The Newport City Council held a lengthy meeting on June 10, 2026, addressing a wide range of topics including student civics projects, a solar energy proposal for city schools, multiple land-use and transportation resolutions, and a controversial resolution to limit new hotel development. The meeting featured public testimony on tourism balance and housing affordability. Key votes included the defeat of a hotel moratorium resolution (5-2), approval of a housing commission, and a traffic calming measure for Maple Avenue.
All right. Clerk, take the roll call, please. Lynn Underwood Segley. Here. Charlie Holder. Here. Ellen Pinnock. Yeah. Jean Marina Politano. Here. David Carlin. Side camps of Oravon. Here. Stephanie Smythe. Here. There is a quorum present, Mr. Chair. All right. Please stand for the Pledge of Bleaches. Madam Clark, anyone sign up for the Citizens Forum? No, they have not. Number nine, sorry. That we move communications under number number number nine under communications to before the consent calendar. Second. Motion, second, any discussion. Those in favor say aye. Hi. Before we get into the agenda tonight, we have a certificate of recognition that I want to present to the Quinnick Island Adult Learning Center. So in recognition, the Quinnock Island Adult Learning Center for its outstanding achievement in being ranked fourth among Rhode Island Adult Education Programs. There's a testament to his exceptional impact, reach, and commitment to empowering learners throughout our community. So I'd like to bring up Tracy Shea, the executive director, Bonnie Moran, program coordinator, and Cheyenne Arroyo operations specialist. You please come up to the podium. Thank you, please. Thank you for recognizing the transformative power of education in our community and making our our citizens better. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You want to call up the number nine? Yes. Next, we have a presentation from Tara Mellow's grade eight class from Thompson Middle School concerning Family Activity Center at the former Newport Grand Site and establishing an eighth grade student council. So Tara's class at Thompson eighth grade won the top middle school project at the uh Rhode Island Civics Day at the State House. And they reached out to uh to us to to invite myself, I believe uh Councillor Smythe, Councillor Pinnick uh to come and speak to their class. Uh it was basically an interview session. Uh I figured I walk in there and you know I you know sit down and you know kind of answer a few questions, talk with them, have a good time. They were so impressive and so thorough in their questions and their uh and then the whole setup for it. I I see uh we have Mr. Winthrop sitting over there on the on the side. There's a couple uh new hires for you if you need for some uh interview people. They were they were fantastic. It was uh one of the most I did it twice actually, and it was one of the most uh great experiences I've had in my time as a council, so thank you and congratulations.