The Newport City Council has tabled its vote on the proposed biennial budget for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 in a surprise procedural move that halted discussion on the financial plan.
During their Regular Council Meeting on Wednesday (May 14), Councilor David Carlin moved to table the budget ordinance immediately after the hearing was closed, effectively postponing any decision on the city’s financial roadmap.
The motion to table came unexpectedly after the council had just closed the public hearing portion of the meeting. When Council Chair Charlie Holder called for a motion to approve the ordinance appropriating revenues on first reading, another council member intervened.
“Mr. Chairman. Thank you. I move to table the issue before us,” Carlin quickly stated, quickly receiving a second to the motion.
The abrupt procedural maneuver prompted confusion among some council members, with one requesting clarification about what had just occurred.
“Just so clear for everyone to vote, we just tabled the entire budget hearing on the budget. Correct?” Councilor Jeanne Marie Napolitano asked, seeking confirmation before the final vote.
City Solicitor Christopher Behan explained that a motion to table “literally puts the matter on the table to be taken either to rest there as long as could be permanently or until the next time that the council takes up the matter.”
He further clarified that such motions cannot be debated or amended and must be voted on immediately.
The motion passed with a show of hands with Councilor Smyth, Pinnock, Carlin, and Khamsyvoravong voting to table it, effectively halting all discussion and consideration of the budget until the council chooses to resurrect it.
Councilor Napolitano questioned the motivation behind the procedural move, asking, “Mr. Behan. Is this a political maneuver so that we don’t have to say anything to the public?”
The solicitor declined to comment on the question.
The tabled budget included several proposed changes across various city departments and funds. The General Fund budget showed $92,445,249 in both revenues and appropriations, while the School Fund proposed $48,465,012 in both categories.
Several capital improvement projects related to transportation and infrastructure were notable in the budget change sheets. These included $500,000 for “Keep Newport Moving Implementation,” $300,000 for dynamic parking signs, and $75,000 for multimodal parking.
The budget also included $50,000 for Broadway signal timing, $29,000 for a police laser scanner for traffic investigations, and $23,000 for pedestrian safety devices.
Some projects, including the Brick Market Facility Improvement ($500,000), Library Roof ($225,000), and improvements to Fire Stations 1 and 2 ($20,000 and $59,000, respectively), were proposed to be moved to bond funding.
The budget also contained a $250,000 reserve for an educational regionalization study, suggesting the city may be exploring potential consolidation options for its school system.
Enterprise funds in the budget included the Water Fund with $23,008,191 in revenues and $22,841,233 in appropriations, and the Water Pollution Control Fund with $20,972,030 in revenues plus $6,610,970 from other sources, and $27,583,000 in appropriations.
The Maritime Fund showed $1,591,000 in revenues, with an additional $22,000,000 in bond proceeds and $79,847 from other sources, totaling $23,670,847 in appropriations.
The Parking Fund listed $2,988,309 in revenues and $2,651,795 in appropriations.
The proposed budget also included a personnel ordinance with updated classification plans and pay schedules for various employee categories, including executive, administrative and professional employees, supervisory employees, Council 94 municipal employees, police, and firefighters.
The solicitor noted that if the council wants to bring back the budget, it would need to be formally “resurrected” unless a substantially different document is presented. In that case, the process would require two new public hearings.
With the budget now tabled indefinitely, it remains unclear when the council will revisit the financial plan or what changes might be made before it returns for consideration.
The ordinance, if eventually passed, would take effect on July 1, 2025, the start of the new fiscal year. However, with the current procedural delay, the timeline for budget approval remains uncertain.
