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Cranston council approves amended media-services contract for Thomas Lima after solicitor flags budget and form concerns
Summary
The Cranston City Council approved an amended independent-contractor agreement with media consultant Thomas Lima on Feb. 3, correcting contract dates and adding a supermajority termination clause. The city solicitor said he would not "approve this as to form" without a written amendment tying compensation to the council's budget limits.
The Cranston City Council and its finance committee voted Feb. 3 to approve an amended independent-contractor agreement with media consultant Thomas Lima covering media-related services through Dec. 31, 2026.
The vote followed several hours of discussion in the finance committee and the full council over contract language, start and end dates and whether the agreement should include an explicit cap tied to the council's budget. Council members moved and approved an amendment that corrected a scrivener's error in the start date (changing the contract to begin in 2025) and added a provision allowing termination by a supermajority vote of the council.
Why it matters: The contract establishes how the legislative body procures communications and media services and whether that engagement can be changed by a future council. The city solicitor warned the committee that, as written, the draft could obligate the city to pay amounts beyond the council's current budget line for the service.
Council debate and solicitor's objection City Solicitor (identified in the record as the city solicitor) told the committee the contract, in its present form, lacked a limit tying payment to the council's current appropriation and therefore he "will not approve this as to form." The solicitor noted the council's existing budgetary line for the service had been $17,000 in prior years and was increased to $32,000 in the current fiscal year after one-time ARPA funds were applied; he said there is no guarantee that amount will exist in future budgets and warned the contract could bind the city to payments not appropriated by the council.
Council President Marino and other members pressed for continuity of services and stability for the council's legal and communications work; Marino moved the amended contract. Several council members said they wanted the contract corrected and clarified in writing rather than by oral amendment.
Thomas Lima, identified during the meeting as the contractor, confirmed the agreement was an independent-contractor engagement and described the contract as a living document that could be adjusted by the council.
Votes and next steps The finance committee approved the amendment and recommended the revised agreement to the full council. The full council voted to approve the amended contract later the same evening; roll-call votes show the motion passed with all members voting yes (Councilwoman Graziano, Councilman Andujar, Councilman Ritz, Councilman Traficante, Councilwoman Horayan, Council Vice President Wall and Council President Marino).
The city solicitor told council members he would review and sign off on the revised written contract only if the changes were drafted and transmitted in writing for his review; he repeated he would not approve the current unamended form.
The council and administration will now process the written amendment and place the revised agreement on file as a public document. The council noted that future funding for the contract will be subject to the normal annual budget process.
