May 2, 2026 - Special Town Council Budget Meeting
THIS MEETING CAN BE HEARD IN ITS ENTIRETY ON THE TOWN OF MIDDLETOWN WEBSITE WWW.MIDDLETOWNRI.COM OR THE DVD IS AVAILABLE AT THE MIDDLETOWN LIBRARY.
At a Special Meeting of the Town Council of the Town of Middletown, RI at the Middletown Town Hall, 350 East Main Road, Middletown, RI in person, on Saturday, May 2, 2026 at 8:02 A.M.
Council President Paul M. Rodrigues, Presiding
Vice President Thomas P. Welch, III
Councilor Peter D. Connerton, Sr.
Councilor Christopher M. Logan
Councilor Charles R. Roberts
Councilor Dennis B. Turano
Councilor Barbara A. VonVillas, Members Present
POSTED – APRIL 28, 2026
SPECIAL MEETING – MAY 2, 2026
The following items of business, having been filed with the Town Clerk under the Rules of the Council, will come before the Council at a special meeting to be held on Saturday, May 2, 2026, 8:00 A.M. at the Middletown Town Hall, 350 East Main Road, Middletown, Rhode Island. Said meeting will be conducted in person. Virtual access will also be provided by telephone conference call/ webinar and members of the public may access and listen to the meeting in real-time by calling 1-877-853-5257 (Toll Free) or 1-888-475-4499 (Toll Free) and entering Meeting ID: 822 8309 8408 or on the web at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82283098408 ; **however, virtual access is being provided only as a convenience and is not an official "location" where access to the meeting is guaranteed. Being physically present at the meeting is the only way to guarantee complete access to the meeting, as the meeting will not be paused or rescheduled if the virtual access fails. **
Wendy J.W. Marshall, MMC
Town Clerk
Town of Middletown
Town Hall – 350 East Main Road
Middletown, Rhode Island 02842
Dear Ms. Marshall:
Pursuant to the provisions of Article II, Section 203 of the Town Charter and in accordance with Sections 42-46-2., 42-46-4., 42-46-5., and 42-46-6., RIGL, I hereby call a Special Meeting of the Town Council to formally consider, discuss and act upon the following items of business. All items on this agenda, may be considered, discussed and voted upon.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
BUDGET
1. Receipt of Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Budget.
2. Review of Town of Middletown Proposed Budgets and Capital Improvement Plan, General Fund, Parks & Recreation Fund, Sewer Fund and Refuse & Recycling Fund of the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 and matter related thereto.
3. Communication of William Niemeyer, Superintendent of Schools, re: Middletown Public School Budget Fiscal Year July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027- In accordance: Article VIII – Section 812 – Town Charter.
Said meeting will be held at the Middletown Town Hall, 350 East Main Road, Middletown, Rhode Island 02842 on Saturday, May 2, 2026 at 8:00 A.M. _____
Paul M. Rodrigues, President
Middletown Town Council
cc : Town Council Public Library Finance Director
Town Administrator Town Solicitor School Committee
Posted on April 28, 2026, at Middletown Town Hall, Middletown Public Library and Secretary of State Web Site.
Also present were Town Administrator Shawn Brown, Finance Director Marc Tanguay, Deputy Finance Director Patrick Guthlein, Budget Analyst Carol Melrose and Town Solicitor Peter B. Regan.
1. Receipt of Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Budget.
On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive FY2026-2027 Budget.
2. Review of Town of Middletown Proposed Budgets and Capital Improvement Plan, General Fund, Parks & Recreation Fund, Sewer Fund and Refuse & Recycling Fund of the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 and matter related thereto.
On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to begin review of Town of Middletown Proposed Budgets and Capital Improvement Plan, General Fund, Parks & Recreation Fund, Sewer Fund and Refuse & Recycling Fund of the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 and matters related thereto.
Town Administrator Shawn Brown addressed the Council thanking them for scheduling this meeting and thanking the Department Heads for their work. Mr. Brown reviewed the following Town of Middletown 12-Month horizon:
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Council President Rodrigues noted challenges of the budget and the need to work together.
Town Administrator Shawn Brown noted that within the Town Department’s budgets,
including Library and School, all have an increase in medical insurance.
__Planning Department Budget (Planning /Economic Development)– Pages 177-176 __
Town Planner Ronald Wolanski was present to answer Council inquiries.
