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North Kingstown council approves placing up-to-$60 million public-safety bond on Nov. 5 ballot
Summary
After presentations by police and fire chiefs and an architect, the council approved an ordinance amendment to place a public-safety bond question capped at $60 million on the Nov. 5 ballot. Chiefs described cramped, deteriorating facilities and urged voter approval; the council approved the measure following public comment.
The North Kingstown Town Council voted Aug. 5 to approve an ordinance amendment allowing a ballot question that would authorize up to $60,000,000 in bonds to finance a new public safety complex serving police and fire.
Police Chief John Urban and Fire Chief Scott Katell opened the council’s public hearing and outlined operational and structural problems at the current facilities. Urban said the department faces acute space and storage shortages: “We have huge needs… We have no space,” he said, recounting examples — evidence stored in a wash bay, crumbling walls and a failing sally port — that he said create security and operational risks. Katell told the council the existing combined facility is roughly 27,000 square feet and argued it cannot be adapted to modern space standards without major, costly additions.
DBVW Architects and town staff reviewed the project’s evolution: an initial 80,000-square-foot program was reduced after council direction; staff said subsequent design iterations produced lower square-footage scenarios (staff discussed figures in the 52,000–48,000 range) and a $60 million cap. Town staff described financing options including short-term bond anticipation notes and longer-term bonds; under a conservative scenario the financial adviser estimated a potential near-term tax-rate impact the staff characterized as approximately 20¢–25¢ in the worst-case example shown to the council.
During public comment residents urged fiscal caution, asked whether the town already owned the proposed Davisville site (town staff said the town does not currently own the site and is pursuing a land swap/negotiation), and pressed for clear cost controls and transparency in eventual bidding. Architect Michael Vaviras and staff emphasized that public safety complexes have higher-than-residential per-square-foot costs driven by specialized spaces and prevailing wage requirements.
After the presentations and questions the council closed the hearing and approved the ordinance amendment necessary to place the bond question on the Nov. 5 ballot. The transcript records the outcome as a recorded motion with “ayes” (no roll-call tally was included in the meeting transcript). The chiefs thanked the council for its support and said they will continue outreach and informational sessions prior to the election.
What happens next: The council’s approval places the question before voters on Nov. 5. If voters approve the bond the town will proceed with procurement and design steps; council and staff said they intend to brief the public further and refine financial presentations before bids are solicited.
