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ENFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING
NOVEMBER 18, 2002
A Regular Meeting of the Enfield Town Council was held in the Council Chambers of the Enfield Town Hall, 820 Enfield Street, Enfield, Connecticut on Monday, November 18, 2002. Chairman Vayda called the meeting to order at 7:45 p.m.
PRAYER - The prayer was given by Councilman Fiore.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE - The Pledge of Allegiance was said.
ROLL-CALL - Present were Councilmen Edgar, Egan, Fiore, Hall, Kaupin, Jones, Mangini, Strom, Tait, Tallarita, and Vayda. Also present were Town Manager, Scott A. Shanley; Assistant Town Manager, Daniel Vindigni; Deputy Chief of Police, Raymond Bouchard; Director of Public Works, John J. Kazmarski; Town Clerk, Suzanne F. Olechnicki
PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS & PETITIONS
Mrs. Collins, 25 Gordan Lane
Stated her belief it's not the right time for the Council to bring up the recreation referendum again.
Laurence Avery, 148 Pleasant Street
Stated the town did fix the utility pole in front of his house, however, the sidewalk in front of 140 Pleasant Street is in worse condition. He went on to question whether the Town will be addressing the poor condition of the walkway around Freshwater Pond.
Jack Sheridan, Buchanan Road
Referring to uncollected taxes, he questioned whether the Town could request people to pay the interest to show intent.
As concerns a skateboard park, Mr. Sheridan stated no one mentioned the idea of having parents sign a release similar to high school sports. He suggested this be looked at.
He questioned how many Council members have seen the condition of the Hazardville Institute.
Referring to the Board of Education looking at its own financial system, he questioned whether the Town considered outsourcing that.
As concerns a new recreation referendum, Mr. Sheridan suggested tabling this idea until the country's economy has stabilized.
Margaret Jedziniak, 232 Abbe Road
Stated her belief government is spending too much money. She added her belief the Town of Enfield should reign themselves in and not be spending money on referendums at this time.
Ms. Jedziniak stated she does not understand why the Board of Education is being allowed to look at new technology for a financial system. She pointed out the Gardner Consultant study indicated it was more efficient to have one information technology system in Enfield.
She voiced her concern that the Board of Education will be coming up with another big budget. She stated her hope the Town Council will use common sense and not allow the Board of Education to overburden the taxpayers.
Charles Woods, 11 Westerly Drive
Voiced concern about the Road 2000 Program. He stated his understanding an original list was made up and he doesn't know if every street in town was included on that list and if it was prioritized. He stated in his travels around town he sees very dangerous conditions. He stated he would like to see this list in some sort of order. He stated his understanding some streets have been shifted around.
Mr. Woods stated a builder off of Abbe Road provided land for a playground. He stated his understanding the Town started grading work at this site and then did nothing further. He noted parents in this part of Enfield have no play area to take their children. He encouraged the Town do something in house.
Robert Tkacz, 1300 Enfield Street
Stated his impression the Town looks unkempt with leaves all over the place. He noted surrounding towns look much better.
Frank Jedziniak, 232 Abbe Road
Stated the government guarantees an education to the students, but they do not guarantee anything concerning sports.
COUNCILMEN COMMUNICATIONS & PETITIONS
Councilman Mangini stated Integrity Martial Arts had an open house last Saturday. She commended this business for the good work they do in the community.
Councilman Mangini encouraged everyone to support people in need during the Thanksgiving holiday. She also urged people to support the Enfield Food Shelf.
Councilman Jones commended the Enfield Fire and Police Departments as concerns the good response time he has witnessed in Enfield compared to other towns.
Councilman Kaupin stated he has visited the Hazardville Institute a few times. He noted the endeavor of the Committee is to shore up this building. He added the building is inrelatively good condition. He noted volunteers have been working at keeping this building a little more attractive.
As concerns the Board of Education's financial technology, Councilman Kaupin stated the Town Council feels the current financial technology is a good package. He pointed out this package was agreed upon by both parties a few years ago. He noted the Town is working at making sure they exhaust all their resources to make this system work. He pointed out this system is working fine for the Town side.
As concerns the Road 2000 Program, Councilman Kaupin stated he will supply Mr. Woods with an update on this program.
