The Newport City Council met on February 11, 2026, to discuss and vote on several key items, including the 2027-2031 Capital Improvement Program (CIP), a reallocation of bond funding for a wastewater treatment project, and resolutions on snow removal, Black History Month, and support for the Newport Hospital birthing center. The meeting highlighted tensions between council members and the administration over project execution and funding priorities.
Thank you. All right. Madam Clerk, you take the roll call, please. David Carlin. Here. Underwood Segley. Charlie Holder. Here. Cycim Savoravan. Here. Gene Marina Politano. Here. Alan Pinock. Here. Stephanie Smythe. Here. There is a quorum present, Mr. Chair. Please stand for budget allegiance. All right. Madam Clerk, anyone signed up for this point? No, they have not. Let's get into it. Okay. Motion to open the public hearing for the 27 to 2027 to 2031 capital improvement program. Second. We have motion and second and discussion. Motion to accept a memorandum from Jim Nolan, Director of Finance, follow-up to January 7th CIP workshop and revised CIP schedule. Second. Mr. Chair. Council Sai. Question on an item within the CIP. Last year, a major advancement force in the CIP was starting to fund improvements under the transportation master plan. One of those improvements was sidewalks. When we can see them right through the snow, we know we need to make improvements. The administration, can you give an update on why those proceeds are unspent and what the spend down plan is? So we are making sure that we take advantage of the grant funding that's available and not burden that on the city. Actually, that one wasn't in last year's CIP. There was general improvements that was going to be on this year's CIP. We can we'll then be in a position to reallocate those once we clarify the grant agreement once it's signed. Usually the reimbursement grants. Yeah, I can't guarantee it'll be done this year. It has to go out to bid first, but it is on the it is it is on the docket to be bid out. We discussed this last year. And it was, I think, a major concession point that residents are very frustrated about the conditions of our sidewalks. And it was celebrated as the point by which and the reason why I gave my vote to that budget last year that we were getting that project built, that we're going to start showing substantive improvement in these projects. We're going to get past this process of endless planning and plan after plan after plan and actually put some pavement and concrete under the ground. Why the delay? Part of it was because of the fact that we then found out we were going to have the street repaved, uh, a portion of it repaid because of the utilities, the completion of the utilities work.