Jan. 20, 2026 - Regular 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 Regular 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 Tuesday, January 20, 2026 at 5:00  P.M.

Members Present:

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

POSTED – JANUARY14, 2026

REGULAR MEETING JANUARY 20, 2026

TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF MIDDLETOWN, RHODE ISLAND

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 regular meeting to be held on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, 5:00 P.M. Executive Session, 5:30 P.M. Workshop – 5 Year Budget Forecast Review 6:00 P.M. School Committee – Pre-Budget Consultation and 6:30 P.M. Regular Meeting 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: 874 8010 8347 or on the web at  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87480108347  ; **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.  **

If you choose to join the meeting by zoom or telephone, Council Rules allow for the Public to speak only during the Public Forum and Public Hearings. If calling in by telephone, pressing 9 raises your hand and pressing 6 will unmute.

The items listed on the Consent portion of the agenda are to be considered routine by the Town Council and will ordinarily be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a member of the Council, or a member of the public so requests and the Town Council President permits, in which event the item will be removed from Consent Agenda consideration and considered in its normal sequence on the agenda. All items on this agenda, with the exception of the Public Forum Session, may be considered, discussed, and voted upon in executive session and/or open session.

Pursuant to RIGL §42-46-6(b). Notice – “Nothing contained herein shall prevent a public body, other than a school committee, from adding additional items to the agenda by majority vote of the members. Such additional items shall be for informational purposes only and may not be voted on except where necessary to address an unexpected occurrence that requires immediate action to protect the public or to refer the matter to an appropriate committee or to another body or official.”

Any person not a member of the Council, desiring to address the Council concerning a matter on the docket of the Council, not the subject of a Public Hearing, shall submit a written request to the Town Clerk stating the matter upon which he desires to speak. Persons are permitted to address the Council for a period not to exceed five (5) minutes.

The Middletown Town Council follows the codification of present-day general parliamentary law as articulated in Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised 10 th edition (2000), together with whatever rules of order the Council has adopted for its own governance. The motion to reconsider is one of the motions that can bring a question again before an assembly, and is designed to bring back for further consideration a motion which has already been voted on:

If, in the same session that a motion has been voted on, but no later than the same day or the next day on which a business meeting is held, new information or a changed situation makes it appear that a different result might reflect the true will of the assembly, a member who voted with the prevailing side can, by moving to ** Reconsider** [RONR (10

propose that the question shall come before the assembly again as if it had not previously been considered. (From Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised In Brief, Robert, Evans et al., De Capo Press, 2004)

There were no reconsiderations.

1.    Executive Session - Pursuant to provisions of RIGL, Sections 42-46-2, 42-46-4 and 42-46-5 (a), (2) Collective Bargaining (IAFF), (5) Lease (Tibbits)

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to recess open session and reconvene in executive session at 5:01 p.m.

Vice President Welch recused himself from action on Collective Bargaining (IAFF) and left the session at 5:10 p.m.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to recess executive session and reconvene in open session at 5:36 p.m.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted to extend the Tibbits lease for an additional 5 years; Councilor Roberts abstained from the vote.

Vice President Welch recused himself from the following motion and vote regarding Collective Bargaining (IAFF).

On motion of Council President Rodrigues, duly seconded it was voted unanimously to receive the IAFF letter to negotiate and authorize the Town Administrator, Deputy Finance Director and Attorney Vincent Regosta to negotiate a contract.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to seal the executive session minutes pursuant to Section 42-46-7. RIGL

2.    At the request of Councilor Turano, re: Workshop - 5 Year Budget Forecast Review.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to begin said Workshop – 5 Year Budget Forecast Review.

Finance Director Marc Tanguay reviewed the following PowerPoint presentation, entered here:

Discussion centered around that if CIP projects are deferred the Town would pay to catch up later, not creating a structural deficit by using fund balance only for a one-time projects, the Town Council determines budget policy and which programs may be eliminated during the budget process and Councilor Turano requests the Administration to show what would be eliminated if the budget increase was held to 2%.

Present representing the School Department were Superintendent of School William Neimeyer and School Committee member William Nash.

