CONSENT CALENDAR

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE-CLASS F – 1 – SEPTEMBER 20, 2008

St. Francis Xavier, Casa Dos Acores, 81 North Carpenter Street (02914)

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE-CLASS F – 1 – OCTOBER 5, 2008

St. Francis Xavier, St. Francis Xavier Band, 81 North Carpenter Street (02914)

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE-CLASS F – 1 – OCTOBER 11, 2008

St. Francis Xavier, Ribeira Grande, 81 North Carpenter Street (02914)

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE-CLASS F – 1 – OCTOBER 18, 2008

St. Francis Xavier, Casa Dos Acores, 81 North Carpenter Street (02914)

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE-CLASS F – 1 – OCTOBER 25, 2008

St. Francis Xavier, 30 Week Club, 81 North Carpenter Street (02914)

BLOCK PARTY – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2008, NOON – 4:00 P.M.

Paul D. Charpentier, 99 Don Avenue (02916) Don & Catlin Avenue, block off end of Greenwood Avenue, Selden & Lewis.  Rain Date: September 28, 2008.

HOLIDAY SALES

Aldi, Inc., 70 Newport Avenue (02916)

VIC/NOT OVER 25

Aldi, Inc., 70 Newport Avenue (02916)

CANCELLATION/ABATEMENTS (Requested by Tax Assessor)

On motion of Councilwoman Perry, seconded by Councilman DiTraglia, and on a roll call vote, it is unanimously voted to approve the Consent Calendar, Councilman Silva was absent..

APPOINTMENTS

HARBOR MANAGEMENT COMMISSION (by Councilman Silva)

Lee H. Hastings III (reappointment term ending 09/21/09)

157 Schuyler Street (02914)  

On motion of Councilwoman Perry, seconded by Councilman DiTraglia, and on a roll call vote, it is unanimously voted to approve, Councilman Silva was absent.

EAST PROVIDENCE WATERFRONT DISTRICT COMMISSION (by Councilman DiTraglia)              

Matthew Weldon (replacing William J. Fazioli term ending 08/15/12)

20 Channing Avenue (02915)

Councilman DiTraglia explained there was a clerical error on the term ending for William J. Fazioli.

ZONING BOARD OF REVIEW (by Councilwoman Perry)

Pier Toledo (replacing Christopher Smith term ending 06/01/09)

65 Ravena Avenue (02915)

On motion of Councilwoman Perry, seconded by Councilman Cusack and on a roll call vote, it is unanimously voted to approve, Councilman Silva was absent.

CITY COUNCIL SITTING AS LICENSING COMMISSIONERS

LICENSES REQUIRING PUBLIC HEARING

1.  B – FULL PRIVILEGE (AMEND TO INCLUDE OUTDOOR SEATING AREA)

Davenport’s Bar & Grill, Inc., d/b/a Davenport’s Restaurant, 1925 Pawtucket Avenue (02914)

Attorney Michael Fitzpatrick represents Davenport’s Restaurant and with him is Greg Davenport President.

Attorney Fitzpatrick states it’s a family style restaurant. We don’t have to adjust the parking the area is already there and it has a steel fence.

Mr. Davenport states zoning gave the approval for the outdoor seating but he didn’t know he needed a liquor license.

On motion of Councilman DiTraglia, seconded by Councilwoman Perry, and on a roll call vote, it is unanimously voted to approve.

LICENSES NOT REQUIRING PUBLIC HEARING

CARNIVAL SEPTEMBER 19, 20 & 21, 2008 (Subject to approvals from the Chief of Police, Building Inspector, Health Inspector, State Division of Taxation, Fire Marshall, and Electrical Inspector

St. Martha’s Church, 2595 Pawtucket Avenue (02914)

On motion of Councilwoman Perry, seconded by Councilman Silva, it is unanimously voted to approve.

PEDDLER (Subject to approvals from the Chief of Police, Health Inspector, and City    Manager)

Rebecca Sancomb, d/b/a The Mobile Mug, 92 Fales Avenue, Barrington (02806)

No one was present.

On motion of Councilman Silva seconded by Councilman DiTraglia it is unanimously voted to defer to the next meeting.

LICENSING COMMISSIONERS RESUME SITTING AS CITY COUNCIL

PUBLIC HEARING

ORDINANCES – FINAL PASSAGE (Given First Passage August 19, 2008 Advertised – Prov. Journal – August 22, 2008.)

The following is an ordinance pertaining to the stop sign for Fairview Avenue (northbound traffic) at Bloomfield Street.

