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Tiverton council asks state to study merger of town water districts after tense public debate
Summary
The Tiverton Town Council voted to request legislative action to study merging the town's water districts; public speakers raised concerns about costs, process and local input during a lengthy public-comment period.
The Tiverton Town Council voted on March 24, 2025, to forward a resolution to the Rhode Island General Assembly asking the legislature to study and pursue possible merger of the town's water districts.
The measure directs the town's state delegation to take “all appropriate legislative action necessary” to evaluate putting the North Tiverton and Stonebridge water districts together, council members and staff said during the meeting.
Supporters and opponents told the council during public comment that the change could affect local rates, infrastructure responsibilities and long-term water management. Paul LaRue, general manager of the North Tiverton Fire District, told the council the districts have different accounting and metering systems and estimated the costs to align systems at $873,866. “That's just to get the two districts to function together,” LaRue said.
Residents and water-district-affiliated speakers repeatedly asked why the merger was needed and whether the council had gathered analysis before forwarding the measure. Sanford Mantell asked whether the merger would create a quasi-public entity or a town department; council members said the districts are “creatures of the General Assembly” and that the resolution is intended to prompt state-level study, not to enact an immediate change. “Whether it goes forward…that's really going to be up to them,” a council member said during public comment.
Speaker Jeff LaChapelle urged the council to rescind the resolution, saying it was passed without sufficient consultation and citing potential impacts to North Tiverton Fire District customers. LaChapelle said during public comment that the resolution had passed “narrowly, three-two,” and raised concerns about perceived conflicts of interest. That claim was offered as part of public comment and attributed to LaChapelle.
Council members who spoke in favor of the referral said the intent is to obtain a full hydraulic and operational analysis from the state so the town can make informed decisions. A council speaker characterized the referral as a request for the state to analyze “whether that is the right thing to do, the wrong thing to do fiscally, financially, operationally.” The council said it cannot itself force a merger; only the General Assembly could effect statutory changes.
The council and town staff said they will hold follow-up meetings with water-district representatives and other stakeholders. At least one council member said a citizen meeting to exchange information had been scheduled for the following night.
Why it matters: Merging municipal utilities can shift costs, liabilities and management responsibilities and may require significant investments in metering, accounting and hydraulic modeling. Residents and district managers told the council at length that they want answers on who would pay to align systems and what the operational impacts would be.
What’s next: The resolution was forwarded to the town’s state delegation for potential legislation or study. Council members and district officials said they expect additional meetings and data exchanges, including a planned informational meeting the next day between North Tiverton and other town representatives.
