POSTED – MARCH 11, 2026
REGULAR MEETING MARCH 16, 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 Monday, March 16, 2026; 5:00 P.M. Executive Session; Joint Meeting with the Planning Board and Presentation for Dunlap-Wheeler Park Immediately following Executive Session; 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: 870 7065 6044 or on the web at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87070656044 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) Land Acquisition and (5) Land Acquisition (West Main Road).
IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING EXECUTIVE SESSION
2. Communication of Planning Board Chair, re: Discussion of priorities of the Town Council.
3. Memorandum of Planning Board Chair, re: Proposed amendments to the Middletown Rules and Regulations Regarding the Subdivision and Development of Land by adding Appendix D: Traffic Impact Study Requirements to implement requirements and guidelines for the preparation of traffic impact studies submitted for proposed subdivisions and development projects. (Council action to receive said memorandum and adopt said amendments to the Middletown Rules and Regulations Regarding the Subdivision and Development of Land)
4. Communication of Town Planner, thru Town Administrator, re: Dunlap-Wheeler Park improvements concept plan presentation.
5. Resolution of the Council, re: Town Council hereby expresses its support for the concept plan as presented for the Dunlap-Wheeler Park, subject to any requested modifications, and authorizes the administration to proceed with work toward completing final design and permitting, subject to funding availability.
PRESENTATIONS
6. Communication of Tax Exploration Chair, re: Unintended Consequences in the Current Tax Ordinance.
7. Memorandum of Councilor Turano, re: Middletown Town Council Term Limits.
8. 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.
9. Approval of Minutes, re: Regular Meeting, February 17, 2026.
10. Approval of Minutes, re: Regular Meeting, March 2, 2026.
11. Approval of Minutes, re: Special Meeting, March 4, 2026.
12. Communication of Tax Assessor, re: Cancellation of Taxes for certain Middletown residents.
13. Resolution of the Council, re: Cancellation of Taxes for certain Middletown residents.
14. License of Burial, re: Aliki Cooper, Eleni Cooper and Pauline Cooper, Section 46E, Graves 41 & 42.
15. Memorandum of Finance Director, thru Town Administrator, re: School Department Surplus- Kitchen equipment.
16. Resolution of the Council, re: School Department Surplus-Kitchen equipment - Surplus to be salvaged by the Finance Director.
17. Memorandum of Planning Board Chair, re: Proposed amendments to the Town Code Chapter 152, Section 728 necessary to address amendments to state law adopted in the 2025 General Assembly Bill H5794. (Council action to advertise for a future public hearing)
18. Memorandum of Planning Board Chair, re: Proposed amendments to the Town Code Chapter 152, Zoning Ordinance, Section 802 regarding rebuilding nonconforming structures. (Council action to advertise for a future public hearing)
19. Application for Special Event Permit from the Newport County YMCA for the Newport County YMCA for Aquatics Camp and Outdoor Adventure Camp to be held June 29, 2026 to August 28, 2026, Weekdays – Aquatics Camp - 9 am – 2 pm; Occasional Fridays 9-2 pm for Outdoor Adventure Camp at Second Beach and Third Beach.
20. Application for Special Event Permit from the Newport County YMCA- Race 4 Chase Triathlon training for kids to be held at Second Beach and Third Beach, beginning Monday, July 6, 2026 to Friday, August 7, 2026, Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm.
21. Application for Special Event Permit from Small Wave Sauna, LLC for Small Wave Sauna, Mobil sauna business parked next to shower at Surfer’s End, for Off Season Weekends (September 2026 to May 2027) and occasional weekday popups (ex. Friday sunset).
22. Application for Special Event Permit from Newport Sauna/Elena Soini for Sauna at the beach, Mobil sauna business at Third Beach for Winter Swimmers/Paddlers/Plungers, 1-3 days per week. (October 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027)
23. Application for Special Event Permit from Love Defeats Fear Yoga, Third Beach Yoga, all levels public yoga class held on Third Beach on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays beginning June 1st, 2026, to September 30th, 2026, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
24. Application for Special Event Permit from Pulse Gym & Studios for Pulse Beach Boot Camps at Second Beach (Tuesdays and Thursdays) from Tuesday, May 12, 2026 to Thursday, August 27, 2026, from 5:30 am to 7:30 am.
25. Application for Special Event Permit from Audrain Concours Foundation, LLC., Newport, for Tour d ’Elegance to be held on Saturday, October 3, 2026 from 5:30 am to 8:30 am, Second Beach parking lot.
26. Memorandum of Councilor Turano, re: Middletown CIP for 2022-2026 Budget – 3-16-26.
27. Memorandum of Councilor Turano, re: Middletown 5 Year Forecast Review.
28. Memorandum of Finance Director, thru Town Administrator, re: MIDD-026-011 Food, Beverage, and Concessions at Middletown Second Beach.
29. Resolution of Council, re: Award of Contract- MIDD-026-011 Food, Beverage, and Concessions at Middletown Second Beach to Fire & Water Concession, Inc. and authorizing the Finance Director to execute the contract on behalf of the Town.
30. Memorandum of Finance Director, thru Town Administrator, re: MIDD-026-006 Beach Parking Management System.
31. Resolution of the Council, re: MIDD-026-006 Beach Parking Management System – Approve entering into an agreement with Passport Labs, Inc to assist in implementing a parking management system at Second and Third Beach, the fees required and funds received from the parking management system be charge to and recorded in the Parks and Recreation Fund and authorizing the Finance Director to execute agreements on behalf of the Town pending final review from the Town Solicitor.
32. Memorandum of Finance Director, thru Town Administrator, re: Recommendation for Installation of an Energy Management System at the Fire and Public Works Complex.
33. Resolution of the Council, re: Award of contract to Vision Energy Solutions, funding for this purchase and installation from Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant : $87,981, Energy Incentive and Rhode Island On-Bill Financing: $160,419 and the Finance Director is authorized hereby to execute said purchase on behalf of the Town.
34. Memorandum of Finance Director, thru Town Administrator, re: FY2026 Budget Adjustments as of December 31, 2025.
35. Resolution of the Council, re: Approval of FY2026 Budget Adjustments as of December 31, 2025 – General Fund.
36. Appointment of one (1) member to the Conservation Commission to complete a term expiring July 2027.
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 March 11, 2026, 2026 at Middletown Town Hall, Middletown Public Library and Secretary of State Web Site.