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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Newport City Council Meeting – July 8, 2026: Parking, Budget Deficit, Appointments, and Contracts

Meeting Portal — Wednesday, July 8, 2026

BodyNewport, Rhode Island

SessionMeeting Portal

DateWednesday, July 8, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:43:57

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

0:01

David Carlin.

0:02

Here.

0:02

Lynn Underwood Segui.

0:04

Here.

0:04

Carly Holder.

0:05

Here.

0:05

Mike Hamza Horovan.

0:07

Gene Marina Politano?

0:08

Here.

0:09

Ellen Pinoff?

0:10

Here.

0:10

Stephanie Smith.

0:11

There's a quorum present, Mr.

0:13

Chair.

0:14

Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:42

Yes, John Cook.

0:45

Mr.

0:45

Cook, please state your name and address.

0:54

Name is John Cook, 42 Golden Hill Street, Newport, Rhode Island.

1:03

Resident for 16 years.

1:05

My wife and I live on Golden Hill.

1:07

And I'm addressing the lack of parking that my wife and I have living where we do in the neighborhood that we live in.

1:15

And as you know, Golden Hill is across the street from the library.

1:20

And about five years ago, I addressed the situation after my wife had an accident actually trying to park the car.

1:27

She hurt herself.

1:29

And we got as far as it looks like you guys can park in the library if you wish to, but someone in that meeting after three meetings said, what happens if you go to Florida for six months and leave your car there, which is, you know, not our lifestyle.

1:46

And they got vetoed.

1:48

So our situation is that King Street is open for parking if we wish to, and that is being inundated right now because of the construction that's going on at Bellevue.

2:00

And William Street is restricted to two cars.

2:03

Thomas Street is two cars.

2:06

Not that I think that Thomas is a good place to park as you come around the corner.

2:10

It's very dangerous.

2:11

Golden Hill has no parking.

2:14

So the library has 60 spaces.

2:16

Twenty of those spaces are for librarian, 10 of them are library employees, and 10 are park people.

2:25

Usually you can find a space in the library.

2:28

I've never not found a space in the library in the 16 years I've been here.

2:31

You might have to drive around twice or three times.

2:34

Problem is you only get three hours to park there as a citizen of Newport.

2:39

So we currently have zero parking, and King Street is no longer an option because of the construction going on at Bellevue.

2:48

They took out all the Jones parking, as you probably know.

2:52

In King Street currently, is the employees of the plaza park on King Street, and of course there's tennis players, etc.

2:59

And even the King House is lacking parking for the as many people participate there.

3:04

So there is a serious logger jam with no parking if you are a citizen.

3:11

So I've been I've been to the police department, I've talked to you know to uh city hall here, they said well just go air it out, and my recommendation is that you know I I do the museum, I have a little sticker for I go to the museum, I do sell Regina classes for elders, you give her a sticker, and just have a sticker that says Golden Hill, and that would not give you a parking ticket.

3:38

But by the way, I've gotten four in the last couple weeks because they're really really vigilant about it this year.

3:45

So I love Newport.

3:49

Um, I like being a citizen here.

3:52

I was here when I was a young man with my wife, and we're back here permanently year-round.

3:59

We cannot park our car.

4:01

And by the way, a side note on King Street this winter, our brand new vehicle got totaled in the middle of the night by a drunk driver, so that gets me very leery about parking on King Street.

4:13

So the library becomes the obvious choice.

4:15

Now, who have I I've talked to Father Mark at St.

4:17

Mary's, he was almost on board with it until the prisoner said, you know, you don't go to church here.

4:24

So that didn't work out.

4:26

And he's a fairly nice person.

4:28

He's also getting inundated by the plaza right now for them to leave.

4:32

Mr.

4:33

Cook.

4:33

Your time is up, unfortunately.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Miscellaneous███████████████████████████████31%

Fiscal Sustainability██████████████████████22%

Personnel Matters████████████████16%

Community Engagement███████7%

Affordable Housing███████7%

Parks and Recreation█████5%

Transportation Safety████4%

Procedural███3%

Engineering And Infrastructure███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Newport City Council Meeting – July 8, 2026

The Newport City Council met on July 8, 2026, to address a wide range of items including public parking concerns, a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application, appointments to boards and commissions, a communication from the school department regarding a projected budget deficit, several action items on parking and traffic, a grant acceptance, a contract award, and a resolution for a personnel audit. The meeting featured extended discussions on the school budget deficit and the appointment of a real estate agent to the Historic District Commission.

