Warwick City Council

Wrap up: Oct 5th Meeting

Hi neighbors,

Here’s a recap of what the City Council took up at our October 5 meeting:

Vacant Property Tax: Held until 10/19
The proposed tax on long-term vacant and abandoned properties was held until our next meeting. A revised draft is coming. I’ll share what changes once I’ve seen the new version.

Retiree Cost-of-Living Adjustment: Held until November
The proposal to change how annual COLAs are calculated for retirees in the Municipal Employees’ Pension Fund was also held until November. 

Board Appointments
The Council approved two appointments that came through the Intergovernmental & Appointments Committee, which I chair:

Paul Satas, an architect with more than 30 years of experience in historic renovation, to the Historic District Commission
Amy Cabeceiras, a wildlife biologist and licensed wildlife rehabilitator, to the Wildlife and Conservation Commission

Pedestrian Safety Studies
The Council formally asked RIDOT and the State Traffic Commission to study pedestrian safety at two state-road locations:

Toll Gate Road at Commonwealth Avenue and Robert Shapiro Way, the main access to Winman Junior High and Toll Gate High School
Main Avenue at Imperial Drive and Freeman Street

The City can’t add crosswalks to state roads on its own, so these studies are the first step.

Bids and Abatements
All bid awards and tax abatements were approved. That includes about $617,000 in contracts, the largest being police vehicle parts, Microsoft 365 licensing and rescue billing services. It also includes the annual streetlight and traffic signal maintenance contract. The abatements were almost entirely new senior and veteran exemptions.

Other Traffic Items
The Council approved several traffic measures in other parts of the city, including stop signs and an overnight parking restriction. None of them affect Ward 9.

As always, if you have questions about any of these, reply to this email or give me a call.

Thanks,
Vinny Gebhart
Ward 9 City Councilman