Here’s the real version
By Will Collette
This month’s Town Council agenda is scrambled almost beyond recognition.
Each month, the Council holds a special meeting ahead of its regular meeting to
decide the actual order of business. That's what they did on April 3rd. I don’t ever
recall a time when the Council followed its actual agenda without substantial
alternation.
This month’s actual agenda is a lot more scrambled than usual and bears
little resemblance to the posted agenda or the one on the stacks of papers
available to the public before the meeting starts. Those printed official agendas are really a waste of a lot of paper.
As an on-going public service, Progressive Charlestown unscrambles the
agenda and sets it up to reflect the actual order of business. I’ve also added
my own commentary in red for context and much needed snark.
Here’s the actual agenda for the Council Meeting, Monday, April 8:
1. CALL TO ORDER, Moment of
Silence, Pledge of Allegiance
2. ROLL CALL
Motion to move items 10a, 7a, 9a, 12, 7c, 8b, 15c, 15d, 18a and 18f
to be heard next on the agenda
10. COUNCIL SITTING AS
BEVERAGE LICENSING BOARD
a. Public hearing and potential action regarding
an application received from the Charlestown Chamber of Commerce for the
Charlestown Seafood Festival for a Class F Liquor License for the 29th Annual
Charlestown Chamber of Commerce Seafood Festival to be held at Ninigret Park on
August 2-alcohol served 12:00 pm until 10:00 pm, August 3-alcohol served 11:00
am until 10:00 pm, August 4-alcohol served 11:00 am until 9:00 pm
7. UNFINISHED
BUSINESS
a. Discussion and potential action regarding Church Woods
and Shannock Cottages financing and RI Housing update NOTE:
these projects are having funding problems and may die. Hopefully they won’t,
but funding is tough to get under present political circumstances.
9. PUBLIC
HEARINGS
a. Public hearing and potential
action regarding the 2013 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Activity
Ranking.
12. CONSENT
AGENDA All items marked with “CA” are to be considered consent agenda That means that all of
these items will be approved as a bloc without discussion or debate.
Motion to accept approve and place on file the
following as the consent agenda: 8a, 11a, 11b, 13a, 13b, 16a, 16b, 17a, 17b,
17c, 17d, 18b, 18c, 18d and 18e
8. NEW
BUSINESS
“CA” a. Discussion and potential action regarding the waiver of
§158-34 of the Code of the Town of Charlestown for the Northeast Skim Tour skim boarding
event at Charlestown Town Beach on June 30, 2013 (Rain date: July 1,
2013), at the request of the Parks and Recreation Commission
11. LICENSES AND PERMITS
“CA” a. Approval of the following 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:
Park Reservation: July
28 – August 7, 2013
Camping: 200 maximum
campers (RV’s)
Insurance: $2 million
general liability; $2 million liquor liability; $5 million amusement liability;
$5 million pyrotechnics
Fireworks: No charge for
parking during fireworks
Fee: $9,000
Park Reservation:
9/24/13 – 9/5/13
Camping: yes
Insurance: $2 million
general liability; $2 million liquor liability
Fee: $9000
Park Reservation:
Spring
Games: Saturdays and Sundays from April 6, 2013 – July 2, 2013
Spring
practice: Monday – Thursday from March 10, 2013 – June 30, 2013
Fall
games: Saturdays and Sundays, August 20, 2013 – November 4, 2013
Fall
practice: Tuesdays and Thursday, August 6, 2013 – November 2, 2013
Camping: no
Insurance: $2 million
general liability with RI Youth Soccer Association
Fee: Waived in exchange
for field maintenance
Park Reservation: May 5,
2013
Camping: No
Insurance: $1 million
general liability
Fee: Waived (Non-Profit)
“CA” b. Application for a Peddler’s License for Luca’s Coffee and Ice Cream, subject to receipt of
all required Local approvals and State licenses
13. MINUTES AND REPORTS
“CA” a. Town Council Minutes:
February 25, 2013 (Executive and Regular); March 6, 2013; March 11, 2013 (Executive and Regular); March 20, 2013
“CA” b. Reports:
·
Building Official – March 2013 Permits were issued for $818,646 worth of work, but none of it
for new construction;
·
Planner – March 2013 No report included on Clerkbase;
·
Police Chief – February, March 2013 Calls have been rising steadily so far this year;
·
Public Works Director – February 2013 This winter’s storms took its toll on supplies and
equipment (and presumably the workers);
·
Town Clerk – March 2013 No report included on Clerkbase;
·
Treasurer – February 2013 Charlestown has more than $10 million in the bank;
·
Wastewater Manager – March 2013 Important piece of information – the loan fund to
help residents pay for new wastewater systems is currently EMPTY.
