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| Charlestown Town Council rolls again |
Here is the official Town Council agenda with some preview commentary from me shown in bold red lettering.
There are some
items of special note. Appearing early in the meeting is discussion by the
Council of who to appoint to replace the late Richard Hosp on the Budget
Commission.
There are three qualified candidates. Past precedent – indeed, made almost a sacred precedent by the CCA Party – is to appoint from among qualified candidates based on the order their applications were received.
There are three qualified candidates. Past precedent – indeed, made almost a sacred precedent by the CCA Party – is to appoint from among qualified candidates based on the order their applications were received.
Using
that criteria, the appointment should go to Priscilla Flynn. However, Budget
Commission chair recommends skipping over her and going instead to Robert
Krause. There’s a lot of politics behind this one.
There are a
flurry of new ordinances and resolutions on this meeting’s agenda but two that
interested me both relate to issues that rose during the long controversy over
the Copar Quarry, and both show how ineffectual the CCA Party-led Town Council has been and continues to be on the issues.
The first is an
ordinance to change business licenses, but instead of adding a long-needed “bad
actor” provision that would have kept Copar out of Charlestown, all this
ordinance does is offer a symbolic cut in the annual business license fee.
The second is
yet another version of a Council resolution asking the General Assembly to intervene
on the matter of regulating quarries. After two years, we’re still stuck at
this stage. Except this year, this resolution will have to be carrying by two
new General Assembly members – Rep. Flip Filippi and Sen. Elaine Morgan – who have
no political clout at the State House whatsoever and little ability to move
this resolution. The Council will probably once again blame the legislature for
its own gutless inaction.
But the most
serious item on the agenda is, as usual, stuck at the end of the agenda. This
is a resolution calling for a new $2 million open space bond question to be put
before the voters. This time, the CCA Party left off “recreation” and seem to
want this money to be given to the Council (actually more likely to Planning
Commissar Ruth Platner) a Amex Platinum card with a $2 million credit limit for
open space acquisition with no further voter accountability.
This measure
demonstrates that the CCA Party town leadership have learned NOTHING from the
bloody battles fought over the beach pavilions, Ninigret Park, the YMCA Y-Gate scandal and the Whalerock controversy.
REGULAR MEETING
CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
PERSONS WISHING TO BE HEARD
A. Robin Spears –
Presentation of Hand Crafted Narragansett Tribal Ceremonial Dance Sticks,
Tomahawks, and Other Unique Items
And I suppose in return for these gifts, Boss Gentz and the other CCA Party Council members will declare an end to the town's perpetual war against the Tribe.
And I suppose in return for these gifts, Boss Gentz and the other CCA Party Council members will declare an end to the town's perpetual war against the Tribe.
AUDIT REPORT
A. Discussion and
Potential Action Regarding the Presentation of the 2014 Fiscal Year Audit by Cayer Caccia LLP
PUBLIC COMMENT
COUNCIL COMMENTS
APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS
A. Discussion and
Potential Action Regarding an Appointment to the Budget Commission, Term to
Expire in June of 2016, with a Recommendation from the Commission Chair.
Applications Received from Priscilla J. Flynn, Arthur Haskins and Robert W.
Krause.
BC
Chair recommends Haskins over Priscilla Flynn and Robert Krause even though Ms.
Flynn is not only highly qualified, but has had her application on file since
June 2014, whereas Krause only applied last month. Watch this decision for more
signs of CCA Party patronage over past precedent.
B. Discussion and
Potential Action Regarding the Reappointment of Ryan J. Campbell and David E.
Currier to the Parks and Recreation Commission with a Term to Expire in January
of 2018.
Normally,
reappointments to the Parks & Recreation Commission are handled
as consent agenda items. Maybe the CCA Party has decided to turn its attention
to P&R and to replacing those commissioners with CCA Party loyalists, such as
Arnolda residents intent on shutting down human activity in Ninigret Park.
ADMINISTRATOR and COMMISSION REPORTS
A. Administrator Report
B. Commission Reports
CONSENT AGENDA
Motion to
accept, approve and place on file the following as the consent agenda: “CA” A –
“CA” G. These items will not be discussed or debated
nor public comment allowed. They will be voted on as a bloc.
"CA" A. Town Council Minutes:
1. January 7
2. January 12 (Executive and
Regular)
3. January 26 (Emergency)
4. February 2
"CA"
B. Reports:
1. Building Official
- January 2015
2. Town Clerk
- January 2015 – Four deaths and no births in January as Charlestown’s
shrinkage continues.
