Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The East Providence City Council meets tonight in City Hall; the annual public hearing for the HUD cash is on the agenda.
Proposed appropriations for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) go before a public hearing at the East Providence City Council meeting tonight. The meeting starts at 7:30 pm in the Council Chamber in City Hall. East Providence has a bit more than $620,000 in the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds to spend between July 1 of this year and June 30 of next year, said David Bachrach, community development coordinator for the planning department. That amount is significantly less than last year when the city had almost $893,000 in CDBG cash. The federal grants will be spent in four areas: economic development, public facilities, public services and affordable housing, Bachrach said. Among the applicants for the funds are a bevy of …
Friday, April 26, 2013
City Councilor Chrissy Rossi thinks Mayor James Briden has breached the City Charter by asking the Budget Commission to get involved again in personnel decision in E.P.
East Providence City Councilor Chrissy Rossi thinks Mayor James Briden has breached the City Charter with his request to ask the Budget Commission to again handle personnel matters in the city. Briden considers a complaint Rossi reportedly filed with the police department to be “frivolous.” The confrontation between the two city councilors involves the investigation into Police Chief Joseph Tavares by the city manager, who placed Tavares on administrative leave, according to a story in eastbayri.com. “As one Council Member of the City of East Providence, it is my position that Rosemary Booth Gallogly, the Director of Finance for the State of R.I., has been baited into using the power of the State of Rhode Island to control personnel …
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Streaming of East Providence City Council and School Committee meetings will resume next Tuesday, April 16.
Can’t make the next East Providence City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 16? Don’t fret. It will be streamed live and archived for watching on your computer any time you desire to watch it. The School Committee meeting a week later also will be streamed live and archived, said City Clerk Kim Casci. Casci received approval to resume the live streaming from the East Providence Budget Commission several weeks ago. But the city needed to replace a cable to make the resumption happen, said Casci. “We still use an older public-access camera,” she said. “That means we had to change a cable for the new company.” ClerkBase of Warwick, RI, is taking over the live streaming of the four meetings each month for $6,000 a year -- $7,000 the first …
Friday, April 5, 2013
Keller-Williams was awarded a contract by the East Providence City Council to try to sell eight vacant city-owned properties or parcels of land.
Keller-Williams was awarded a contract by the City Council on Tuesday to help East Providence sell or lease eight vacant properties or parcels. The real estate company submitted the highest-priced proposal to peddle the surplus municipal properties, Planning Director Jeanne Boyle told the City Council. But the firm has the most experience selling commercial properties, she said. "It also submitted the best marketing plan," Boyle said. Those factors among others made the firm the most qualified realtor among those realtors that responded to an RFP to market the properties. There were lower bidders. But if a lower bidder without their commercial experience can't sell the properties, said City Manager Peter Graczykowski, the city gets nothing…
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
The East Providence City Council votes unanimously to send a resolution to state officials showing its support for the marriage-equality legislation after about 90 minutes of often impassioned comments for and against.
The East Providence City Council supports Rhode Island’s controversial marriage equality legislation. The councilors voted unanimously Tuesday evening, April 2, to send a resolution to the governor, lieutenant governor, president of the Senate, speaker of the House and the city’s legislators indicating their support of the proposed law. The resolution, in short, describes same-sex marriage as a fundamental civil right for gay couples who should have the same legal protections through marriage as every other adult in Rhode Island. The vote followed about 90 minutes of often emotional public comment from about two dozen supporters and opponents. Representatives from Rhode Islanders United for Marriage and Marriage Equality Rhode Island took …
Monday, April 1, 2013
For the first time since December, 2011, the City Council will meet without having to get approval for every expense from a budget commission.
The East Providence City Council meets Tuesday, April 2, in complete control of the city's finances for the first time since December, 2011. The meeting in the Council Chamber in City Hall starts at 7:30 pm. The councilors will gather after regaining spending authority from the East Providence Budget Commission last week. That transfer of authority ended almost 16 months of control by the state-mandated budget board. The City Council is not completely out of the shadow of the Budget Commission, however. It still exists and a new member, Christy Healey, deputy director of the RI Department of Revenue, will serve as a liaison to the City Council and keep a close eye on spending. Among the items on the agenda: - Resolution supporting the same…
Friday, March 29, 2013
The East Providence Budget Commission returns control of the city's finances to E.P. officials without an AFO -- for now -- but with a liaison to the City Council as a financial watchdog.
East Providence officials were given back control of the city’s finances Thursday afternoon after almost 16 months of control by the state. The East Providence Budget Commission delegated that authority back to the City Council and School Committee at its final official meeting Thursday afternoon, March 28, in City Hall. Gov. Lincoln Chafee watched on as that transition occurred with many smiles and affirmations. The transition came about officially at 3:29 pm. It went away in December of 2011 when the Budget Commission was appointed by RI Revenue Director Rosemary Booth Gallogly to clean up a city in financial chaos and with millions of dollars in deficit spending. The Budget Commission still exists, though. And it will continue to …
Thursday, March 21, 2013
A resolution supporting 'Marriage Equality' legislation in Rhode Island was put off for a vote for two weeks by the East Providence City Council, minus the vacationing mayor.
A resolution of support for the same-sex marriage legislation in the RI General Assembly was tabled for two weeks by the East Providence City Council on Tuesday night. An anticipated vote by the council on the Marriage Equality resolution was put off because only four city councilors were at the meeting – Mayor James Briden was on vacation. “I want a full council to vote on big issues,” said Assistant Mayor Thomas Rose, who presided in Briden’s place. Deferring of the resolution also came after seven East Providence residents -- including the pastor at the First Baptist Church -- paraded to the podium during a public comment period to speak out against the legislation and the City Council’s potential support. Their pleas to oppose the …
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Mayor James Briden has drafted a resolution to amend the state law that requires East Providence to hire an administration and finance officer (AFO) to watch over spending.
The mayor is asking the city council to oppose the state-mandated hiring of an administration and finance officer (AFO) for East Providence. A resolution asking for their support in amending the state law that requires the hiring of an AFO when the East Providence Budget Commission leaves in about 10 days was placed on the docket at the last minute for the council’s meeting on Tuesday night. The councilors tabled the resolution, however, at the request of Mayor James Briden, who is on vacation until Thursday, said Assistant Mayor Thomas Rose. “He requested that it be deferred,” said Rose, who presided over Tuesday’s meeting. “I also don’t like to vote on big items without the full council.” The vote to table the resolution was 3-1. City …
Monday, March 18, 2013
The East Providence City Council gathers Tuesday, March 19, for its second meeting this month.
The East Providence City Council will be asked to approve a resolution supporting the proposed marriage equality legislation in the General Assembly at its meeting on Tuesday, March 19. City Councilor Chrissy Rossi also has asked to be heard on the appointment of a Municipal Administration and Finance Officer in East Providence under the state law that established the Budget Commission. Tuesday's meeting starts at 7:30 pm in the Council Chamber in City Hall. Here is the complete agenda: CITY OF EAST PROVIDENCE DOCKET OF REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING March 19, 2013 Council Chambers, City Hall, 145 Taunton Avenue Executive Session to Follow Public Meeting, Room 101 7:30 P.M. Open Session I. CALL TO ORDER II. SALUTE TO THE FLAG III. TO APPROVE THE …
Diane
3:09 pm on Wednesday, May 8, 2013
So right bad dog, if she only looked in the mirror she would see what is wrong with this city. How about Rosé "Loyalty and Devotion to the City" he does not know what the words mean! more ›