Scituate council ratifies multiple administrative items; unanimously approves tentative union deal in executive session

The Scituate Town Council on an announced date approved a series of municipal actions, including authorization to negotiate tax‑sale forbearance agreements for residents with financial hardship, approval of an animal control services agreement with the town of Forrester, appointment of members to a Scituate 200 commemorative committee and several budget and capital allocations. Council members also reported a unanimous vote in executive session to approve a tentative collective‑bargaining agreement with NAGE Local R1‑42; councilors said the agreement’s text is being withheld pending a ratification vote by union membership.

Council President Collins said the town ‘‘took a vote to approve the tentative agreement with the NAGE R1‑42’’ and that the council’s vote in executive session was unanimous but that the agreement’s contents are being withheld until the union membership votes. The council did not read contract language into the public record.

The council approved a request to authorize the council president and treasurer — with input from the tax collector and town solicitor — to negotiate tax‑sale forbearance agreements with taxpayers who demonstrate financial hardship; those individual agreements will be presented later for council ratification. A councilor noted that many taxpayers pay once a tax sale is announced and that there were currently 53 parcels identified for potential tax sale, a figure cited during discussion.

The council approved an intermunicipal animal control services agreement with the town of Forrester and authorized the council president and treasurer to execute documents to implement the contract. During discussion, resident Richard Finnegan asked whether Forrester was ‘‘paying their fair share’’ of shelter costs. The police chief said staff had consulted Forrester officials and added language to the agreement to address reimbursement for seizure and care of animals in cases where restitution from an owner is not recovered. The chief described the range of animals handled under the agreement, saying the shelter has cared for ‘‘rabbits, fish, everything’’ seized in Forrester and that volunteers and the Friends of the Scituate Animal Shelter cover many medical needs.

On budget accounting, a staff member identified as Karen told the council that the $60,000 transfer flagged in the finance packet consisted of two reserved amounts: $50,000 reserved in the assessor’s budget for upcoming revaluation projects and $10,000 reserved for the town comprehensive plan; those sums were moved to restricted escrow-style accounts. Karen said an additional $10,000 from open-space funds and $8,000 from the land trust will move into the open-space fund to cover planned expenditures.

The council appointed members to the Scituate 200 committee — naming Fred Faria, Peggy Long, Reginald Centraccio, Linda Centraccio, David Randall, Sharon Johnson, David Ellingwood and others — and approved an amendment to add Cheryl Ignacio. Members discussed outreach and whether notice language limited applicants to town residents; councilors said the committee can form subcommittees and include nonresident contributors where appropriate.

Other approvals included raising the annual out‑of‑town senior‑center membership fee from $10 to $20; authorizing the Emergency Management Agency to spend up to $36,000 from the town’s opioid settlement fund to buy six automated external defibrillators (AEDs); granting the Hope Jackson Fire Company permission to hold fireworks at Hope Park on July 3; reserving capital funds for police server‑room upgrades and EMA audiovisual equipment; approving the assessor’s attendance at an International Association of Assessing Officers conference (cost not to exceed $2,500); and authorizing the Department of Public Works to purchase a contractor and attachments under a procurement/pricing cooperative at a quote of $76,068.90 (the council noted prior authorization not to exceed $75,000 and that the additional funds would come from available accounts). Each measure was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote unless otherwise noted.

The council also conducted a ceremonial swearing‑in of probation officer Joseph Paiva, who was introduced as a Scituate resident and recent academy graduate and who has begun the field‑training program.

Votes at a glance

- Tentative collective‑bargaining agreement with NAGE Local R1‑42 — vote taken in executive session; outcome: unanimous approval; text withheld pending union membership ratification. - Animal control services agreement (town of Forrester) — approved. - Authorization to negotiate tax‑sale forbearance agreements (to be ratified individually) — approved. - Scituate 200 committee appointments (list of appointees; amendment to add Cheryl Ignacio) — approved. - Increase out‑of‑town senior‑center dues from $10 to $20 — approved. - Purchase of six AEDs, not to exceed $36,000 from opioid settlement fund (opioid fund balance cited at $130,679.17 as of 05/31/2025) — approved. - Permission for fireworks at Hope Park on 07/03/2025 (Hope Jackson Fire Company) — approved. - Capital reservations (police server room $25,000; EMA A/V $8,000) — approved. - Assessor attendance at IAAO conference (Orlando, Sept. 2025), cost not to exceed $2,500 — approved. - DPW purchase of tractor and attachments (quote $76,068.90) — approved.

Council members and staff said many items were routine budget or operational matters; where policy discretion was expected (for example, tax‑sale forbearance criteria), the council directed negotiators/staff to develop individualized agreements for later council approval.

(For the public record: the council identified the statutory authority for the executive session items as Rhode Island General Laws 42‑46‑5(a), specifically subsection 5 for real estate matters and subsection 2 for collective bargaining.)