The following Planning Budget slide was reviewed:
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Discussion centered around the Town Planner giving an overview of the Planning Department, implementation of the New Comprehensive Community Plan, Dunlap Wheeler Park project, resilience work and the reduction in the Planning Budget.
Finance Director Marc Tanguay reviewed the Rate and Levy slide, entered here:
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Building Department Budget (Building/Zoning)– Pages 168-176
Building Official Chris Costa was present to answer Council inquiries.
The following Building Budget slide was reviewed:
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Discussion centered around that permit fees are set by the State.
Town Administrator’s Budget – Pages 108-114
Town Administrator Shawn Brown was present to answer Council inquires.
Public Affairs Officer Matthew Sheley was present to answer Council inquires.
The following Town Administrator Department slide was reviewed:
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Discussion centered around the Public Affairs area is within the Town Administrator’s budget, health and medical insurance is a statewide issue and requesting assistance from the state representatives regarding medical insurance.
Tax Assessor/Collection Department Budget – Pages 126-133
Tax Assessor George Durgin was present to answer Council inquiries.
The following Tax Assessor Department Budget slide was reviewed:
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Discussion centered around the revaluation process this year, there is a separate webpage with revaluation information for the public, there is increase in overtime for the staff, printing and billing in the Tax Assessor proposed budget.
Town Clerk’s Department Budget – Pages 134-143
Town Clerk Wendy J.W. Marshall was present to answer Council inquiries.
The following Town Clerk Department slide was reviewed:
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Discussion centered around the functions in the Town Clerk’s Office and the budget has increased due to the elections.
Information Technology Department Budget – Pages 144-150
IT Director Matthew Wainwright was present to answer Council inquiries.
The following Information Technology Budget slide was reviewed:
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Discussion centered around cyber security throughout the Town, protecting Town data, AI, consulting services and having the Town IT Department merge with the School IT Department.
Non-Department Specific Budget – Pages 240 – 248
Finance Director Marc Tanguay and Deputy Finance Director Patrick Guthlein were present to answer Council inquiries.
The following Non-Department Specific slide was reviewed:
(Pages 10 and 11 from the presentation) Enter here
Discussion centered around phase II of the school bond has no tax increase for the residents and the first reimbursement for the school bond is year 2029.
On motion of Council President Rodrigues, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to recess this meeting at 9:28 am.
On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to reconvene this meeting at 9:41 am.
Non-Department Specific Budget – Page 42
Deputy Finance Director Patrick Guthlein reviewed the following
The following Non-Department Specific slide was reviewed:
(Page 9 of slide presentation) Enter here
Discussion centered around hotel tax, money for road repairs, and the CIP ordinance.
Town Solicitor/Town Council/Boards & Committees Budget – Pages 157-166
Finance Director Marc Tanguay was present to answer Council inquiries.
The following Town Solicitor/Town Council/Boards/Committees slide was reviewed:
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Discussion centered around the budget increase is due to hiring election workers for the two elections and the Affordable Housing consultant fee.
Finance Office Budget – Pages 115-125
Finance Director Marc Tanguay and Deputy Finance Director Patrick Guthlein were present to answer Council inquiries.
The following Finance Department Budget slide was reviewed:
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Discussion centered around working on consolidation of the School and Finance Departments, the Finance Department will be relocating to the new Library building, the department is fully staffed and how the Town allocates the space and what area of the library building is the bond.
Support Services Budget – Pages 151-157
Shared Facilities Director Ed Collins was present to answer Council inquiries.
The following Support Services slide was reviewed:
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Discussion centered around general maintenance of the Town and School buildings, electronic card access to Town facilities to be implemented and the current workorder system.
Fire Department Budget - Pages 197-207
Fire Chief Robert McCall was present to answer Council inquiries.
The following Fire Department slide was reviewed:
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Discussion centered around Fire Department Training, mental health related emergency calls, the Situation Table program, the Capital Improvement Budget, staffing and the number of calls yearly.
Police Budget – Pages 184-196
Police Chief Jason Ryan, Deputy Police Chief Cliff McGregor and Administrative Assistant Lisa Sisson were present to answer Council inquiries.
The following Police Department slide was reviewed:
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Discussion centered around Police Department accomplishments, mental health related police calls, mental health training for Police Officers, the summer intern program, school zone speed cameras and the increase cost of healthcare.
