Cranston City Council Committees Meeting (Claims, Safety Services, Finance) - August 4, 2025
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Cranston City Council Committees Meeting (Claims, Safety Services, Finance) - August 4, 2025
The City of Cranston held combined committee meetings (Claims, Safety Services, and Finance) on August 4, 2025, beginning at approximately 7:25 PM. The meetings covered executive session matters, approvals of minutes, public hearings on liquor and business licenses, enforcement actions, communications on property issues, and ratification of contracts and leases. Multiple votes were taken, with most approvals unanimous.
Consent Calendar
- Claims Committee: Approved minutes from July 7 regular meeting and sealed minutes from July 7 executive session. (Unanimous)
- Safety Service Committee: Approved minutes from July 7 regular meeting. (Unanimous)
- Finance Committee: Approved minutes from July 24 special finance committee meeting. (Unanimous)
- Safety Service Monthly Schedules: Approved as a block. (Unanimous)
- List of Licenses Approved but Not Yet Issued: Accepted into the record. (Unanimous)
- Finance Committee Real Estate Tax Abatements: Approved. (Unanimous)
- Finance Committee Tangible Tax Abatements: Approved. (Unanimous)
Public Comments & Testimony
No public comments were made either in chambers or online during any of the three committee meetings.
Discussion Items
Safety Service Committee - Public Hearings on Business Licenses
- Additional hours for vitalling (new) at 630 Reservoir Ave: Continued because the Rhode Island Department of Health approval was still outstanding. (Unanimous)
- Auto repair license new – PZW or truck service LLC (Station St): Applicant appeared; missing fire inspection. Continued to next month. (Unanimous)
- Expansion of hours for 401 Wings Inc.: Owner Ken Nicole explained the request to extend hours from 11 AM–9 PM to 11 AM–11 PM daily, citing customer demand. Approved. (Unanimous)
- Expansion of hours for Taurus Garden City Donuts (Dunkin’ Donuts): Owner George Zweiner requested hours from 4 AM–11 PM (currently 5 AM–9 PM). Councilman Banano noted no nearby residences. Approved. (Unanimous)
- Expansion of hours for Torres Park Avenue Inc. (Dunkin’ Donuts) at 1111 Park Ave: Owner also requested 4 AM–11 PM. Councilman Anderha expressed concern about speaker volume and headlight glare; owner discussed planned fence. Approved. (Unanimous)
- Expansion of hours for Swurge Inc. (Dunkin’ Donuts) at 548 Reservoir Ave: Same owner, same hours. Approved. (Unanimous)
- Show cause for K Chicken LLC (New Ishbond Corp) at 146 Kansett Ave: Failure to provide liquor liability insurance (RIGL 3-7-2-9). No representative appeared. Solicitor advised state law requires revocation with a 48-hour cure period. Councilman Anderha urged leniency but supported the process. Motion to revoke carried unanimously. (Unanimous)
Safety Service Committee - Continued Auto Repair Licenses
- American muffler and brake shop (1380 Park Ave): Renewal with all paperwork complete. Approved. (Unanimous)
- BMC Petroleum (905 Cranston St): Continued due to missing city tax clearance. Councilman Anderha also raised concerns about on-street parking and unregistered vehicles. (Unanimous)
- Easy glass (987 Cranston St): Approved. (Unanimous)
- Glass America (140 Comstock Pkwy): Continued because fire inspection not yet received. (Unanimous)
- Sam’s Auto Group (936 Cranston St): Fire inspection received; approved. (Unanimous)
Safety Service Committee - New Matters
- Class F1 liquor license for Ocean State Concessions (Memphis Kell) at Mulligan’s Island: Applicant Joseph Boisvert requested 12 event dates; application showed 10. Committee amended to add August 12 and correct hours: Fridays 4:30–8:30 PM, Saturdays 10 AM–4 PM. Approved. (Unanimous)
- Holiday sales license for Aaron’s (460 Reservoir Ave): Approved. (Unanimous)
- Mobile food establishment – Roadie Pop: Solicitor clarified that the city's role is limited to reviewing and collecting fees; ratification is a state function. The item was not taken up as a ratification but noted as reviewed.
- Mobile food establishment – LJW Auto Solutions (140 Farmington Ave): Approved, with Councilman Anderha noting past noise complaints. (Unanimous)
- Mobile food establishment – Miranda Auto Repair (75 Rusty St): Approved. (Unanimous)
- Class F liquor license – Annunciation Greek Church (175 Oaklawn Ave): Event Sept 5–7, hours as listed. Approved. (Unanimous)
- Class F liquor license – Saint George Church (1493 Cranston St): Event Sept 19–21, hours as listed. Approved. (Unanimous)
- Holiday sales license – Warhammer (5 Chapel View Blvd): Approved. (Unanimous)
- Per diem entertainment licenses and temporary mass gathering licenses for both Annunciation Greek Church and Saint George Church: Approved. (Unanimous)
- Mobile food establishments – California Taco and Sam’s New York system: Found in compliance; no further action.
