Outstanding Items Addressed at Special Meeting

By Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA

February 14th 2025

RICHMOND – At a special Town Council meeting on Thursday that lasted less than half an hour, councilors considered several remaining agenda items from the Feb. 4 meeting.

A Redevelopment Agency

Councilor Dan Madnick received council approval to ask Town Solicitor Christopher Zangari to draft an ordinance creating the Richmond Redevelopment Agency.

Madnick told the council that he and Town Administrator Karen Pinch had recently attended a meeting with House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and Rep. Megan Cotter to discuss the town’s options for encouraging economic development.

“One of the things that was suggested during that meeting was looking into eventually creating a redevelopment agency in Richmond,” he said. “There are redevelopment agencies in at least nine different towns and cities in Rhode Island, including Providence, North Smithfield, Burrillville, West Warwick, Woonsocket Central Falls, Lincoln, Portsmouth and Pawtucket.”

Madnick described the purpose of a redevelopment agency, as defined by the state statute:

“The establishment of the redevelopment agency for the purpose of the elimination and prevention of blighted and substandard areas and the replacement, by redevelopment, by well-planned, integrated, stable, safe and healthful neighborhoods,” he said. “So, the question that’s posed tonight to the town and what I’m going to request for a motion in a moment is, does Richmond believe that there exist blight and substandard areas within the town.”

Council member Jeffrey Dinsmore asked who would comprise the agency, should it be approved.

Madnick replied that there would be seven members, chosen by the Town Council.

“Qualifications include legal, architectural, real estate, financial, construction, environmental fields,” he said. “They have a number of powers that they can carry out, and this all depends on exactly how we write the ordinance.”

The agency would have considerable power, including the authority to purchase, lease or acquire land, rehabilitate or demolish buildings and even exercise the power of eminent domain. The Town Council would be responsible for passing ordinances designating certain areas for the redevelopment agency’s consideration.

Dinsmore asked whether the council had areas in mind, in addition to the Chariho Plaza, which has been an eyesore on the town’s main thoroughfare for decades.

Town Council President Samantha Wilcox said she did not want to single out specific places or individuals, but she added that she knew of several locations outside the Wyoming area.

“I’m actually really excited about it,” she said, referring to the agencyl. “I have a lot of questions, but I think a lot of those questions would be answered through the great work that our Town Solicitor does, and when he gets it all together, I’ll probably have a lot of the questions answered once I see the actual ordinances.”

Madnick said he hoped the town would carefully consider the power it gives the agency, if it is created.

“Perhaps, once we have something drafted, we can have a workshop so we can have public input,” he said.

Dinsmore asked how much the agency would cost the town.

Councilor Jim Palmisciano said he supported the concept after learning how redevelopment funding had worked in Burrillville.

“The funding was interesting,” he said. “One of the things I found, typically with redevelopment agencies, the primary funding is through mechanisms called ‘tax incremental financing.’ It’s where they capture the increased property tax revenue generated within a designated redevelopment area. I mean, the funds come from the different projects before and after redevelopment that actively occur in that area. Essentially, the increased tax revenue due to revitalization is used to fund the redevelopment projects.”

Councilor Mark Reynolds  had concerns about the town becoming involved in redeveloping property.

“My understanding, part of the statute is the redevelopment agency has to basically create a redevelopment plan for the area. ‘This is the plan, and this is how we’re going to execute it,’” he said. “So, I’m a little hesitant about having the town get into that kind of thing.”

Reynolds said the agency could encourage other entities in the town to voluntarily redevelop properties, but he also noted that he was not in favor of employing eminent domain.

“I think it’s a last resort and so, I think any powers that the agency has in that regard should be very narrowly tailored, and we need to look at that as well.”

Wilcox agreed, stating that she had additional concerns about giving power to an appointed body whose members, unlike town councilors, would not be accountable to voters.

Wilcox said she looked forward to hearing input from residents at a public hearing on the proposal.

Zangari told the council that the town, not the agency, would be responsible for determining that a property was blighted or underutilized.

“The municipal government makes that, which would be you, the Town Council,” he said. “So, there is some retention of power.”

Zangari said he hoped to provide the council with a draft that would state how much power and oversight the council would retain.

“It’ll be those safeguards that I believe you can put in there and I’ll leave it to you how much of those you want to put in, but I’ll look into that further because it seemed to be something that was concerning a lot of people. Rightly so,” he said.

The council approved a motion asking Zangari to draft an ordinance establishing the redevelopment agency.

State Funding for Schools

Wilcox asked the council to consider a resolution supporting the restoration by the state of full transportation categorical aid.

Despite its importance to regional school districts such as Chariho, full state funding for transportation is not guaranteed, leaving the affected municipalities to lobby for it every year.

The council approved the resolution, which will be sent to state Sen. Elaine Morgan and Rep. Megan Cotter.

Education Equity and Property Tax Relief

Wilcox requested the approval of a resolution supporting House Bill 5202, Relating to Education Equity and Property Tax Relief.

The legislation, if passed, would give a 6% state education aid bonus to school districts that were regionalized before

July 1, 2025. The bonus would be a reinstatement of funding that the regional school districts used to receive but have not received for several years.

“This is a bill that Representative [Megan] Cotter and other representatives who represent regional schools had put forth last year and again this year to have a 6% bonus for regional schools,” she said. “Regional schools save money. They have their benefits along with the downfalls.”

Council members voted to support the resolution.