City of Central Falls
City Council Meeting
Board of License Commissioners
Central Falls City Hall
580 Broad St. Central Falls, RI 02863
Monday, September 12, 2016
6:00 p.m.
Council President Bob Ferri called the meeting to order at 6:04pm in the Central Falls City Council Chambers.
1. Roll Call
City Clerk, Sonia Grace conducted the roll call. Present were Councilman Ferri, Councilman Figueroa, Councilwoman Fonseca, Councilwoman Gonzalez, Councilwoman Racquier, Councilwoman Ristaino-Siegel and Councilman Vaudreuil Quorum was present.
2. Pledge of Allegiance
Council President Ferri led the Pledge of Allegiance
3. Citation of the City Council Congratulating Emile & Claire Tougas on the occasion of their 57th wedding anniversary.
Councilwoman Fonseca spoke about the citation and congratulated Mr. & Mrs. Tougas.
4. Public Comment
Thomas Lazieh of 1072 Lonsdale Ave.- spoke on the timeframe of when political signs may be placed on local lawns.
5. Consideration of meeting minutes of August 10, 2016
Motion to approve the meeting minutes was made by Councilwoman Gonzalez, seconded by Councilwoman Ristaino-Siegel. Motion carried 5-0.
6. Consideration of appointment by Mayor James Diossa
Robert Beadle
65 Henry Street, Central Falls
Planning Board
Mr. Beadle was present and introduced himself to the Council. Motion to approve the appointment was made by Councilwoman Gonzalez, seconded by Councilwoman Ristaino-Siegel and Councilwoman Fonseca. Motion carried 5-0.
7. Resolution of the Central Falls City Council in support of the Central Falls Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Prevention Plan (Gonzalez)
Dr. Michael Fine presented an overview of the Plan, presented existing data of substance use and abuse in Central Falls.
Dr. Fine presented the proposals of the plan related to substance use treatment, prevention strategies. He also answered questions from the Council about the causes of substance use disorder, other strategies that may be successful and next steps of the Task Force.
Motion to approve the resolution was made by Councilman Vaudreuil, seconded by Councilwoman Fonseca. Motion carried 5-0.
8. Receipt of Department Financial Reports
a. City Clerk Department- Report for month of August 2016: Distribution Report
b. Department of Code Enforcement- Report for month of August 2016: Building Division Permits Issued, Complaints Report
c. Finance Department- July 2016 Revenue, August 2016 Expense, Fiscal Year 2017 Capital Improvement Fund
d. Fire Department- Report for month of August 2016
e. Police Department- Report for month of August 2016
Cynthia DeJesus, Peter Friedrichs and Captain Dorian Rave answered questions from the Council.
Motion to accept and place on file was made by Councilwoman Gonzalez, seconded by Councilwoman Ristaino-Siegel. Motion carried 5-0.
9. Consideration of Tax Abatements Submitted by Tax Assessor
| Property Owner | Tax Year | Property Information |
| | | |
| Chilel, Jennifer W | 2016 | MV: 2008 Nissan Altima |
| Dunn, William Albert | 2016 | MV: 2004 Buick |
| Faria, Francisco | 2016 | RE: 5-182 @ 99 Foundry St |
| Ghazal, Jacques M | 2016 | RE: 7-27 @ 591-593 Hunt St |
| Hess, Isaac C | 2016 | MV: 2001 Toyota |
| Lebeau, Edward T et ux | 2016 | RE: 4-26 @ 122 Sylvian St |
| Martinez, Luis E | 2016 | RE: 7-174 @ 65 Liberty St |
| Perez, Billy | 2016 | MV: 2006 Freightliner |
| Rabbitt, Joseph | 2016 | MV: 1999 Buick |
| Tavares, Manuel A & Elsa | 2016 | RE: 8-61 @ 33 Mowry St |
Mr, Bob Battey was present and explained the abatements being considered by the Council.
Motion to approve the abatements was made by Councilwoman Fonseca, seconded by Councilwoman Gonzalez. Motion carried 5-0.
