MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE CUMBERLAND TOWN COUNCIL

TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2026 at 7:30 P.M.

 CUMBERLAND TOWN HALL, EVERETT “MOE” BONNER, JR. COUNCIL CHAMBERS

45 BROAD STREET, CUMBERLAND, RHODE ISLAND

 

CALL TO ORDER

Council President called the Special Meeting of the Cumberland Town Council to order at 6:30 p.m.

Members Present: Council President Kinch, Councilor Metivier, Councilor Shaw, Councilor Magill, Councilor Sweet

Members Absent: Councilor Beaulieu, Councilor Bradley

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

 

OLD BUSINESS

A.    ORDINANCES FOR PUBLIC HEARING

1.  #26-08A – An ordinance setting certain tax exemptions on real and personal property (tabled from June 17, 2026)

 

Council President opened by calling for a motion to accept the "A" amendment of Ordinance #26-08A before proceeding to the public hearing.

 

MOTION BY COUNCILOR SHAW, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR MAGILL, AND IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO ACCEPT ORDINANCE 26-08A.  VOTE 5/0.

 

Public hearing opened at 6:31 PM.

 

Mayor Mutter addressed the Council to explain the nature of the ordinance. He described it as a necessary adjustment that follows every revaluation, explaining that the tax exemption values must be updated so that no exemption is worth less in real terms than it was prior to the revaluation. While he expressed some reluctance at characterizing it as mere housekeeping, he acknowledged it was functionally just that — reflecting the same underlying values as before, adjusted to account for the revaluation.

 

Public hearing closed at 6:33 PM.

 

MOTION BY COUNCILOR SHAW, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR MAGILL, AND IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE ORDINANCE #26-08A BY A ROLL CALL VOTE.  VOTE 5/0.

 

2.  #26-11 – An ordinance amending the Operating Budget for the Town of Cumberland’s General Fund for Fiscal Year 2025/2026 (Second Hearing & Vote)

Council President called for a motion to accept the "A" amendment of Ordinance #26-11 before proceeding.

MOTION BY COUNCILOR SHAW, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR MAGILL, AND IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO ACCEPT ORDINANCE 26-11A.  VOTE 5/0.

Public hearing opened at 6:34 PM.

Council President read the following amended figures for fiscal year 2025/2026, comparing the council-adopted figures to the proposed amendments:

·         Total General Revenue: Adopted — $82,089,714; Proposed Amendment — $82,189,714

·         Total School Receipts: Adopted — $31,723,576; Proposed Amendment — $32,996,619

·         State Grants Total: Adopted — $10,999,386; Proposed Amendment — $11,752,128

·         Total Revenue: Adopted — $125,214,692; Proposed Amendment — $127,340,377

 

·         Total Town Departments: Adopted — $14,981,268; Proposed Amendment — $15,278,010

·         Public Safety: Adopted — $10,848,117; Proposed Amendment — $11,423,117

·         Total Fringe: Adopted — $5,155,000; Proposed Amendment — $5,160,000 (note: see HSA discrepancy below)

·         Total Town General Expenses: Adopted — $1,467,902; Proposed Amendment — $1,633,902

·         Total Debt Service: Adopted — $8,404,873; Proposed Amendment — $8,514,873

·         Total Town: Adopted — $41,453,943; Proposed Amendment — $42,606,685

·         Total School Department: Adopted — $83,760,749; Proposed Amendment — $84,733,692

·         Total General Fund Expenditures: Adopted — $125,214,692; Proposed Amendment — $127,340,377

During the reading, Mayor Mutter interjected to note a minor discrepancy in the document: a $5,000 figure had appeared under the HSA upload line item under Total Fringe, which he confirmed should be zero. He explained that a later amended version of the document may not have made it into the docket in time, and while he apologized for the error, he confirmed it would not materially affect the budget and that the document as a whole remained balanced. He characterized it as an immaterial error in a $127,343,377 budget.

Mayor Mutter's Overview of the Amendment:

Mayor Mutter then addressed the Council at length to provide context for the budget amendment. He opened by expressing appreciation for the Council's patience and for establishing a quorum for the special meeting.

He described the amendment as serving two primary purposes: cleaning up known inaccuracies from the previously adopted budget and responding to a recently emerged and consequential development — the federal government's denial of the disaster declaration for the February snowstorm. Mayor Mutter stated that on July 2nd, the administration declined the disaster relief package for all of Rhode Island. He described the timing as deeply problematic, noting that every community's fiscal year ends June 30th, and that the Town had already issued tax bills in the first week of May with no ability to adjust for an event that was declined after the fiscal year had effectively closed. He noted that the Town of Cumberland's submitted emergency costs related to the snowstorm were "just shy of $700,000."

