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Council approves civic support line items; Prudence Island Foundation funding draws extra scrutiny
Summary
Councilors voted through civic support payments to local organizations and approved a $60,571 allocation to the Prudence Island School Foundation after a prolonged exchange about prior-year spending and the foundation’s memorandum of understanding with the town.
PORTSMOUTH, R.I. — The Town Council individually approved civic support payments to more than a dozen local organizations at its March 10 meeting and, after extended discussion and questions from council members, approved the Prudence Island School Foundation’s request for $60,571.
Councilors voted on line items for local nonprofits in sequence. Most line items — including Aquidneck Island Food Bank ($5,000), Battle of Rhode Island Association ($2,040), Martin Luther King Community Center ($5,000), East Bay Community Action Program ($3,060), and others named during the meeting — passed on unanimous 7–0 votes when called individually.
The request from the Prudence Island School Foundation prompted the longest discussion. A council member noted the foundation’s submitted financial statements showed $30,286 had been spent from the town’s prior-year civic support payment, leaving about $30,000 unspent, and that the foundation’s 2024 maintenance budget line for $58,000 had not yet been spent. The council member asked whether the full requested amount was needed this year; another council member who said they had been on the school committee urged the council to honor the town’s memorandum of understanding, which links civic support to providing education in the building and describes allocated uses, and said the town cannot dictate how the nonprofit spends its funds.
Kathy Homan, identified as president of the Prudence Island School Foundation, told the council contractors were not available before spring and that the planned maintenance work (roof, soffits, trim and repainting) would occur this spring. Homan said the foundation expects to use previously allocated and newly requested funds for building maintenance and regular operating needs.
After discussion the council approved the Prudence Island School Foundation request. A councilor recused from one civic support vote (the transcript records an individual recusal during consideration of the Portsmouth Historical Society and later for another item); several votes were recorded as 7–0 and at least one vote on a civic-support item was recorded as 6–0–1 to reflect a recusal.
Ending: The council approved the civic-support bottom line of $766,967 (as announced in the meeting). Councilors said they expect to monitor follow‑up and that the MOU with the Prudence Island Foundation remains the controlling agreement if education services resume in the building.
