Cranston City Council Meeting - April 20, 2026
Cranston City Council Meeting - April 20, 2026
The Cranston City Council met on April 20, 2026, to conduct a wide range of business including citations, resolutions, committee reports, public comments, appointments, and a lengthy discussion on the city's budget crisis and tax levy cap. The meeting also included an executive session regarding legal bills.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The council approved the minutes of previous meetings as a block by unanimous voice vote.
- Tax Interest Waivers: Approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Public Hearing on Docketed Matters: Councilman Andy Andahar (not present) commented online, congratulating awardees but noting he did not support the DPW citation, and mentioned the city's financial crisis. No other public comment on docketed matters.
- Public Comment on Undocketed Items:
- Marsha Fowler (35 Milton Avenue) expressed concern about a proposed track at Cooney Field, arguing it should remain a public park. She advocated for a new track complex funded by a long-term fundraiser rather than a bond.
- Stephen Fryas (107 Garden Hills Drive) spoke about the budget, calling for spending cuts to avoid a 7.45% tax increase. He suggested level-funding schools, reducing public safety costs, and cutting general government positions.
- Tanya Signari agreed with tabling raises for collective bargaining units and questioned the necessity of jobs at the Briggs building and the superintendent's salary.
Discussion Items
- Citations and Commendations:
- The council issued citations to four students (Julia Ragar, Lexi Montebon, Samantha DeCesre, and one other) for designing the first city-specific "I Voted" stickers for the 2026 elections, a historic first in Rhode Island.
- A citation was presented to Steve Piscopello for receiving the 2026 John Jack Cronin Award from the Rhode Island Recreational Parks and Recreation Association.
- The council recognized the Department of Public Works for its critical contributions during the historic blizzard of 2026, noting record snowfall and around-the-clock efforts.
- Resolutions:
- Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month: A resolution proclaiming April 2026 as Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month, recognizing the Armenian genocide, passed unanimously. All council members added as co-sponsors.
- State Aid to Libraries: A resolution supporting full funding of state aid to libraries at 25% passed unanimously. Director Garsha noted that level funding would cost the library an additional $23,000.
- Honoring Rosalba Bazani: A resolution honoring Assistant City Clerk Rosalba Bazani for nearly 42 years of service passed unanimously. She received a citation from the city council and mayor.
- Committee Reports:
- Claims Committee: No issues.
- Safety Services and License: No votes.
- Finance Committee: Reported on several items including the collective bargaining agreement with RI Laborers District Council 1322 (tradespeople and mechanics unit). After debate, the motion to approve passed (7-1, with one recusal). Tax interest waivers approved. Appointment of Robert Strom as finance director approved unanimously.
- Ordinance Committee: No items reported.
- Public Works: No items reported.
- Appointments:
- Reappointment of Carol Cooney as tax assessor (approved).
- Reappointment of Justin McCarthy as alternate #1 for tax assessment board (approved).
- Reappointment of Mario Carlino as alternate #2 (approved).
- Mayoral reappointments (informational, no votes): Robert Coop (Planning Commission), Alan DePolo, John Calisante, Eric Army, and Gillian Finkel (Historic District Commission).
- Personnel Matters:
- Request for continued service of Detective Lieutenant Stephen Brooks for one year (approved).
- Request to place Chief Daniel Marcinko on pension roll effective April 17, 2026 (approved).
- Budget Process Discussion:
- Council President Wall led a detailed discussion on charter provisions regarding the tax levy cap (Section 6.21). The mayor's proposed budget includes a 7.45% increase, but state law caps increases at 4% unless approved by a four-fifths vote of the council and General Assembly authorization. The council discussed legal options, including reverting to the previous year's budget, seeking auditor general intervention, or the possibility of a state takeover. Assistant Solicitor Videcia and Attorney Marcelo outlined the legal constraints. Council members expressed frustration over the lack of timely financial data and called for better oversight mechanisms, including quarterly work programs and monthly expenditure reports. Director Strom (newly appointed finance director) stated he would provide weekly or bi-weekly expense summaries. No action was taken, but the issue will be revisited.
Key Outcomes
- Votes: All resolutions and appointments passed unanimously except the collective bargaining agreement, which passed 7-1 (with one recusal).
- Directives: The council directed the finance department to provide regular budget reports and flagged the need for quarterly work programs per charter.
- Next Steps: The budget process will continue with further hearings. The council will schedule an executive session to discuss collective bargaining issues. The legal expense report was deferred to the next meeting due to the solicitor's absence.
Meeting Transcript
Call this meeting to order at this time, and I ask the clerk to please call the roll. Consul McGraziano, present. Conservative. Present. Present. Consulman Vaziri, present. Present. Here. Um, at this time I'm gonna request that the young men from Boy Scout Troop Sixty Six come on up here in the front so they can lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance this evening. And I ask everybody in the audience to please rise for Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic States. Thank you, gentlemen. Our first item of business this evening um would be acknowledgments, commendations, and citations, and our first citation will be a congratulation citation. And I'm gonna step down here. I'm gonna ask the turn attorney uh Marcel to excuse me a second. Uh thank you, Council President, members of the council, Nick Lima, registrar director of elections for the board of canvassers. So we're honoring here uh tonight uh the council's honoring an issue a citation to uh four uh students, I think three three could make it tonight, um, who are being honored for their civics engagement service to our city through something that has never been done before in Rhode Island, but is done in nearly every other state in the country. Um this is one of the few areas, I think in elections administration where we've been behind the eight ball on, and that is the creation of I voted stickers uh that celebrate the city of Cranston and also involve our our local students. So we partnered with Cranston Public Schools about a year ago in order to start a I voted sticker contest in which art students uh in the schools would have the opportunity to design stickers that celebrate civics engagement in Cranston. So we won't have the same old I vote sticker from the state every single year. We'll still have that sticker by the way. But for the first time ever in any Rhode Island city or town in the 2026 elections, we're going to have these new stickers. Uh some of the contest roles were they couldn't be AI generated. They couldn't have uh any businesses or anything on there. So sorry, Dells Lemonade, there's no Dell's Lemonade I vote a sticker. Um they had to celebrate uh the something about the city of Cranston. Uh so we have amazing our work, amazing designs. There were ten finalists, the board of camisters considered, and these uh four students uh were all selected for their designs that are going to be honored here. And uh, Council President, I just want to thank you and the council for taking a few moments out of your agenda to recognize them. Thank you, Mr. Lima. Those of you who know me know I'm a teacher in my other life, and one of the subjects I do teach is law and government and civics. So I can emphasize probably hopefully as well as Mr. Lima's eloquently, the importance of civics education, important of people be involved in their in their government and the proceedings. So not to belabor the point, the resolution uh reads as follows the Cranston City Council. Let it be known that the Cranston City Council hereby issues. And this is signed uh by all the members of the city council. Um just congratulations to you. And the first citation would go to uh Julia Ragar. Okay. Uh Ray Pedagog. Yeah, we're gonna uh Lex Lexi Montebon. And uh Samantha De Cesre. And perhaps I could ask the members of the school committee to come up with that education. So I can do it at once. We have one that we actually have more citations. That's okay. So the mayor also has citations for the same students to read. This is to certify and make known unto all whom these present shall come that Mayor Kenneth J. Hopkins hereby issues a citation too, and all the students that were just presented will get one in honor of your exceptional creativity, artistic talent, and dedication to civic engagement demonstrated through your design of the new i voted sticker selected by the board of canvassers for use in the city of Cranston's 2026 elections.
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