Narragansett Town Council FY2027 Budget Work Session - May 6, 2026
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Narragansett Town Council Work Session on FY2027 Budget
Note on date discrepancy: The agenda and transcript indicate the meeting was held on May 11, 2026. However, the instruction provided for this summary specifies the date as May 6, 2026. This summary uses the instructed date in the title, but the content reflects the actual date from the source material.
This work session was held to discuss the Town of Narragansett's FY2027 budget, focusing on three major items: reallocation of the South Kingstown Senior Center appropriation, funding for the Affordable Housing Trust Collaborative, and the pickleball court project at Clock Road.
Discussion Items
South Kingstown Senior Center Appropriation
- Council members discussed reallocating the $68,877 previously budgeted for the SK Senior Center MOU to a capital project for an elevator at the Narragansett Senior Center.
- Councilor Vignali proposed using the funds specifically for an elevator, noting that Narragansett residents can still use the South Kingstown center (currently paying a $15 annual fee, potentially rising to $20).
- Councilor Torrealday expressed a preference for a broader overhaul of the aging senior center rather than just an elevator, but acknowledged the need for timely action. Councilor Menzies supported the elevator, citing safety and accessibility.
- Consensus was reached to shift the appropriation to a capital line for an elevator, with the understanding that additional grant funding would be pursued.
Affordable Housing Trust Collaborative
- The council discussed funding the ordinance (second reading scheduled for May 18) that would allocate 38% of the real estate conveyance tax and 25% of the hotel tax (previously 50% was proposed but reduced) to the trust.
- Town Manager Tierney explained that the estimated revenue from these percentages is approximately $445,000, based on state projections and historical averages. An additional $50,000 from the hotel tax (the 50% portion) was already incorporated from a prior consensus, making the total $495,000.
- Councilor Durkin, Vignali, and Menzies expressed strong support, noting the need for a dedicated revenue stream for affordable housing. Councilor Torrealday preferred a lower percentage (12-15%) but ultimately accepted the 25% figure.
- Consensus was that the $445,000 would be transferred from the unassigned fund balance to the budget, contingent on passage of the ordinance.
Pickleball Court Project at Clock Road
- Councilor Menzies raised concerns about misinformation regarding the project cost. The budget includes $175,000 for the upcoming fiscal year (carryover from prior appropriations), not the $440,000 total for full reconstruction.
- Councilor Vignali noted that the original plan added two extra courts (from four to six), which she only recently learned. She preferred resurfacing the existing four courts rather than expanding.
- Councilor Durkin, Torrealday, and Menzies discussed options: full reconstruction of four courts, or potentially fitting six courts within the existing footprint.
- The consensus was to keep the $175,000 in the budget for the project, with the specific design (number of courts, resurfacing vs. reconstruction) to be determined at a later date.
Key Outcomes
- Senior Center Appropriation: Consensus to shift $68,877 from the SK Senior Center MOU to a capital project for an elevator at the Narragansett Senior Center, to be included in the FY2027 budget.
- Affordable Housing Trust: Consensus to transfer $445,000 from the unassigned fund balance to fund the affordable housing trust, based on 38% of conveyance tax and 25% of hotel tax, pending the second reading of the ordinance on May 18.
- Pickleball Courts: The $175,000 budgeted for the Clock Road pickleball project will be retained; the council will decide on the exact scope (court count, type of work) later.
- Next Steps: The budget with these changes will be posted on Thursday, and the first reading will occur on Monday, May 18, 2026, after the second reading of the affordable housing ordinance.
