North Kingstown Town Council Meeting – November 28, 2022

The North Kingstown Town Council met at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, November 28, 2022, in the Town Hall Council Chambers, 80 Boston Neck Road. The meeting included public comment, a water department leak-detection update, consent agenda action (with two items pulled for discussion), town manager and finance director reports, a resolution on community electricity aggregation, and correspondence.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Brett Mallory, a North Kingstown High School PTSO member, asked the council to help reactivate the town's Veterans Scholarship Committee, which he said had not been stood up since COVID and had only one remaining member. He proposed combining it with the high school BRIC program to recognize students for academics and community service and noted he had applied for a committee seat in July without a response.
• Richard Welch, a former council member, criticized the pace of water infrastructure work. He said a water director had asked years ago for $20 million over 10 years, that little had been done since, and that the town should aggressively pursue federal infrastructure funding. He also raised concerns about closed wells, reduced capacity, and a possible spring water moratorium. Later in the meeting, he asked to pull Item 15 from the consent agenda for explanation.

Consent Calendar

• The council approved Items 6 through 14, 16, and 18 through 20 by one motion after Items 15 and 17 were removed for discussion. The approved routine items included: approval of the November 14, 2022 minutes; Tax Abatement List #864 ($3,355.91); Sewer Assessment Abatement #004 ($12,418.17); donations totaling $4,970.00; a $1,500 donation for overseeding McGinn Football Field; a donated red maple tree for the Town Beach campus; Larry Mandel's resignations from the Audit Committee, Economic Development Advisory Board, and Personnel Board; the Knox E-Systems electronic lock box bid award ($327,892.00); a detective license renewal for Michael J. Clemente; victualling, dance, and amusement license renewals; and the New Year's Eve policy for alcoholic beverage licenseholders.

Special Business: Water Leak Detection Update

• Water Department Director Tim Cranston reported on the satellite leak detection program conducted with the company Astera. Three satellite flyovers were completed: two in the summer and one in the fall. The third scan was added because summer lawn watering caused false readings. Field crews ground-truthed points of interest, and their final day in the field was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. About a dozen confirmed leaks have been identified for repair, with a final Astera report expected within a few weeks. The resulting database will help guide future water main replacement decisions.
• In response to council questions and Mr. Welch's earlier comments, Cranston said the town has already secured more than $8 million in federal funding, has set aside money for replacing Well No. 6 and identifying lead-alloy services, and has spent over $1.5 million on infrastructure improvements including pumps, SCADA, and tank security. He said the town was never in jeopardy of losing supply, that the state caps withdrawals at about 8 million gallons per day due to environmental concerns, and that North Kingstown's water rates remain among the lowest in Rhode Island.

Town Manager's Report

• The town manager announced upcoming events and operational updates: the 37th annual Chamber of Commerce tree lighting on Thursday evening in Wickford; the Wickford Village holiday festival; the police department's package delivery program; a Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony on December 7; and continuing gas line replacement work on Tower Hill Road and Ten Rod Road causing traffic impacts.
• He said that because voters approved retail marijuana establishments in North Kingstown, staff will prepare a report to the council and draft an ordinance covering location, restrictions, licensing, and related requirements. That draft would be reviewed by the Planning Commission and come back for a public hearing, with a goal of having something ready in early 2023.
• The FY2024 budget process has begun; January presentations are planned for municipal office building renovations and a proposed new recreation center. The town is also offering a third year of Post Road holiday decorating grants of up to $1,000 per business.
• Police department 'No Shave November' fundraising donated $10,000 to the Tomorrow Fund, $3,000 to the Mass General Hospital Home Base Program, and $2,000 to the North Kingstown Food Pantry.
• Crown Castle will add a dish to the tower at 174 School Street, bringing the town an additional $1,000 per month plus a one-time $3,000 payment negotiated by town staff.
• During questions, the town manager discussed the Oak Hill property sale status: three consecutive clean quarterly environmental tests are needed; the most recent quarter had a minor issue, so testing will continue with a goal of marketing the property in 2023. He also discussed the Hamilton Allenton landfill, which is still being closed and has federal restrictions on solar development, and said the town continues to pursue solar options while using remote net metering for energy needs. The manager also confirmed a Wickford tide gauge and educational signage project is underway with EPA and Army Corps of Engineers involvement.