Chairman Vayda stated when Road 2000 was started, the Council recognized they could not do every road in Town within a five-year period. He noted they did prioritize the streets to be addressed. He stated they attempted to address the most deteriorated roads first, but they also had to balance that with a program that allowed them to look at the overall pavement condition index. He noted they have a system in place where they have a reasonable chance at trying to improve the overall condition of Enfield's roads at the best possible price.
Councilman Hall referred to Mr. Sheridan's comments about the Hazardville Institute and noted she has visited this building and noted its interior is beautiful with hardwood floors and massive windows. She noted a lot of the original pieces are all intact and there has not been much renovation. She stated her belief this building is worth saving. She pointed out thus far fundraising efforts raised $130,000 to $140,000. She noted they continue having fundraisers.
TOWN MANAGER REPORT & COMMUNICATIONS
Mr. Shanley stated he gave Mr. Woods a Road 2000 report. He noted there will be more discussion on the Road 2000 program later this winter once all the contracting work that can be done this year is wrapped up. He noted they will then be working on the next phase after Section 15.
Referring to Mr. Avery's question about the walkway around Freshwater Pond, Mr. Shanley stated the pond project is scheduled to begin this winter, and the Town is doing everything they can to make that happen. He noted the Army Corps of Engineers and DEP have some issues. He stated they will include the walkway on the North Main Street side.
Mr. Shanley stated he was under the impression they had addressed the issue at 140 Pleasant Street as raised by Mr. Avery, but evidently they did not.
As concerns the brickwork for the Hazardville streetscape, Mr. Shanley stated his belief the bid for concrete work at that time was $5.50, and it was about $1.50 more per sq. ft. for brickwork.
Mr. Shanley stated he distributed reports from the Finance Department and Town Attorney's Office regarding property tax foreclosures. He noted one report identifies 11 properties and the other identifies 10 properties, and that's because there's an effort underway on one of them to address the issue. He pointed out when the Council first passed these policies, the Town had 65 owner-occupied properties that were delinquent to the point of being in violation of the policy, and as of today, they're down to ten.
TOWN ATTORNEY REPORT & COMMUNICATIONS
There was no report.
REPORT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES OF THE COUNCIL
There were no reports.
OLD BUSINESS
APPOINTMENTS (TOWN COUNCIL)
MOTION #6249 by Councilman Tallarita, seconded by Councilman Strom to remove Item #11 from the table.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6249 adopted 11-0-0.
NOMINATION #6250 by Councilman Tallarita to appoint Colleen Cross (D)to the Enfield Beautification Committee for a term which expires 12/01/03.
MOTION #6251 by Councilman Strom, seconded by Councilman Tait to close nominations.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6251 adopted 11-0-0.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared Colleen Cross appointed to the Enfield Beautification Committee by an 11-0-0 vote.
All other Town Council appointments remained on the table.
APPOINTMENTS (TOWN MANAGER)
MOTION #6252 by Councilman Kaupin, seconded by Councilman Tait to accept the Town Manager's recommendation to remove Item #3 from the table.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6252 adopted 11-0-0.
MOTION #6253 by Councilman Tallarita, seconded by Councilman Jones to accept the Town Manager's recommendation to appoint Julie Lai (U) to the Economic Development Commission for a term which expires 12/31/04.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6253 adopted 11-0-0.
Item c. remained tabled.
MOTION #6254 by Councilman Strom, seconded by Councilman Tallarita to remove Item d. from the table.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6254 adopted 11-0-0.
RESOLUTION #6255 by Councilman Tallarita, seconded by Councilman Jones.
RESOLVED, that the Town Council of the Town of Enfield hereby accepts the proposed Alarm Ordinance as attached hereto.
Councilman Hall expressed her appreciation for the Council moving on this so promptly.
As concerns an earlier suggestion that an alarm installer should be fined for false alarms, Councilman Kaupin questioned the police department's position on this. Deputy Chief Bouchard stated his belief the alarm is the owner's responsibility. He stated his belief it would be an additional burden on the police department to fine installers or manufacturers. He noted the police department's experience has been that it's not the issue of alarms not being installed properly, but rather it's an error on the part of the homeowner or business person who doesn't understand the alarm or someone enters using an improper pass code.
