[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_25":26},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_27":28,"_29":30},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[31,75,87],{"_32":33,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":39,"_40":41,"_42":43,"_44":45,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6485939,"mediaKeyId","5529716-2a5b3e488ccd40a7373fa5b53848943d","parentId",5529716,"title","Middletown reviews two-tier tax changes as residents report confusion and financial harm from residency reclassifications","audioSeconds",2251,"startMs",1525000,"endMs",3776000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5529716-2a5b3e488ccd40a7373fa5b53848943d&start=1525&end=3776","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5529716-2a5b3e488ccd40a7373fa5b53848943d/thumbnail_1525000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6485939/Rhode-Island/Middletown-reviews-two-tier-tax-changes-as-residents-report-confusion-and-financial-harm-from-residency-reclassifications","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6485939-c7b34b400d5f739e4438b1f4a48f21d4/orig.mp4?Expires=1769752747&Signature=fzSm3qWFlOWUO0ZG5lx~kWCBeDEi~GHrkI6O2t8YmZ6zk559AxoQV6s-6YDwL69vZPKfEsVXyb~EXL73FQA0MGglt08JY7Z3i2stlcSNGRZk6~jhe0GouqtVU7kl04qoQo~RRfJ4CY19~r2JsWfc~43utnAqoAbIXdbaj7bFsIBeF4PkXmU0tb4QeG9WO8hxFb20OBTQcaYq~4dGG~-fjx3g~94fUoPM86J4wwInKy6cidMLqeCQR16pTK5IgdMMNtYhcB9aEif-9VxaQlUngc7FcuAlOalQqesCDpOKpxRV8iw3pUsaFZapnIuhaXQVOSAT0trsHeg~~xc7-2q6Mw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Middletown, RI","date","2025-08-05T01:41:15.883Z","article","Town of Middletown officials reviewed the town’s recently amended two-tier residential tax ordinance and took public testimony after several full-time residents said they had been reclassified as nonresidents for the tax rate midyear.

Town staff and the solicitor explained the ordinance’s intent is to encourage property owners to make units available for long-term rentals rather than short-term rentals. Under the amendments councilors adopted earlier this year, an owner may be eligible for the owner-occupied (lower) residential tax rate for a property containing up to five dwelling units if the owner occupies one unit as their principal residence for more than six months and any rented units are under written leases of at least one year with tenants who make the unit their primary residence. The council kept a limited exception allowing an owner who lives on-site to rent one or two bedrooms on a short-term basis while physically present without losing the owner-occupied rate.

Several residents testified they had relied on prior town communications and expected to remain taxed as residents. Jim Thompson of Renfrew Park said he changed his financial arrangements this year after applying for the owner-occupied rate in February and later received a letter in July saying he no longer qualified, which he said would leave him owing thousands of dollars in unplanned property taxes.

“Back in October, we were told if you were a registered short-term rental last year, you would be grandfathered into the current rules,” Thompson said. “To be told seven months into the year that I no longer qualify — that’s going to cost me thousands of dollars I did not plan for.”

Town staff acknowledged the grandfathering concept in zoning (legal nonconforming use) differs from tax classification; the solicitor and staff clarified that the council’s tax amendments were intended as a fiscal incentive to expand long-term rental stock. The town also noted a limited exception: an owner renting one or two bedrooms in their own primary residence while present would not forfeit the owner rate.

Committee members and other residents suggested refinements, including considering leases shorter than one year in certain circumstances — for example, 9- or 10-month leases for military families stationed locally — and further review of adaptive-reuse projects so converted multiunit buildings are not later used predominantly for short-term rentals. Affordable Housing Committee chair Lawrence Frank urged the town to consider changes that would better support a range of long-term housing options.

What’s next: Councilors received the memorandum and asked staff to work with the tax assessor and town administrator to review implementation, notification processes and potential clarifications to the ordinance. Staff said they will meet with affected residents to review individual cases and return to the council with options.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","August 4, 2025 Town Council","oneSentenceSummary","Councilors reviewed the town’s two-tier residential tax ordinance that aims to incentivize long-term rentals and disincentivize short-term rentals. Residents said implementation caused unexpected tax reclassification midyear; staff explained the ordinance and exceptions for owner-occupied rentals of one or two bedrooms.","taxTitle","Town of Middletown, Newport County, Rhode Island","taxId",58176,"location","Rhode Island","headline","","shortSummary",{"_32":76,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":77,"_40":78,"_42":79,"_44":80,"_46":81,"_48":82,"_50":83,"_52":84,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":85,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":86,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6485943,"Residents press council to scrap town-center proposal; affordable-housing committee urges majority-affordable plan",2232,3614000,5846000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5529716-2a5b3e488ccd40a7373fa5b53848943d&start=3614&end=5846","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5529716-2a5b3e488ccd40a7373fa5b53848943d/thumbnail_3614000.jpg","/articles/6485943/Rhode-Island/Residents-press-council-to-scrap-town-center-proposal-affordable-housing-committee-urges-majority-affordable-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6485943-d19775f7dd17a94b5c2d6b9cd8aa257d/orig.mp4?Expires=1769752747&Signature=XmiAi31OLt7VcAEhj-9yT6O8-4-jCcwvblqKYkLmGtrgJXtcGpaUc4Nah7t8iLKTuh7YgwiA58zbeDqYU~W3iT7FKnNq6niNHHEKHxpEeXvah0rSSX3a3~PxDSmaICTSVamvDQEV~VDXUWEZxnAhs4xAMf3vSsLCK2MuManAXrwtEAR5QfPiCAlGbrrJNUK6CvMpU-Bd8H5Qs2ZTpqcSWZa373riqAWE~~Qgr5tJeG2FlziBrDYVEoAOZRIUBYzkqQ6NWDyiZMkA9fukOX3chVDQ8DlGIFCDsH2G248bmb2ue7APbgwdaNL~vXNj~imqweIu8OJPT3dyu6w6L-iqaw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Residents and volunteer board members pressed the Town of Middletown Town Council on Tuesday to abandon the current Town Center (Middletown Commons) development proposal and instead pursue a plan that prioritizes affordable housing and preserves parkland, including the Veteran Memorial/POTC field.

