Votes at a glance: Tiverton council approves town administrator appointment, $60,000 for July celebrations, software contract and other actions

The Tiverton Town Council approved several motions at its April meeting, including the appointment of Patrick W. Jones as town administrator, ratification of a three-year employment contract, funding for the annual Tiverton Celebrates fireworks and block party, and purchase of agenda-and-minutes management software.

Town administrator appointment and contract The council moved to appoint Patrick W. Jones as town administrator and later ratified a proposed three-year contract and fiscal impact statement. A motion to appoint was made and seconded (names not specified in the public transcript); the council approved the appointment and then approved ratification of the three-year contract. During discussion councilors asked about the contract’s expense-reimbursement and professional-development provisions. Councilor Camitto noted a $5,000 limit for professional development in his interpretation; Patrick Jones said he would interpret the educational/professional development allotment as $5,000 and that reimbursements would be subject to council approval where appropriate. The clerk administered the oath of office at the meeting following the vote.

Funding for Tiverton Celebrates The council approved funding of up to $60,000 for the 2025 Tiverton Celebrates fireworks and block party. Recreation Commission Chair Stu Gilfillan explained that the price increase reflected higher bus and fireworks costs; the town will seek to manage crowding and traffic with increased signage and by increasing shuttle buses from five to eight. Councilors discussed whether the funds would come from restricted power-plant-related accounts; the transcript records that roughly $76,000 remained in that fund at the time of the meeting and that some prior civic allocations came from the power-plant contribution.

Trash outreach and community survey The council approved a community outreach campaign, branded “Let’s Talk Trash,” to run a 90-day public survey and associated outreach on the town’s trash program. The council approved a not-to-exceed budget of $2,500 for the PR and survey work, with the funding source identified as council contingency. Administrator Jones said the vendor would provide a QR-code-enabled survey and that results and a draft survey would be shared with councilors before going live; the town will also accept hand-written or in-person responses for residents without digital access.

Civic software procurement The council approved contracting with agenda-and-minutes management software (CivicPlus/Civic Plus backup materials) to move town agendas, packets and minutes into a searchable board portal. The first-year cost is recorded in the backup as $12,775 with recurring annual costs estimated at $7,875 thereafter. The town clerk said the vendor will migrate existing minute records and provide training for boards and commissions.

Other approved items (summary) - Reallocation of up to $8,860 of previously allocated power-plant funds to paint and reline the basketball courts at Bougain Marsh Park Recreation Area. Motion approved. - Scheduling and funding to advertise public hearings on proposed amendments to the code of ordinances regarding mooring permit renewal and mooring fees. Motions approved to advertise public hearings. - Approval of licenses subject to meeting legal requirements: private detective renewal for John Skrupyak; victualing license for Soul Juice LLC (Jevon Powell/Panat Dong); victualing and tobacco license for Grays Ice Cream (Brian Sadler). Motions to approve were made and seconded and carried. - Approval to replace and relocate a utility pole (Narragansett Electric/Verizon joint petition) at Riverside Drive; the council approved the petition and asked that property owners nearest the relocation be contacted for input. - Renewal of the recreation banner policy with no sunset and at the discretion of the Recreation Commission. - Support for the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns 2025 legislative priorities with a carve-out excluding housing/land-use items identified by the council (Resolution 2025-0015 as amended). Motion carried.

What the transcript records about vote tallies The public transcript frequently records “all in favor” and “none opposed” but does not always include a numerical roll-call tally in the sections provided. Where the transcript did not contain a recorded numerical tally, this summary notes the outcome as reflected in the council’s oral vote; the official meeting minutes and the clerk’s certified record should be consulted for formal roll-call tallies and motions as recorded in the town minutes.

Next steps and follow-up Several items approved at the meeting require staff follow-up: the contract execution and on-boarding for the town administrator; procurement and scheduling for the fireworks and associated traffic and sanitation plans; execution of the survey and outreach plan and subsequent reporting to council; and vendor setup and data migration for the agenda/minutes portal. The town clerk and administrator were directed to proceed with these tasks.