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Record of Proceedings

Cranston City Council Meeting - October 13, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, October 13, 2026
BodyCranston, Rhode Island
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, October 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:18:29

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

5:14

I'd like to bring tonight's sake

Speaker 2

5:17

to order.

5:19

Clerk, please take the roll call.

Speaker 3

5:23

Councilman Vazier.

5:25

Councilman Graziano.

5:27

Present.

5:28

Councilman Ritz.

Speaker 4

5:29

Present.

Speaker 3

5:30

Councilman Traficanti.

Speaker 4

5:31

Present.

Speaker 3

5:32

Councilman Anduhar.

5:35

Council Vice President Haryan.

5:38

Council President Wall.

5:40

Um, since Councilman Anduhar and Councilwoman Vizier just walked in.

5:46

I'd like them to announce themselves as present.

5:49

Present.

Speaker 5

5:51

Present.

Speaker 3

5:52

Thank you.

Speaker 2

5:53

Thank you, Clerk.

5:54

Next on my agenda, I have public comment only for agenda items only.

6:01

Is there anyone from the public that would like to speak tonight?

Unassigned speaker

6:06

No.

Unassigned speaker

6:07

Tom,

Speaker 2

6:07

is there anyone online?

Speaker 6

6:09

There is no public comment online.

Speaker 2

6:11

Okay, I'm gonna close out public comment then.

6:16

First item is the class A liquor license transfer of the owner.

6:21

And we did receive a letter of good standings as of 5 p.m.

Speaker 3

6:26

No, we did not know, but

Speaker 2

6:27

we refuted it.

Speaker 3

6:28

We did not receive a letter of good standing as of 5 p.m.

Speaker 2

6:33

Hold on one second.

Unassigned speaker

6:40

Oh,

Speaker 3

6:40

there might be some confusion.

6:42

I was told by the business licensing clerk that there was a letter of good standing issued, I believe nine nine, but he believes that that was

Unassigned speaker

6:50

the

Speaker 3

6:51

former owner, not the who they're transferring it to.

Speaker 5

6:54

Madam Chair, should we take a two-minute recess?

Speaker 3

6:56

Yes, please.

Speaker 1

7:39

Okay.

7:40

Um

Speaker 2

7:41

could the onus please come up and state your name and your address.

Unassigned speaker

7:49

Um

Speaker 7

7:52

Lilak Avenue, Bellingham, Massachusetts.

Speaker 2

7:55

Okay.

7:56

We received a letter from the attorney that they were satisfied with the amount of the bill that was paid for the alcohol.

8:03

We have not received a letter of good standing from the State Department from the Department of Revenue.

8:09

Have you what is the status of that?

Speaker 7

8:11

Uh we submitted it uh to the state.

8:14

I have a approval too.

Speaker 2

8:15

What date did you submit it?

Speaker 7

8:17

Uh yesterday.

Speaker 2

8:19

Today was a state holiday.

Speaker 5

8:22

Madam Chair, I think they submitted it on the portal.

8:25

That's probably going to take two weeks.

Speaker 3

8:28

That's correct.

Speaker 2

8:38

Could I ask a question?

8:40

Is this a new newly established DBI?

8:44

Like, have you do you have any other businesses or anything?

Speaker 7

8:47

No, this is new established.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████25%
Parks and Recreation███████████11%
Education Funding███████████11%
Pending Litigation█████████9%
Licensing And Permits████████8%
Water And Wastewater Management██████6%
Public Safety█████5%
Stormwater Management█████5%
Transportation Safety█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Cranston City Council Meeting - October 13, 2026

The Cranston City Council convened on October 13, 2026 to handle a full agenda across special, regular, and committee sessions. Actions included approvals of liquor licenses, a show cause hearing, litigation updates, public works reports, and the advancement of several ordinances.