Councilman Kaupin referred to Mr. Slade's suggestion about registering an alarm system and questioned how the police know an alarm system exists. Deputy Chief Bouchard stated most of the time the alarm company will notify the police that they installed an alarm and the police department is given key holders for that particular business and/or residence.
Councilman Kaupin questioned Mr. Slade's comment about fire departments and fire alarms, and Deputy Chief Bouchard stated they separately collect data concerning fire alarms. He noted those numbers are certainly much less than the other false alarms.
Councilman Tallarita suggested something be included that states the Chief of Police will report back to the Town Council regarding the number of false alarms and action taken on an annual basis, and Mr. Shanley noted that is up to the Council.
Councilman Fiore agreed with Councilman Tallarita in that some verbiage could be included regarding the Police Chief or his designee reporting back to the Council.
AMENDMENT #1 by Councilman Fiore, seconded by Councilman Jones to amend Section 7-19 to read as follows:
"The Police Chief will enforce and administer this chapter and any rules and regulations promulgated hereunder and report back to the Town Council on an annual basis.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared AMENDMENT #1 adopted 11-0-0.
Mr. Shanley stated it should be noted the document being adopted is dated 11/18/2002.
Chairman Vayda stated his belief this is a good document. He noted it may be that they will have to fine tune this ordinance in the future.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #6255 adopted 11-0-0.
Items e. and f. remained tabled.
MOTION #6256 by Councilman Jones, seconded by Councilman Hall to remove Item g. from the table.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6256 adopted 11-0-0.
RESOLUTION #6257 by Councilman Strom, seconded by Councilman Kaupin.
WHEREAS, it has been the policy of the Town Council of the Town of Enfield to protect the interests of those individuals and institutions which pay their share of property tax in full and on time by pursuing accounts that are in arrears, and,
WHEREAS, the Town Council of the Town of Enfield wishes to establish a policy to strengthen town staff's ability to address these inequities,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Council of the Town of Enfield hereby authorizes town staff, to withhold payments due for goods received or service rendered from any vendor or individual, with whom the Town conducts business, that has delinquent taxes outstanding,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that any vendor or individual with whom the Town does business who is more than one year in arrears will be precluded from doing business with the Town until such time as the tax obligation has been satisfied in full,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that at any time the vendor or individual referred to above has the option of entering into a payment plan approved by the Tax Collector to avoid the aforementioned actions.
Councilman Kaupin referred to the third paragraph of the resolution and requested a clarification of "delinquent taxes outstanding". Mr. Shanley explained this would mean past due taxes. He noted someone only need come in and set up a payment plan. He stated if they can't pay their taxes, the key is setting up a payment plan.
Councilman Egan stated her belief this is very brief and concise, but says exactly what the Council wishes to put forward.
Councilman Mangini stated this sends a message to taxpayers that the Town of Enfield is not going to do business with or encourage delinquencies.
Mr. Shanley stated the vast majority of the businesses in this community pay their taxes on time. He emphasized this is not a rampant problem; however, it has become a problem in one instance that demonstrates that the Town needs to have some documented policy to help with this. He pointed out businesses pay taxes at the same rate as residences.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #6257 adopted 11-0-0.
Item h. remained tabled.
NEW BUSINESS
APPOINTMENTS (TOWN COUNCIL)
All Town Council appointments remained on the agenda.
APPOINTMENTS (TOWN MANAGER)
MOTION #6258 by Councilman Jones, seconded by Councilman Kaupin to accept the Town Manager's recommendation to reappoint William Marr (D) to the Building Code Appeals Board for a term which expires 11/01/07.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6258 adopted 11-0-0.
RESOLUTION #6259 by Councilman Jones, seconded by Councilman Mangini.
RESOLVED, the Enfield Town Council will hold a Public Hearing in the Enfield Town Hall Council Chambers, 820 Enfield Street, Enfield, Connecticut on Monday, December 2, 2000 at 7:15 p.m. to allow interested citizens an opportunity to express their opinions regarding the PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE BLIGHT ORDINANCE.
Mr. Shanley stated this ordinance amendment is needed to insure that the proper language is in the ordinance so they need not depend on the courts and they can exercise their authority with certain due process.
Councilman Fiore stated after the holidays he would like to look at Phase III regarding blighted property.
Chairman Vayda agreed with Councilman Fiore.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6259 adopted 11-0-0.