3.    Pursuant to - “§ 16-2-21 Pre-budget consultation – Annual reports – Appropriation requests – Budgets. – (a) At least sixty (60) days but not more than ninety (90) days prior to the formal submission of the school budget to the appropriate city or town officials by the school committee, there shall be a joint pre-budget meeting between the school committee and the city or town council(s). At or before this meeting:”

(1) “The highest elected official of the city or town shall submit to the school committee an estimate, prepared in a manner approved by the department of administration, of projected revenues for the next fiscal year. In the case of the property tax, the projections shall include only changes in the property tax base, not property tax rates; “

(2) “The school committee shall submit to the city or town council a statement for the next ensuing fiscal year of anticipated total expenditures, projected enrollments with resultant staff and facility requirements, and any necessary or mandated changes in school programs or operations”.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to begin the Pre-Budget Consultation Pursuant to – “§16-2-21.** **

4.    Communication of Paul M. Rodrigues, Middletown Town Council President, re:  Information in accordance with RIGL 16-2-21.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive said communication.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive said Revenue Manual.

6.    Presentation – Pre-budget Consultation – FY 2027 – Town/School Revenue Conference.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to begin said presentation.

7.    Memorandum of Greg Huet, School Committee Chair, re:  Pre-Budget Consultation FY2026-27.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive said memorandum.

8.    Presentation – Middletown Public Schools Revenue Conference.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to begin said presentation.

Superintendent William Neimeyer reviewed the presentation in item #8.

Discussion centered around bus transportation, out of district enrollment and utilities.

Finance Director Marc Tanguay and Town Administrator Shawn Brown reviewed the PowerPoint presentation in item #6.

9.    Communication of Councilor Connerton, re:  Middletown 250th Commission Presentation, includes a request to file a grant application.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive said communication.

George Krol, Chair, Middletown 250th Commission addressed the Council reviewing the following:

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to distribute the Middletown 250th Flyer to Middletown Businesses and organizations.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to authorize the request to file a grant application.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to act as a Board of License Commission.

10.  (Advertised for Public Hearing)

Application of Middletown Tenant, LLC., dba The Helmway, 425 East Main Road TRANSFER Class BT Liquor License to GRJ Middletown, LLC dba The Pell for the 2025-2026 Licensing year, for use at the same premises.

Public Hearing was declared open.

Erik Berlied, General Manager of GRJ Middletown, LLC, noted that the change for the transfer is only the name of the Corporation.

There being no persons present or on zoom desiring to be heard, public hearing was declared closed.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to grant said license transfer.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to reconvene as a Town Council.

11.  Pursuant to Rule 25 of the Rules of the Council, Citizens may address the town on one (1) subject only, said subject of substantive Town business, neither discussed during the regular meeting nor related to personnel or job performance. Citizens may speak for no longer than five (5) minutes and must submit a public participation form to the Council Clerk prior to the start of the meeting. All items discussed during this session will not be voted upon.

Council President Rodrigues recused himself from acting on the Susan Perry inquiry.

Vice President Welch presiding.

Susan Perry, Middletown, addressed the Council noting concern with a neighbor’s pool installation and grading changes.  Ms. Perry was questioning if the Town Council received her email.

Council President Rodrigues presiding.

Paul Mankofsy, Middletown, reviewed and presented the Town Council with the following:

Lawrence Frank, Middletown, read the following into the record:

Council President Rodrigues requested that items #13 and #17 be heard under the regular portion of the agenda.

12.  Approval of Minutes, re:  Regular Meeting, January 5, 2026.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to approve said minutes.

13.  (Continued to March 2, 2026, Regular Meeting)

An Ordinance of the Town of Middletown (Second Reading)

An ordinance in amendment to the Town Code of the Town of Middletown Title XI, General     Regulations, Chapter 90 Animals, 90.03 Disposition of Carcasses and Waste.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, to continue said item to March 2, 2026.

Council President Rodrigues read the above into the record to assure all people interested in the ordinance were aware that it has been continued.

A vote was taken.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to continue said item to March 2, 2026.

14.  Communication of Finance Director thru Town Administrator, re:  School Department Surplus – Facilities equipment.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive said communication.

15.  Resolution of the Council, re: School Department Surplus – Facilities equipment.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to pass said resolution.

16.  Email communication of William J. DiMarco, re:  Resignation from the Roads and Utilities Advisory Committee.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive said resignation with regret.

17.  Approval of Budget Schedule:

·         Monday, April 6, 2026 – Administrator proposed budget received by the Town Council.

·         Saturday, April 25, 2026 – FY2027 Budget workshop.

·         Wednesday, May 20, 2026 – First Budget Hearing.

