[{"_1":2,"_108":-5,"_109":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86,96],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6567070,"mediaKeyId","3195377-330fd434d980bf8546c548b56a362a39","parentId",3195377,"title","Votes at a glance: council passes routine appointments, licenses and continues zoning hearing to May 14","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",17543000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3195377-330fd434d980bf8546c548b56a362a39&start=17543&end=17543","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3195377-330fd434d980bf8546c548b56a362a39/thumbnail_17543000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6567070/Narragansett/Washington-County/Rhode-Island/Votes-at-a-glance-council-passes-routine-appointments-licenses-and-continues-zoning-hearing-to-May-14","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6567070-d8fd34c9b27b16ad7ec7e35aeb4a331b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771117996&Signature=Hs-G1Dplz0ku70S7G-KjVHmb65tRx6w2Z3iN93sEfDFMs4t54P1YLyo~zRYd56qfMc0WWFEz0nAHHsAneQ8eKTaMwBj4P1-9OzkuqJvtw~-k0rRc~dgM78R5ofC2N6TCloiB5cQJ7qoHYKVvk5-eauJWjlVpr7vaLzrHlp8jAoOqTCuOCIGyvX64PElwfGF1CInDv3KArQO16Cs4fAHaKZOEIu6D~wlXcxj69JewQyMRhsrTgGCdSHf-ATGHg-FllpRqtwUxTx4ZIFzTBGb66ztuFSONFdkfJ1WHfQFXkJrFBPYrBriprgJjT-Il~fKGw4nHwTtde5PgyAG0SpyuRQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Narragansett","date","2025-05-06T04:36:30.257Z","article","At the May 5 meeting the Narragansett Town Council approved routine consent and regular‑agenda items and took procedural actions required by law, including opening two public hearings and setting a continuation on the zoning package.

Key actions taken (outcomes listed):
- Approval of minutes of the April 7, 2025 regular meeting — motion passed 5–0.
- Consent agenda and routine license approvals, including multiple mobile food establishment licenses (Meat Sweats RI LLC dba Meat Sweats Rhode Island; Robert Lavoy dba Diggity Dogs; B & K Ice Cream LLC dba Baron; FYR Foods LLC dba FYR Grill) and victualer licenses (Mariano’s LLC dba Roadie Pizza; Bridal dba All Aboard Charcuterie) — motions passed (each recorded at 5–0).
- Authorization for the town manager and town solicitor to sign a two‑year solid waste and recycling services agreement with Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, July 1, 2025–June 30, 2027 (approved 5–0, subject to town solicitor review).
- Confirmations and appointments: reappointment of Brian Wagner as conservation commission representative to the land conservancy trust (term to 04/30/2028) and appointments to the Narragansett Housing Authority (Mackenzie Babcock to 02/27/2027; Susan Cecilio to 04/30/2030) — each motion passed 5–0.
- The council opened the second public hearing on the proposed FY25–26 budget (motion carried 5–0) and opened the public hearing on the 14‑item zoning package (motion carried 5–0).
- The council received and placed on file the planning board’s recommendation on the zoning package (vote 5–0).
- After extended public comment, the council voted to continue the 14‑item zoning public hearing to May 14 at 6:00 p.m. — vote recorded 4–1 (one councilor opposed).

The council completed the evening’s business and adjourned just after midnight.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Narragansett Town Council - May 5, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Narragansett Town Council approved minutes, multiple appointments and licenses in unanimous votes and opened two required public hearings; the council continued the contested 14‑item zoning hearing to May 14 at 6 p.m. (4–1).","taxTitle","Narragansett, Washington County, Rhode Island","taxId",79580,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6567075,"Residents urge council to address Bonnet Shores fire district voting and oversight",1017,624000,1641000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3195377-330fd434d980bf8546c548b56a362a39&start=624&end=1641","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3195377-330fd434d980bf8546c548b56a362a39/thumbnail_624000.jpg","/articles/6567075/Narragansett/Washington-County/Rhode-Island/Residents-urge-council-to-address-Bonnet-Shores-fire-district-voting-and-oversight","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6567075-aef2d945147d6317f6ebeb713b138f48/orig.mp4?Expires=1771117996&Signature=Jl01JQXXEHGuG9rXGg-TBOpGvRrmGJhJY9233OvLqQEXOxx30FXO-XB8LN8QadYdlvyAI9sNcX82ZZwgCAG60izaUBYHya6rDAcRUn7bPNHw-GAOKJQMf48GDdbOEkCy6GrvnLoIms-sfO55gZKCK1m-iZ2bugrETr0XyMphABd~2McUQKP6iIvMnDN4w~Uldjr8yRPGsUyGbPeyVuKYB4ILrZ4Sskt5YIFO0B0uLRCnRDGxwQ0JksXn3CRSYnkFWUi4qxScPIMz~VPLl1QJdH53bxpU0kxjVBxYB-Ipw74AI-sAdb8pdtFnHLIfKHJXIaBfsEU49v86FCp3EooO1A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Several Narragansett residents used the council’s open‑forum period on May 5 to press elected officials about governance and voting in the Bonnet Shores Fire District, a subordinate district located entirely inside the town.