The council formally received a recommendation from the volunteer Affordable Housing Committee urging the town to “walk away from the current town center proposal” and to replace it “with one that includes housing with a majority of affordable, low and moderate income units and a public park to serve all Middletown residents,” committee chair Lawrence Frank told the council in a prepared statement he read at the meeting.

Dozens of residents who signed up for the public forum reiterated that theme: speakers including Joanne Thornton, Marilyn Levesque, Gina Orzulak, Christopher Rowe and others told the council they oppose hotels, additional banks and market-rate retail on the 15-acre town-owned parcel on West Main Road. Several speakers asked the council to preserve contiguous open field space that currently supports town sports and community events, and to prioritize housing that local workers and elderly residents can afford.

“I believe the current proposal is an exceptional deal for the developer and a bad deal for the town,” Joanne Thornton said, urging the council to “take the affordable housing committee’s recommendations seriously” and to pursue housing at other town-owned sites such as the Kennedy School property. Marilyn Levesque asked the council to make the public-record request that the development preserve the Veteran Memorial parkland and not “build a strip mall.”

Affordable Housing Committee chair Lawrence Frank told councilors the committee’s recommendation responds to an acute local affordability need: “We should provide the methods and means that allows all the workers, all the workers in this town to lead comfortable and fulfilling lives,” Frank said, noting that the 15-acre site could, in the committee’s calculation, yield hundreds of apartment units if housing — not commercial development — were the priority.

Councilor Christopher Roberts (identified in the public transcript as the councilor who placed the item on the docket) introduced a motion directing the town to withdraw from consideration of the development agreement and to instead develop a proposal emphasizing majority-affordable housing and a public park. The motion drew an immediate legal caution from the town solicitor, who said the specific step of canceling a development agreement raises legal issues and, because it was not listed as an action on the published meeting agenda, could create open-meeting concerns. The solicitor advised that legal analysis of the town’s position related to the development agreement should occur in executive session and that broad action to cancel an agreement was not properly before the council that night. The motion did not receive a second.

Several councilors said they welcomed the committee’s recommendation and the residents’ comments and asked town staff and boards to continue work on housing options. Others urged caution and said the council must follow the solicitor’s advice on process and potential legal exposure.

Separately, the council approved motions to advertise and hold public hearings on proposed comprehensive plan and zoning-map amendments and an overlay district for properties identified as Plat 102, Lots 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 on West Main Road/Coddington Highway; those advertising motions set public hearings for Sept. 16 and Sept. 30, 2025 at Middletown High School. Councilors had pulled the town-center items from the consent calendar in order to allow public comment but then voted to advertise the required hearings.

What’s next: The Affordable Housing Committee’s recommendation has been received by the council. Any decision to cancel a development agreement would require a separate, properly noticed action and—per the town solicitor—likely executive-session legal review before public action. The council will hold public hearings on the proposed comprehensive-plan and zoning amendments for the West Main/Coddington parcels on the dates the council advertised.","Public commenters and the Affordable Housing Committee urged the Town Council to abandon the current Middletown Center development proposal and replace it with a plan that centers affordable housing and preserves public parkland. Council received the committee recommendation and discussed legal constraints on canceling a development agreement.",{"_32":88,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":89,"_40":90,"_42":91,"_44":92,"_46":93,"_48":94,"_50":95,"_52":96,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":97,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":98,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6485948,"Middletown council approves dozens of subcontract awards as school projects move forward, town says costs are below budget",937,94000,1031000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5529716-2a5b3e488ccd40a7373fa5b53848943d&start=94&end=1031","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5529716-2a5b3e488ccd40a7373fa5b53848943d/thumbnail_94000.jpg","/articles/6485948/Rhode-Island/Middletown-council-approves-dozens-of-subcontract-awards-as-school-projects-move-forward-town-says-costs-are-below-budget","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6485948-d78c11ddff24aafdb88e6d267e4b85a4/orig.mp4?Expires=1769752747&Signature=iBlpoJB~zjxplPLgvKzDAoka2s7pILkC6~ixwMJkGZy7pFF04HUzuTLYIUS6vkkSGG7SdfXQSmhjZBXbIQItbJJ9vn~PH92VuxKU8jrSl2eqmSrnkvWRjAMKM~X~JgPnTtalzD8tVfAIF0d2~rsySH7~LGZAQIJuU3Qo9zGI9he30nmlmeMzT1A12FmeDfIDs5OVJNepw6Mhh6LKdHvCl854RvkoJ1KCXQlaRGd3sRoS8w50E-IHH9-k1A5uXZjYSh7TykPt43Tb1EUxp70bMHlX5xGeowjZxTr8EisI-RuJX6KLfGH2fc8lAeqYz97v471AXwp78Pgz3EuxVv4CVQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Town of Middletown Town Council on Tuesday approved multiple subcontract awards for its new middle/high school and for renovations to the existing high school (the elementary school complex), moving both projects closer to construction and authorizing the town administrator to notify recommended contractors.