16. COMMUNICATIONS AND
PETITIONS
“CA” a. Memo from Jay Primiano, Director of
Parks and Recreation, containing summer employee recommendations
“CA” b. Letter received from Ocean State Work Camp
17. APPOINTMENTS AND
RESIGNATIONS
“CA” a. Appointment of Donna Chambers to
the Chariho Funding ad hoc Subcommittee No
Clerkbase documents for Chambers – I guess she’s no longer required to apply or
provide supporting documents to back up her claims that she is an educational
expert. Being a CCA acolyte is good enough
“CA” b. Appointment of Dennis E. Evans as Traffic Constables as recommended by the
Chief of Police, term to expire January 2014
“CA” c. Acceptance of the resignation of Suzanne Ferrio from the Affordable Housing Commission with
regret
“CA” d. Appointment of Ryan J. Campbell to the Parks and
Recreation Commission, term to expire in January 2015
18. FISCAL MATTERS
“CA” b. Award of the bid for Electrical Installation at
the Pump House, Charlestown Town Beach to Nolin Electric,
Inc. in the amount of $5,662.00 ($4,246.50 to be reimbursed by FEMA and
$1,415.50 to be expended from the Facilities Maintenance Fund) and
authorization for the Town Administrator to execute any contract documents
“CA” c. Award of the bid for the sale of Portable Toilet
Trailer Systems to Thomas W. Burdick in the amount of
$1,750.00
“CA” d. Approval for reimbursement to Dolores &
Bruce Tirri for an amount not to exceed $500.00 for
repairs to an outside shower damages by a downed tree located on Town property
during Superstorm Sandy
 |
| This map re-sizes RI cities and towns based on their actual population. See if you can find Charlestown. Then try to imagine how much clout Tom Gentz has at the State House |
7. UNFINISHED
BUSINESS
c. Discussion and potential action regarding the prioritization of changes to LMIH
law as communicated through the Affordable Housing Commission. Town Council boss Tom Gentz and his CCA Party colleagues
think Charlestown can lead a rural revolt to overturn the state’s affordable
housing law. Except the support from Rhode Island’s rural towns is pretty
tepid. The only RI town anyway near Charlestown in its anti-affordable housing
fervor is Barrington.
18. FISCAL MATTERS
a. Approval of Beach fees as recommended by the Parks and Recreation
Commission:
Season Passes:
Resident/Taxpayer Beach
Sticker: $45
Resident/Taxpayer Beach Sticker –
Senior: $25
Non Resident (Blue Shutters
Only): $90
Non Resident (Blue Shutters Only)
– Senior: $50
Cottage Passes: $400
Daily Entrance
Fee:
Charlestown
Beach
Weekday: $15
Weekend/Holidays: $20
Blue
Shutters Beach
Weekday: $15
Weekend/Holidays: $20
f. Adoption of a tentative 2013-2014 Budget for presentation
at the Budget Public Hearing on May 6, 2013 (per Charter C-81)
3. PUBLIC COMMENT for items not
on the Agenda
4. COUNCIL COMMENTS
5. PERSONS WISHING TO BE HEARD
a. Kim Zito - Request
from Chariho Youth Soccer for an agreement with the Town for the
use of fields at Ninigret Park
6. ADMINISTRATOR, SOLICITOR,
COMMISSION REPORTS
7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
b. Discussion
and potential action regarding the formation of a Chariho Act Subcommittee
d. Discussion
and potential action regarding the affirmation of the March 11, 2013 Town
Council vote to appoint Donna Chambers (no Clerkbase documents provided for this meeting – click here to see Chambers’ very sketchy application, along with the more
extensive applicants from the two more qualified applicants Chambers competed
against at last month’s meeting) to
the Chariho Regional District School Committee
 |
| Crocodile Dan Slattery thinks the "Australian Ballot" is perfectly compatible with Open Meetings Act |
Click here to read about the Open Meetings Act complaint brought against the
Council for violating the state Open Meetings Act when it used a secret (called
an “Australian Ballot” by Crocodile Dan Slattery) to pick CCA acolyte Chambers
for this position.
According to the
discussion at the April 3 agenda meeting, Town Solicitor Peter Ruggiero told
the Council to re-do the vote. Clearly he understood that secret ballots at
open Council meetings are illegal. This IS NOT an actual re-do, but as advertised in the official agenda, it is an AFFIRMATION of an
illegal vote already taken, NOT a do-over.
NOTE, however, by the time the Council reaches this point in the actual order of business, Chambers will have already been appointed (see
item 17.a. in the consent agenda, above) to the Chariho funding subcommittee.
While that’s different than the School Committee, it’s still tacky.
8. NEW BUSINESS
b. Discussion
and potential action regarding drafting an amendment to the Town Ordinance
regarding the prohibition of smoking at the Town’s
Beaches and Parks
14. ANNOUNCEMENTS
a. Board
and Commission vacancies
NOTE: I will be very surprised if the Council gets
this far before its 10 PM curfew.
15. ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS AND
PROCLAMATIONS
a. Discussion
and potential action regarding a resolution opposing Contract Continuation Legislation (S-365,
S-777 and H-5699) Charlestown’s
resolution would oppose a pending bill aimed at PREVENTING teacher strikes by
allowing existing contracts to stay in place until new ones are put in their
place. The resolution before the Council is a “screw you” resolution to
teachers.
b. Discussion
and potential action regarding a resolution supporting Mutual Aid
Agreements between the Charlestown and Richmond
Police Departments
c. Introduction
and first reading of Ordinance #355 amending Chapter
192, Taxation, Article V. Tax Relief for Disabled Persons, to be advertised for
public hearing on May 13, 2013
d. Introduction
and first reading of Ordinance #356 amending Chapter
192, Taxation, Article IA. Additional Elderly Low Income Tax Benefit Programs
to be advertised for public hearing on May 13, 2013. NOTE:
these two property tax credit ordinances are primarily procedural tweaks of
existing law. They are among the several tax exemption programs Charlestown already
has on the books. Click here to read more about the others.
e. Discussion
and potential action regarding the support of H5636 – “Joint Resolution Making an
Appropriation of $258,866 for Cranston and $158,290 for Chariho in
the Fiscal Year 2013-2014”
None