The Newport City Council will meet Wednesday, June 10, at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 43 Broadway, with a long agenda spanning policy resolutions, special event licenses and presentations from the city manager.
Several resolutions sponsored by Councilor Steph Smyth are likely to draw attention. One would direct the city to prohibit or limit the development of additional hotel uses in Newport, and another, co-sponsored with Councilor Ellen Pinnock, would establish a Housing Commission. Smyth is also requesting a personnel audit and, with Pinnock, has filed a resolution asking the city administration to develop a Tree Preservation Landscaping Ordinance.
Other resolutions on the agenda include one from Smyth, Pinnock and Councilor Jamie Napolitano opposing legislation to reinstate the sale of flavored electronic nicotine delivery systems; a resolution from Mayor Charlie Holder and Councilor Dave Carlin supporting an aquaculture farm application from Castle Hill Inn before the Coastal Resources Management Council, continued from the May 27 meeting; a Carlin resolution to re-dedicate Memorial Boulevard in honor of Newport veterans; and a Holder resolution supporting the nomination of two local census tracts for designation under the federal Opportunity Zones 2.0 program.
Pinnock and Smyth have also filed resolutions requesting traffic-calming measures on Maple Avenue and the relocation of a stop sign at Sgt. Weidemann Street and Hillside Avenue. Councilor Lynn Ceglie is requesting additional appropriations for the Newport Tree Conservancy, and Holder is requesting funding for the Public Sculpture Commission.
City Manager Colin Kennedy is scheduled to present a proposal on solar development opportunities at Newport school facilities. The council will also consider action items including bid awards for road materials, hauling of street sweepings, engineering services for Webster Street improvements, concrete repair at the Gateway Parking Garage and the replacement of a totaled police cruiser. The 2026 Strategic Plan progress update is also scheduled.
A group of eighth graders from Tara Mello’s class at Thompson Middle School will give a presentation on a proposed family activity center at the former Newport Grand site and on establishing an eighth-grade student council.
Special event licenses on the agenda include the Newport Pride Festival and Parade on June 27, with a street closure on Dr. Marcus Wheatland Boulevard between numbers 1 and 15, and the Newport Air Show at Goat Island Pavilion on Sept. 2, with a rain date of Sept. 3. The Redwood Library & Athenaeum’s summer party on July 17 and a number of other smaller events are included in the consent calendar.
The Citizens’ Forum is limited to 15 minutes, and individual speakers are limited to three minutes on a single subject related to substantive city business, according to the agenda. Speakers must sign in with the city clerk.
The full docket, including supporting materials, is available at clerkshq.com/newport-ri. The meeting will be held in the Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall.