Consent Calendar

The consent calendar was approved with the exception of item 2B8 (Newport Global Summit event permit), which was pulled for separate discussion.
Licenses and permits approved: Newport Kite Festival (July 11-12, 2026, at Brenton Point State Park) with parking enforcement plan; annual entertainment license renewals for Salve Regina University (Casino Theater), Diego's of Newport, and Wharf Southern Kitchen and Whiskey Bar; and a fiddling license for UMI Asian Cuisine.
Appointments approved: Ellen Rupert to the Tree and Open Space Commission (3-year term); Jan Dejremont moved from alternate to full seat on the Historic District Commission (3-year term); Benjamin Willett moved from alternate to full seat on the Historic District Commission (3-year term) over opposition; Teresa Stokes, Gary Ruff, and Bert Lippincott to the Historic Cemetery Advisory Commission; and Mary Jameson to the Sister City Commission.

Public Comments & Testimony

John Cook (42 Golden Hill Street, 16-year resident) addressed the lack of parking in his neighborhood near the library. He noted that construction on Bellevue Avenue has reduced parking on King Street, and library parking is limited to three hours. He proposed a resident sticker system for Golden Hill and expressed concerns about parking tickets and safety (his car was totaled by a drunk driver on King Street). Council inquired about Jones Street parking restrictions; a city official confirmed partial removal of spaces for a development’s turning radius. Council Carlin criticized the restriction as favoring a developer over residents.
Bob Plain (Church Community Housing) presented the CDBG application for Mumford Manor (39 Farewell Street), requesting $750,000 in affordable housing funds. Steve Osteguy added that the $16 million project involves 34 units of senior housing, using tax credits and other funding, with construction expected to begin after January 2027. Residents will not be displaced. Council voted to open and close the public hearing and adopted the accompanying resolution.

Discussion Items

Newport Global Summit Event (Pulled from Consent Calendar): Council Carlin raised concerns that the event’s website listed a closing reception at Belcourt Castle, which is not on the application (only the Newport Art Museum is approved). The application covers August 18, 2026 (12-5 p.m.) and August 19, 2026 (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) at the museum, while the reception is scheduled for 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Belcourt. Council approved the application as submitted, noting that any event at Belcourt would require a separate permit and could violate city ordinances if not properly licensed.
Appointment of Benjamin Willett to Historic District Commission: Council Carlin opposed, stating that a full-time real estate agent should not serve as a voting member due to potential conflicts of interest, citing a recent controversial hotel proposal. Council Pinnett supported Willett, noting his volunteer work with youth. The appointment passed with Carlin voting nay.
School Budget Deficit Communication: Council received a communication from Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermaine about a projected deficit in the fiscal 2027 school budget. School Committee members Becky Nolan and Beth Cullen explained the budget passed on a 4-3 vote, with one line item zeroed out to balance the budget. Council Carlin criticized the committee for an irresponsible budget, stating that a deficit notification before the fiscal year begins shows avoidance of responsibility. Council members Smythe, Napolitano, and Pinoff called for systemic solutions, including regionalization and a joint city-school audit. The communication was received and placed on file.
Parking Prohibition on South Baptist Street (First Reading): Proposed ordinance to prohibit parking on part of South Baptist Street. Council Carlin originally supported in 2024 but reversed his position after hearing objections from many residents. The first reading failed (nay vote).
One-Way Street Designation on Bridge Street (First Reading): Ordinance to make Bridge Street westbound from Thames Street to America’s Cup Avenue. Council Carlin and Smythe supported, noting that residents are overjoyed and it improves safety near a playground. Approved.
Henderson Home Trust Distribution: Approved $50,000 from the trust for maintenance at 14 Clark Street and cash reserves.
Naming of New Parking Lot: Resolution to name the new parking lot at 80 JT Connell Highway as “Newport Access Hub.” Approved with discussion about signage and potential for better naming.
Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant: Accepted $321,600 federal grant (with $80,400 city match) for a supplemental neighborhood safety plan for Point, Carey Hill, Van Zant, and North End neighborhoods, supporting Vision Zero goals. Approved.
Water Treatment Plant SCADA Modernization: Contract awarded to SOAP SCADA L LLC for $791,182.22 (including contingency). Approved.
Constellation Energy Fixed-Rate Electricity Contract: Approved a contract for fixed per-kilowatt-hour rates (0.1236 as of June 23, 2026) through December 2030, including the new Rogers High School meter. Discussion clarified that this contract is for the new meter (previously not under contract) and does not affect negotiations for past overcharges. Approved.
Ordinances (Second Readings): Approved parking prohibition on Russell Avenue (south side from Malbone Road east 50 feet) and wastewater system revenue bonds.
Personnel Audit Resolution (Amended): Council Smythe introduced a resolution for an independent personnel audit of the city’s organizational structure, with a second resolve to evaluate feasibility of realigning the school finance office into the city’s Department of Finance. Amendments removed reference to the FY27 budget and expanded the audit scope. Discussion included potential collaboration with the school department’s own audit. Resolution approved.

