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 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 (Tibbits)
2. At the request of Councillor Turano, re: Workshop - 5 Year Budget Forecast Review.
(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”.
4. Communication of Paul M. Rodrigues, Middletown Town Council President, re: Information in accordance with RIGL 16-2-21.
6. Presentation – Pre-budget Consultation – FY 2027 – Town/School Revenue Conference.
7. Memorandum of Greg Huet, School Committee Chair, re: Pre-Budget Consultation FY2026-27.
8. Presentation – Middletown Public Schools Revenue Conference.
9. Communication of Councillor Connerton, re: Middletown 250th Commission Presentation, includes a request to file a grant application.
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.
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.
12. Approval of Minutes, re: Regular Meeting, January 5, 2026.
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.
14. Communication of Finance Director thru Town Administrator, re: School Department Surplus – Facilities equipment.
15. Resolution of the Council, re: School Department Surplus – Facilities equipment.
16. Email communication of William J. DiMarco, re: Resignation from the Roads and Utilities Advisory Committee.
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.
18. License of Burial, re: Anthony Spiratos and Anastasia Vourvachakis, Section 54, Grave 47.
19. Application of GRJ Middletown, LLC dba The Pell, 425 East Main Road, for a Victualling House License for the 2025-2026 licensing year.
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.
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.
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.
23. At the request of Council President Rodrigues, Resolution of the Council, re: Regarding the Restoration of General Revenue Sharing to Cities and Towns.
24. At the request of Council President Rodrigues and Councillor 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.
25. Communication of Councillor Roberts, re: Jake Cathers Moment of Silence and Donation Request.
26. Communication of Councillor Roberts, re: Committee Roundtable, Updates and Review Request.
27. Memorandum of Finance Director, thru Town Administrator, re; Vehicle and Equipment Purchase: Department of Public Works Replacement and New Vehicle Purchase.
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.
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.
Wendy J.W. Marshall, MMC
Town Clerk
Posted on January 14, 2026 at Middletown Town Hall, Middletown Public Library and Secretary of State Web Site.