Consent Calendar

  • Class A Liquor License Transfer: Approved unanimously, subject to receiving a letter of good standing from the Rhode Island Department of Revenue.
  • Class B V License (Cafe Hree, 1686 Cranston St): Approved unanimously.
  • Class B VL License (Wicked Goods Sausage Co., 1674 Cranston St): Approved unanimously, subject to receiving required licenses.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Ordinance 092-02 (Background Checks): Robert Murray of Cranston spoke in opposition, arguing the city lacks legal authority to regulate school hiring.
  • Show Cause (Lings Bullerama): Cranston Police stated the business has a good record. Attorney Robert Taylor and owner David Lang detailed an August incident (patron with a weapon, no alcohol involved) and committed to a security plan.

Discussion Items & Committee Reports

Show Cause Hearing: Lings Bullerama

  • The council acknowledged the incident was unrelated to operations. The show cause was removed upon the business's commitment to a formal safety plan within two weeks.

Shriners Litigation Update (H26-0026)

  • City Solicitor Steven Marcella updated the council on dual-track municipal court (pretrial Nov 2) and zoning variance (hearings Nov 10, 12) proceedings. Council expressed frustration but accepted the timeline.

Public Works Updates

  • Pool Winterization: Vantage Builders has closed. The city retained $37,500 for the pool cover. Bids for a custom cover (~$25k-$35k) are being solicited. Council requested Parks & Rec clean leaves to prevent staining.
  • Stormwater & Flooding: Director Correa noted the Sept. Nor'easter caused no major flooding. He emphasized MS4 compliance needs and identified 7-10 severe flooding areas requiring millions in repairs.

Ordinance Reviews

  • Ordinance 092-02 (Background Checks): Councilman Ritz proposed expanding look-backs from 5 to 20 years for school employees. Despite legal concerns, the committee voted 7-0 to advance it, intending to tighten language.
  • Ordinance 092-02 (Waste Processing): Director Correa presented new discharge limits for a potential waste oil processor. Councilwoman Graziano requested more research, leading to the item being continued.
  • Ordinance 092-03 (Traffic): Council President Wall proposed a 'Local Access Only' zone for safety. Director Correa raised enforcement concerns. The committee voted 7-0 to approve, prioritizing safety.

Key Outcomes

  • Passed/Advanced: Liquor licenses (Cafe Hree, Wicked Goods), Background checks ordinance (7-0), Traffic ordinance (7-0).
  • Resolved: Show cause removed for Lings Bullerama.
  • Continued: Waste processing ordinance.
  • Directives: Parks & Rec requested to clean pool; Lings Bullerama to submit safety plan.

Meeting Transcript

I'd like to bring tonight's sake to order. Clerk, please take the roll call. Councilman Vazier. Councilman Graziano. Present. Councilman Ritz. Present. Councilman Traficanti. Present. Councilman Anduhar. Council Vice President Haryan. Council President Wall. Um, since Councilman Anduhar and Councilwoman Vizier just walked in. I'd like them to announce themselves as present. Present. Present. Thank you. Thank you, Clerk. Next on my agenda, I have public comment only for agenda items only. Is there anyone from the public that would like to speak tonight? No. Tom, is there anyone online? There is no public comment online. Okay, I'm gonna close out public comment then. First item is the class A liquor license transfer of the owner. And we did receive a letter of good standings as of 5 p.m. No, we did not know, but we refuted it. We did not receive a letter of good standing as of 5 p.m. Hold on one second. Oh, there might be some confusion. I was told by the business licensing clerk that there was a letter of good standing issued, I believe nine nine, but he believes that that was the former owner, not the who they're transferring it to. Madam Chair, should we take a two-minute recess? Yes, please. Okay. Um could the onus please come up and state your name and your address. Um Lilak Avenue, Bellingham, Massachusetts. Okay. We received a letter from the attorney that they were satisfied with the amount of the bill that was paid for the alcohol. We have not received a letter of good standing from the State Department from the Department of Revenue. Have you what is the status of that? Uh we submitted it uh to the state. I have a approval too.

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