·         Wednesday, May 27, 2026 – Second Budget Hearing and Budget Adoption.

Council discussion centered around changing the meeting Saturday, April 25, 2026 to Saturday, May 2, 2026.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to approve said Budget Schedule and change the Saturday date to May 2, 2026.

18.  License of Burial, re:  Anthony Spiratos and Anastasia Vourvachakis, Section 54, Grave 47.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to approve said license of burial.

19.  Application of GRJ Middletown, LLC dba The Pell, 425 East Main Road, for a Victualling House License for the 2025-2026 licensing year.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to grant said license subject to Building Official, Fire Marshal and Board of Health approvals.

20.  (Advertised; Abutters notified)

The Town of Middletown (“Applicant”) is requesting a variance from Section 130.78(H) of the Town’s Noise Ordinance The Applicant is requesting a variance to permit limited construction activities related to concrete slab installations outside the hours of 7:00 am to 9:00 pm at the new Middle/High School project located at 1113 & 1199 Aquidneck Avenue (TAP 1123, Lots 199 & 198A) during the period between January 21, 2026 and July 21, 2026.

Public Hearing was declared open.

Council President Rodrigues noted that the request for a noise variance is due to the pouring of concrete and construction activities at the new Middle-High School site. Council President noted there are sixteen total pour scheduled and here will not be activity on the site every night.

There being no persons present or on zoom desiring to be heard, public hearing was declared closed.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, to grant said variance from Section 130.78(H) of the Town’s Noise Ordinance, to permit limited construction activities related to concrete slab installations outside the hours of 7:00 am to 9:00 pm at the new Middle/High School project located at 1113 & 1199 Aquidneck Avenue (TAP 1123, Lots 199 & 198A) during the period between January 21, 2026 and July 21, 2026.

Discussion centered around that the abutters will be notified prior to when the concrete pouring takes place.

A vote was taken.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to grant said variance from Section 130.78(H) of the Town’s Noise Ordinance, to permit limited construction activities related to concrete slab installations outside the hours of 7:00 am to 9:00 pm at the new Middle/High School project located at 1113 & 1199 Aquidneck Avenue (TAP 1123, Lots 199 & 198A) during the period between January 21, 2026 and July 21, 2026.

.

OTHER COMMUNICATIONS

21.  Email communication of Nicholas Coogan, Chair of the Open Space and Fields Committee, re:  Requesting approval of the Draft Open Space and Fields Property Scoring Worksheet.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive said email communication.

Nicholas Coogan, Chair of the Open Space and Fields Committee, addressed the Council reviewing the following:

In this memo I will try to give a brief description of the differences between the old scoring worksheet and our new revised one.  I have attached a copy of both the older worksheet and the revised one.

To begin with the older version has 9 scoring categories and the new has 10.  In updating the sheet, we have tried to quantify some of the variables.  I will list the criteria in our revised worksheet and explain how it differs from the older version.

1.    Groundwater-we have given a numerical score based on whether the property is in Zone 1 or Zone 2 designated watershed areas.  The older version did not quantify this variable.

2.    Ecologically Significant-it is either not significant, somewhat significant or significant.

3.    Proximity to other protected land-we added a score if the land abuts land that could provide future connection to protected land.

4.    Farmland-due to the reduction in the number and size of farms in Middletown we reduced the acreage possibilities.

5.    Cultural Significance-we took the old criteria of Historic/Cultural/Scenic/Neighborhood and created one criterion that encompasses all these and has a simpler name.

6.    Size of Parcel- this was scaled down to more accurately reflect properties available now.

7.    Potential to offset the impact of development-similar to criteria 6, it more accurately reflects current developments.

8.     Leverage of Town funds- basically unchanged

9.    Potential for Recreational Use- this is slightly more specific.

10.  Proximity to Underserved Areas- this is new as there is a feeling that certain parts of Middletown have less access to public open space, specifically the west side of town.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to approve the Draft Open Space and Fields Property Scoring Worksheet.

22.  Communication of St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, re:  Request for support by placing an ad in the Parade Bulletin or donating to the parade committee.

On motion of Council President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive said communication and approve a full-page ad (cost $250.00) in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Booklet to be appropriated from the Council President’s Discretionary Fund.

23.  At the request of Council President Rodrigues, Resolution of the Council, re: Regarding the Restoration of General Revenue Sharing to Cities and Towns.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, to pass said resolution.

