| | CITY OF EAST PROVIDENCE RHODE ISLAND JOURNAL OF REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MAY 6, 2008 | |
The City Council meets in the Council Chambers on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 and Mayor Isadore S. Ramos calls the meeting to order at 7:34 P.M.
The invocation is read by Councilman DiTraglia and the Salute to the Flag is led by Councilman Cusack.
| Present: | Mayor Isadore S. Ramos | | |
| | Robert E. Cusack | ) | Council Members |
| | Bruce DiTraglia | ) | |
| | Valerie A. Perry | ) | |
| | Bryan P. Silva | ) | |
| | William J. Conley, Jr. | ) | Acting City Manager |
| | Virginia B. Nunes | ) | City Clerk |
| | | | |
| Absent: | Richard Brown | ) | City Manager |
CONSENT CALENDAR
APPROVAL OF COUNCIL JOURNALS
April 1, 2008 - Regular Meeting
April 7, 2008 – Joint Workshop
12th ANNUAL CAR SHOW – SUNDAY, MAY 25, 2008 10 A.M. – 3 P.M.
Frederick A. Vinhateiro, 78 Read Street (02915) Close Pawtucket Avenue from 3708 -3712
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE-CLASS F – MAY 9, 10 & 11, 2008
Holy Ghost Beneficial Brotherhood of RI, 51 North Phillips Street (02914)
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE-CLASS F – MAY 16, 17 & 18, 2008
Trinity Brotherhood, 146 Sutton Avenue (02914)
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE-CLASS F-1-MAY 17, 2008
St. Francis Xavier (Fado Night), 81 North Carpenter Street (02914)
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE-CLASS F – MAY 24, 2008
Sacred Heart Church (Anniversary Dinner), 118 Taunton Avenue (02914)
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE-CLASS F – JUNE 13, 14 & 15, 2008
St. Francis Xavier, 81 North Carpenter Street (02914)
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE-CLASS F – JUNE 27, 28 & 29, 2008
St. Martha’s Church, 2595 Pawtucket Avenue (02914)
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE-CLASS F – JULY 4, 5 & 6, 2008
Holy Ghost Brotherhood Mariense, 846 Broadway (02914)
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE-CLASS F – JULY 11, 12 & 13, 2008
Teofilo Braga Club, 26 Teofilo Braga Way (02914)
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE-CLASS F – JULY 18, 19 & 20, 2008
Holy Ghost Brotherhood of Charity, 59 Brightridge Avenue (02914)
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE-CLASS F – JULY 18, 19 & 20, 2008
East Providence Parks & Recreation, 145 Taunton Avenue (02914)
LETTER OF RESIGNATION
John F. Conley, II - Economic Development Commission
CANCELLATION/ABATEMENTS (Requested by Tax Assessor)
| YEAR | AMOUNT |
| 2006 | $10.02 |
| 2007 | $6,313.86 |
| Total | $6,323.88 |
TAX BOARD OF REVIEW (Requested by Tax Board of Review)
| YEAR | AMOUNT |
| 2007 | $38,138.60 |
| Total | $38,138.60 |
On motion of Councilwoman Perry, seconded by Councilman Silva, and on a roll call vote, it is unanimously voted to approve the Consent Calendar.
APPOINTMENTS
Assistant Harbormaster (by Councilman DiTraglia)
Andrew M. Handfield (term ending November 30, 2008)
56 Ferris Avenue (02916)
On motion of Councilwoman DiTraglia, seconded by Councilman Silva and on a roll-call vote, it is unanimously voted to defer.
Assistant Harbormaster (by Councilman DiTraglia)
Luis M. Azevedo (term ending November 30, 2008)
6 Dearborn Drive (02915)
On motion of Councilman DiTraglia, seconded by Councilman Silva and on a roll-call vote, it is unanimously voted to defer.
LICENSES NOT REQUIRING PUBLIC HEARING
CARNIVAL (Subject to approvals from the Chief of Police, Building Inspector, Health Inspector, State Division of Taxation, Fire Marshall, and Electrical Inspector)
The Gordon School, 45 Maxfield Avenue (02914)
On motion of Councilman Cusack, seconded by Councilwoman Perry, it is unanimously voted to approve.
LICENSING COMMISSIONERS RESUME SITTING AS CITY COUNCIL
PUBLIC HEARINGS
ORDINANCES – FINAL PASSAGE (Given First Passage April 15, 2008 Advertised – Prov. Journal –April 18, 2008.)
