Hartford council approves consent items including tentative firefighters pact and property sales; schedules public hearing on elderly tax relief

The Hartford Court of Common Council took multiple procedural actions at its Jan. 26, 2026 virtual meeting, moving several items to the consent calendar, receiving a committee report, referring items to committee, and postponing others.

On a motion by Majority Leader Kelly Billadoux, the council placed three items on the consent calendar: Item 6.1 — a mayoral resolution approving a tentative successor collective bargaining agreement between the City of Hartford and the Hartford Fire Fighters Association Local 760; Item 6.3 — authorizing the sale of 10 Albany Avenue, 18 Albany Avenue and 1441 Main Street to the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving; and Item 7.3 — a resolution calling for a report to council on the effect of the grand‑list revaluation as of Oct. 1, 2026, specifically requesting information from the assessor. The motion to move these items to the consent calendar was seconded and passed by roll call.

The council also voted to receive Item 4.1, an Operations Management, Budget and Government Accountability Committee report that discussed the tentative collective‑bargaining agreement referenced above.

Referrals: The council voted to refer several items to the Labor, Education, Workforce and Youth Committee. Those included Item 3.1 — mayoral resolutions authorizing the city to accept grant funds from the Connecticut Department of Children and Families — and Item 7.2 — a resolution affirming the oversight authority of the Court of Common Council and requesting a statutory informed presentation from the Hartford Board of Education regarding science‑of‑reading compliance, educator training, and kindergarten literacy evaluations. The council also referred Item 5.1, an ordinance amendment to Section 32‑18 of the municipal code to extend the elderly tax relief program; a public hearing on that amendment was scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, at 7 p.m.

Postponements: On a subsequent motion the council postponed Item 6.2 — an ordinance amending the municipal code to provide relocation services to displaced tenants — along with Item 6.4 (an ordinance on display of flags), Item 6.5 (an ordinance limiting the number of dogs and cats), and Item 6.6 (an ordinance amending Chapter 7 of the municipal code). The postponement motion was seconded and carried by roll call.

Why this matters: The tentative collective‑bargaining agreement with the firefighters union and the property sales to a major local foundation are substantive items that can affect municipal labor relations and the disposition of city property. Referral of education and elderly relief items sends those matters for detailed committee review; the scheduled public hearing gives the public an opportunity to comment on the elderly‑tax relief amendment.

Next steps: Committee reviews, public hearings and any subsequent council action (including final votes or amendments) were not recorded on the Jan. 26 meeting record.