Richmond Town Council Meeting Update for April 18, 2023

By Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA
April 19th 2023

RICHMOND – A council meeting that lasted nearly four hours Tuesday concluded with a vote to launch a legal challenge to a recent court ruling on a commercial solar energy application.

Issued on March 31 by Superior Court Justice Sarah Taft-Carter, the decision upholds an appeal by GD Beaver River I LLC of the Zoning Board’s denial of an application to build a solar array in a field owned by William Stamp Jr. at 172 Beaver River Road.

The judge’s decision is described in detail on the Beaver River Valley Community Association website.

Named as a defendant in the appeal, in addition to the Town of Richmond, members of the board, and a former zoning official, was John Peixinho, one of the founders of the Beaver River Valley Community Association.

Peixinho has hired appellate attorney Tom Dickinson, of Providence, to file a petition for a writ of certiorari, asking the Rhode Island Supreme Court to review the lower court decision.

The council voted Tuesday to ask Town Solicitor Karen Ellsworth to file a separate writ of certiorari on behalf of the town.

The council vote was three to two, with Council President Mark Trimmer, Vice President Richard Nassaney and councilor Samantha Wilcox voting in favor.

Councilman Michael Colasante, who, with councilor Helen Sheehan, was opposed, said he did not see why the town was involved in an issue involving land it did not own.

“Why are we going into executive session over this?” he said. “We lost the case. That’s public information and there’s nothing to do with town lands or anything like that.”

Ellsworth replied,

“Because we would be discussing our strategy for the appeal and the likelihood of success.”

Reached Wednesday, Peixinho said,

“I am grateful for the support of Mark Trimmer, Richard Nassaney and Samantha Wilcox. Michael Colasante and Helen Sheehan, who voted against the resolution and who frequently stress the urgent need to attract businesses to Richmond, might better focus their efforts on areas of town zoned for business rather than supporting the permanent destruction of open space that has been included on the National Register of Historic Places, and the peaceful, rural nature of our community that is so important to so many of us taxpayers.”

The budget

At the first of two public budget hearings, several residents weighed in on the 2023-24 spending plan. A story on the budget will be posted on the BRVCA website later this week. The proposed budget can be found here:

Other business

Colasante presented a report on Town Council priorities for economic development.

“Actually, it’s titled ‘Richmond Town Council Priorities for Economic Development Multi - Faceted Approach.’ That’s the title of it, and some of the things that we discussed here tonight, it goes through it,” he said. “Economic development at this time needs to be addressed with a multi – faceted approach with the main players being the taxpayers of Richmond, the school system funded by our taxes, and businesses considering making an investment in the Town of Richmond,” he said, reading from his report. “These three entities need to be addressed through responsible consideration of their needs.”

Colasante’s suggestions include: stabilizing property taxes by further reducing the town’s unrestricted fund balance, introducing a moratorium on new town hires, directing Town Administrator Karen Pinch to complete a five-year capital improvement plan, addressing the needs of business owners who might be considering investing in the town, addressing the Chariho budget, giving the Economic Development Commission increased authority and appointing a Town Council liaison to the commission. The council did not appoint a liaison, but Colasante said he would attend commission meetings.

Gun Control

With Wilcox, a Democrat, opposing, the four Republican members of the council voted to support a resolution by the Town of Burrillville opposing proposed state gun control legislation.

“What that bill would do, if I have a permit to carry, then I would have to leave either my gun at home or leave my gun locked in the trunk, and I wouldn’t be able to walk into the school and pick up my child,” Colasante said. “There hasn’t been one incident where a law-abiding citizen, parent or guardian has walked into a school and shot up the school. Never once. But you know something? I would want to carry my gun into the school to pick up my grandchild and God forbid, if there was a lunatic inside that school, I would not think twice, all right? About putting my life in jeopardy, all right? To try and take that person out, okay? to prevent a very horrific incident.”

ARPA funds

There was a lengthy discussion of the town’s remaining American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA funds, and how they might be allocated.

There were plenty of ideas. Trimmer proposed using $50,000 of ARPA money to hire a consulting company to attract more businesses to Richmond.

Colasante proposed using $25,000 in ARPA funds to hire an auditor to review the town’s zoning and planning ordinances, an initiative originally put forward by the EDC.

Colasante also wanted to use $125,000 of the ARPA funds to hire a two-year contract employee to attract economic development in the town.

Councilor Sheehan said the town needed a dedicated economic development director.

“We need somebody whose job it is to make sure it goes through,” she said.

Ellsworth said the approval procedure was not overly burdensome, to which Sheehan replied,

“Well, it’s not happening. Not happening,” she said.

Ellsworth said,

“But that’s not why. It’s not because there’s 150 steps.”

There is also the issue of whether ARPA funds can even be used for the councilors’ proposed initiatives. Ellsworth said she had been discussing the matter with Pinch and Finance Director Laura Kenyon.

“We are not certain that the ARPA money can be used for this type of economic development,” she said. “We think that it might, but we need to speak to the consultants who are administering the federal [funds].”

Ellsworth said the council would have an answer soon, but recent EDC appointee Louise Dinsmore still berated the council for not prioritizing economic development.

“I’m really disappointed that that we didn’t advance the economic development conversation further tonight,” she said. “It’s really obvious to me who are the economic development proponents in this town, and that would be, obviously, Councilwoman Sheehan and Councilman Colasante. I’m disappointed in Mark, Rich and Samantha that we’re not prioritizing this a little bit more.”

Wilcox said,

“The reason we pushed it off is because we’re waiting for an answer regarding whether we can use ARPA money,” she said.

Dinsmore did not seem to hear her.

“It’s obvious to anybody sitting here who are the economic development champions and who are not,” she said.