10. City Council sitting as the Board of License Commissioners
a. Consideration of Petition for License
| | Class of License | Applicant | Business Information |
| i. | Auto Repair Transfer | Nicolas Hernandez | Lonsdale Auto Repairs 819 Lonsdale Ave. |
| iv. | Entertainment New | Costa Del Sol Restaurant, Inc. | Costa Del Sol Restaurant, Inc. 502 Roosevelt Ave. |
| v. | F/F1 New | Holy Spirit Parish | Holy Spirit Parish 1030 Dexter St. |
| vi. | Tobacco New | Sanchez Food Corp. | Mi Tierra Supermarket 693 Dexter St. |
i. Motion to approve the license transfer was made by Mr. Hernandez was made by Councilwoman Gonzalez, seconded by Councilwoman Ristaino-Siegel. Motion carried 5-0.
ii. Motion to approve the entertainment of Costa Del Sol was made by Councilwoman Fonseca, seconded by Councilwoman Ristaino-Siegel. Motion carried 5-0.
iii. Motion to approve the F/F1 license was Councilman Vaudreuil, seconded by Councilwoman Ristaino-Siegel. Motion carried 5-0.
Motion to waive the fees of Holy Spirit Parish was made by Councilwoman Gonzalez, seconded by Councilwoman Ristaino-Siegel. Motion carried 5-0.
iv. Motion to table the application was made by Councilwoman Fonseca, seconded by Councilwoman Gonzalez. Motion carried 5-0.
11. Resolution of the Central Falls City Council approving the sale of city-owned land located at 32 Richland Ave (Plat 7, Lot 232) Central Falls, Rhode Island (Vaudreuil)
Mr. Robert Weber and Mr. Peter Friedrichs answered questions from the Council, explained the process for the sale of property
Motion to approve the resolution was made by Councilwoman Fonseca, seconded by Councilwoman Gonzalez. Motion carried 5-0.
12. Ordinance amending the FY17 Annual Capital Program and Capital Budget Ordinance-Introduction(Ferri)
Ordinance was introduced.
13. Consideration of payment plan agreement by and between the City of Central Falls and RI Warehouse Investments, LLC with regards to Plat 10, Lot 108
Mr. Robert Weber summarized the agreement being considered. He also answered questions from the Council.
Motion to approve the agreement was made by Councilwoman Gonzalez, seconded by Councilwoman Ristaino-Siegel. Motion carried 5-0
14. Hearing and/or Consideration of Claims
a. Executive Session pursuant to R.I.G.L § 42-46-5 (a)(2), pertaining to litigation or work sessions pertaining to litigation.
i. Janette Cameron, of 45 Watson St, for alleged damage to personal property sustained on July 27, 2016
ii. Genaro Ruiz, for alleged personal injuries sustained on September 11, 2013
b. Possible Consideration of Claim (a)(i.-iii.)
Motion to enter into executive session was made by Councilman Vaudreuil, seconded by Councilwoman Fonseca. Roll call: Councilman Ferri: yes; Councilwoman Fonseca: yes; Councilwoman Gonzalez: yes; Councilwoman Ristaino-Siegel: yes; Councilman Vaudreuil: yes. Motion carried 5-0.
Motion to exit executive session was made by Councilman Vaudreuil, seconded by Councilwoman Ristaino-Siegel. Motion carried 5-0.
v. Ms. Cameron spoke about the incident and presented the case for her claim.
Sgt. Christopher of the Central Falls Police Department presented testimony of the case against Ms. Cameron’s tenant and the reason for the court-issued search warrant.
Motion to approve the claim in the amount of $1250 was made by Councilwoman Fonseca.
Motion to approve the claim in the amount of $1000 was made by Councilwoman Gonzalez, Councilwoman Ristaino-Siegel. Council discussed the details of the claim and incident
15. Communication from Mayor James Diossa proclaiming September 26th through October 2nd, 2016 as Diaper Need Awareness Week
Motion to accept and place on file was made by Councilman Vaudreuil, seconded by Councilwoman Fonseca. Motion carried 5-0.
16. Good & Welfare from City Councilors updates, announcements, reports from councilors in regards to community liaisons and events
Councilman Ferri: announced the Car Show on September 25th and Restaurant Week from September 19-25th.
17. Adjournment
Motion to adjourn was made by Councilwoman Ristaino-Siegel, seconded by Councilwoman Gonzalez. Meeting adjourned at 8:15pm.
Approved October 12, 2016