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North Kingstown council declines to reopen vote on electricity aggregation after residents raise opt‑out concerns
Summary
Councillor Hill Ross sought to change a prior vote on the town's electricity aggregation agreement but no colleague seconded a motion to reconsider; public commenters warned savings may be negligible and urged monitoring if the program proceeds.
The North Kingstown Town Council on Feb. 24 declined to reopen a recent vote authorizing an electricity supply agreement for the town's community aggregation program after a councilor asked to change her prior vote and no other member seconded a motion to reconsider.
Councillor Hill Ross asked the council to "change my vote from yes to no" and cited residents' concerns about the aggregation plan and comments raised during the public comment period. The council's solicitor explained that a member must make and another must second a motion to reconsider; no second was offered and the motion failed, leaving the prior 5–0 decision intact.
The matter drew several public comments before the reconsideration attempt. Tom Bridal told the council the body should expect finality after a vote and called routine revotes "a waste of time," urging members not to "second a motion to reconsider" unless truly new information is presented. Ricky Thompson, a resident who said he had researched aggregation programs, warned that promotional savings often end after the initial months and that opt‑out enrollment can leave some residents worse off: "There's not really savings," he said of his findings. Dan Manning, an electrician, urged the council to assign a staff member to monitor price comparisons for three to six months after the program starts to ensure the town retains a net benefit.
Council discussion before the procedural motion focused on whether the public had been given new information since the prior vote. After the solicitor's explanation and the failure to secure a second, the council moved on to other agenda items.
The council did not conduct a re-vote on the electricity agreement at the Feb. 24 meeting. Next steps will depend on whether any council member later makes and a colleague seconds a motion to reconsider, or whether staff brings new procurement or rate-monitoring data forward during upcoming budget and manager reports.
Votes at the Feb. 24 meeting otherwise left the original aggregation authorization in place.
