Warren — The Warren Town Council on Oct. 14 delayed a decision on a request from the Bristol Warren Regional School District to waive local building-permit fees for renovations at Kickemuit Middle School and Hugh Cole Elementary School, agreeing to seek a coordinated decision with Bristol and to request a fiscal analysis from the district.

The district and its owner’s project manager asked the council to waive permit fees that the schools will incur as part of a multi-school reconstruction and renovation program. Walter Hartley of PMA Consultants told the council that state reimbursement for the program is capped and that many “soft” or ancillary costs — including local permit fees — are not reimbursed by the state under the R.I. School Building Authority program, so any waiver would mainly reduce bonded costs carried by the district and its two member towns.

The council’s motion carried to continue the item to a future meeting and to ask Bristol whether it will grant a parallel waiver; the council also requested written documentation showing which costs are ineligible for state reimbursement and a short fiscal addendum showing how a waived $150,000 in Warren permit fees would compare with the cost to bond those fees over 30 years.

Why it matters: The two Warren projects are part of a five‑building regional package that includes the new Mount Hope High School in Bristol and two additional buildings in Bristol. Hartley said Warren’s share of the local permit fee exposure for the two Warren schools is roughly $150,000; Bristol’s share of fees for the full regional program was described in the meeting as about $1.2 million. Council members said they are willing to consider a waiver but wanted numbers and a Bristol commitment before voting.

What council members said: Councilors pressed for greater detail on how the $150,000 figure was calculated and whether the fee portion would be captured in bond principal and paid with interest over 30 years. Councilor John W. Hanley asked for a written citation showing which line items the state does not reimburse; the district’s finance director, Danielle, said state reimbursement is a capped total and staff must allocate components to the capped total rather than by line-item reimbursement. Matt Bridal, Warren building and zoning official, said the Warren portion was “approximately $150,000.”

Next steps: The council’s motion requires the district to provide a fiscal analysis of outcomes under likely bond interest rates and to correspond with Bristol so the two towns could consider a joint waiver. The council specifically asked that any future vote be preceded by (a) a construction‑manager fiscal analysis showing the likely impact of bonding the fees and (b) written clarification of which state program caps or eligibility rules make the fees non‑reimbursable.

Ending: Councilors said they wanted the additional material before final action and voted unanimously to continue the item to a future meeting with the requested documentation from the district and a written statement from Bristol on its planned action.