Postponed until Tuesday (click here) Still scheduled for Monday (tonight)
By Will Collette
But, soldiering on, as a public service
from Progressive Charlestown, here is the Council’s agenda placed in the actual
order in which it will be heard, with my own snarky comments and annotation.
As Town Council goers know, the official
printed agenda rarely bears much resemblance to how Council meetings actually
go, since the Council members invariably juggle the order of business as the
planning meeting. Plus, many items get consolidated into the “consent agenda” –
non-controversial items that are voted on as a bloc without discussion or debate.
Without further ado, here’s your monthly
preview:
TOWN OF CHARLESTOWN
AMENDED PUBLIC NOTICE
MONTHLY TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
– February 11, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.
Charlestown Town Hall, 4540
South County Trail, Charlestown, RI
The regular monthly meeting of the Charlestown Town Council will
be held on February 11, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. at the Charlestown Town Hall, 4540
South County Trail, Charlestown, RI. The proposed agenda is as follows:
1. CALL TO ORDER, Moment of Silence,
Pledge of Allegiance
2. ROLL CALL
Motion to move item 15b, 8a,
18b, 18c, 7c, 8c, and 8b to be heard next on the agenda.
15. ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS AND PROCLAMATIONS
b. Commendation for Patrol Officer
Scott Puckett
8. NEW BUSINESS
a. Presentation of the FY 2011-12 Audit by Cayer Caccia, LLP and Council discussion and potential action
regarding the same
- NOTE: while the auditors are very careful about not offering
opinions, it looks like a nice, clean audit. It doesn’t look like anybody stole
any money and the town seems unlikely to crash and burn anytime soon.
18. FISCAL MATTERS
b. Resolution authorizing the
issuance of not to exceed $200,000 general obligation
bonds and notes of the Town of Charlestown to finance the acquisition of
Edwards Lane properties for the purpose of constructing Affordable Housing
units
c. Discussion and potential action
regarding the approval of a funding agreement for the use of
Affordable Housing funds relative to Edwards Lane.
7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
c. Discussion and potential action
regarding support of the Chariho School District’s request for legislation relative to public funding of charter schools
- Note: miracle of miracles, it looks like the Council will support
Chariho’s request even though the Council balked at doing so last month based on the “expert” testimony of Donna Chambers who argued that taxpayers should be
required to pay to send kids to charter schools even if they are rated as
inferior to Chariho.
8. NEW BUSINESS
c. Discussion and potential action
on Chariho Funding Concept. Town Council
Boss Tom Gentz (CCA) has a “plan.” It involves math and everything. Can’t wait
to hear it.
d. Discussion and potential action
regarding the ratification of the Proclamation of Emergency/Disaster for
blizzard conditions February 8, 2013
3. PUBLIC COMMENT for items not on
the Agenda
4. COUNCIL COMMENTS
6. ADMINISTRATOR, SOLICITOR,
COMMISSION REPORTS
a. Town Administrator
b. Town Solicitor
7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a. Discussion and potential action
regarding aquaculture permits in Quonochontaug Pond
– NOTE: CCA leaders want to kill
these aquaculture permits, even though they say they approve of aquaculture
and recognize that oyster farming helps clean up salt ponds – because the
proposed operations are within their line of sight and will cause them some
alleged inconvenience. The Council already voted to oppose the western permit
area and, after hearing CCA Vice-President Leo Mainelli oppose the eastern
permit area, the CCA Council members were ready to oppose that one too. But
then the town’s Coastal Pond Management Commission weighed in and approved the
project. Not that it matters to this Council, since the opinions of town
commissions that don’t toe the CCA line are routinely ignored.
b. Discussion and potential action
regarding approval of a Super Storm Sandy cleanup plan with specific actions that must be taken, dates to accomplish these
actions, and associated cost estimates for these actions
- NOTE: this is a continuation of the surreal discussion the Council held last month where they seriously considered
trying to mobilize the town’s residents to go down to the beach and clean up
the properties of absentee property owners as an Earth Day celebration.
