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Burrillville council approves Mapleville Farm license amid dispute over application process and background‑check portal
Summary
The Burrillville Town Council approved Mapleville Farm’s victualler and entertainment license provided outstanding stipulations are met after a heated public exchange. Applicant Mary Ryan and her son disputed the administration’s account that documents were missing and raised privacy concerns about a new online licensing portal and annual criminal‑background checks.
The Burrillville Town Council voted this week to approve Mapleville Farm LLC’s application for annual victualler and entertainment licenses at 544 Victory Highway, provided remaining stipulations are satisfied.
Mary Ryan, who identified herself as an owner of Mapleville Farm, told the council she and her family submitted the required documents and that the town clerk stamped a multi‑page submission on Oct. 11. "There were three pages that were there," Ryan said, disputing council and administration statements she said were later reported in the press. Her son, Ben Ryan, said a news article that described the license as revoked hurt holiday business and repeated that insurance and application materials had been accepted by the clerk’s office.
Council members and administration representatives said the town worked with the applicant to resolve outstanding issues after a prior denial. A town official said accommodations were made and that remedial issues were “easily accommodated,” while the council proceeded with a motion to approve the license conditioned on meeting all stipulations.
The public exchange centered on three interrelated concerns the Ryans raised: whether the town clerk received all pages of the application, whether the applicants had provided a valid insurance certificate, and a new annual background‑check requirement tied to the town’s online application portal. Mary Ryan urged the council to re‑examine the decision‑making process and to consider privacy risks tied to the third‑party portal used for applications.
Ben Ryan described the practical effects: "There was definitely a drop in sales at our busiest time of year on Thanksgiving," he said of the press coverage. Mary Ryan told the council she and family members were uncomfortable providing Social Security numbers and other personal data to a third‑party vendor used in the portal.
Administration responses were procedural: officials said they had provided accommodations and communications to the applicant and that outstanding application issues were remedied prior to the council’s vote. The council approved the motion by voice vote.
Council President Donald A. Fox presided over the item and the record shows the approval was conditioned on the standard stipulations being met; the council did not modify the licensing rules at the meeting. The administration noted that the annual background‑check requirement and the adoption of the online portal were implemented through administrative policy and are subject to review.
Next steps: the license will be finalized once the clerk’s office confirms the remaining stipulations are complete; the broader concerns raised about the portal, background checks and whether sensitive personal information should be routed through a third‑party service were discussed on the record and may be brought back to the council for further consideration.
