PORTSMOUTH TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
MAY 26, 2026 (Tuesday)

AGENDA

The Portsmouth Town Council meeting will also be live-streamed on the web and by phone dial-in
using the Zoom remote meeting service. The Executive Session will not be streamed to the public.
See below for directions.
6:30 PM – Town Council Chambers, Portsmouth Town Hall, 2200 East Main Road

SITTING AS THE PORTSMOUTH TOWN COUNCIL

1. Roll Call

EXECUTIVE SESSION

1. RIGL 42-46-5(a) (2) – Sessions pertaining to collective bargaining or litigation, or work sessions
pertaining to collective bargaining or litigation.

ADJOURN

7:00 PM – Town Council Chambers, Portsmouth Town Hall, 2200 East Main Road

EMERGENCY EVACUATION PLAN

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

SITTING AS THE PORTSMOUTH TOWN COUNCIL

1. Roll Call

PRESIDENT’S EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PUBLIC COMMENT

Residents may address the Town Council on matters relevant to the authority and jurisdiction of
the Town Council; neither discussed during the meeting nor related to personnel or job
performance, during the public comment period; speakers will be called in the order they appear
on the public comment sign-in sheet, which will be available up until the meeting start time, and
then will be provided to the presiding officer; a speaker may approach the Town Council only
once per public comment session; speakers shall state their name and address for the record; each
speaker will be limited to three (3) minutes in the public comment period and the period will not
exceed fifteen (15) minutes total; we ask that all speakers direct their comments to the presiding
officer and that they be respectful and courteous when speaking; the presiding officer shall
enforce the rules and maintain order.

CONSENT AGENDA

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 #1460 on 5/07/26 in the amount of $272,582.76 as approved by the
Finance Director
Payment Voucher #1470 on 5/14/26 in the amount of $377,601.69 as approved by the
Finance Director
2. Peddler License – Mobile Food Establishment (MFE), Renewal:
a. James Appel d/b/a Jerry’s Food Concessions, 8171 Ravenna Lakes Dr, Boynton Beach,
FL (#9407)
b. Joshua Berman d/b/a Little Fish Tacos & Ceviche, 47 Walnut St, Portsmouth (#9470)
c. Teddi’s Food Truck LLC, 1 Talbot St, Apt 6, North Providence (#9477)

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SITTING AS THE BOARD OF LICENSE COMMISSIONERS

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. Peddler License – Mobile Food Establishment (MFE), New:
Rhode Rage LLC d/b/a Rhode Rage, 16 Dimond Ave, Bristol (#9475)
2. Private Detective License, New:
George Ponte d/b/a Ponte Investigations Group LLC, 10 Beach Street (#9466)
3. Entertainment License:
Portsmouth Portuguese American Citizens Club, 35 Power St, for the St. Anthony’s
Feast, July 16-19, 2026, 8:00am – 1:00am (#9420) (fr. 3/23/26 & 4/13/26)
4. Victualler License:
Portsmouth Portuguese American Citizens Club, 35 Power St, for the St. Anthony’s
Feast, July 16-19, 2026, 8:00am – 1:00am (#9421) (fr. 3/23/26 & 4/13/26)

ADJOURN

MINUTES

5/11/26 & Exec.

TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

1. Four Hearts Portsmouth Community Playground update
2. Reminder: curbside trash collection delayed this week
3. Reminder: Town accepting 2026 Portsmouth Award nominations
4. Reminder: E-Bike rules
5. FY 2027 Public Budget Hearing: June 10th
6. June 13th hard plastic collection
7. Resignation of Waste Diversion Manager
8. Verizon fiber optic cabling in Portsmouth
9. Town Council walk-thru of Arthur Daniel Howell House
OLD BUSINESS (Discussion/Action)
1. Discussion/Action for a bylaw change to the Pension Advisory Committee to include a
secondary objective of the Committee on matter relating to the general investment of the
operating and reserve funds of the Town. / M. McDowell (10)
2. Monthly Finance Reports. / K. Marsden (5)
a. April 2026 Finance Report
b. School Finance Report: March 2026, April 2026
NEW BUSINESS (Discussion/Action)
1. Request to advertise for a public hearing for a sound variance to allow for live amplified music
for Safe Harbor Race Weekend at Safe Harbor New England Boatworks, 1 Lagoon Rd on
August 7, 2026, from 7:30-9:00 p.m. (OpenGov #9409). / V. Brown (5)
2. Request to advertise for a public hearing for a sound variance to allow for live amplified music
for a backyard party at 48 Aquidneck Ave on August 1, 2026, from 4:00-10:00 p.m. (OpenGov

9419). / I. Hutton (5)

3. Request permission to install a permanent sign in the town right-of-way on Hedly St. across from
Maplewood Farm at 234 Hedly St. / S. Anderson, Maplewood Farm (10)
a. Staff opinion.
4. Request to pause, review, and restructure the Parks & Recreation Committee. / D. Faber,
Secretary (5)

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5. Discuss the Little Compton Town Council Resolution requesting the RI General Assembly to
exempt the Town of Little Compton from the sales tax for the amount paid for parking at a
municipally operated beach in the Town of Little Compton. / S. Patton (5)
6. Review and update the existing MOU with the Prudence Island School foundation to reflect
present day circumstances. / M. McDowell (10)
7. Investigate the possibility of generating substantial additional revenue for the Town. / D. Reise
(10)
8. Acceptance of road construction of Ferreira Avenue as a public road and release of the
subdivision bond ($425,000) conditioned on a one-year maintenance bond equal to five percent.
/ L. Hitchen & P. Rodrigues (5)

CORRESPONDENCE

1. Resolution requesting the legislature provide the island with the tools to eliminate the public
health crisis that is tick-borne infections. / New Shoreham Town Council
2. Resolution in support of House Bill 2026-8298 entitled An Act Relating to Capital Development
– 2026 Bond Referenda. / South Kingstown Town Council
3. Resolution in support of legislative action to clarify and reaffirm state responsibility for public
boating access infrastructure, including infrastructure located within the Town of Charlestown. /
Charlestown Town Council
4. Notice of a public hearing for a proposed amendment to the Zoning Ordinance, Zoning Map, and
Comprehensive Community Plan. / Middletown Town Council
FUTURE MEETINGS
June 8 7:00 PM – Town Council Meeting
June 10 7:00 PM – Town Council Meeting Budget Public Hearing (Wednesday)
June 22 7:00 PM – Town Council Meeting
July 13 7:00 PM – Town Council Meeting Cancelled
July 27 7:00 PM – Town Council Meeting
EXECUTIVE SESSION - (If needed)

ADJOURN

RETURN TO OPEN SESSION

OPEN SESSION

ADJOURN

Virtual access is being provided only as a convenience and is not an official “location” where access to
the meeting is guaranteed; please note that being physically present at the meeting is the only way to
guarantee complete access to the meeting.
To access the meeting through the web, go to the following web link in any browser to run the Zoom app
and view the meeting: https://livestream.portsmouthri.com/towncouncil
To access the meeting by phone dial-in, please dial 1-888-788-0099. Once prompted for the meeting ID,
please dial 996-8471-9966#. Once prompted for a participant ID, dial # again. You will now be in the
meeting. While in the audio conference, to raise your hand to ask a question, dial 9 and the host will be
notified of your interest in asking a question. Dial 6 to mute and unmute yourself.
The public is welcome to any meeting of the Town’s boards or its committees. If communication assistance
(readers/interpreters/captions) is needed or any other accommodation to ensure equal participation, please
contact the Town Clerk’s Office at 683-2101 at least (3) business days prior to the meeting.
POSTED 5/20/26