BUSINESS BY DEPT HEADS (Continued) Mr. Rollett strongly encouraged and supported this purchase, saying should a major storm hit Torrington, just having one truck down could cause a lack of snow removal on some streets. Fleet Manager Castro explained the cost of this 2-wheel drive vehicle would be about $130,000, and it would take the place on the Replacement Plan of a 4-wheel drive truck next scheduled for purchase. They are looking for something that is already in stock and ready to be delivered. Councilor Jerram asked if there was any investigation
into hiring contractors for some plowing work. Mr. Rollett said other towns put a contractor on retainer so they are available when needed, and that he doesn't know the cost of the retainer. ADD TO AGENDA On a motion by Councilor Dalla Valle, seconded by Councilor Waldron, the Council voted unanimously to add an item to the agenda. ____________________________________________________ ***PUBLIC HEARING***
Mayor Bingham called the Public Hearing to order at 7:00 p.m. City Clerk Quartiero read the legal notice.
City Planner Connor explained the fee schedule change is for both a State mandated tax payable to the State and to correct the procedure of collecting 25% of the application fee for subdivisions up front with the rest of the fee collected only after approval.
The second ordinance change, Mr. Connor said, is regarding the appointment of a member of the Inland Wetlands Commission who must also be a member of the Planning & Zoning Commission. This requirement gives the appearance of bias.
With no one from the public wishing to speak, Mayor Bingham closed the Public Hearing at 7:13 p.m.____________________________________ AMENDMENT TO FEE ORDINANCE, CHAPTER 114 #1227 On a motion by Councilor Jerram, seconded by Councilor Soliani, the Board of Councilmen voted unanimously by roll call vote to approve amendment of Fee Ordinance, Chapter 114, "Schedule of fees for zoning and subdivision applications" increasing fees to comply with statutory requirements
of Section 396 of Public Act 09-3.
AMENDMENT TO INLAND WETLANDS ORDINANCE #1242 On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Jerram, the Board of Councilmen voted unanimously by roll call vote to approve amendment of Inland Wetlands Ordinance, Chapter 33A, Membership/vacancies, regarding the appointment of a member of the Planning & Zoning Commission, specifically, substituting the word "may" for the word "shall" regarding the member appointment.
SNOW PLOW (continued) #1350 Fleet Manager Castro further explained the purchase schedule. Councilor Soliani asked if hiring a contractor has ever been considered, Mr. Rollett said no. Mayor Bingham clarified that no plow truck will go on the road that is not safe for the driver and the public. He said it is a safety concern to not have sufficient trucks to handle a large scale storm. Councilor Dalla Valle said privatization could be as much as the cost of a truck.
SNOW PLOW BID #1721 On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Dalla Valle, the Council voted unanimously to initiate the bid process to purchase a two-wheel-drive snow plow truck out of Acct. #0309 for the Street Department.
BUSINESS BY MAYOR AND COUNCIL #1739 On a motion by Councilor Carbone, seconded by Councilor Waldron, the Council voted unanimously to consider business presented by the Mayor and members of the City Council. Councilor Dalla Valle expressed concern about the Klonoski complaint against the Board of Education possibly naming the City in a lawsuit. Mayor Bingham said he will receive correspondence from the Superintendent regarding this and will keep a close eye on it. Councilor Jerram reviewed some problems with snow removal on our streets, saying the effort on some streets was mediocre at best in terms of the salt.
ADJOURNMENT #1914 On a motion by Councilor Jerram, seconded by Councilor Waldron, the Council voted unanimously to adjourn at 7:24 p.m.
ATTEST: JOSEPH L. QUARTIERO, CMC CITY CLERK
Respectfully Submitted, Carol L. Anderson, CCTC Asst. City Clerk Attachment #1 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ To: Mayor Ryan J. Bingham & City Council Members From: Richard Calkins, P.E., Chairman, Planning & Zoning Commission Date: January 4, 2010
Re: City of Torrington Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD), October 23, 2009 Draft Plan
The last comprehensive re-write of Torrington’s POCD was 1989. In December 2008 the Commission hosted a kick-off meeting at which the Mayor and City Council, members of Torrington’s Land Use Boards and Commissions, Economic Development Commission, and other City leaders met and discussed updating the Plan and identified planning issues.
Sections of the 1989 Plan have been updated over the years to react to changing conditions and modern approaches to conservation and development issues. The last sections updated in August of 2005, involved the Sewer Service Area & Economic Development/Enterprise Corridor Zone and the Population Section.
Previous updates included the sections on Historic Preservation, Fire Protection, Transportation and Traffic & Open. This however is by far the most extensive update to the Plan.
The Commission had previously elected to update various Sections at a time in order due to budgetary constraints and to meet the minimum requirements of the CT State Statutes. Plans have to be revised every 10 years by Statute. Recent legislation makes municipalities potentially ineligible for any discretionary State funding, effective July, 2010, if they are not in compliance with the 10 year update.
The Commission applied for and received a $20,000 Planning Grant from the State of CT, Office of Policy and Management, to help pay for updating our POCD. The Planimetrics Firm was hired to assist the Planning and Zoning Commission and Staff in the update of the Plan. Jason Vincent, AICP, Planimetrics, has been working with Town Staff and the Commission to help reorganize and update the Plan.
The Grant along with funds previously set aside for the Plan update have enabled a complete re-write of the POCD into an attractive easy to use layout, complete with photos and GIS Mapping.
The Plan, unlike previous plans, has been a product of contributions from many individuals and groups. The Mayor’s Office along with every Department Head has contributed to the Plan. The Economic Development Commission, Conservation Commission, Torrington Historical Society and Inland Wetlands Commission have all worked hard helping author their various sections. The Torrington Development Corporation has provided input on the Downtown Section of the Plan and the Executive Summary from the Municipal Development Plan has been included in the document. Public information workshops have been held on drafts of the Plan and written and oral public comments received have been incorporated into the Plan. P&Z Staff have provided the photographs included in the Plan. Special thanks to the Engineering
Staff and in particular, GIS Manager David Scherf, who helped with the preparation of maps used in the plan. Each map is a plan in and of itself.
We believe that process under which the Plan was created has resulted in an excellent document that will provide a framework for consistent decision making by City Boards, Commissions and residents with regards to conservation and development related activities. It will be posted on-line for easy access.
The Plan was forwarded to the Mayor and Council for your review and comment in accordance with State Statute. A public hearing on the adoption of the POCD is scheduled for January 13, 2010.
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