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Newport and Middletown set timeline, budget for consultant study and advisory committee ahead of possible ballot question
Summary
Councils agreed on a rapid timeline to draft legislation, pursue an 8‑week consultant study, appoint an Academic Integration Advisory Committee (AIAC), and aim to certify ballot language by July to enable a November referendum; Newport has budgeted $250,000 to start the consultant work.
Both councils agreed to pursue an accelerated schedule to inform any future ballot question. Staff outlined a schedule that targets a draft bill by March 1, an aggressive eight‑week consultant engagement to produce a current-state assessment and implementation planning, and a July certification window for ballot language so the question could appear in November if both councils approve.
The city of Newport has earmarked $250,000 in capital funds for a consultant study and staff said Middletown staff indicated they may share the cost. Councilors discussed the scope of the consultant work — Phase 0 (preliminary data gathering with no charge), then a 3‑week current-state assessment followed by five weeks of implementation planning with robust community engagement.
Councilors voted informally to continue discussions, to move forward with AIAC appointments that will feed into the consultant’s work, and to schedule follow-up joint meetings. No binding referendum language was adopted at the workshop; the next steps focus on study, outreach and drafting legislation.