He explained that the budget amendment still holds that amount as a receivable, noting that there may be further efforts to reverse the denial, and that holding it as a receivable preserves optionality. He added, however, that if those funds do not ultimately come in, the Town will need to address the shortfall in some other manner.

Mayor Mutter acknowledged that the Town faces additional fiscal uncertainty because the final property tax collection picture is not fully known until the August collection period, due to the 60-day rule. He described the current moment as one in which there is "more art than normal" in the financial projections.

He identified the biggest pressure areas as being in public safety — specifically police and EMS — citing injured-on-duty costs, overtime, and severance payouts to long-standing officers as areas where actual expenditures may exceed budgeted amounts, potentially producing small deficits. He also noted that the budget amendment reconciles the school department's own amended budget, which was passed by the school committee after the joint meeting earlier in the year. Additionally, he flagged street lighting costs on the public works side, an extra staff position in the town clerk's office, and healthcare costs that had been shifted between departments as further line-item changes reflected in the amendment.

He concluded by underscoring the urgency of passage, the fiscal year cannot be formally closed — and the new fiscal year cannot be properly opened — until the amendment is adopted.

Councilor Sweet asked Mayor Mutter to clarify, for the benefit of residents who frequently express concern as taxpayers, that the federal government had in fact denied the disaster relief funding for the February snowstorm. Mayor Mutter confirmed that his understanding was that on July 2nd, the administration declined the disaster relief package for all of Rhode Island, with the total statewide figure amounting to approximately $20,000,000, of which Cumberland's portion was approximately $690,000. He acknowledged the fundamental procedural absurdity of the timing — a denial issued after the fiscal year has ended leaves no mechanism for any community to respond appropriately. He expressed appreciation for the work of all town departments, most notably public works and highway, who cleared the roads during the storm.

Councilor Sweet echoed that sentiment, expressing appreciation for the regional partnerships that had helped with storm recovery — including crews coming from Vermont — and calling it "a shame that the federal government has decided that's not a valid expense."

Council President asked Mayor Mutter about a roughly $600,000 increase in school miscellaneous receipts on the revenue side. Mayor Mutter explained that this figure relates to housing aid, and that when the original figure of $3,921,721 was adopted, he had a "pretty strong suspicion" it would come in higher. He also addressed the motor vehicle phase-out line, noting that the governor's budget had initially reduced that figure but that the state legislature subsequently restored it — an action he indicated has also been taken in FY27. He confirmed that the school-related revenue figures, with the exception of one telephone tax payment not yet received, are actual amounts already in the bank rather than projections.

Council President then asked about a $600,000 entry for an appropriation from school surplus. Mayor Mutter explained that the school department had amended its own budget after the joint meeting earlier in the year, and this amendment reflects what the school committee formally passed. He added context that the school department's fund balance has dropped significantly — from approximately $6,000,000 to approximately $1,200,000 — which is why the FY27 school budget contains no use of fund balance.

Public hearing was closed at 6:53 PM.

MOTION BY COUNCILOR SHAW, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR SWEET, AND IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE ORDINANCE #26-11A BY A ROLL CALL VOTE.  VOTE 5/0. 

B.     RESOLUTIONS

1.      R-26-19 – A resolution authorizing and empowering Mayor Jeffrey J. Mutter to enter into a contract 

                  renewal with Retrofit Technologies for IT Managed Services, Microsoft Licensing, and

                  Barracuda Security Licensing (tabled from May 6, 2026)

 

Mayor Mutter introduced Resolution R-26-19, noting that the resolution first appeared on the agenda as early as March and had been delayed due to questions about licensing details and final contract figures. He acknowledged that the full packet had only been distributed to the Council on the day of the meeting. He confirmed that the contract amounts are appropriately budgeted in the FY27 budget and that the Town holds the ability to renew under the terms of the prior agreement. He described the relationship with Retrofit Technologies as beneficial to the Town and respectfully requested passage.

 

Chris Coskren, Account Manager at Retrofit Technologies, joined the meeting virtually to represent the company. He introduced himself, noting that he had been the original account representative when the relationship began in November 2019 — approximately six and a half years prior — and expressed enthusiasm about continuing the partnership.

 

At Council President's invitation, Chris provided a high-level overview of Retrofit Technologies' scope of services for the Town. He described the following:

·         Help desk support for all users across the Town and the Police Department, covering troubleshooting and issue resolution.

·         Server environment management, including patches, updates, and security maintenance.

·         Network device management, encompassing firewalls, switches, and wireless infrastructure.

·         SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) monitoring — a security layer that monitors the entire network environment for suspicious activity and potential bad actors.