Melissa Jenkins told the council she has repeatedly raised concerns that the fire district’s 1932 charter allows nonresident cabana or beach‑club property owners to vote in fire district elections and that a private beach club has used that franchise to elect a majority sympathetic to the club’s interests. Jenkins called for the town to \"urge the General Assembly to close the unconstitutional loophole that allowed this takeover\" and asked the council to pass an ordinance limiting voting in subordinate districts to town residents.

Paula Chiles, a full‑time resident of Bonnet Shores, described the district as a quasi‑municipality that collects taxes, provides trash pickup and oversees protected natural resources. Chiles said the district’s charter lets nonresident owners who hold small amounts of property vote and claimed the number of nonresident voters outnumbers full‑time resident voters by roughly three to one. She urged the council to endorse state legislation to require residency as the basis for voting rights in subordinate districts and to equalize oversight with other fire districts in Rhode Island.

Speakers asked the council to clarify what local authority the town has over subordinate districts and urged an ordinance to ensure residents, not nonresident property owners, control local decisions that affect property, public resources and law enforcement interactions. Councilors did not take formal action during open forum but heard repeated requests for follow‑up.","Multiple residents told the council during open forum that the Bonnet Shores Fire District’s 1932 charter allows nonresident property owners to vote in district elections and effectively control district decisions. Speakers asked the town to seek state action and local ordinances limiting voting to residents and improving town oversight.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":42,"_43":89,"_45":89,"_46":90,"_48":91,"_50":92,"_52":93,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":94,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":95,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6567079,"Planning board recommends denial of major zoning package; council opens contested public hearing on 14 amendments",5440000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3195377-330fd434d980bf8546c548b56a362a39&start=5440&end=5440","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3195377-330fd434d980bf8546c548b56a362a39/thumbnail_5440000.jpg","/articles/6567079/Narragansett/Washington-County/Rhode-Island/Planning-board-recommends-denial-of-major-zoning-package-council-opens-contested-public-hearing-on-14-amendments","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6567079-e30bd857cd28fa39414d917f4917bebc/orig.mp4?Expires=1771117996&Signature=dpatw4GAIQXVFwfJrX5o9gLWVp9irh9SMGa7Za3Uk2r5EJ01q4G5J-m1APzcnlvmz0e3VISegDHDLP-TdiLD-KXRwAPWNChQZz5QTW-kDZVYlfVG8UV73hl1fudRN~qRfe9qO-8LnrmH1sRGauYjFdAtn05n0m4MzEHsg1vVwXuRtMC-xykCBlAVXvR0vaveC~XeNOSY0f-7I-oJPtf4GQmLMgfAYRgY2Ffa~zQlLUvXZ961nN5IZvdPC2tlBhY9Q8OX~i7ShRK8CbMaH7dS2vW1RkzJVQKaXIYt72qFSgaiy5vErH2Gx5sTqjeOVTwvQv8r4meJKNzH3nYxCWy2~A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Narragansett Town Council on May 5 opened a public hearing on 14 proposed zoning amendments — a package the council said was intended to align local code with recent state law changes and streamline review processes.

The planning department and planning board reviewed the package and returned a formal recommendation opposing most of the proposed changes. At the council meeting the planning board’s director, Jill Sabo, and planning board chair Mark Brady explained the board’s reasons, and the town solicitor outlined legal constraints that the council faces in scheduling public review.

Jill Sabo, introduced at the hearing as the town’s planning director, summarized that the planning board held multiple special meetings and returned a report finding the proposed package was largely inconsistent with the town’s comprehensive plan and with the stated purposes of the zoning ordinance.

\"The board voted unanimously not to support changes in Breakwater Village, the household definition and unrelated persons additions, and it did not support removal of the environmental overlays,\" Sabo told the council. She said the board also objected to removing special‑use review for expanded alcohol service and to some bulk‑regulation deletions.

Planning board chair Mark Brady told the council the body felt constrained by legal direction during review and that the written report is more limited than the board would typically provide because of legal counsel’s instructions during the process. \"We were told very explicitly that we could not make recommendations and we could not vote,\" Brady said, describing difficulty in preparing a fuller report under the schedule the council imposed.

Among the most contested items in the package: proposals to remove the local coastal and freshwater wetland overlays (the package's drafters said the change is intended to conform to a state statute that limits local buffer and setback rules), and a proposal to eliminate a special‑use review step for some restaurant alcohol licenses so licensing would come directly to the town council. Town attorneys and planning staff debated whether the edits would reduce local transparency or simply remove duplicative local rules in areas now regulated by state agencies.

Solicitor James Callahan noted the state liquor licensing statute vests issuance authority in town councils and explained that the proposed text would remove an advisory step (planning and zoning review) that current practice uses to allow public comment before the council acts on an alcohol license application.