Key Outcomes

CDBG Application Approved: Resolution supporting Mumford Manor’s $750,000 application passed.
Newport Global Summit Event Permit Approved: For Newport Art Museum portion only (Aug 18-19).
Newport Kite Festival Approved: With enhanced parking enforcement by police.
Historic District Commission Appointment: Benjamin Willett appointed over opposition (Council Carlin voting no).
School Budget Deficit Communication Received: Placed on file with strong criticism from Council.
South Baptist Street Parking Prohibition Rejected: First reading failed; will not proceed.
Bridge Street One-Way Designation Approved: City staff to implement.
Newport Access Hub Name Adopted: Signage to be planned.
SS4A Grant Accepted: For neighborhood safety plans in four neighborhoods.
Electricity Contract Approved: Fixed rate with Constellation Energy through 2030, including Rogers High School.
Personnel Audit Resolution Approved: Directive for independent audit, with second resolve to evaluate school finance realignment. Administration to issue RFQ.

Meeting Transcript

David Carlin. Here. Lynn Underwood Segui. Here. Carly Holder. Here. Mike Hamza Horovan. Gene Marina Politano? Here. Ellen Pinoff? Here. Stephanie Smith. There's a quorum present, Mr. Chair. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Yes, John Cook. Mr. Cook, please state your name and address. Name is John Cook, 42 Golden Hill Street, Newport, Rhode Island. Resident for 16 years. My wife and I live on Golden Hill. And I'm addressing the lack of parking that my wife and I have living where we do in the neighborhood that we live in. And as you know, Golden Hill is across the street from the library. And about five years ago, I addressed the situation after my wife had an accident actually trying to park the car. She hurt herself. And we got as far as it looks like you guys can park in the library if you wish to, but someone in that meeting after three meetings said, what happens if you go to Florida for six months and leave your car there, which is, you know, not our lifestyle. And they got vetoed. So our situation is that King Street is open for parking if we wish to, and that is being inundated right now because of the construction that's going on at Bellevue. And William Street is restricted to two cars. Thomas Street is two cars. Not that I think that Thomas is a good place to park as you come around the corner. It's very dangerous. Golden Hill has no parking. So the library has 60 spaces. Twenty of those spaces are for librarian, 10 of them are library employees, and 10 are park people. Usually you can find a space in the library. I've never not found a space in the library in the 16 years I've been here. You might have to drive around twice or three times. Problem is you only get three hours to park there as a citizen of Newport. So we currently have zero parking, and King Street is no longer an option because of the construction going on at Bellevue. They took out all the Jones parking, as you probably know. In King Street currently, is the employees of the plaza park on King Street, and of course there's tennis players, etc. And even the King House is lacking parking for the as many people participate there. So there is a serious logger jam with no parking if you are a citizen. So I've been I've been to the police department, I've talked to you know to uh city hall here, they said well just go air it out, and my recommendation is that you know I I do the museum, I have a little sticker for I go to the museum, I do sell Regina classes for elders, you give her a sticker, and just have a sticker that says Golden Hill, and that would not give you a parking ticket. But by the way, I've gotten four in the last couple weeks because they're really really vigilant about it this year. So I love Newport. Um, I like being a citizen here. I was here when I was a young man with my wife, and we're back here permanently year-round. We cannot park our car.

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