POSTED – JANUARY 28, 2026
REGULAR MEETING FEBRUARY 2, 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 February 2, 2026 at 5:00 Executive Session; Presentation Immediately Following Executive Session; Boards and Committee Immediately Following the Presentation 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: 844 4168 7236 or on the web at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84441687236; 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 10th 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 (10th ed.), p. 304-321] the vote,
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)
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 (Hoogendoorn), (5) Lease (Newport Vineyards) and (5) Land Acquisition (West Main Road).
2. Memorandum of Town Planner, thru Town Administrator, re: Aquidneck Island Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan Adoption.
3. Resolution of the Council, re: Aquidneck Island Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan Adoption.
4. Appointment of six (6) members to the Academic Integration Advisory Committee - to provide recommendations on how to best advance educational integration and regionalization between Middletown and Newport public schools, and how to best improve educational outcomes for all students, terms to be determined.
5. Discussion of proposed dates to meet with the City of Newport regarding Regionalization, re: Thursday, February 12th, Thursday, February 19th or Monday, February 23rd.
6. Appointment of one (1) member to the Board of Canvassers, Bi-Partisan Board, Democrat or Republican representative, term expiring March 2032.
7. Appointment of one (1) member to the Conservation Commission - 1 vacancy, term expiring July 2027 and 2 vacancies, terms expiring July 2028.
8. Appointment of three (3) members to the Economic Development Advisory Committee, terms expiring January 2031.
9. Appointment of one (1) member to the Middletown Local 250th Commission, terms expiring 2026.
10. Appointment of two (2) members to the Middletown Prevention Coalition - 1 vacancy, media sector, term expiring April 2028, and 1 vacancy, business sector, to complete a term expiring, April 2027.
11. Appointment of one (1) member to the Pension Trust Fund Committee, term expiring February 2029.
12. Appointment of two (2) members to the Planning Board, terms expiring February 2029. (Council may interview applicants.)
13. Appointment of two (2) members to the Roads and Utilities Advisory Committee - 2 vacancies, professional members, terms expiring January 2029 and 1 vacancy, resident member, to complete a term expiring January 2027.
14. Appointment of two (2) members to the Senior Center Board of Directors, terms expiring January 2029.
15. Appointment of two (2) members to the Tree Commission, terms expiring January 2029.
16. Email communication of Jamoya Ridgell, re: Resignation from the Middletown Affordable Housing Committee.
17. The Town Administrator will provide an update on:
18. 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.
19. Approval of Minutes, re: Special Meeting, January 12, 2026.
20. Approval of Minutes, re: Regular Meeting, January 20, 2026.
21. Communication of Tax Assessor, re: Cancellation of Taxes for certain Middletown residents.
22. Resolution of the Council, re: Cancellation of Taxes for certain Middletown residents.
23. Memorandum of Finance Director, thru Town Administrator, re: Fire Department Surplus Vehicles – Engine #1 & Engine #37.
24. Resolution of the Council, re: Fire Department Surplus Vehicles – Engine #1 & Engine #37 and the surplus vehicles be salvaged by the Finance Director.
25. Memorandum of Paul A. Croce, Chairman, Middletown Planning Board, re: Proposed amendments to the Middletown Rules and Regulations Regarding the Subdivision and Development of Land and zoning ordinance, Town Code Chapter 152, necessary to address amendment to state law adopted in the 2025 General Assembly, bills H5794, H5795, and H5801. (Council action is to advertise for a future public hearing.)
26. Application for Special Event Permit from the Town of Middletown for Music in the Park – Summer Concert Series, Food Trucks and Lawn Games to be held on Mondays, July 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th, 2026 beginning at 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Paradise Valley Park. (Town Event all fees to be waived)
27. Application for Special Event Permit from Gray Matter Marketing for the Amica Newport Marathon, Marathon – back half of the Newport Marathon going past Second Beach and Indian Avenue area – Location on Roadways and parking at Second Beach, to be held on Sunday, October 11, 2026, from 7:30 am to 1:30 pm. (Set up at 4:00 am, race completed by 3:30 pm, parking at Second Beach)
28. Application for Special Event Permit from Sherri Paris, Founder and Marine Scientist for New Logic Marine Science Camp, Marine & Environmental Summer Day Camp for children K-8, July 27th – 31st , 2026 and August 3rd – 7th , 2026 to be held at Third Beach from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.
29. (Public Hearing Advertised)
Application of Middletown Donuts, LLC dba Dunkin Donuts, 811 West Main Road for Additional Hours of Operation for the 2025-2026 licensing year.
30. (Public Hearing Advertised)
Application of Destiny Donuts, LLC dba Dunkin Donuts, 159 East Main Road for Additional Hours of Operation for the 2025-2026 licensing year.
31. (Public Hearing Advertised)
Application of East Main Donuts, LLC dba Dunkin Donuts, 536 East Main Road for Additional Hours of Operation for the 2025-2026 licensing year.
32. Communication of Emily Sullivan, Middletown BPAC Chair, re: Green End Avenue at Aquidneck Avenue – Missing Pedestrian Connections.
33. Communication of Councilor Turano, re: Proposal for Consideration of Term Limits for Elected Officials.
Wendy J.W. Marshall, MMC
Town Clerk
This meeting location is accessible to the handicapped. Individuals requiring interpreter services for the hearing-impaired should notify the Town Clerk’s Office at 847-0009 not less than 48 hours before this meeting.
Posted on January 28, 2026 at Middletown Town Hall, Middletown Public Library and Secretary of State Web Site.