Council President Rodrigues read the resolution above into the record.

A vote was taken.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to pass said resolution.

24.  At the request of Council President Rodrigues and Councilor Connerton, Resolution of the Council, re: Requesting the Town’s State Legislative Delegation to Introduce Legislation Exempting Municipally Operated Beach Parking in the Town of Middletown from the State Sales Tax on Short-Term Parking Services.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, to pass said resolution.

Council President Rodrigues reviewed the resolution above.

A vote was taken.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to pass said resolution.

25.  Communication of Councilor Roberts, re: Jake Cathers Moment of Silence and Donation Request.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive said communication.

Councilor Roberts read the above communication into the record.

There was a moment of silence for Jake Cathers.

On motion of Councilor Roberts, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to make a donation in the amount of $5,000 to the James Jackson Cathers Supplemental Needs Trust to be allocated from the Council President’s Discretionary fund.

26.  Communication of Councilor Roberts, re:  Committee Roundtable, Updates and Review Request.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive said communication.

Councilor Roberts reviewed the above communication.

Discussion centered around holding a Round Table meeting for Board and Committee Chairs to discuss what their respective committees are working on, if Council liaisons should be on committees and if they should be voting members, reviewing the charges of all Town Committees and having the Town Administrator send out an email to committee chairs to see if they are interested in participating in a round table discussion.

27.  Memorandum of Finance Director, thru Town Administrator, re;  Vehicle and Equipment Purchase: Department of Public Works Replacement and New Vehicle Purchase.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive said memorandum.

Department of Public Works Director Robert Hanley noted the following:

Public Works is responsible for maintaining an infrastructure that includes 90 miles of roads, nearly 30 miles of sidewalks, and 16 snowplow routes that must be kept safe year-round. With a department of just 18 employees, every piece of equipment plays a critical role, especially during winter storms when all hands are needed and reliable vehicles are essential. The 550 trucks are not used occasionally or seasonally—they are the backbone of daily operations. They are on the road every day pulling trailers, transporting mowing equipment, supporting road patching and crack sealing programs, assisting with DPW projects, and responding quickly to storm debris and emergencies. Many of the existing trucks and equipment have been in service for over two decades and reflect years of dependable, heavy use. Replacing them is not about expansion, but about ensuring continued safety, reliability, and efficiency of the fleet.

The proposed hook-lift dump truck adds important flexibility beyond routine operations. In addition to snow removal and material hauling, it can be used for town-wide cleanups, seaweed removal at the beach, and the containers can be used bulk waste amnesty days—services that residents directly see and benefit from. The addition of the mini- excavator will service the department well with pipe projects, grading and reshaping roadside swales and the front grader blade will be useful in the spreading of loam when prepping for seed. The Tiger Boom mower is a piece of equipment that is used year-round to maintain the gutters along stone walls, efficiently clear sidewalks to keep them safe for pedestrian travel in the Winter. The replacement of the roadside mower is used daily during the mowing season to maintain the edges roads. The replacement of the equipment trailer will aid in the moving of backhoes and tractors but also carry pipe and drainage structures to the project jobsites. Combined with the replacement of aging trucks and the addition of new equipment, these investments support the employees who rely on this equipment every day and help ensure the Town can continue to respond quickly, safely, and effectively to both planned projects and unexpected needs and continue to provide the level of service our residents expect and deserve.

Discussion centered around the timeline from the CIP adoption to the purchase of the equipment; the time it takes to get specs from vendors and the requested equipment will be paid for by the PPV Special Revenue Fund.

28.  Resolution of the Council, re: Department of Public Works Replacement and New Vehicle Purchase, funding for each vehicle and equipment is from a five-year lease purchase and the debt service payments will be funded from the Public Private Venture Special Revenue Fund and the Finance Director is authorized hereby to execute said purchase on behalf of the Town.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to pass said resolution.

29.  Resolution of the Council, re: Authorizing the Purchase of Vehicles and Equipment for use by the Town and the Financing thereof through one or more Equipment Lease Purchase Agreements and Authorizing the Execution and Delivery of Said Equipment Lease purchase agreements and related instruments and determining other matters in connection therewith.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to pass said resolution.

On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to adjourn said meeting at 8:22 p.m.

Wendy J.W. Marshall, MMC

Town Clerk

supporting documentation is available at http://clerkshq.com/default.ashx?clientsite=Middletown-ri