Hartford City committee postpones two items, forwards San Juan Center Neighborhood Assistance Act amendment

The Hartford City Planning, Economic Development & Housing Committee on March 17, 2026 postponed two agenda items to a future meeting and voted to forward a requested change to a Neighborhood Assistance Act (NAA) project for San Juan Center Inc. to the full city council with a favorable recommendation.

Shirley Surgeon, co-chair of the committee, opened the virtual meeting and introduced members including co-chair Councilman John Gale, Councilwoman Marilyn Rossetti and Julian Front, management and budget director. The committee first discussed the readiness of agenda items and, after a motion to postpone items 2.1 and 2.2 to the next committee meeting and a recorded second, approved the postponement by voice vote; the transcript records no opposition or abstention and does not identify individual yea votes.

Julian Front described item 2.3 as an administrative request tied to the Neighborhood Assistance Act, a state program that allows businesses to receive tax credits for donations to approved nonprofit projects. "This is an administrative item related to the Neighborhood Assistance Act," Front said, explaining the city's role is to administer the application process, verify applicants and projects, and submit approved lists to the Department of Revenue Services.

Front told the committee that San Juan Center Inc. seeks to amend the scope of an already approved NAA project to carry out energy-efficiency upgrades at the location of its offices in a mixed-use building that Front said includes roughly three office spaces and about 10 rental units. Front said the amendment would not change the dollar amount assigned under the earlier approval; committee members noted the previously approved maximum for an organization under the program is $150,000. Councilman John Gale asked to confirm that the change would not impose a direct cost on the city; Front confirmed it would not.

Committee members also asked about timing and administration. Front said he was not aware of a fixed statutory deadline for making this kind of change but noted that projects above certain dollar thresholds must complete an audit and submit it to the state, which affects the organization's timeline. He said the budget office currently handles NAA application intake and verification (it had previously been managed by the grants office), and that the city's activity is largely administrative and liaison work prior to submission to the Department of Revenue Services.

After discussion, a committee member moved to send item 2.3 to the full council with a favorable recommendation; a second was recorded and the motion passed by voice vote with no opposition or abstention noted in the transcript. The committee record does not identify the mover or seconder by name. The forwarded item will appear on the council agenda for consideration of the proposed change to the San Juan Center project under the Neighborhood Assistance Act.

With no further business and the budget process upcoming, the chair adjourned the meeting.