Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Three Student Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents press council on enforcement of "three-student" rule and raise concerns about Narragansett 2100 funding and litigation
Summary
Multiple residents used the open forum to demand clarity on enforcement of the town's three-student occupancy ordinance and to criticize Narragansett 2100, citing the group's federal Form 990 and fundraising emails and arguing the group has resources to litigate enforcement actions.
Several residents addressed the Town Council during open forum on Feb. 18, urging transparency about enforcement of the townthree-student occupancy ordinance and raising broad concerns about the organization Narragansett 2100 and its role in litigation against the town.
John Henley (10 Wilderness Drive) said he had repeatedly asked the town manager and councilors whether the three-student ordinance remained enforced after several recent meetings showed apparent withdrawals of citations and limited public explanation. "At the last couple of meetings, residents have insinuated that the 3 student ordinance is no longer being enforced. Is this true? And if so, who authorized this?" Henley told councilors; he said he had emailed the town manager on Feb. 4 and received no substantive response.
Another speaker produced documentation he said came from the nonprofit Narragansett 2100including a federal Form 990 for a recent year and an email from the group's CEO, which he said showed the organization had taken in roughly $95,249 in revenue that year and reported $57,048 on hand. The speaker said an email from Narragansett 2100's CEO claimed the organization had "successfully won" litigation against the town in prior matters and suggested the group's lawyer would dictate terms of future settlements. The commenter urged the council to "stick up for us" and warned the group has fundraising capacity.
Joseph Volpe (21 Harbour Island Road) and others said there are more than two stakeholder groups in the town debate on student housing and landlords, and called for more inclusive outreach to resident landlords and other constituents.
The speakers asked the council for clearer public updates and stated they would continue to press the council for answers at future meetings. The council did not take formal action on these public comments during the meeting; councilors said the topics would be addressed in future communications and meetings.
Note on sources: speakers referenced a federal IRS Form 990 and an email from Narragansett 2100's CEO. Those documents were presented verbally by a resident during public comment; no town staff presented the Form 990 during the meeting record.
