Westerly delays vote on permanent housing committee; council tightens scope, seeks edits

The Westerly Town Council on March 3 continued consideration of an ordinance to establish a permanent housing committee after an extended discussion about the panel's duties, membership and reporting lines.

Maurice Devine, a longtime resident who spoke during citizen comments, urged clarity about the committee’s organizational placement and deliverables, asking, “Does it stand alone? Is it under the planning board? Is it answerable to somebody else?”

Why it matters: Councilors and members of the public framed the committee as a tool to address a continuing shortfall in low‑ and moderate‑income (LMI) housing. The state requires communities to reach certain LMI housing thresholds; councilors said Westerly’s verified counted inventory was below the target and that the ordinance would help identify possible sites and program responses.

Key points of debate

Membership and quorum. Councilors asked that the housing authority executive director be invited as an ex‑officio, non‑voting participant rather than be mandated as a counted quorum member. Staff and councilors agreed the ordinance should not permit an ex‑officio non‑voting attendee to be counted toward a quorum or voting majority.

Reporting and oversight. Several councilors recommended routing the committee’s advisory work to the Planning Board (which administers the comprehensive plan under state law) while requiring the committee to report annually to both the Planning Board and the Town Council and to hold an annual public educational session — with that session to be coordinated as part of a Planning Board meeting to avoid duplicative public hearings.

Site identification and cadence. Council members discussed whether the committee should provide site lists quarterly, semi‑annually or annually. The council directed staff to change the draft to require semiannual or annual reporting to the Planning Board, with copies to the Council, to avoid an administrative burden.

Housing approaches and safeguards. Speakers suggested expanding the ordinance’s language to explicitly allow consideration of cooperatives and other privately owned, community‑oriented housing models. Councilor Healy and others pressed councilors to avoid language that equates low‑ and moderate‑income households with crime or social disorder. Healy said a framing that links low‑income people with “drugs and violence” was “an extremely dangerous and harmful wordage to use.”

Process and timeline

The council asked the solicitor and staff to incorporate the changes discussed — clarifying ex‑officio status, reporting requirements, quorum treatment and frequency of reports — and to circulate a redline for public notice. The council voted to continue the ordinance’s advertisement and public hearing to the March 17 meeting, with revised language to be provided in the packet.

Ending

Councilors emphasized that the committee is intended as an advisory body to help the town reconcile the comprehensive plan, state housing statutes and local neighborhood character; the ordinance will return to the council after the edits for formal advertisement and public comment.