Department of Public Works Budget – Pages 208-220
DPW Director Robert Hanley, Recycling Coordinator and Operations & Facility Manager Will Cronin and Town Engineer John Mello were present to answer Council inquiries.
The following Public Works Department slide was reviewed:
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Discussion centered around staffing for the department, vehicle and equipment purchases in the Capital Improvement Program, red roads, drainage, tracking costs of projects and a structural study for the DPW buildings.
Sewer Department Budget – Pages 96 - 102
DPW Director Robert Hanley, Recycling Coordinator and Operations & Facility Manager Will Cronin and Town Engineer John Mello were present to answer Council inquiries.
The following Sewer Fund slide was reviewed:
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Discussion centered around a Town sewer study and the cost of the clarifier replacement with the City of Newport.
DPW Director Robert Hanley, Recycling Coordinator and Operations & Facility Manager Will Cronin and Town Engineer John Mello were present to answer Council inquiries.
The following Parks & Recreation Fund slide was reviewed:
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Discussion centered around the sale of beach passes, sales tax on beach parking, credit card availability at the beach and staffing.
Refuse and Recycling Department Budget – Pages 103 - 107
DPW Director Robert Hanley, Recycling Coordinator and Operations & Facility Manager Will Cronin and Town Engineer John Mello were present to answer Council inquiries.
The following Refuse & Recycling Fund slides were reviewed:
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Discussion centered around the increase in the user fee and the PAY-AS-YOU-THROW program.
Library Budget – Pages 221-229
Library Director Kimberly Usselman and Assistant Library Director Sue Connor, Library Chair Joan Defiis and Vice Chair Holly Johnson were present to answer Council inquiries.
The following Library Budget slide was reviewed:
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Library Chair Joan Definis addressed the Council thanking them for their support and requesting additional funding in their budget.
Discussion centered around staffing, custodial services and their budget request.
On motion of Vice Present Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to recess this meeting at 1:11 pm.
On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to reconvene this meeting at 1:20 pm.
Council President Rodrigues recused himself from acting on the following Senior Center Budget discussion, due to a possible conflict of interest.
Vice President Welch presiding.
Senior Center Budget – Pages 230-235
Senior Citizens Director Arleen Kaull was present to answer Council inquiries.
The following Senior Center Budget slide was reviewed:
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Senior Center Director Arleen Kaull reviewed the following:
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Discussion centered around the thrift shop, food pantry at the Senior Center, grant funding for programs and activities, mental health and affordable housing for seniors.
Council President Rodrigues presiding.
Middletown Prevention Coalition Budget – Pages 236 - 243
MPC Director Lori Verderosa was present to answer Council inquiries.
The following Middletown Prevention Coalition Budget slide was reviewed:
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MPC Director Lori Verderosa reviewed the following:
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Discussion centered around mental health/first aid program and grant funding.
Outreach Department Budget – Pages 234 - 239
Town Administrator Shawn Brown was present to answer Council inquiries.
The following Outreach Department Budget slide was reviewed:
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Discussion centered around civic appropriations funding, and this is the last year for ARPA funding.
3. Communication of William Niemeyer, Superintendent of Schools, re: Middletown Public School Budget Fiscal Year July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027- In accordance: Article VIII – Section 812 – Town Charter.
Enter Communication
On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive said communication.
Present representing the School Department were School Superintendent William Niemeyer, Assistant Superintendent of Schools Michelle Fonseca, and Business Manager Lauren Babbit.
Superintendent of School William Neimeyer reviewed the following:
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Discussion centered around current enrollment, enrollment projections, potential positions being eliminated, the school department is requesting a 4% allocation, the Beyond the Bell program , transportation costs, fund balance and shared facilities.
The following are questions/inquires by the Town Council from this meeting.
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School Committee Chair Greg Huet addressed the Council noting that he has gone to the State House and testified to bills regarding special education and school transportation costs.
Council President Rodrigues noted the Public Hearings on the budget will be held on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 and Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at 6:00 p.m.
On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to adjourn said meeting at 3:06 p.m.
Wendy J.W. Marshall, MMC
Council Clerk
Supporting documentation is available at http://clerkshq.com/default.ashx?clientsite=Middletown-ri