Hartford City Council Meeting - November 10, 2025

The Hartford City Council convened a regular scheduled meeting on November 10, 2025, to address a variety of grant approvals, board appointments, and legislative actions. The session included the suspension of rules to add supplemental agenda items, the approval of a Consent Calendar regarding public safety and community grants, and significant deliberation on an amended traffic enforcement safety device plan. The council also addressed a potential resolution regarding the lawsuit Joseph Mitchell versus the City of Hartford, ultimately rejecting a postponement and subsequently defeating the motion for an affirmative resolution.

Consent Calendar

• Items Passed:
  • Approval of $147,725 in grant funding from the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for trees in communities (Item 3.1).
  • Confirmation of Don Merritt’s appointment to the Hartford Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission (Item 5.1).
  • Authorization to accept a $636,205 grant for dock repair/replacement at Riverside Park and Mortenson Plaza (Item 5.2).
  • Confirmation of Leon Stapleton to the Zoning Board of Appeals (Item 7.4).
  • Confirmation of Leah Reyes to the Zoning Board of Appeals (Item 7.5).
  • Authorization of a commemorative street sign for Detective Robert “Bobby” Garden on High Street (Item 7.6).
• Action: Council voted unanimously to approve all listed consent items.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments or testimony were recorded in the transcript.

Discussion Items

• Amendment to Automated Traffic Enforcement Safety Device (ATESD) Plan (Item 3.3):
  • Action: A motion to strike the fourth “whereas” clause was adopted by unanimous vote.
  • Rationale: Councilman Mitchell requested clarification from the maker of the motion. The corporation council and Mayor’s office explained that removing the clause would prevent the city from being tied to specific locations, thereby allowing the council to expand the number of enforcement devices from 23 to 30 in the future without requiring new approvals for site selection.
  • Result: The resolution was approved as amended by a unanimous vote.
• Appointment of Nel P. Maldonado:
  • Action: Referred to the Planning, Economic Development, and Zoning Committee (Item 3.4).
• Acquisition of Property (Item 7.7):
  • Action: Referred to the Planning, Economic Development, and Zoning Committee (Item 7.7) regarding the purchase of 341-345 Main Street, with a public hearing scheduled for November 17, 2025.
• Capitol Region East Coast Greenway Study (Item 3.2):
  • Action: Referred to the Public Works, Parks, Recreation and Environment Committee.
• Executive Session - Joseph Mitchell vs. City of Hartford (Item 6.1):
  • The council entered an executive session to discuss the potential resolution of this case.
  • Postponement Motion: Councilman Hernandez and Councilman Thomas voted No against a motion to postpone the item. Councilman Billard, Clark, Gale, Mickham, Rosetti, and Surgeon voted Yes. The motion to postpone failed (4 Yes, 2 No, others abstaining/not present/voting).
  • Affirmative Action Motion: A motion to vote affirmatively (approve) the resolution for Item 6.1 was brought to a vote.
    • Positions/Votes:
      • Support (Yes): Council President Surgeon, Councilman Gale, Councilman Hernandez, Councilman Mickham, Councilman Thomas, and Councilman Billard (Note: Transcript indicates conflicting roll call for Billard/Clark at end, but lists 6 Yes initially then clarifies votes).
      • Opposition (No): Councilman Rosado, Councilman Rosetti, and Councilman Clark.
      • Outcome: The motion to pass the resolution failed. The transcript records: “Councilman Rosado. Councilman Rosetti? No. Council President Surgeon? No. Councilman Thomas. Yes. Councilman Clark. No.” The final tally resulted in a failure of the affirmative motion.

Key Outcomes

• Approved: The city’s Automated Traffic Enforcement Safety Device (ATESD) municipal plan was approved as amended, removing location constraints to allow for potential expansion to 30 devices.
• Approved: Multiple grants totaling over $783,000 were accepted for tree planting and dock repairs.
• Approved: Five key appointments were confirmed (Merritt, Stapleton, Reyes) and a memorial street sign authorized.
• Rejected: The motion to post pone the Joseph Mitchell case resolution failed (4-2, with abstentions). Subsequently, the motion to approve the resolution for Item 6.1 failed (Vote tally: approx. 6 No, approx. 6 Yes, but final declaration was “Motion fails”, indicating more No votes than Yes or a tie-breaking mechanism not fully detailed, but the outcome is a rejection of the item).
• Referred: Items regarding the East Coast Greenway Study (3.2), Nel P. Maldonado appointment (3.4), and property acquisition at 341-345 Main Street (7.7) were referred to respective committees.
• Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned with a reminder that the next meeting on November 24, 2025, will be held virtually due to Thanksgiving week.