City Council

Approved by City Council & WPCA MINUTES May 15, 2023 Vol 27, Page 223 CITY COUNCIL & WPCA Vote: Unanimous REGULAR MEETING City Hall Auditorium / Zoom May 1, 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 Monday, May 1, 2023. Present at the City Hall Auditorium were Mayor Elinor Carbone, City Councilors Armand Maniccia, Keri Hoehne, Anne Ruwet, and Paul Cavagnero. Also, present at City Hall were Public Works Director Ray Drew, WPCA Administrator Edward Tousey, City Engineer Paul Kundzins, and Recycling Coordinator Linda Orr. Joining via Zoom were City Councilors David Oliver and Drake Waldron. Mayor Carbone called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m. Public Comment: (in-person only) On a motion by Councilor Hoehne, seconded by Councilor Cavagnero, 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. Brent and Mary Hawkins shared a light nuisance problem that they are having with their neighbor, asking for Council and Ordinance Committee to develop a Residential Light Ordinance as a Commercial one exists. Mayor Carbone asked for the opportunity to investigate this with the Planning Officers and Corporation Counsel to see if any Ordinances in other Municipalities address this issue. Approve Minutes On a motion by Councilor Ruwet, seconded by Councilor Maniccia, the Council voted unanimously to accept the Public Hearing Meeting Minutes from April 17, 2023. On a motion by Councilor Maniccia, seconded by Councilor Hoehne, the Council voted unanimously to accept the Regular Meeting Minutes from April 17, 2023. Schedule a Public Hearing – Fair Rent Commission On a motion by Councilor Ruwet, seconded by Councilor Cavagnero, the Council, on the recommendation of the Ordinance Committee, voted unanimously to schedule a Public Hearing for a Fair Rent Commission Ordinance for May 15, 2023. Councilor Ruwet let the Council know that the Ordinance Committee met before the meeting and looked at the revisions that have been made to the Ordinance, and they also received comments which will go on the record at the Public Hearing on May 15, 2023. WPCA Payment Authorization On a motion by Councilor Maniccia, seconded by Councilor Hoehne, the City 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 4/18/2023 1419 Yield Ind. $8,450.00 Emergency Repair Lakeridge Force Main On-Call Construction Services for Various Minor Road Works On a motion by Councilor Ruwet, seconded by Councilor Cavagnero, the Council, on the recommendation of the City Engineer and the Purchasing Agent, voted unanimously to authorize the Mayor to act on behalf of the City to award, execute, and administer Master Agreement Contracts with Yield Industries LLC of Torrington, NJR Construction LLC of Torrington, and Laydon Industries LLC of New Haven, for various minor road construction related works, as further explained in the City Engineer’s memo dated May 1, 2023. Frontier Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Contract On a motion by Councilor Ruwet, seconded by Councilor Cavagnero, the Council voted unanimously to authorize the Mayor to act on behalf of the City to sign a 36-month contract with Frontier Communications for SIP trunk service to replace the legacy Primary Rate Interface (PRI) circuits, this will be a monthly savings of $1,173.97 to the City, as further explained in the Director of Information Technology’s memo dated April 27, 2023. On a motion by Councilor Maniccia, seconded by Councilor Cavagnero, the Council voted unanimously to add an item to the agenda regarding a recommendation from the Blight Committee Ad Hoc Lead Abatement Committee. ARPA – Blight Committee Ad Hoc Lead Abatement Grant Committee On a motion by Councilor Maniccia, seconded by Councilor Waldron, the Council voted unanimously to accept the recommendation of the Blight Committee, Ad Hoc Lead MINUTES Vol 27, Page 224 CITY COUNCIL & WPCA REGULAR MEETING City Hall Auditorium / Zoom May 1, 2023 Abatement Grant Committee and Torrington Area Health District to award a $20,000 grant from the Lead Abatement Grant Funds established with ARPA funds to Michael & Teresa Bilodeau, owners of 64 Maplewood Avenue. This is being done in accordance with the actions taken by the Council on February 21, 2023, to establish the Lead Abatement Grant Committee. Building Department Report On a motion by Councilor Hoehne, seconded by Councilor Cavagnero, the Council voted unanimously to accept the Building Department Report from March 2023. Tax Collector Refunds On a motion by Councilor Ruwet, 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 May 1, 2023. Sewer Usage Refunds On a motion by Councilor Maniccia, seconded by Councilor Waldron, the Council voted unanimously to accept the recommendation of the Tax Collector and authorize the sewer usage refunds indicated on the list dated May 1, 2023. Business by Dept. Heads On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Maniccia, the Council voted unanimously to consider business by Department Heads. Recycling Coordinator Linda Orr provided the Council with an update on Recycling efforts in the City. She said they are working to get residents to order compost bins and rain barrels that are being offered through another company, and the City is distributing the orders. She is also working with USA Hauling to get recycling stickers to put on the lids of the bins, to tell residents what can and cannot be recycled. She mentioned that they are looking into expanding the recycling center in the South end of Torrington to include Organic Recycling. Mayor Carbone asked Ms. Orr to expand on how the nip revenue the City is receiving is being used. Ms. Orr explained that the revenue from the nips is going towards part of her salary, to purchase new recycling bins for the parks, and to get the stickers for the recycle bins. Councilor Hoehne asked in City settings has Organic Waste Recycling has been successful, Mrs. Orr let her know that is it difficult with larger apartment buildings as they deal with rodents and flies, and that’s why Torrington is looking into putting one in a central location. Councilor Ruwet added that the Recycling Committee should be directing their comments to Public Works Director Ray Drew or the Ordinance Committee. Business by Mayor & Members On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Hoehne, the Council voted unanimously to consider business by the Mayor and City Council members. Councilor Ruwet shared that she was proud of the downtown community and being recognized by the CT Main Street event that was held last Thursday. She praised Economic Development Director Rista Malanca and Mayor Carbone for securing the grants to revitalize the City. Mayor Carbone told the Council that the first Budget meeting is on May 8, 2023. She also thanked the Council for approving the Grant for the lead paint abatement. Public Comment (in-person only) On a motion by Councilor Maniccia, seconded by Councilor Hoehne, the Council voted unanimously to open the meeting to the public to comment on agenda items only. No one wished to speak. Adjournment On a motion by Councilor Maniccia, seconded by Councilor Waldron, the Council voted unanimously to adjourn at 7:09 p.m. Respectfully submitted by ATTEST: Heather Abraham, Asst. City Clerk CAROL L. ANDERSON, CITY CLERK CAROL L. ANDERSON, CITY CLERK