Safety Service Committee - Communications
- 243 Deerfield Road: Councilman Anderha raised concerns about overgrown vegetation and fire hazard from a chimney. Solicitor Vedeccio reported code enforcement found only grass overgrowth; no other violations. The committee asked for a fire inspection and kept the matter on the docket for next month. (Unanimous)
- Swimply pool rentals at Alpine Estates: Councilman Ritz introduced the issue of residents renting out pools via the Swimply app, leading to traffic, noise, and safety complaints. Solicitor Vedeccio confirmed commercial activity is not allowed in residential zones; citations have been issued. The committee discussed potential ordinance and requested further enforcement. Item held over. (Unanimous)
- Lawn beauticians at 460 Natick Ave: Councilman Ritz reported concerns about asphalt piles and manufacturing. Solicitor Vedeccio noted code enforcement found no violations, but a prior non-conforming use may exist. Solicitor Angel clarified manufacturing and solid waste regulations. Council President Marino expressed frustration that materials had not been removed after a 2024 fire. Committee requested code enforcement presence at next meeting and notice to the property owner. (Unanimous)
Finance Committee - New Matters
- Ordinance 72503 – Ratification of school committee CBA with bus drivers union (Laboers District Council 1322): CFO Joe Balducci presented a three-year contract: year one (FY25) a $1.00/hour increase, years two and three $0.75/hour increases. Total first-year cost $139,000, second year $111,600, third year $113,000. Step increases estimated at $30,000 annually. Funds budgeted; state aid expected to cover. Language allows privatization with employee retention. Approved. (Unanimous)
- Ordinance 72507 – Parking lot lease between city and VFW Post 2396: Attorney Angel noted inconsistencies in ordinance text (references to memorandum of understanding vs. lease). Council moved to amend lines 25, 28, and 32 to replace with “lease.” Amendment and amended ordinance approved. (Unanimous)
Key Outcomes
- Revocations: K Chicken LLC liquor license revoked with 48-hour cure notice. (Unanimous)
- Approvals: All expansion-of-hours requests (4 restaurants), several new and renewal business licenses, church festival licenses, and the school bus driver contract approved. (All unanimous except where noted)
- Continued/Deferred Items: Various licenses pending inspections or payments; two property concerns (Deerfield Road, Alpine Estates, Lawn beauticians) held for next Safety Service meeting with specific action items (fire inspection, code enforcement report, owner notice).
- Ordinance Changes: Parking lot lease ordinance amended and passed.
- Enforcement Directions: Code enforcement to re-inspect Lawn beauticians property and address non-conforming use and manufacturing concerns; citations already issued for Swimply pool rentals.
- Next Steps: Items held over to September Safety Service committee meeting; administration to coordinate with code enforcement and fire department.
Meeting Transcript
All right, good evening. And welcome to the August Fourth Claims Committee meeting. This time I'd like to call the meeting to order. And I asked the clerk to please call a role. If anyone is here this evening in chambers who would like to make public comment on agenda matters only, um, please step up to the podium, state your name and address for the record, and you will have four minutes. All right. Um, at this time I'm going to entertain a motion to return to the open session. So moved. Any discussion? There being none, Clerk, would you please call a roll? Yes. Yes. Present. Yes. Yes. Thank you. All right. The next, um just for a point of uh reference, there were motions made during the executive session. At this time, I'm going to entertain a motion to seal the executive session minutes. So moved. Second. In discussion, there be a none clerk, would you please call a roll? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Okay. We're going to move on to approval of minutes. At this time, I'm going to entertain a motion for the approval of the minutes from the July seventh regular meeting. Any discussion. Yes. Next, I'm going to entertain a motion for the approval of the sealed minutes from the July seventh executive session. All right. That motion carries. All right, good evening, and welcome to the August Fourth Two thousand twenty-five safety service committee meeting. This time I'd like to call this meeting to order and ask the clerk to put please call a roll. Present. Here. Councilman Heroyan. Okay. Our first item of business would be the approval of minutes. At this time, I'd like to entertain a motion for the approval of the minutes from the July seventh, two thousand twenty-five regular meeting. Second. Any discussion. There being none, Clerk, would you please call a roll? Councilman Andrew Har? Yes. Yes. Yes.
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