1. AN ORDINANCE IN AMENDMENT OF CHAPTER 5 OF THE REVISED ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF EAST PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, 1998, AS AMENDED, ENTITLED “FIRE PREVENTION”, which recognizes Advanced Life Support “ALS1 and ALS2 as part of the Medicare allowable fee schedule for Emergency Medical Services Billing.
On motion of Councilwoman Perry, seconded by Councilman Cusack, and on a roll call vote, it is unanimously voted to dispense with the reading of the ordinance.
No one from the public wishes to speak.
On a motion of Councilman Silva, seconded by Councilman DiTraglia and on a roll-call vote, it is unanimously voted to approve.
2. AN ORDINANCE IN AMENDMENT OF CHAPTER 3 OF THE REVISED ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF EAST PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, 1998, AS AMENDED, ENTITLED “ANIMALS, ” which brings the ordinance into compliance with state law.
On motion of Councilwoman Perry, seconded by Councilman Silva, it is unanimously voted to dispense with the reading of the ordinance.
No one from the public wishes to speak.
On a motion of Councilwoman Perry, seconded by Councilman Silva and on a roll-call vote, it is unanimously voted to approve.
NEW BUSINESS
REPORTS OF OTHER CITY OFFICIALS
CLAIMS COMMITTEE (by William J. Conley, Jr. – City Solicitor)
Mr. Conley states at the conclusion of our last Council Meeting we had not completed the meeting of the Claims committee so we adjourned to the recessed Claims committee meeting so the first report would be those matters that we didn’t report out.
Mr. Conley presents Claims Report from April 15, 2008:
| Michael J. Damiani VS. City of East Providence, Richard Brown, James McDonald, and Robert Cusack, Human Right Commission complaint. | Refer to the Law Department |
| Dorcas C. Henderson VS. City of East Providence and Raymond G. Benoit, Human Rights Commission complaint | Refer to the Law Department |
| Sean R. Sullivan VS. City of East Providence, Et Al appeal to Superior Court. | Refer to the Law Department |
| Mr. Conley states the meeting concluded at 8:35 P.M. | |
| Mr. Conley presents Claims Report from May 6, 2008: | |
| Beede Waste Oil Superfund Site | Received as information |
New Claims:
| Robert, Leslie, Matthew, Christopher & Nicholas Gagnon Claim No. 08-021 | Refer to the Law Department |
| Independent Claims Service, Inc. Claim No. 08-017 | Refer to the Law Department |
| Carole and Antonio Rego Claim No. 08-020 | Refer to the Law Department |
| Glenn Johnson Claim No. 08-022 | Refer to the Law Department |
| Warren Avenue Associates LLC Claim No. 08-018 | Refer to the Law Department |
Miscellaneous:
| Tristam Burgess School Property | Refer to the Law Department |
On motion of Councilman Silva, seconded by Councilwoman Perry, and on a roll call vote, it is unanimously voted accept report.
2008-2009 Community Development Block Grant Budget Report (by David Bachrach - CDBG Coordinator)
Mr. Bachrach reports the Community Block Grant Funds that were given to us and asking for approval for the budget:
| Public Services | $129,350.00 |
| Public Facilities | $325,000.00 |
| Economic Development | $50,500.00 |
| Housing | $288,877.00 |
| Administration | $162,800.00 |
| Totals | $793,727.00 |
Councilman DiTraglia asks what the budget was for the last two years and Mr. Bachrach states the last two years just braking $800,000.00.
Mayor Ramos asks if the interviews are completed and Mr. Bachrach states yes.
On motion of Councilwoman Perry, seconded by Councilman Silva, and on a roll call vote, it is unanimously voted to approve.
COUNCIL MEMBERS
Commissions and Boards (by Mayor Ramos)
Mayor Ramos mentions that there are vacancies on the various boards and commissions and suggests that they be advertised on the Website and in the Clerk’s office to get some names of interested individuals.
On motion of Councilwoman Perry, seconded by Councilman DiTraglia, and on a roll call vote, it is unanimously voted to approve.
Announcement of Free Compost (by Councilman DiTraglia)
Councilman DiTraglia states that the City has free compost at the Highway Garage on Commercial Way and suggests that people call first.
