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Hartford council postpones vote on ordinance to preserve post-construction street and sidewalk safety
Summary
Council members voted to postpone action on an ordinance amending Chapter 31, Article 3 (sections 31-87 and 31-95) of the municipal code that would preserve street and sidewalk safety after utility work and city repaving. Members discussed whether substantial changes require a return to committee and an additional public hearing.
Hartford — The Hartford City Council on Sept. 8 voted to postpone consideration of an ordinance (item 5.3) that would amend Chapter 31, Article 3, sections 31-87 and 31-95 of the Municipal Code to address post-construction and post-repaving safety of city streets and sidewalks.
A motion to postpone the ordinance to the Sept. 22 council meeting was made, seconded and approved by roll call. During discussion, members asked whether substantial edits to the draft would require returning the ordinance to committee and holding a new public hearing.
One council member noted that corporate counsel would likely deem substantial changes to require an additional public hearing and that, if so, the revised ordinance should go back to committee for reconsideration. Another member referenced Attorney Combs earlier guidance that the revisions were substantial and therefore should be presented again in committee in their new form.
Council members also discussed procedural options: a council vote can refer an item back to committee, but the item as drafted remained in committee at the time of the Sept. 8 session. The council ultimately postponed the item; the clerk recorded an affirmative roll-call vote from all present members on the postponement.
The transcript records the ordinance by citation but does not include the full text of the proposed changes, the sponsor's detailed amendments or a specific timeline for when committee consideration will resume. The council set the next council meeting date for Sept. 22, 2025, when the postponed item will be considered again unless formally referred back to committee with a different schedule.
