. City General Revenue Consolidation Description Fund (page Object District 52) (page 125) 41105 Prior Year Tax Collections 300,000.00 15,000.00 41106 Interest & Lien Fees 150,000.00 2,000.00 45104 Blight Citations 20,000.00 470,000.00 17,000.00 Exhibit B Reduce actuarially determined contribution for the Volunteer Firefighters’ Relief Plan in the Town Consolidation District (TCD). The actuarial valuation was completed and accepted by the Volunteer Firefighters’ Relief Fund Committee at its May 20, 2024 meeting. Budget Town Expenditure Page # Description Consolidation Object District 127 59150 Transfer to VFF Relief Fund (26,935) Exhibit C Increase funding for Norwich Public Schools to $95,680,898 as recommended at the May 30, 2024 meeting of the City Council and Board of Education School Budget Ad Hoc Committee. Budget Description General Fund Page # 115 Norwich Public Schools $2,404,407 Exhibit D Add funding for Sachem Fund. Budget Expenditure Description General Fund 1 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH June 10, 2024 Page # Object 55 59176 Sachem Fund Transfer 25,000 Exhibit E Reductions to various General Fund Expenditure line items. Department Description Page ORG OBJ Reduction Reduce contribution to Mayor/ Council 55 10410300 58811 (10,000) NCDC Reduce Professional Services and City Manager 57 10411300 53010/53322 (1,500) Professional Development line items Reduce Professional Finance Development and Audit 59 10411700 53322/53331 (3,000) Services line items Reduce Professional Assessment 62 10413100 53010 (4,000) Services Law Reduce Claims account 66 10413900 58200 (5,000) Reduce Professional Human Services and 68 10414100 53010/53322 (4,000) Resources Professional Development line items Reduce Professional Development and City Clerk Travel/ Mileage 70 10414700 53322/55800 (1,000) reimbursement line items Planning & Reduce Professional Neighborhood 72 10415100 53010 (5,000) Services Services Delay hire of new PSAP Police Supervisor position 79 10422100 51610/52000 (59,352) until 1/1/25 Norwich Fire Reduce Overtime 82 10420200 51630 (5,000) Emergency Reduce Professional 85 10422300 53322 (500) Management Development EGP Reduce supplies 87 10423300 56610 (1,800) Laurel Hill Reduce supplies 89 10423400 56610 (900) Occum Reduce supplies 91 10423500 56610 (1,000) Taftville Reduce supplies 93 10423600 56610 (1,800) Yantic Reduce supplies 95 10423700 56610 (2,000) Delay filling vacant PW Streets 98 10430300 51610 (50,000) positions as they arise PW Streets Reduce supplies 98 10430300 56610 (12,000) Reduce PW Streets 98 10430300 51620 (5,000) Seasonal/Temporary PW Streets Reduce overtime 98 10430300 51630 (5,000) 2 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH June 10, 2024 PW Fleet Reduce overtime 100 10431300 51630 (4,000) Maintenance PW Building Reduce overtime 101 10434700 51630 (4,000) Maintenance Cut Senior Center Seasonal/Temporary 105 10441700 51620 (2,000) Employees Youth Family & Recreation Reduce supplies 108 10441900 56610 (2,000) Services Youth Family & Recreation Reduce utilities 108 10441900 54410 (5,000) Services Adult & Family Reduce Equipment & 112 10442700 54310/56610 (3,000) Services Furniture and Supplies Otis Library Reduce funding 119 10500000 58251 (2,000) UCFS Reduce funding 119 10500000 58711 (500) TVCCA Reduce funding 119 10500000 58711 (500) Total reductions (200,852) Exhibit F Changes to items funded in the 2024-25 Capital Budget. Budget Department Description General Fund Page # 121 Norwich Fire Air supply system for apparatus (15,000) 121 Norwich Fire Rope rescue hardware and devices (4,625) 122 Taftville Fire Kitchen hood replacement (44,773) 122 Taftville Fire Replace SCBA Cascade system (143,148) 121 Norwich Fire Replace Squad A 207,546 Upon a motion of Pres. Pro Tem DeLucia, seconded by Ald. Singh, on a roll call vote of 4 to 3 the amendment passed. With Mayor Nystrom, Ald. Gould and Ald. Nash voting in opposition. Upon a motion of Pres. Pro Tem DeLucia, seconded by Ald. Nash, on a roll call vote it was unanimously voted to further amend and insert the following line “and as further amended by the Council of the City of Norwich on June 10, 2024”. Upon a motion of Ald. Bettencourt, and seconded by Ald Hayes, on a roll call vote the following resolution was adopted on a 4 to 3 vote with Mayor Nystrom, Ald. Gould and Ald. Nash voting in opposition. RESOLVED, that the budget of the City of Norwich; including the General Fund, Capital Budget, Town Consolidation District, City Consolidation District, and Department of Public Utilities; for Fiscal Year 2024-25 as submitted by the City Manager on April 1, 2024, as amended and tentatively adopted by the Council of the City of Norwich on May 6, 2024, and as further amended by the Council of the City of Norwich on June 10, 2024 be, and the same hereby is, adopted. 