Discussion on Revaluation of Taxes (by Councilman DiTraglia)
Councilman DiTraglia says he brought this up because what is happening to the State of RI. He states that the homes are valued at a high rate, double what the homes are worth, and that we are paying the tax rate on the high evaluation. He says he thinks it is only fair the tax be lowered because the homes are not worth that. He says that the State takes away from us; we have to take away from them. We can’t afford to bail them out. We have to get in touch with our Representatives and Senators to give us some leeway of the tax increase. So many foreclosures, we need to work with them. Every City and Town is going to be bankrupt. He says he wants to make a motion involving our Representatives and Senators to do something for the City.
Mayor Ramos states the State doesn’t have any money, the Congressional people don’t have any money and that means the City doesn’t have any money and neither do the tax payers and he is not going to put any burden on the taxpayer. He says he agrees with Councilman DiTraglia that we should get our Representatives and Senators to get involved with this process because we’re all in this together.
Councilwoman Perry asks for some clarification from Councilman DiTraglia. She asks if he is suggesting that the valuation of the homes be lowered and therefore the taxes would be lower so the city would get less revenue from taxes. Councilman DiTraglia states that is correct we need to get back to not relying on State.
Mayor Ramos states if we have less money coming into the City and no help from the State how are we going to run the City.
Councilman DiTraglia states we’re going to have to cut some City services or face a tax increase.
Mayor Ramos states we should leave it the way it is and not raise anymore taxes, talk to the City Manager and see what we can do.
Councilwoman Perry states that the City is facing a $3 million plus deficit in the school department, city services have already been scaled back, and bringing in less money would bankrupt the City.
Mr. Conley states the State actually requires revaluation every three years, rumors say it might change to four years.
Mr. McDonald states that revaluation was done last year, effective December 31, 2006. The next schedule is for 2009 to take effect in 2010. He also states that there is a strong rumor that it might change to four years, but he would caution you about changing valuation because that is tied into State Law.
On motion of Councilman DiTraglia, seconded by Councilwoman Perry and on a roll-call vote, it is unanimously voted to defer to the City Manager for a study.
Vehicles being taken home by Employees (by Councilman DiTraglia)
Councilman DiTraglia states he had concerns because of the price of fuel and the wear and tear on vehicles, which is a big expense.
Mayor Ramos states he doesn’t understand how someone could be on 24 hr call for emergencies if they live 28 miles away. He says he thinks this should be defered to the City Manager.
Councilwoman Perry suggests the employees who respond to emergencies use their own vehicles and get reimbursed for the gas mileage. Councilman Cusack agrees with that.
Councilman Silva states he would like the Council to make a recommendation for the City Manager to determine which city vehicles are actually essential, and do they have entitlement of use of these cars while home. He says we are only talking about driving back and forth from work, are we paying for gas for them to drive around to the milk stores or wherever.
On motion of Councilman DiTraglia, seconded by Councilman Silva and on a roll-call vote, it is unanimously voted to defer to the City Manager for a study.
Job Freeze (by Councilman DiTraglia)
Councilman DiTraglia states the job freeze was discussed a while back and says he feels it is needed now to put a stop on hiring. He says he knows people are retiring from the Police and Fire and they want to replace them. Take a look at all the departments find out what is essential.
Mayor Ramos states that some jobs have already been interviewed and are ready to be appointed, and asks Councilman DiTraglia if he is talking about those jobs. Councilman DiTraglia states that he wants to put a hold on everything until we get a handle on it and find out if it is really needed.
Councilwoman Perry states that she doesn’t think the City Manager would fill any vacancies if he thought they weren’t really needed at this time. She says there are minimum manning issues in the Fire and Police Departments.
Mayor Ramos asks Chief Paquette and Chief Klucznik to the podium. Chief Paquette says his staff is down and there will be 5 – 10 on overtime. Chief Klucznik states the National Fire Protection Association sets minimum manning guidelines on all fire apparatus, meaning engine companies and ladder companies should have 4 firefighters on each apparatus. He says currently we do not meet the minimum manning guidelines, and we are relying on municipal aid because quite often we don’t have the manpower to handle an incident.
Mayor Ramos states there is one position that they were ready to appoint would you put a freeze on that. Councilman DiTraglia states yes we’re putting it on hold till we get a report from Mr. Brown.
Councilman Silva states he would like to defer to City Manager there are several jobs that Mr. Brown and the personnel department have been working very hard on to try to fill. One is the Affirmative Action the other is the Assistant IT Director (Network Administrator).
Councilman Cusack asked Mr. Conley if we were to enter into a hiring freeze whereby any vacant position should not be filled without Council approval, would that violate the Charter where we are limited in our ability to become involved with particular personnel discussions.
