Adventures in Town Government
Tiverton’s public hearing on charter-related questions potentially to be placed on the next ballot didn’t let out until after 11:00, Monday night, although many in the audience (including the Providence Journal’s Gina Macris) left after the headline-grabbing debate over the future of the financial town meeting had ended. I stayed so late — despite dying…
Given past experience with the vulnerability of our trash receptacles on garbage day, we should have known better. We shouldn’t have run out of garbage bags. The children shouldn’t have filled an unlined can. My wife shouldn’t have put that can out on the street to be emptied into the truck. But it seems to…
With continuing interest in a visible rift in Tiverton politics, I’m at the public hearing at the high school at which the town council will decide which suggested change to the town financial meeting will appear on the next ballot. The current discussion is whether the town council has the authority to take the charter…
Twenty minutes ago on the John DePetro Show, Mayor Susan Menard repeated her belief that This would not happen in South County or Barrington or East Greenwich.” “This” refers to the on-again off-again closure for lack of funding of the World War II Memorial Park in Woonsocket. It is difficult to reconcile her charge of…
Three commenters, Oz, Rhody and Anthony, expressed the view under Justin’s post “Is Getting on the Ballot Half the Battle?” that the task of collecting signatures for a state or local candidate’s nominating papers can be accomplished fairly quickly with some diligence and focus on the part of the candidate. None of those commenters mentioned…
I took the call last night to Matt Allen to talk about the RI governance philosophy on display at the Tiverton School Committee meeting this week (segment streamable by clicking here, or download). I’m not sure whether it’s a good thing or reason for concern, but I think I’m starting to get the feel of…
It passed so quickly, Cranston residents may have missed it, but reporter David Scharfenberg in Sunday’s Projo referred to the possibility of a “mid-year” tax increase in the city of Cranston…In Cranston, the mayor and City Council never seriously entertained a tax increase this past budget season. Elections were approaching in November, after all. And…
A habit of governance in Rhode Island came into view after an interesting item from the Tiverton Schools Administrative Policy came up at last night’s School Committee meeting: Distribution of literature as to candidacy, bond issues, or other public question to be submitted at election: prohibited. No literature which is any manner and in any…
Well, exhausting schedule notwithstanding, I’m at the Tiverton School Committee meeting because a concerned citizen is on the agenda to raise questions about the superintendent’s use of public resources to invite interested citizens to vote for higher taxes at the last financial town meeting. Speaking of which, I see the town council is taking careful…
As some of Justin’s “adventures in town government” have revealed, the town of Tiverton has decided they simply “have to” break the 5% cap on annual property-tax increases because they can’t cut anything. They are not alone, according to Susan Baird at the Providence Business News: Nine cities and towns so far have requested permission…
