The Cranston City Council held a series of committee meetings on Monday, August 3, 2026, starting at 5:07 PM and adjourning at 8:57 PM. The meetings covered the Audit Committee (certifying the tax levy), Claims Committee (executive session minutes), Safety Services and Licensing Committee (feast safety and various licenses), and Finance Committee (budget review and bond resolutions). Key discussions centered on public safety at the St. Mary's Feast, a $9.3 million general fund deficit, and several bond refunding resolutions.
Uh like to call the order committee meeting to order today is Monday, August third. It is five oh seven PM. Clerk, can you please take a roll? The committee shall certify that the proposed levy is sufficient to meet the budgetary. The audit committee didn't. But if it's okay with you, perhaps you could ask if it would be okay if people from the audience would like to make public comment if no one has objections. Okay, I was going to do that right after the new business, but I guess I'll take your uh I'll take your uh assumption on it. So um at this present time, um, I would like to do we have to make an amendment. If there is no objection, I would like to add public comment on documented items only for the general public. No objection. Seeing no objections. Uh yes. Clerk, do we have to take a roll? No, no, no, no rule. All right. Um, at this time, is there anyone in the audience that would like to make public comment on documented items only? Seeing none, Mr. Clerk. Anyone on the line that would like to make comment on documented items only? There is no public comment online. All right, I guess there are none. Um at this time, I'll move on to new business. Uh new businesses, the MIT, the committee shall certify that the proposed levy is sufficient to meet the budgetary assumptions inherited in the adopted budget. May entertain a motion. Motion to approve. Second. Any discussion, Mr. President. It's been a long time since you said that. I know. It's nice to be down here. Um, let me just state this for the record. You can hear me, right, Tom. That um this is certainly later than it usually has been. This was an extraordinary budget cycle given the crisis, we'll say financial crisis, not to use hyperbole. Um, however, we did check with with our attorneys, and uh this is something, and perhaps Mr. Strom, you had a document regarding the legalities of the budget process. Could you weigh in on that? I uh just for the record. So the the letter you had from Mr. Millet. Yes, that's what we're doing today. The tax assessor uh Ken Millette, I uh asked him, knowing that this was on the docket for this evening, uh, to send me a memo of and send me the most send me the certified tax levy that he has. And he said to me that the certification is required on or before August 15th by the state of Rhode Island annually, and ours, meaning this document that I passed out will be filed this week. Thank you. So just even though it would be better and certainly in a perfect world, we would have done this before the tax levy. Uh before we had, you know, put out the tax bills, it's well within the bounds of the law. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President.