Council received detailed bid-package recommendations from Colliers Project Leaders and Bentley Companies and passed two resolutions directing the town administrator to proceed with subcontract awards for the two school projects. The council voted by voice to approve the awards after staff said most major lines have been awarded and that construction is active on site.

The council’s action covers dozens of trade packages recommended by project managers. For the new middle/high school, Colliers and Gilbane recommended awards that included: Excel Construction Corporation for interim cleaning and general carpentry ($2,200,000); Unified Door and Hardware for doors, frames and hardware ($1,037,529); Rugeri Brothers Inc. for tile ($425,000); H Carr & Sons for acoustical ceilings ($1,554,800); Kenville Flooring for wood flooring ($561,060); Rugeri Brothers for carpet and resilient flooring ($1,750,000); Allegheny Contract Flooring for epoxy flooring ($291,612); HSI Construction for specialties ($959,000); Excel Construction for toilet partitions and accessories ($283,496); and Northeast Interior Systems for manufactured casework ($1,758,000). Several packages noted minority- or women-owned business participation rates in bid proposals.

For the elementary school complex (renovations at the existing high school), Colliers/Bentley recommended awards including Northeast Steel Structures for miscellaneous metals ($65,523); JD Cement for concrete ($37,180); Woodcraft Millwork for millwork ($118,000); and Advantage Glass for glass and glazing ($34,200). Colliers said alternates related to restroom renovations and an elevator for that building were being held until an October deadline.

“Colliers Project Leaders and Gilbane Building Company are recommending to award Excel Construction Corporation in the amount of $2,200,000,” Colliers assistant project manager Colin McCarthy said while reading recommended awards aloud. McCarthy and other staff noted several packages were above or below the project’s 60% construction document estimates and reported WBE/MBE participation figures where bidders supplied them.

Project staff also updated the council on overall progress. A staff presenter said Gilbane is “fully mobilized on the site,” with stripping, soil excavation and footings in place; state permits including major land development and building permits have been received; and nonhazardous excavated material is being moved to a staging property while hazardous material has been removed off-site. McCarthy told the council the project’s current construction value sits at $113,570,000 and that the program is “trending below budget, about $7,000,000 favorable” at this stage, while cautioning that a small number of final trade awards remain.

Councilors offered few substantive changes during the public meeting; the council passed the resolutions by voice vote after brief questions about the remaining packages and overall budget status. Councilors also received and filed multiple written communications from project managers listing the recommended awards before the votes.

The town said it is concurrently completing schematic design and interviewing construction managers for the library project; the library schematic designs are expected by September and a construction manager selection will follow.

What’s next: staff said remaining best-and-final offers for a small number of trade packages will return to the council as required for award. The council authorized the town administrator to notify the selected subcontractors and to execute related steps to implement the awards.

Votes at a glance
- Resolution approving recommended subcontracts for the new middle/high school (multiple RTA bid packages recommended by Colliers/Gilbane): motion passed by voice vote; mover and second not recorded in the public transcript. The resolution authorized the town administrator to notify Gilbane Building Company to award the subcontracts.
- Resolution approving recommended subcontracts for the elementary school complex (multiple RTA bid packages recommended by Bentley Companies/Colliers): motion passed by voice vote; mover and second not recorded. The resolution authorized the town administrator to notify Bentley Companies LLC to award those subcontracts.

Sources and authorities
The council acted in open session after an executive-session recess; the meeting record shows a separate vote to seal executive-session minutes pursuant to section 42-46-7 of the Rhode Island General Laws.","The Town of Middletown voted to authorize dozens of subcontract awards for the new middle/high school and renovations to the existing high school (elementary complex). Officials said construction is mobilized and the overall project is trending about $7 million favorable to budget pending remaining trades.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Middletown reviews two-tier tax changes as residents report confusion and financial harm from residency reclassifications

Residents press council to scrap town-center proposal; affordable-housing committee urges majority-affordable plan

Middletown council approves dozens of subcontract awards as school projects move forward, town says costs are below budget