RESOLUTION #6260 by Councilman Strom, seconded by Councilman Jones.
RESOLVED, that in accordance with Chapter VII, Section II of the Town Charter the Enfield Town Council does hereby adopt the job descriptions for the following positions, thereby superceding any previous job descriptions: Engineering Technician II/WPC Grade II; Webmaster; Database Analyst; Youth Counselor I; Youth Counselor II; Youth Services Coordinator; Building and Grounds Equipment Operator II; and Water Pollution Control Operator.
Councilman Fiore noted he has questions regarding the Database Analyst job description. Mr. Shanley suggested Councilman Fiore e-mail him regarding this and he can provide specific answers.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #6260 adopted 11-0-0.
DISCUSSION RE: RECREATION REFERENDUM
Mr. Shanley questioned whether the Council would like to have light refreshments at the public forums, and it was the general consensus of the Council to do this.
Councilman Strom referred to the response from the voters and noted many people preferred separate questions, some people voted no because of additional taxes, and many people voted no because of the elimination of the leaf vacuuming program. She questioned whether the Town's web page can include a question to voters as to why they voted as they did.
Chairman Vayda agreed with Councilman Strom's web site idea. He suggested perhaps they could also leave a paper survey at the library since not everyone uses the internet.
Councilman Kaupin spoke about the setting for the public forums and making people feel comfortable.
It was agreed to hold these public forums in January.
Councilman Fiore stated his understanding the Council is looking for input from the public and to determine where they go from here.
Councilman Egan stated perhaps questions posed to the public could include a question that asks whether there's anything on the referendum that they would consider supporting.
Councilman Fiore stated perhaps they could also give staff additional direction regarding any small projects that can be accomplished with existing dollars.
Chairman Vayda stated his belief they should have more than one public forum.
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION
MOTION #6261 by Councilman Jones, seconded by Councilman Strom to suspend the rules to address Item b. under Miscellaneous.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6261 adopted 11-0-0.
DISCUSSION/RESOLUTION RE: BID WAIVER "OWNER'S REPRESENTATIVE" ENFIELD HIGH SCHOOL EXPANSION PROJECT
Mr. Shanley stated the Enfield High School Building Committee has opted to conduct its project in a way similar to both the senior center and school projects. He explained this would mean hiring an owner's representative. He noted this would have someone on the scene to stay on top of the project on a daily basis. He stated the request for the bid waiver is to allow the Enfield High School Building Committee to interview the two owner representatives currently engaged by the town. He noted both of these individuals are very familiar with the town's process and very experienced because of this past year's projects.
Councilman Hall stated there were some contractual issues with one of the project managers and she questioned if those issues were resolved. Mr. Shanley responded to his knowledge they have been resolved.
Councilman Hall questioned whether the Enfield High School Building Committee would have the ability to meet with the Senior Center Building Committee and the School Building Committee to get feedback. Mr. Shanley responded yes, they would conduct interviews as they would with any firms, and they can check references and have a subcommittee who makes phone calls and reports back to the committee.
MISCELLANEOUS
RESOLUTION #6262 by Councilman Jones, seconded by Councilman Mangini.
RESOLVED, that in accordance with Chapter VI, Section 8(f) of the Town Charter, the following transfer is hereby made:
TO : Account #1600-540 Town Clerk $5,000.00
Legal Advertising
FROM: Account #8030-840 Contingency $5,000.00
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify the amount of $5,000.00 is available from Account #8030-840 as of November 12, 2002.
/s/ Gregory Simmons, Director of Finance
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #6262 adopted 11-0-0.
COUNCILMEN COMMUNICATIONS
Councilman Mangini stated the 100-year business research request has either fallen off the list or has not been addressed by the Council's leadership. She suggested perhaps they can revisit this. Mr. Shanley stated he and Councilman Mangini were to discuss this at their quarterly meeting.
Councilman Tallarita questioned why the old senior center has not appeared on the agenda. He explained this had to do with doing an analysis regarding accommodating social services. Mr. Shanley indicated that analysis was done, and the next step is to get costs back to the Council.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION #6263 by Councilman Jones, seconded by Councilman Egan to adjourn.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #6263 adopted 11-0-0, and the meeting stood adjourned at
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