·         Data backups, ensuring that all critical town data is stored securely and accessible at any time in the event of an incident.

·         Vendor relationship management with companies such as Microsoft and Barracuda, handled on the Town's behalf.

·         On-site support, with a dedicated resource attending on-site one day per week to provide face-to-face assistance as needed.

 

Council President asked Chris about the cost increase in the renewal.

 

Chris explained that the managed services increase amounts to approximately $1,000 per month, attributable to an increase in headcount, as pricing is tied to the number of users and devices. He also noted a modest increase in backup and storage pricing, though he indicated Retrofit had kept that increase minimal.

 

Councilor Sweet then raised a concern regarding an incident during which data had "temporarily gone missing" during a critical period — specifically during budget season. She asked how the data had been lost and why it had taken over a week to be restored, given the company's representations that all data is securely backed up.

 

Chris acknowledged that this was the first he had heard of the incident and committed to immediately following up with his technical team. He asked whether the issue involved archived data or current data.

 

Finance Director Melinda Brouillard came forward to provide clarification. She explained that the affected data was all of the Town's historical financial records pre-dating 2020 — data that had been stored locally on individual desktops rather than in the cloud. She confirmed that the Town currently has access to that data, but described the process of getting it secured as "a shaky process." She noted that the server housing this older data continues to periodically shut down, requiring repeated re-access efforts.

 

Chris confirmed that this context — older, pre-2020 archival data — was helpful, and committed to speaking directly with his technical team to understand what had occurred and whether the response was handled appropriately. He indicated he would be willing to return the following week with a technical resource to provide a more detailed account to the Council.

 

Council President accepted that offer and asked the Town Clerk to add the matter to the agenda for the following week's meeting.

 

Councilor Magill raised a pointed question, observing that it appeared to be the first time Chris had heard of this incident, and asked whether it was normal for his team not to escalate such issues to him. Chris expressed some uncertainty, noting that he is generally kept informed of significant issues through the on-site resource, but indicated he would investigate whether communication had broken down in this instance.

 

Mayor Mutter offered his perspective, noting that the on-site resource had kept him informed throughout the episode. He acknowledged there had been anxiety at certain points — particularly when there was temporary uncertainty about whether the recovery solution would succeed — but said he never had the sense that the data was irretrievably lost. He was candid in adding a self-deprecating disclaimer, noting that his own technical understanding is limited and that he "probably wouldn't know if you told me."

 

Council President asked directly whether the incident had resulted in any additional cost to the Town. The Finance Director confirmed it had not — Retrofit Technologies had resolved the matter at no additional charge.

 

Councilor Sweet, while indicating she had no objection to proceeding with the vote, stated clearly that the integrity of data is among the most important responsibilities of an IT managed services provider. She expressed that the response to this incident — described as a week-long delay with no escalation — fell "below the level of service I would expect after a long-term ongoing relationship during which we pay very fair rates." She called upon Retrofit to be more proactive and engaged, particularly during time-critical periods such as budget season.

 

Chris acknowledged the concern directly and committed to making it a priority. He confirmed he would return the following week with a technical staff member to address the Council's questions in greater detail.

With no further discussion, Council President called for a vote.

 

MOTION BY COUNCILOR SHAW, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR MAGILL, AND IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED APPROVE.  VOTE 5/0.

 

NEW BUSINESS

       A.  RESOLUTIONS

1.      R-26-32 – A resolution authorizing the annual payment in the amount of six thousand dollars ($6,000.00) to Beacon Mutual Insurance Co. for third party administrator services for the Police and EMS Departments

 

Mayor Mutter introduced Resolution R-26-32 as an annual resolution that the Council has passed each year of his tenure. He noted that the amount is historically budgeted and that the resolution is routine in nature. He did acknowledge that a fiscal note was not included in the packet but stated it would be provided the following morning. He respectfully requested passage.

 

MOTION BY COUNCILOR SHAW, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR MAGILL, AND IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE.  VOTE 5/0.

 

B.     ORDINANCES – FOR PRESENTATION & PERMISSION TO ADVERTISE

1.  #26-18 – An ordinance amending Chapter 38, Article III (entitled parking, stopping, and standing) of the Town of Cumberland’s Code of Ordinances (Presented by the Council President on behalf of the Administration)

 

Council President noted the ordinance and referred it to the Ordinance Subcommittee.

 

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Councilor Magill took a brief moment to acknowledge the presence of Sergeant Lane at the meeting, noting it was good to see him back and healthy.

 

ADJOURNMENT

MOTION BY COUNCILOR SHAW, SECONDED BY COUNCILOR MAGILL, AND IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO ADJOURN AT 7:09 P.M.  VOTE 5/0.