NEW BUSINESS

CITY MANAGER’S REPORT

SABIN POINT PARK IMPROVEMENTS

Mr. Brown states several years ago the City received a grant from RI Dept of Environment Management which was matched by a Community Development Block Grant appropriations to do renovations at Sabin Point Park we did the design phase and went out for competitive bids to six vendors five responded and Hugo Key & Son, Inc. was the low bidder with $244,195.00.  Unfortunately that exceeded the amount we have available thru the combined appropriation. We are recommending that the Council go with Hugo Key & Son, Inc. $208,245.00 which is the total limit of the funds for this project.

Councilwoman Perry asks when the start date would be and Mr. Brown states this Fall.

On motion of Councilwoman Perry, seconded by Councilman Silva and on a roll-call vote, it is unanimously voted to approve.  

REPORTS OF OTHER CITY OFFICIALS

CLAIMS COMMITTEE (by William J. Conley, Jr. – City Solicitor)

Mr. Conley states the claims committee report for September 2, 2008 is there are no new claims.

Mayor Ramos asks and receives unanimous consent to read a letter that I received from the School Committee.

Mayor Ramos states he received a letter stating that they want to have a joint meeting with the City Council in regards to the budget.  I have a problem with a meeting after the fact.   I don’t understand how they want to bring a package to us an increase of 22%, $9 Million dollars on the backs of the tax payers.  It doesn’t make sense even to propose such an item.  I think the talking should have been done first. I will never put that on the back of the taxpayers. First it’s illegal, 22% and it’s not our job to do this budget.  Mayor Ramos asked Mr. Brown if he met with them and replied no, there was discussion prior to beginning of both our budget progresses about the plan to reduce the deficit and the information that I conveyed at that time was that we were losing money from the State of approximately $700,000 and we would continue with the same loss for the following year and we were under a 3.5% tax cap and we were expecting no growth in revenues.

Mayor Ramos thought we were working as a team.  I personally don’t want to sit down with a budget that’s plain ludicrous.

Councilwoman Perry what astounded me is that increase didn’t include any raises.  In deference to the School Committee the Superintendent just came on board.

Mayor Ramos states as a professional you have to have a conscience.  The Chairlady laughs and throws it and makes comments throw it to the Council I resent her for laughing and saying throw it to the Council.  It’s not our job to do that budget it’s the School Committee’s job.

Councilman Cusack states I was at that meeting the School Department over spent their budget last year by over $3 plus million and a hangover of a million dollars from a previous administration’s budget deficit that we’ve been witling down.  Those bills are obligations of the City we are bound to pay them.  The money from last year has to be dealt with and we are going to put them into this budget and on top of that they have been told health insurance is going to go up $2 million or 22%, Special Ed tuition $2.5 million or 47% and pension, utilities and miscellaneous add up to another million dollars.  Those are the drivers.  The attitude here is its 3.5% and that’s it.  Those numbers in the paper are mind boggling.

Councilman DiTraglia states I’m looking at the $3.2 million deficit that the School Department has and now they’re looking for an increase of $9 million dollars if you did that with your home budget you’d go broke and you’d lose everything.  It’s ludicrous that the School Department would even think about looking for a $9 million dollar increase when they can’t even pay for the $3.2 that they already have. They’re going to have to do some serious cuts to make up their budget.  I will not vote on any tax increase because of the School Department.

Councilman Silva asks for the Mayor to read the letter and he does:  The letter was sent to me Dear Mayor Ramos in accordance with the RI General Laws to 16-2-21a the East Providence School Committee seeks to convene a joint pre budget meeting with the City Council.  We would like to convene this meeting at your earliest convenience next week on September 4 or 5, 2008 kindly advise us as soon as possible either date next week is workable so that we can provide proper notice of the meeting on the open meeting act, sign sincerely Mildred Morris Chairperson and I sent everyone a copy on the Council and the City Manager. 

Councilman Silva states I think we should at least address the School Committee on it maybe send Mr. Brown to talk first, I think we owe that to the public and no way do I support an increase of budget like that.  The bottom line is the public is going to pay and we represent the public.

Mayor Ramos agrees that he wants Mr. Brown to meet with the Superintendent to discuss it and then maybe we should sit down.

Councilman Silva states yes I don’t think we should just say no to them I think it’s the wrong message to send.  The thing is it is our problem.  It’s not our job to cut but it is our job to say we don’t have the money you better sharpen your pencil and give us a reasonable budget.

Mayor Ramos said he was going to respond thru the City Manager.

COUNCIL MEMBERS

DISCUSS THE SCHOOL DEFICIT PLAN (by Councilman Cusack)

Councilman Cusack states some months ago when we had our joint meeting then Superintendent Jackie Forbes warned us that there would be a deficit exceeding $3 million dollars it was her opinion it was because of mandate and compliance with contracts, vendors law etc.  At that time I proposed a Financial Summit where we got all the Unions in a room and we would ask them for sacrifices roll back increases in salaries to 2007 levels and to ask for across the board 20% co share and that was voted down by the Council and it was determined that the City Manager should work down his list of suggestions where he would able to maintain certain saving which would amount to about $11 million.  I want to put this on docket to hear from the City Manager. 

