Minutes 2026-03-09

PORTSMOUTH TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
MARCH 9, 2026

MINUTES

7:00 PM – Town Council Chambers, Portsmouth Town Hall, 2200 East Main Road
MEMBERS PRESENT: David M. Gleason, Keith E. Hamilton, Mary A. McDowell, Sharlene
Patton, Juan Carlos Payero, and David Reise
ABSENT: Sondra Blank
Time: 7:00 PM

EMERGENCY EVACUATION PLAN

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

SITTING AS THE PORTSMOUTH TOWN COUNCIL

1. Roll Call
PRESIDENT’S EXECUTIVE SUMMARY – No Executive Session held. Mr. Hamilton
congratulated both the Varsity and Freshman boys basketball teams on winning their state
championship games.
CONSENT AGENDA – Motion to receive as presented made by Mr. Gleason, seconded by Mr.
Payero. Motion passed unanimously.
Directions to view licensing applications: 1) Click OpenGov, 2) Click Search, 3) Click Records, and then
type in the record number listed on the agenda, 4) Click on the highlighted record to view the application.
1. Bills
Payment Voucher #1344 on 2/19/26 in the amount of $152,240.78 as approved by the
Finance Director
2. Committee Minutes:
Solid Waste and Recycling 2/12/2026
Conservation Commission 1/15/2026
Parks and Recreation 1/15/2026
3. Peddler License – Mobile Food Establishment (MFE), Renewal:
The Perky Turkey LLC, 28 Prescott Ave, Riverside (#9408)
MINUTES – Motion to approve the minutes made by Mr. Gleason, seconded by Mr. Payero.
Motion passed unanimously.
2/25/26 & Exec.

TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

1. Transfer station and curbside sales update – As of February 28th, we have: 93 households on
Prudence Island signed up for the PI transfer station; 2,043 mainland households using the Hedly
Street transfer station; and, 3,224 signed up for curbside. We will present the proposed Transfer
Station and Curbside FY27 Budgets and recommended pricing at the March 23rd Council meeting.
2. FY27 Budget update – A second review of Town department budgets will wrap up this week.
The School Committee was planning to conclude their review of the School Dept budget at their
meeting tomorrow night. Unfortunately, we received the anticipated Health and Dental rates for
FY27 today and they are significantly higher than the School and Town planned for (16.47% for

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Page 2
Health, and Dental will be 9.14% or just over 11% pending a decision by the Trust’s Board). The
School Dept will review this at their meeting tomorrow and we will re-work the proposed budget
incorporating the higher rates. The proposed FY27 Town Budget is on track to be submitted to the
Council on the 27th.
3. Founders Day event – Last Friday we held a Founders Day ceremony in Town Hall to mark the
388th anniversary of the Portsmouth Compact and the founding of our community in 1638. The
event was well attended and we were honored to have Rhode Island Secretary of State Greg Amore
as a speaker, along with Stephen Luce from the Portsmouth Historical Society, who shared some
historical perspective on the Compact and Portsmouth’s early days. The Newport Artillery Co. also
participated as the Compact Honor Guard, and attendees had the opportunity to view a rare public
display of the original Portsmouth Compact. I’d like to thank the Portsmouth Historical Society, the
Newport Artillery Company, and Town staff who helped make the event possible.
4. Blizzard of 2026 re-cap – Given the weather today, it is hard to believe we were in the midst of a
blizzard just two weeks ago. Overall, our Public Works team did an outstanding job responding to
what was a significant snow event. Crews began pretreating roads and mobilizing early, and once
the storm intensified, they worked continuously to keep primary roads open and support access to
emergency services. Given the amount of snow we received, the cleanup and road widening
continued for several days afterward. We also coordinated closely with our Police and Fire Depts,
who handled storm-related calls and helped monitor road conditions across town. Fortunately, we
did not experience any major emergencies during the storm. We did experience a power outage
affecting a portion of town during the storm, but DPW worked to support Rhode Island Energy’s
response efforts and power was restored as fast as the weather conditions allowed. Overall, I want
to thank our Public Works, Police, Fire, Emergency Management, and administrative staff for their
efforts during the storm. It was a strong team response and helped the Town return to normal
operations quickly.
5. Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns Annual Convention – Lastly, just another reminder
the RILCT Annual Convention is coming up on Thursday, March 19. Registration for the event will
continue through this Friday.
NEW BUSINESS (Discussion/Action)
1. Request Council approval of Historic Register acknowledgement letter to the Rhode Island
Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission. – Motion to send an acknowledgement letter
to the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission made by Mr. Gleason,
seconded by Mr. Payero. Motion passed unanimously.
2. Request to advertise for a public hearing for Community Development Block Grant
Applications. – No vote taken.
3. Request approval of Auditor selection for follow-on submission to the Auditor General for State
approval to contract with selected auditing firm. – Motion to approve the selection of Hague,
Sahady & Co. made by Mr. Gleason, seconded by Mr. Payero. Motion passed unanimously.
4. Request authorization to issue a Town-wide informational mailing to households not currently
enrolled in either of Portsmouth’s authorized waste disposal programs. The purpose is to inform
residents of the available programs and encourage participation to improve program
sustainability and ensure compliance with the Town’s waste disposal framework. Mailing costs
are proposed to be funded through available grant funds awarded for public education and
outreach related to waste and recycling programs. – Motion to approve the mailing made by Ms.
McDowell, seconded by Mr. Payero. Motion passed unanimously.

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CORRESPONDENCE – Motion to receive on file items 1-7 and to place item 8 on the March 23,
2026 New Business made by Mr. Payero, seconded by Mr. Gleason. Motion passed unanimously.
1. Letter of support of the recommendations put forth in the Blue Ribbon Commission’s report:
Equalizing Opportunity: Creating a Fair and Transparent Funding System for Rhode Island’s
Public Schools. / Burrillville Town Council
2. Joint Municipal Statement supporting Portsmouth’s resolution in support of municipalities
collaborating in reviewing, analyzing, and responding to the 2025 affordable housing laws. /
Burrillville Town Council
3. Resolution in Support of Municipalities Collaborating in Reviewing, Analyzing, and Responding
to the 2025 Affordable Housing Laws. / Hopkinton Town Council
4. Resolution in Support of Municipalities Collaborating in Reviewing, Analyzing, and Responding
to the 2025 Affordable Housing Laws. / Tiverton Town Council
5. Resolution in Support of H7123-H7125, H7294, H7296 and H7297 Relating to Low and
Moderate Income Housing, comprehensive permits, parking, and Development Timelines in
Tiverton. / Tiverton Town Council
6. Resolution in Support of H7292, H7293, and H7372 Relating to Land Use, Housing, and Zoning
in Tiverton. / Tiverton Town Council
7. Portsmouth Water and Fire District’s Quarterly Financial Reports for the period ending January
31, 2026. / N. Larsen, Senior Accountant, Portsmouth Water and Fire District
8. Resolution in Support of Establishing Reimbursement for Community Paramedic Programs. /
South Kingstown Town Council
FUTURE MEETINGS
Mar 16 7:00 PM – Town Council Meeting – Public Hearing Sign Ordinance
Mar 23 7:00 PM – Town Council Meeting
Apr 13 7:00 PM – Town Council Meeting
ADJOURN – Motion to adjourn made by Mr. Gleason, seconded by Mr. Payero. Motion passed
unanimously.
Time: 7:40 pm

________

Jennifer M. West, CMC, Town Clerk