Meeting Transcript
The time is now six, ten PM, and today's date is May 11th, 2026, and we are here for a work session to discuss the town of Narragansett fiscal year twenty twenty-seven budget. And this is a especially scheduled work session since the last uh regular meeting that we had. So I don't know if there's one particular area we want to start on. Um I'll pass it off for our team over here. Well any of the changes that will by consensus with the council have already been incorporated into the budget. Two of the budget items that had been talked about by members of the council individually with me. Was the funding for the SK Senior Center appropriation that was sixty-eight, eight seventy-seven and the affordable housing trust collaborative ordinance change, which it's been it'll be approved for an ordinance of the second reading on Monday. So if it's the consensus of the council that we would slide that money into the actual budget for a fiscal uh twenty-seven. And then what the consensus is in the council for the SK Senior Center appropriation. Those are the only two really really pending items before the first reading. So I think that money since we s now have determined that um we basically offer the same programs as the South Kingstown Senior Center. Anyone could join and be part of any senior senior center. Our members can our residents can go to their center, their s their residents can come to our center. We offer basically the same things if there's something that they offer and our residents want to be part of it, they're more than welcome to go to the South Kingston Senior Center. I think it was determined at the last workshop the only difference that I could see and what they had said would be that right now we are considered our residents pay $15 a year to belong to their center. We don't charge a fee but they charge a fee so it would be $15 and it looks like that might go up to 20. That would be the only difference to the seniors here in near Gansett if we um take this money and now start using it towards fixing up and getting our senior center in shape. So I think it's really important that we have an elevator. I think it's important that we look at grants for for helping to get the elevator done a little bit quicker if possible but I would like to uh propose that that money be put in an account for an elevator at our senior center. Thank you. And just to be clear uh Mr Nelly because I know that this is it's been misquoted and misrepresented in the news that this is not a cutting of services that this is simply just reallocating funds. Because we already provide a lot of these services and that if any Narragansett resident or senior were to still pursue activities in South Kingstown they would still they would not be denied such service. Absolutely they can go to any senior can go to any senior center. So seniors in Charlestown can come to a uh near Gansett senior center near Gantsa can go to a Westerly senior center. Seniors are in are um welcomed in any senior center. I think personally I believe that many many years ago and we did not offer the services that South Kingston did and I think that that's how this MOU be came into play. I think we wanted to make sure that our seniors had the opportunity to be part of the programs that were being offered and and because they were um paying for the instructors they were doing all that part of it we agreed to pay a fee to them. Well that's and I just think it's something that just continued and continued and continued I think as we grew as a senior center um things changed and we are now offering um just as many and basically the same but there are a few different programs that are being offered and I just think that it's time that um we start looking to improve our senior center and I think that this would be a first step and again it's not going to make any difference whatsoever for any senior who's here a resident of near agance if they would like to go to South Kingstown senior center for lunch one day and near Aganset's the next day that's still very possible for them to do that. And um Donna right in understanding that Narragansett residents paid $20 for that service to go to South Kingstown and we don't have that same that's correct as far right now it's currently $15. They pay $15 to be a member of the South Kingstown senior center. They also pay a small fee for the activity not all activities but some of the activities where an instructor they're hiring an instructor to come in they're paying a small fee. Also when an instructor is brought in for a special event or a special project but as far as paying a yearly subscription or a yearly charge to be part of the near Gansett senior center we do not charge that. So Jim as far as you know have we been doing paying the um South Kingston since you've been here like in before that yes a certain amount of money yes we have okay um I I you know I met with you and Jim and I I feel fine with that um I feel that um the elevator is definitely needed I'm trying to think now will we also have our stairway going down or will it only be an elevator if because that will be part of the uh design engineering of the building we haven't once we contract someone they'll determine the best location yeah because I'm trying to think if you can have an L elevator and not have a stairway like yeah it would it wouldn't they would this a stairway would be remain I don't know if it would be that one quite sure it depends what the design consultant comes up with because if you have to use the elevator all the time but I definitely think there's an elevator needed there and obviously it will cost I would think maybe you could get the grant money to pay for the elevator and then the carpentry work could be the money that you're putting in uh the fund Yeah, because I'm trying to think if you can have an L elevator and not have a stairway like Yeah, it would it wouldn't they would the st a stairway would be remain. I don't know if it would be that one. Yeah. Quite sure. It depends what the design consultant comes up with. But I definitely think there's an elevator needed there, and obviously it will cost I would think maybe you could get the grant money to pay for the elevator and then the coppentry work could be the money that you're putting in uh the fund. So I'm fine with that. Any thoughts over here. That that fifteen dollars that we pay, is that every Narragansett resident, or is that something that a senior opts into if they want to? They uh they opt into that by I believe by going over there. Okay. Um I'm not knowledgeable in the process. How does one opt in? Do they just go over there and say, hey, I want to sign up for this or I d yeah, I think they just sign up. We have we have a few programs like Donna said where we have an instructor there's a small fee sometimes assigned to certain things. SK has the same. I'm not sure in intimate detail how they do it.
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