City Council

Approved by City Council & WPCA MINUTES February 6, 2023 Vol 27, Page 181 CITY COUNCIL & WPCA Vote: Unanimous REGULAR MEETING City Hall Auditorium / Zoom January 17, 2023 A REGULAR MEETING of the City Council and Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) of the City of Torrington was held at the City Hall Auditorium on Tuesday, January 17, 2023. Present at the City Hall auditorium were Mayor Elinor Carbone, City Councilors Drake Waldron, Keri Hoehne, Armand Maniccia, and Anne Ruwet. Also present at City Hall were Public Works Director Ray Drew, WPCA Administrator Ed Tousey, and Fleet Manager Emil Castro. Joining via Zoom was Councilor David Oliver. Also joining via Zoom was Corporation Counsel Victor Muschell. Councilor Paul Cavagnero was absent. Mayor Carbone called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance. Public Comment: (in-person only) On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Maniccia, the Council voted unanimously to open the meeting to the public, in accordance with Section 4(e) of the City Council & WPCA Meeting Rules of Procedure. Tom Kandefer shared his thoughts involving public input regarding the solid waste ordinance. Also, he said that he likes the tree ordinance. Approve Minutes On a motion by Councilor Hoehne, seconded by Councilor Maniccia, the Council voted unanimously to accept the Regular meeting minutes from January 3, 2023. Presentation – Revised Ordinance - Chapter 128 – Garbage, Rubbish, and Refuse On a motion by Councilor Ruwet, seconded by Councilor Maniccia, the Council voted unanimously to hear a presentation by the Public Works Director regarding a revised Ordinance. Councilor Ruwet said that when the Ordinance Subcommittee had met, they decided to present the Garbage and Tree Ordinance to Council to get any suggestions before the Ordinances would go to a Public Hearing. Public Works Director Ray Drew went over the summary of changes for Chapter 128 – Garbage, Rubbish, and Refuse. He said that this is essentially a whole new Ordinance, as it has been brought up to date. The last time it was revised was over 20 years ago. The Council spoke about the cost to the City to pick up trash and recycle. Also, talked about putting a draft of the Ordinance on the website for people in the City to review and see the highlighted changes. The Council thought this would be a good idea before having a Public Hearing for the Garbage Ordinance. Presentation – New Ordinance - Chapter 181 – Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vegetation On a motion by Councilor Ruwet, seconded by Councilor Maniccia, the Council voted unanimously to hear a presentation by the Public Works Director regarding a new Ordinance. Public Works Director Ray Drew let Council know that this is a brand-new Ordinance. He said in the past that the City had no established rules regarding City-owned trees and the care and maintenance of those trees and shrubs. He went on to say that this Ordinance would have no jurisdiction over private property, just public trees. Councilor Hoehne asked if, in the current rules, there is a specification for a 1:1 replacement for any trees removed during construction, Mr. Drew explained that as of right now there are no rules or Ordinances outlining what is to be done in the City, however, that has been written into construction contracts, and will be in the new Tree Ordinance. Councilor Ruwet told the Council that this Ordinance is more straightforward than the Garbage one. She would like to see any comments brought to the Ordinance Subcommittee. The next time that the Ordinance Subcommittee is meeting is Monday, February 6, 2023. Arts & Culture Commission On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Hoehne, the Council voted unanimously to appoint Edward Cannata (D) as an ex-officio member of the Arts & Culture Commission for a 4-year term set to expire December 31, 2026. Mayor Carbone explained to Council that because Mr. Cannata has already served two terms, this Commission governed by the Charter allows a two-term limit. The only way that he could remain on this Commission is by becoming an ex-officio member. Economic Development Commission On a motion by Councilor Ruwet, seconded by Councilor Maniccia, the Council voted unanimously to reappoint Molly Spino (R) as a member of the Economic Development Commission for a 5-year term set to expire February 10, 2028. MINUTES Vol 27, Page 182 CITY COUNCIL & WPCA REGULAR MEETING City Hall Auditorium / Zoom January 17, 2023 WPCA Payment