3 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH June 10, 2024 Upon a motion of Ald. Bettencourt, seconded by Ald. Hayes, the following ordinance introduced by Mayor Nystrom Pres. Pro Tem Delucia and Ald. Gould was put on the floor. Upon a motion of Pres. Pro Tem DeLucia, seconded by Ald. Nash, on a roll call vote it was unanimously voted to amend and insert the following line “and as further amended by the Council of the City of Norwich on June 10, 2024”. Upon a motion of Ald. Bettencourt, and seconded by Ald Hayes, on a roll call vote the following ordinance was adopted on a 4 to 3 vote with Mayor Nystrom, Ald. Gould and Ald. Nash voting in opposition. AN ORDINANCE RELATIVE TO THE APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE CITY OF NORWICH AND THE CITY AND TOWN CONSOLIDATION DISTRICTS OF SAID CITY FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024-25. 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, 2024 and ending June 30, 2025 to wit: 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Budget Budget Adopted City Council 438,638 480,797 545,757 City Manager 440,278 462,771 469,727 Finance 1,948,002 2,071,191 2,158,789 Assessor 540,821 581,863 587,541 City Treasurer 308,709 383,442 331,200 Law 439,000 439,000 426,000 Human Resources 660,687 736,822 694,121 City Clerk 533,103 562,994 626,135 Planning & Neighborhood 1,262,181 1,432,728 1,515,493 Services Election 234,122 195,229 268,886 Police 18,375,503 19,216,092 18,229,236 Fire - Central 2,361,185 2,533,284 2,645,999 Dispatch & Communications - - 1,627,437 Emergency Management 75,661 76,574 70,345 Fire - East Great Plain 165,433 173,840 181,611 Fire - Laurel Hill 86,732 92,377 93,106 Fire - Occum 100,168 111,538 110,992 Fire - Taftville 176,038 177,780 182,420 Fire - Yantic 208,874 189,873 195,261 Public Works 12,262,739 12,908,927 13,434,109 Human Services 1,951,288 2,058,298 2,371,623 Education 86,803,758 89,473,852 95,680,898 Debt Service 3,558,554 4,296,599 4,584,268 Miscellaneous 5,695,256 6,059,804 6,605,250 City Consolidation District 8,135,604 8,482,180 8,711,885 4 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH June 10, 2024 Town Consolidation District 487,256 527,195 539,729 TOTALS 147,249,590 153,725,050 162,887,818 General Operations 45,524,131 48,172,689 50,476,724 Debt Service 3,558,554 4,296,599 4,584,268 Capital Improvements 2,740,287 2,772,535 2,894,314 Education 86,803,758 89,473,852 95,680,898 City Consolidation District 8,135,604 8,482,180 8,711,885 Town Consolidation District 487,256 527,195 539,729 TOTALS 147,249,590 153,725,050 162,887,818 Upon a motion of Ald. Hayes, seconded by Ald. Singh, the following ordinance introduced by Mayor Nystrom Pres. Pro Tem Delucia and Ald. Gould was put on the floor. Upon a motion of Ald. Nash , seconded by Ald. Bettencourt, on a roll call vote it was unanimously voted to amend and insert the following line “and as further amended by the Council of the City of Norwich on June 10, 2024” and to change the Mills of “32.29 to 32.99” in Section 1., “0.27 to 0.26” in Section 2. and “5.23 to 5.21” in Section 3. Upon a motion of Ald. Hayes, and seconded by Ald. Singh, on a roll call vote the following ordinance was adopted on a 4 to 3 vote with Mayor Nystrom, Ald. Gould and Ald. Nash voting in opposition. Relative to the adoption of the tax levy ordinance for Fiscal Year 2024-25. RESOLVED, that the tax levy ordinance of the City of Norwich for the Fiscal Year 2024-25 as submitted by the City Manager on April 1, 2024, as amended and tentatively adopted by the Council of the City of Norwich on May 6, 2024, and as further amended by the Council of the city of Norwich on June 10, 2024 be, and the same hereby is, adopted. AN ORDINANCE CONCERNING THE TAX LEVIES ON THE LIST OF OCTOBER 1, 2023 BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH: Section 1. On the City Assessment list of October 1, 2023 a tax of thirty-two and ninety-nine hundredths (32.99) mills on the dollar is hereby established to be levied upon the ratable Real Estate and Personal Property 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, 2023, a tax of twenty-six hundredths (0.26) mills on the dollar, is hereby established to be levied for fire services upon the ratable Real Estate and Personal Property within the Town Consolidation District of the inhabitants of said District and of all others liable to pay taxes therein. 5 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH June 10, 2024 Section 3. On the City Assessment list of October 1, 2023, a tax of five and twenty-one hundredths (5.21) 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, 2023, a tax of thirty-two and forty-six hundredths (32.46) mills on the dollar is hereby established to be levied upon the ratable Motor Vehicles within the City of Norwich of the inhabitants of said City and 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, 2024, and payable on said date in whole or in equal installments from that date, namely on July 1, 2024 and January 1, 2025, except that any tax of less than one hundred dollars shall be due and payable on July 1, 2024. If the first installment is not paid on or before August 1, 2024 or if the second installment is not paid on or before February 1, 2025, 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, 2024. If the payment is not paid on or before August 1, 2024 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. Nash, on a roll call vote it was unanimously voted to adjourn at 8:52 pm. City Clerk 6