The planning board recommended denial of the text changes and also asked that a comprehensive plan amendment be resubmitted to the board separately to ensure statutory compliance. After extended public comment tonight — with about a hundred residents remaining late into the meeting — the council voted to continue the public hearing and set a continuation for May 14 at 6 p.m. for further consideration and workshops.","The council opened a legally required public hearing on 14 proposed zoning amendments aimed at aligning local rules with state law and streamlining approvals. The planning board delivered a recommendation against most changes, citing inconsistency with the comprehensive plan and concerns about reduced public review and public safety.",{"_33":97,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":98,"_41":99,"_43":100,"_45":101,"_46":102,"_48":103,"_50":104,"_52":105,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":106,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":107,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6567085,"Narragansett council holds second public hearing on $73.5 million 2025–26 budget, proposes 4% levy cap",2642,2179000,4821000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3195377-330fd434d980bf8546c548b56a362a39&start=2179&end=4821","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3195377-330fd434d980bf8546c548b56a362a39/thumbnail_2179000.jpg","/articles/6567085/Narragansett/Washington-County/Rhode-Island/Narragansett-council-holds-second-public-hearing-on-735-million-202526-budget-proposes-4-levy-cap","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6567085-bb6f0e992211e22d209280c0a42dd9e9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771117996&Signature=ABmIAQhWO34lvRCv-WR0lYLhgDZ65VusqsokMCRJUwAPoVPY2JezbvNwBAH6-gaA3yOWGiJdBNgwA6vUFOmCcqeUTCfI~bR32dQ-YL~JWwM6K6q~Lemu4rU-NtF66RR-wS79kLHWFO14LJ0Yjg0knQmS~~kF~Y6sTdcLM2KU48yYUtKSeplSyutBF5DWC4FdxgN-PsxxPu2SDNV24d5rjh7z7Ucq2~MQt2g1~3K21zOWY9ITudF3yeNZIYkklSzG7EETnjEmMLKm5EsIgUljoXldVCW~CgjbIvYt3zysEyGUp07WJ9O-Nu-nc6UednYbJLEXe4nii9LjLDJAKUshSg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Narragansett Town Council on May 5 opened the second public hearing on the town manager’s proposed fiscal 2025–26 budget, which the town staff presented at $73,546,679 and that relies on using about $2,280,000 of the town’s unassigned fund balance to balance the plan.

Town staff said the budget assumes the town will increase the tax levy by the legal maximum of 4 percent; using that levy the presentation showed the residential tax rate at about $6.79 per $1,000 of assessed value and the commercial rate at about $9.17 per $1,000. The budget forecast included a projected full revaluation in 2028 and state funding uncertainties that could affect revenues.

The proposed budget uses roughly $2.28 million of the town’s unassigned fund balance (presented as about $15 million as of June 30, 2024) and lists transfers and salaries as the largest expense categories. The staff presentation also noted several specific appropriation requests and adjustments since the first public hearing: transfers to Kinney Bungalow ($25,000), Sunset Farms ($10,000) and Pear Marketplace ($25,000); two new special appropriations (Universal Juice $2,000 and St. Peter’s Community Market $5,000); and a proposed Community Development matching amount of $57,500 for a Small Neighborhood Program grant. The budget also reflects higher healthcare costs and staffing turnover adjustments.

\"As of 06/30/2024, we have a little over $15,000,000 in our unassigned fund balance,\" a town staff member who presented the budget told the council. The presenter explained that lowering the tax levy growth to 2 percent would require much larger uses of the fund balance in coming years and that the 4 percent scenario reduces the need to draw on reserves in later years.

Councilors and dozens of members of the public questioned and commented on priorities in the plan. Speakers urged spending on playgrounds and recreation (some asked that planned pickleball funds be redirected to modern playground equipment and improvements), asked the council to address the long-term decline in school enrollment and pressed for clarity on how police costs related to rental registration and enforcement are funded. Several residents urged strategies to attract and retain families to stabilize school enrollment.

Council members set the next steps on the budget timeline: a capital improvement plan resolution and the budget ordinance first reading scheduled for May 19, followed by a second reading and formal adoption on June 2.

The council closed the budget hearing later in the evening after public comment and returned to other agenda business.

Local officials said they will take additional follow-up questions from councilors and may call department heads back for clarifying information before the June adoption vote.","Council opened the second public hearing on the proposed $73,546,679 fiscal 2025–26 budget, showing a planned 4% maximum tax levy increase and use of $2.28 million in fund balance to balance the spending plan; council set adoption timeline and heard public concerns about schools, playgrounds and rentals.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: council passes routine appointments, licenses and continues zoning hearing to May 14

Residents urge council to address Bonnet Shores fire district voting and oversight

Planning board recommends denial of major zoning package; council opens contested public hearing on 14 amendments

Narragansett council holds second public hearing on $73.5 million 2025–26 budget, proposes 4% levy cap