Mr. Conley states the Charter does have a provision that prevents the Council from getting into personnel issues not in a general overall policy. We talk about mandates on the school side there are significant mandates on the municipalities.
On motion of Councilman Cusack, seconded by Councilman Silva and on a roll-call vote, it is unanimously voted to ask the City Manager to report to us on what measure can be taken to limit and possibly reduce the total head count under the purview of the City.
Kronos Time System (by Councilman DiTraglia)
Councilman DiTraglia states he received a letter from Mr. Brown stating that it was purchased on 4/9/08 I thought it was put in a long time ago but evidently not. I believe it cost $9,000.00 and this state’s IT department is testing out a finger scan so I don’t know if this is another system when the first system wasn’t implemented.
On motion of Councilman DiTraglia, seconded by Councilwoman Perry and on a roll-call vote, it is unanimously voted to defer to the City Manager.
Need four way stop sign for Grassy Plain Road at Rounds Avenue (by Councilman DiTraglia)
Councilman DiTraglia states these four stop signs need to be looked at by Mr. Coutu. Mayor Ramos asks Mr. Coutu to come to the podium. Mr. Coutu states the one at Tanglewood Drive at Beverly Road those two streets don’t come together, so if you can clarify that. Councilman DiTraglia said he would. Mayor Ramos asks if we can make one motion for you to look at all the others and Mr. Coutu agrees.
Need stop sign for Tanglewood Drive at Beverly Road (by Councilman DiTraglia)
Need stop sign for Circuit Drive at Brook Avenue (by Councilman DiTraglia)
Need stop sign for Beverly Road at Cedarwood Drive (by Councilman DiTraglia)
On motion of Councilman DiTraglia, seconded by Councilman Silva and on a roll-call vote, it is unanimously voted to defer to the Mr. Coutu for a study for 7, 8, 9 & 10.
RESOLUTIONS
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE DIRECTOR OF FINANCE TO BORROW $600,000 IN ANTICIPATION OF CITY REVENUES
On motion of Councilwoman Perry, seconded by Councilman DiTraglia, and on a roll call vote, it is unanimously voted to dispense with the reading of the Resolution.
Councilman Cusack asks the Finance Director to explain the reason for borrowing the $600,000.
Mr. McDonald states this is a revenue anticipation note and it is for the waste water department.
On a motion of Councilman Cusack, seconded by Councilman Silva and on a roll-call vote, it is unanimously voted to approve.
INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCES (If given First Passage, can be referred to the next regular Council Meeting to be held on May 20, 2008 for a public hearing and consideration of final passage).
1. AN ORDINANCE IN AMENDMENT OF CHAPTER 11 OF THE REVISED ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF EAST PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, 1998, AS AMENDED, ENTITLED “PERSONNEL, PENSIONS AND RETIREMENT.” which provides $900 per year to the Police and Firemen who retired from service between 1962 and 1984 and are not eligible for the automatic 3% cola increase that all retirees now receive. Widowed members will receive $600 per year.
On motion of Councilwoman Perry, seconded by Councilman Silva, and on a roll call vote, it is unanimously voted to dispense with the reading of the Ordinance.
On a motion of Councilwoman Perry, seconded by Councilman Silva and on a roll-call vote, it is unanimously voted to approve.
2. AN ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $2,000,000 TO FINANCE THE REPAIRS, RENOVATIONS, AND IMPROVEMENTS TO CITY ROADS AND DRAINAGE SYSTEMS AND AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF NOT MORE THAN $2,000,000 BONDS AND NOTES THEREFORE
On motion of Councilman Silva, seconded by Councilwoman Perry, and on a roll call vote, it is unanimously voted to dispense with the reading of the Ordinance.
Mr. McDonald explains that a bond anticipation note of $2,000,000 was sold last May to do some projects, part of a public works bond that was approved in 2006 for a total of $5,000,000. He says that it was decided to do no new projects this year, and the $2,000,000 is simply to pay the BAN that’s due at the end of the month and take out a new BAN for the same $2,000,000. In essence we are simply rolling over this BAN for another year rather than trying to pay it off because there is no money in the budget to actually start paying it off.
On a motion of Councilwoman Perry, seconded by Councilman Silva and on a roll-call vote, it is unanimously voted to approve.
Mayor Ramos adjourns the meeting at 9:05 P.M. on a motion of Councilman Silva, seconded by Councilman DiTraglia.
Attest:
_________________________________
Virginia B. Nunes
City Clerk
Approved: July 15, 2008