3. Treasurer's Report
- December 2014
4. Wastewater -
December 2014
"CA"
C. Discussion and
Potential Action Regarding Reappointments to Agricultural Preservation: Nancy
B. Hedgpeth and Michael Merner as
Full Members, with Terms to Expire in January of 2018; John Patrick Barrett and
Susan W. Barrett as Alternates, with Terms to Expire in January of 2016
"CA"
D. Discussion and
Potential Action Regarding the Reappointment of Charles F. Connery to the
Conservation Commission with a Term to Expire in January of 2018
"CA"
E. Discussion and
Potential Action Regarding the Reappointment of Lara Wibeto to the Juvenile Hearing Board with a
Term to Expire in February of 2018
"CA" F. Award of
the 2015 Beach Concession Bids for Both the Town Beach and Blue Shutters
Beach for an Amount of $5,107.00 for Blue Shutters and $5,507.00 for
Charlestown Town Beach, and Authorization of the Town Administrator and Town
Treasurer, Each, to Take Any and All Such Actions, and Execute and Deliver Such
Certificates, Receipts or Other Documents as May be Necessary to Carry into
Effect the Foregoing, or Any Action Relative Thereto.
Johnny
Angels Clam Shack wins the bid again.
"CA" G. Approval of
the Request from the Nature Conservancy for Property Tax Exemption for Map
24, Lot 1-2.
This
grants the Conservancy tax-free status for the new property it acquired last
month (the old United Nuclear property) even though that land was zoned for
potential business use under Charlestown Holy of Holies, the Comprehensive
Plan.
ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS AND PROCLAMATIONS
A. Introduction and
First Reading of Ordinance #370 – Chapter 218, Zoning Map Amendment (Edna
M. Mckenzie Irrevocable Living Trust, Dated
10-07-2008, 169 Sanctuary Road, Tax Assessor’s Map 17, Lot 108), to be
Advertised for Public Hearing on March 9, 2015
PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. Public Hearing
and Potential Action Regarding Ordinance #369 – Chapter 149-37 Taxation
Purpose; Chapter 149-38 Taxation Definitions; Chapter 149-39 Taxation
Administration; Chapter 149-40 Taxation Noncompliance and Revocation of Reduced
Tax Assessment
B. Continuation of
Public Hearing and Potential Action Regarding Ordinance #365 – Chapter
218-52. Residential Cluster
Subdivision
C. Continuation of
Public Hearing and Potential Action Regarding Ordinance #366 – Chapter
218-54. Residential
Compound and Chapter 218-55. Rear
Lot Subdivision
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| Why does Charlestown continue to issue licenses and contracts without background checks? |
If
you were waiting for the Town Council to finally enact a “Bad Actor” ordinance
to require the town to consider the legal and financial track record of
businesses seeking town licenses, you are wrong. This one simply cuts the
annual fee from $25 to $10. This will neither encourage new businesses from
coming to Charlestown (or staying), given all the other things Charlestown does
to drive business out, nor will it vet undesirable businesses (e.g. Copar
Quarry) from entering the town.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
A. Discussion and
Potential Action Regarding the Receipt of an Offer from Attorney Joseph A.
Priestly, Jr. to Donate Land Owned by Mary L. Lucey (AP 16, Lots
6-1, 13 and 13-1) to the Town of Charlestown, with Advisory Opinions from the
Conservation Commission, Planning Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission,
Building Official, Town Solicitor and Town Planner
B. Discussion and
Potential Action Regarding a Resolution Relative to the Regulation of Earth
Removal, Gravel Extraction and Blasting
This
is yet another installment of meaningless and ineffective activity by the Town
Council to deal with the problems posed by present and potential future mining
operations in Charlestown.
NEW BUSINESS
A. Discussion and
Potential Action Regarding a DEM Conservation Easement for Charlestown
Moraine Preserve.
There is no paperwork connected to this item. Presumably, the
Council plans to lock up the property so it can never be used by granting a
conservation easement to DEM.
If indeed this is the plan, watch to see whether this would
place the groundwater under the moraine under DEM’s control to tap as they see
fit in the future.
B. Discussion and
Potential Action on a $2 Million Open Space Bond Referendum.
Well,
we knew this was going to be coming…The CCA Party-dominated Council wants to
put a $2 million blank check in front of the voters when the special Budget
referendum is held. That’s customarily one of times when there is the lowest
voter turn-out.
What
makes this $2 million bond issue different than the one we used up when the
town bought the land out from under the proposed Whalerock wind turbine project
is that it leaves out “Recreation” as a potential use.
CCA
Party leader Cliff Vanover was rabid on the subject of using the last bond
issue for anything other than open space acquisition even though the voters
approved the money for “Open Space AND Recreation.”
But that "problem" is solved this time by simply omitting “Recreation.”
This
bond proposal also fails to resolve another sticking point that came up during
debate over the beach pavilions, the aborted YMCA camp scam and the Whalerock property
buy. That problem is when should a SPECIFIC project go before the voters. The
beach pavilions did; Whalerock did not and if public outcry had not stopped the
Y-Gate scam, that would have been a backroom deal, too.
This
looks to me like a blank check to the CCA Party and as written, a bad deal for
Charlestown taxpayers.
C. Discussion and
Potential Action on a Request to Have the Planning Commission Draft a
Municipal Government Subsidy Ordinance for LMIH (Low and Moderate Income
Housing)