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Council approves ordinance changes for Juvenile Hearing Board, allowing attorney service and more alternates
Summary
On second reading the council voted to amend the juvenile hearing board ordinance to permit an attorney to serve and to allow up to three alternates; the measure passed by roll call after board chair Paul Ventura addressed the council.
The West Warwick Town Council approved a second‑reading ordinance amending Chapter 12.2 (police, article 3 — juvenile hearing board) after hearing from the juvenile hearing board chair.
Paul Ventura, who identified himself as the board chair, addressed the council during the second-reading discussion and said he had not been informed earlier about the changes cited in a newspaper article. Councilors and the ordinance sponsor explained that the amendment is a clean-up to permit attorneys to serve on the board, to allow up to three alternates (the council does not have to appoint all alternates), and to remove an incorrect residency requirement that had stated only West Warwick residents could appear before the board. The changes were described as corrective rather than punitive and were prompted during a recent appointment process when two qualified candidates applied.
After brief discussion and an opportunity for the juvenile hearing board chair to speak, the council took a roll-call vote on the second reading. The transcript records “Jay,” “Jason,” “Mark,” “Marybeth” and the presiding member voting, and the chair announced the ordinance passed on second reading.
The council also discussed the possibility of notifying the juvenile hearing board members when ordinance changes affect their composition and agreed the administration would reach out to board members about the change. Ventura thanked the council for taking time to clarify the matter.