Authorizations On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Hoehne, the Council herein acting as the Water Pollution Control Authority, voted unanimously to approve the following payments from Fund #490 Sanitary Sewer Capital Improvement. DATE INVOICE CONTRACTOR AMOUNT DESCRIPTION 1/6/2023 1383 Yield Ind. $86,004.37 Replacement Sewer Palmer Bridge Road 1/17/2023 0000225851 Wright Pierce $37,372.76 Winsted Rd tunnel/Force main 1/17/2023 0000225589 Wright Pierce $1,568.48 Brightwood Ave Sewer replacement design Coe Park Landscape Outlet Installation On a motion by Councilor Ruwet, seconded by Councilor Waldron, the Council voted unanimously to accept the recommendation of the Facilities Manager and Public Works Director to authorize the Mayor to act on behalf of the City to award and execute a contract for the installation of ground mount landscape electrical outlets at Coe Park, to Pro-Electric Inc., of Bethlehem, CT for $87,400. Funding for this will be from the Coe Fund, as further described in the Facilities Manager’s memo dated January 9, 2023. Councilor Hoehne asked if these were replacement outlets or all new outlets, Public Works Director Ray Drew explained that it will be new outlets, and it will be like Franklin Plaza’s setup. He said that this is for safety and electrical distribution stability. There are currently no GFCI-protected outlets at Coe Park, and this upgrade and installation would prevent the stringing of cables back to the Civic Center, or up the light poles. He went on to say that these outlets will be powered all the time, so people coming to the park would be able to charge their devices if needed. Extension of Gasoline Bid On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Maniccia, the Council, on the recommendation of the Fleet Manager and the Purchasing Agent, voted unanimously to authorize the Mayor to extend the current bid contract for Gasoline to East River Energy, Guilford, CT for Fiscal Year 23/24. This price per gallon will be $2.79261/gallon which includes the Superfund Tax of $.00351 per gallon as well as the same terms and conditions for this period. This is further explained in the Purchasing Agents’ letter dated January 11, 2023. Building Department Reports On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Hoehne, the Council voted unanimously to accept the Building Department Reports from October, November, and December 2022. Lien Releases On a motion by Councilor Ruwet, seconded by Councilor Maniccia, the Council voted unanimously to release the liens listed in the Corporation Counsel’s memo of January 17, 2023. Tax Collector Refunds On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Maniccia, the Council voted unanimously to accept the recommendation of the Tax Collector and authorize the tax refunds indicated on the list dated January 17, 2023. Sewer Usage Refunds On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Hoehne, the Council voted unanimously to accept the recommendation of the Tax Collector and authorize the sewer usage refunds indicated on the list dated January 17, 2023. Business by Dept. Heads On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Hoehne, the Council voted unanimously to consider business by department heads. There was no business to be discussed. Business by Mayor & Members On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Hoehne, the Council voted unanimously to consider business by Mayor and Members. Councilor Maniccia asked for an update on the Yankee Pedlar, Mayor Carbone let him know that the trial begins February 28, 2023. Council Ruwet thanked Public Works Director Ray Drew for the presentations on the Ordinances, and the Council for their suggestions. MINUTES Vol 27, Page 183 CITY COUNCIL & WPCA REGULAR MEETING City Hall Auditorium / Zoom January 17, 2023 Public Comment (in-person only) On a motion by Councilor Ruwet, seconded by Councilor Waldron, the Council voted unanimously to open the meeting to the public to comment on agenda items only. Tom Kandefer liked the idea of putting the Garbage Ordinance on the website and utilizing the Torrington Alert system to reach more of the community. He also suggested making a summary so that people will understand the purpose of the Ordinance. Adjournment On a motion by Councilor Ruwet, seconded by Councilor Maniccia, the Council voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 7:28 p.m. Respectfully submitted by ATTEST: Heather Abraham, Asst. City Clerk CAROL L. ANDERSON, CITY CLERK CAROL L. ANDERSON, CITY CLERK