Apparently, they’ll still going to do a beach clean-up on Earth Day. Whether
they will try to enlist chain gangs of permanent residents – rather than, as
Councilor Slattery proposed – require the absentee landlords to clean up their
own damned mess, remains to be seen.
d. Discussion and potential action
regarding Washington County Regional Planning
Council 2013 Legislative Priorities. NOTE - It should come as no surprise
that Charlestown’s priorities reflect that of the CCA to scrap the state’s
affordable housing law.
8. NEW BUSINESS
b. Discussion and potential action
regarding the Wastewater Management Commission’s
proposed study and testing of nitrate levels
12.
CONSENT AGENDA
All items marked with “CA” are to be
considered consent agenda All “CA”
marked items will be approved in one bloc vote without discussion or debate.
Motion to accept approve and
place on file the following as the consent agenda: 11a, 13a, 13b, 17a, 17b,
17c, 18a, 18d, 18e, 18f, and 18g
11. LICENSES AND PERMITS
“CA” a. Approval of events at Ninigret
Park with a recommendation from the Parks and Recreation
Commission, subject to review of contracts by the Town Solicitor, receipt of
all applicable paperwork and insurance and that all event details are
satisfactorily met by the Parks and Recreation Director.
1.
Big Apple Circus (Charlestown Chamber of Commerce)
Park Reservation: June 12 - July 9, 2013
Event: June 22 – July 7, 2013
Camping: Yes
Insurance: $5 million general
liability
Fee: $9000
2.
Arc-En-Ciel Bike Race/Rick Newhouse Criterium
Park Reservation/Event Date: April 20,
2013 (7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
Camping: None
Insurance: $1 million general liability
Fee: $100 paid prior to the event; $2
per rider paid after event
3.
Jonathan Lowenstein Bike Race (11th Annual Chris Hinds FUJI “Sunshine”
Criterium)
Park Reservation/Event Date: March 31,
2013 (7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.)
Camping: None
Insurance: $1 million general liability
Fee: $100 paid prior to the event; $2
per rider paid after event
4.
Charlestown Memorial Day Parade
Park Reservation/Event Date: May 26,
2013 (8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.)
Camping: None
Insurance: $1 million general liability
Fee: Waived
13. MINUTES AND REPORTS
“CA” a. Town Council Minutes:
January 9; January 10 (10:00
Sandy Workshop and 7:00 Copar Workshop); January 14; January 23
“CA” b. Reports:
Building
Official – January 2013; Public Works
Director – January 2013; Town Clerk –
January 2013; Treasurer –
December 2012
17. APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS
“CA” a. Reappointment of Carole Dolock,
Augustus P. Greene, Jr. and Susan Jensen to the Juvenile Hearing Board, terms to expire February of 2016
“CA” b. Reappointment of Cheryl Dowdell
to the Friends of Ninigret Park Subcommittee, term to expire
February of 2016
“CA” c. Acceptance of the resignation of Andrew J. McQuaide from the Chariho Regional District School Committee with regret. NOTE – Andrew’s a good guy and did a good job for the town. He’s moving out, unfortunately. I wish him well.
18. FISCAL MATTERS
“CA” a. Approval of the expenditure of
$2,825
for Premier Labs of Dayville, CT to perform water testing for the first
five residents that volunteered in the Copar Quarry area, to include: Susan
Clayton of 56 Niantic Hwy, Ronald Zanella of 52 Riidam Way, Christina Holden
Shea of 29 Peckham Hollow Road, Travis Garrepy of 29 Niantic Hwy and Enoch
MacDonough of 515 Ross Hill Road, with funds to be take from line item
01-960-9625 (Council Contingency).
- NOTE: this small sum is a delayed response to a promise made by the Town Council on January 11 to the neighbors of the COPAR
quarry. As Acting Town Administrator (and Treasurer) Pat Anderson pointed out
at the last Council meeting, a Charter change pushed by the CRAC tied the town’s hands in spending even a
small sum like this without going through an elaboration bidding process.
“CA” d. Authorization
for Little Medeiros Kinder Bulman & Whitney, P.C. to release to
Daniel K. Kinder c/o Whelan & Siket, LLP all Town of Charlestown files in
its possession.
NOTE: Dan Kinder is one of Rhode Island’s most notorious
union-busting lawyers. He was the architect of the outrageous action of North Kingstown against its own
firefighters which
drew an order from the court to cease and desist. It figures that a guy like
Kinder would be a favorite of our Town Council.