Mr. Brown hopes that the Auditor General doesn’t look at cable.  Mr. McDonald and I met with the school personnel three or four times to discuss our deficit.  The first part of the deficit reduction plan was to a series of saving to fund the deficit reduction bond.  That was not approved by the Auditor General.  The ad doesn’t general approve of financing by deficit the other was our 3.5%  tax cap was less than the 5.5% which was allowed under 3050 even though it would have generated $700,000 His opinion was  if we were not taxing ourselves fully he would not approve.  Regarding sale of school properties, we had an offer on one of the three properties it was slightly less I viewed that as an open position in the negotiating process that was sent to the school board chairperson   I was advised to wait because they’re in the process of changing legal counsel.  I’m also in contact with one of the school committee members regarding another property.  City and School consolidation, in order for it to work you have to have champions in both organizations.  There has been a substantive change in the school administration I have just met with the new Superintendent, I’m concerned however, on the issue of consolidation that the School Committee is advertising for a Director of Finance in Administration filling in the vacant position that they have when the table of organization I was given by the previous Superintendent indicates that there would be school or educational specialist in the finance position as part of the consolidated organization.  We talked about teacher attrition with the declining enrollment that we would lose a number of teachers.  These numbers we came to with the Superintendent, their finance person, Mr. McDonald and I and that was in the neighborhood of $1.3 million dollars and what we are seeing in their latest budget proposal not taking any of that attrition in to account in fact they’re showing level funding actual salary increases.  We also had estimated a $410,000 saving as a result of retirement and new hire differentials, that’s not in there.  The item Mr. Cusack talked about 23% increase in health care after discussion with the previous Superintendent and their financial people they believe by becoming part of the collaborative they would enjoy about a $250,000 savings as compare to the prior year level of expenditure for their health insurance coverage.

Councilman Cusack states the former Superintendent said joining the collaborative they would enjoy about a $250,000 savings and they’re projecting a $2 million dollar increase without any explanation.  The differential between the retirees and the new hire is estimated at $410,000, I was wondering about that.  How do you know that it’s not figured in?  Mr. Brown states the note I have is that salaries are at the same level and then there’s an add-on on top of that based upon negotiating increases.  If this was true salaries there would be decrease by $1.7 million.  The other two areas, some reductions in police, Council was concerned that we not eliminate school resource officers in our community policing folks, but going through the budget with Police and because of the way they hire and position vacancies we can budget a savings. Fire Department schedule change we have just begun the negotiations for the last year of a three year contract.

INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCES (If given First Passage, can be referred to the next regular Council Meeting to be held on September 16, 2008 for a public hearing and consideration of final passage).

The following is an ordinance amendment regarding Handicapped parking on Metacomet Avenue in front of house number 42.

AN ORDINANCE IN AMENDMENT OF CHAPTER 18 OF THE REVISED ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF EAST PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, 1998, AS AMENDED, ENTITLED “VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC.” Handicapped parking  METACOMET AVENUE in front of house number 42 (Requested by:  Director of Public Works)

On motion of Councilwoman Perry, seconded by Councilman Cusack, it is unanimously voted to dispense with the reading of the ordinance.

On motion of Councilman Silva, seconded by Councilman Cusack and on a roll-call vote, it is unanimously voted to approve.  

COMMUNICATIONS

Kenneth Andrade, 1 Pawtucket Avenue, Bristol (02809) was sworn in by City Solicitor.

Mr. Andrade states in 1984 after graduating from East Providence High I bought 482 Waterman Avenue which is East Providence Auto Body and then the house next door.  In 2007 I purchased 30 Veterans Parkway which used to be the old Buick dealership. Between the two businesses I have over 20 employees and have been in business 25 years.   I feel I bring a lot to East Providence any way I can with fundraisers.  We had a fundraiser at the car show for a guy that needed a wheelchair in the high school, whether it’s a fundraiser for the police, fire or city I try to help.  I’d like to get back into towing and am asking for that privilege. I have triple AAA and a heavy duty truck which can handle big vehicles.

On motion of Councilman DiTraglia, seconded by Councilman Silva, it is unanimously voted to put this on the next docket under appointments.

ADJOURNMENT         

Mayor Ramos adjourns the meeting at 8:55 P.M. on a motion of Councilman DiTraglia, seconded by Councilwoman Perry.

Attest:

_________________________________

Virginia B. Nunes

City Clerk

Approved:    October 7, 2008