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Votes at a glance: Smithfield council approves routine licenses, appointments, pole petitions and motions
Summary
Council approved minutes, multiple appointments, liquor and entertainment licenses, mobile food truck renewals, pole petitions, and other routine business; one appointment to the Land Trust failed 3–2.
The Smithfield Town Council on Feb. 4 handled a series of routine items and formal votes, approving minutes, several appointments, licenses, pole petitions, and other administrative actions. Most motions passed by voice vote; when a roll-call tally or an explicit count was recorded, it is noted below.
Key approvals
- Minutes: Council approved the minutes of the Jan. 21, 2025 work session and Jan. 21, 2025 open session meetings (motions carried, recorded as "Ayes have it").
- Appointments: The council approved appointments to several boards and commissions: Reina Blumenthal to the Conservation Commission (term expiring July 2025); Benjamin Case to the Historic Preservation Commission (term expiring Feb. 2027); Kathleen Gerlach to the Housing Authority (term expiring Jan. 2026); and Daniel Sloboda Jr. to the Planning Board (term expiring May 2027). A motion to appoint Susan Grennan as first alternate to the Land Trust (term expiring Sept. 2025) failed; the transcript records the vote as "Motion fails. 3 to 2."
- Licenses and transfers: The council approved a new Class D (full privilege) beverage license and related victualing (food) license for Roots Heaven Farm, LLC, d/b/a Roots Heaven Farm at 540 Douglas Pike, subject to state and local regulatory compliance and final approvals by the Department of Health and Division of Taxation. The council also approved transfer of a liquor license to El Taco Loco LLC and approved renewals or transfers for El Taco LLC/Donnie Vio Tequila and New England Frozen Lemonade (subject to building official clearance), as recorded in the meeting.
- Mobile food trucks and entertainment: Renewals were approved for four mobile food truck licenses (listed in the packet as Lobster Car Rhode Island, Chick O'Nuggets, Palmonte LLC, and Pallagis Ice Cream). The council approved one entertainment license renewal (El Taco LLC/Donnie Vio Tequila) and a special dance license associated with the same applicant as applied, subject to standard state and local compliance.
- Public infrastructure: The council authorized pole petitions for Island Energy Company to install a new pole and anchor on Roughstone Road and to relocate two poles on Mansco Road; Public Works Director Jehan Allen stated he had no objections. Motions carried by voice vote.
Other motions: The council opened and later continued a public hearing on the Davis Superfund Groundwater Protection Overlay District (see separate article). The council also approved advancing SLAM to fee negotiations for school architectural services and authorized the submission of the RIDE Stage 1 application for school construction (see separate article). The council authorized issuing an RFP for a ground-mounted solar project limited to the landfill parcel (AP 42, Lot 91).
Why it matters: routine approvals move municipal business forward — staffing of boards, licensing of local businesses, and procurement and infrastructure steps all affect day-to-day town operations. The Land Trust appointment failure and the continued public hearing on the Superfund overlay were the most notable outcomes requiring follow-up.
Votes and outcomes are recorded in the official meeting minutes; where the transcript records only "Ayes have it" the precise tally was not provided in the audio record.
