Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Council Votes topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Votes at a glance: Westerly Town Council actions on March 17, 2025
Summary
The council approved minutes and several resolutions, ordered advertisement of a permanent housing committee ordinance (as amended) for public hearing April 7, scheduled budget workshops and hearings, approved a resolution supporting reinstatement of state revenue sharing aid and set public hearings for wastewater plan amendments and other items.
The Westerly Town Council took the following recorded or stated actions at its March 17, 2025 meeting. Where the transcript did not record individual vote tallies, actions are reported as the clerk recorded them in the meeting.
- Approval of minutes: The council approved the regular minutes for February 24, 2025 (motion seconded; vote recorded as "Aye"). The council also approved sealed executive-session minutes of February 10, 2025 with two members noting an abstention on the record; the motion passed.
- Fiscal resolutions: The council approved a set of fiscal resolutions to add amounts to the tax rolls and to authorize payments related to litigation (amounts referenced in the manager\'s memo). The motion to approve the three fiscal matters was made and seconded and passed.
- Appointments and continuations: A motion to continue reappointments to the Licensing Board to April 7, 2025 was made and seconded and approved.
- Suspension of rules: The council voted to suspend the Town Council rules of procedure, Rule 9D, to allow discussion of items 8A, 8B and 8C at the meeting. The motion passed.
- Revenue sharing resolution: The council approved a resolution supporting reinstatement of general revenue-sharing aid to cities and towns in Rhode Island; the town manager said the town would receive an estimated $817,565 under the proposed state legislation and that the amount could reduce the mill rate by roughly $0.08 if realized. The council voted to approve the resolution.
- Scheduling budget hearings/workshops: The council adjusted budget meeting dates. Key scheduling votes that passed: move the April 10 budget workshop to April 9 at 6:00 p.m.; move the April 17 public hearing to April 16 at 6:00 p.m. (with a workshop to follow); schedule a budget workshop on Monday, April 21 at 6:00 p.m. if needed (substituting a prior Saturday slot); and schedule the final public budget hearing for Tuesday, April 22 at 6:00 p.m. as part of the calendar adjustments.
- Water/wastewater plan: The council ordered advertised a public hearing related to a DEM wastewater facilities plan amendment (the amendment responds to increased winter flows) for an advertised date in April; the item was placed on the calendar for public hearing and Jacobs (consultant) was to provide explanation at that meeting.
- Housing ordinance: The council ordered advertised an amended ordinance establishing a permanent housing committee (see separate article). The item was ordered advertised for public hearing on April 7, 2025.
These were the principal motions and procedural votes captured in the March 17 transcript. Several other routine motions (motions to approve resolutions and to second/approve procedural items) were made and passed by voice vote; detailed recorded vote tallies were not available in the public transcript for each item.