Finance Director's Report

• Finance Director Jim Lathrop presented the year-to-date budget report. The town is projecting a small surplus of $44,200. State aid is projected up by about $2.7 million, partly due to state motor vehicle tax replacement payments, while interest income has improved to between 3.8 and 3.98 percent on idle funds, up sharply from a year ago. He said spending is helped by unfilled vacancies and that fiscal year 2022 financial statements are being drafted and will show a healthy surplus.

Discussion Items

• Removed consent item - Fire Department radio subscriber equipment: Fire Chief Scott Cattell explained that the $799,881.96 award to Motorola Solutions, funded through a federal AFG grant, would replace aging mobile, portable, and repeater radios used in fire apparatus and staff vehicles. He described the equipment as reaching end-of-life and said portable radios cost $7,000 to $8,000 each. The chief said the department tested other vendors but found reliability or interoperability issues, and that remaining on the state's Motorola-based RISCON system preserves regional interoperability. The grant share was discussed, with the chief initially referring to a 5 percent town match and then a 10 percent local share. A council member asked for more research before the next replacement cycle because the next purchase could cost over $1 million. The council approved the award.
• Removed consent item - Water Department pickup trucks: Tim Cranston confirmed that two F-250 pickup trucks with plow packages from Tasca Ford, $125,470.90 under state MPA Contract #559, were needed because regular bidding could not guarantee availability due to supply chain constraints. A council member related a personal example of a long-delayed food pantry truck order. The council approved the purchase.
• Resolution authorizing Community Electricity Aggregation (CEA) plan: Town staff and Jamie Rhodes of Good Energy, a potential aggregation consultant, presented the resolution. They explained that CEA is an opt-out program under Rhode Island law in which residential electricity supply would be bid on behalf of the town, but residents could leave or choose alternative products. Approval of the resolution would only authorize further research, consultant selection, plan drafting, public hearings, and eventual PUC review, not a final contract. Good Energy charges the town nothing upfront and would be compensated by the selected supplier after a successful launch.
• Rhodes said Rhode Island Energy would remain the utility for delivery, billing, storm response, and customer service; only the supply portion of the bill would change. A council member asked that resident George Brennan's earlier concerns about leaving regulated utility customer service be considered; Rhodes said service and billing remain with Rhode Island Energy. He also noted that no Social Security numbers would be transferred and that a Rhode Island-based call center would be available. He cited Massachusetts savings historically around 5 to 10 percent and recently closer to 30 percent, but said savings cannot be guaranteed. The current Rhode Island community program has a five-year supply contract and a default option with 10 percent more renewable energy than required, with 50 and 100 percent renewable options available.
• Several council members asked questions about whether this adds another layer of government, whether seniors would be able to navigate the opt-out process, what customer service and privacy protections exist, and whether a future energy technology could be locked out. One council member opposed the resolution, objecting to the automatic opt-in structure and the addition of a government-run aggregation layer. Other council members said the resolution only continues research and gives the town more options, and they supported doing due diligence.

Correspondence

• The council acknowledged messages from residents: Donna Hutchinson urged restraint in spending and future tax reductions; Tom Segoros asked about diving and jumping prohibited signage at Hussey Bridge; and Lynn Krim invited the council to the Shady Lee Open House on December 3 and 4.

Key Outcomes

• The council approved the remaining consent agenda items in one motion after removing Items 15 and 17 for separate discussion.
• The council approved the $799,881.96 Motorola radio equipment award for the Fire Department.
• The council approved the $125,470.90 purchase of two F-250 pickup trucks with plows for the Water Department.
• The council approved the resolution authorizing development of a Community Electricity Aggregation plan on a roll-call vote after discussion. The next steps are selection of a consultant, drafting an aggregation plan, public hearings, council and PUC review, and a future supplier contract decision.
• The town manager and staff will prepare the next steps on the retail marijuana ordinance, continue FY2024 budget work, market the Oak Hill property, and advance the Wickford tide gauge project.