New Shoreham council approves opioid settlement participation, expands health‑service housing use; schedules planning hearing

The New Shoreham Town Council on Monday approved steps to participate in a proposed Purdue opioid settlement, voted to amend a lease to allow broader use of housing at Block Island Health Services, and scheduled a public hearing for Sept. 2 on planning‑ordinance clarifications.

Council members voted to execute a participation form and to approve a third amendment to the town’s memorandum of understanding with the State of Rhode Island so the town may participate in the Purdue settlement as part of broader national opioid litigation. Town staff told the council that New Shoreham has received about $37,000 from earlier opioid settlements since February 2022 and that the funds are recorded as deferred revenue and recognized when expended on eligible prevention, treatment, intervention or recovery activities.

The actions matter because the state’s distribution structure gives municipalities a fixed share of settlement proceeds (staff described a 20% share to municipalities, 80% to the state) and because the proposed Purdue settlement is being handled through bankruptcy proceedings that require affirmative participation to receive local shares.

Town staff explained the background on the settlements and how funds are tracked. The council approved a single motion to both submit the participation form and approve the MOU amendment. The motion passed with the ayes prevailing; the transcript records the motion and the chair’s announcement that “the ayes have it.” The council did not record numeric vote counts in the minutes excerpted in the meeting transcript.

Separately the council approved an amendment to an existing lease with Block Island Health Services to allow greater flexibility in using housing on the health‑services property. The amendment permits the health center to use multiple houses on the property — described in the meeting as the historical “doctor’s house” on Payne Road, the Davidson House behind the facility, and a recently completed building used for transient providers and four single rooms for trainees — for providers and temporary occupants as needed. One council member recused themself from that item because of a family connection to the medical center; the recusal was stated on the record before discussion.

A representative of Block Island Health Services told the council the amendment is intended to avoid leaving housing vacant while the center actively searches for a primary‑care physician. The representative said the organization has leads and has hosted two applicants on island visits since the previous physician left about six months ago, but cautioned hiring remains difficult. The health‑services representative said housing arrangements for a hired physician would be negotiable and that temporary leases of six months to a year are being considered for interim occupants.

Council members who spoke in favor of the lease amendment framed it as a practical step to keep town‑owned structures in use and to support recruitment of long‑term medical staff. The motion to allow the lease flexibility carried after a voice vote.

On planning matters the council scheduled a public hearing for Sept. 2 to consider draft clarifications to undefined terms in the town’s ordinance, work described by staff and planners as the result of a multi‑month review by Karen, Jen and planning staff. Council members asked staff to circulate the planning‑board staff report in advance so members could review the rationale and details before the hearing.

Other business included routine approvals: the council approved the consent calendar, conducted a closed session earlier in the meeting on a collective‑bargaining matter and voted to seal the minutes of that closed session, and discussed possible follow‑ups including a PR policy, revisiting the town manager’s house policy, and clarifying state rules on mopeds and electric bikes. Those discussion items were directed to staff for follow‑up; no formal votes were recorded on them at Monday’s meeting.

Votes at a glance • Motion to go into closed session on a collective‑bargaining matter and to seal the closed‑session minutes — approved (chair: “the ayes have it”; numeric counts not specified in transcript). • Motion to approve the consent calendar — approved (voice vote as recorded). • Motion to schedule a public hearing on planning‑ordinance clarifications for Sept. 2 — approved (voice vote). • Motion to submit a participation form and approve the third amendment to the opioid‑settlement MOU with the State of Rhode Island (to participate in the proposed Purdue settlement) — approved (voice vote; transcript states “the ayes have it”; numeric counts not specified). • Motion to approve an amendment to the lease with Block Island Health Services to allow flexible use of housing on the property — approved (voice vote); one council member recused from that item and the recusal was recorded.

The council directed town staff to draft a response to correspondence received from a resident (a letter from Joseph was discussed) and to coordinate with police and other departments where appropriate. Staff also agreed to prepare a planning‑board staff report and other materials ahead of the Sept. 2 public hearing. The meeting closed after additional procedural discussion about the scheduling and format of work sessions and regular meetings.

An expanded staff report, the full MOU amendment text and lease amendment were referenced in the meeting packet; the council directed staff to circulate those documents to members ahead of the public hearing and to provide additional information on opioid‑settlement accounting and eligible uses.