The Newport City Council has canceled its meeting scheduled for Wednesday evening, according to City Clerk Laura C. Swistak.
The meeting, which was set to begin at 6:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, will be rescheduled to a later date. A notice with the new meeting date is expected to be released soon.
Councilor David Carlin told What’sUpNewp by email Wednesday afternoon that the meeting was “canceled due to improper public notification.”
This marks the second council meeting cancellation this month. The Sept. 10 meeting was canceled due to elevator issues at City Hall and was rescheduled for Sept. 15 at Pell Elementary School.
Earlier Wednesday, What’sUpNewp noticed the meeting was not listed on the Rhode Island Secretary of State’s website as required by state law, nor was it posted in its usual location on the city’s website. What’sUpNewp contacted both the city clerk and communications director Wednesday morning seeking clarification but received no response before the cancellation was announced.
Under Rhode Island’s Open Meetings Act, all public bodies must give written notice of their meetings at least 48 hours before the meeting, excluding holidays and weekends. The notices must include the date, time and location of the meeting and an agenda of what will be discussed. At minimum, these notices must be posted on the Secretary of State’s website and at the office or building where the meeting will be held.
The canceled session was expected to address several significant items, including proposed harbor ordinance revisions, major infrastructure contract awards and approval of numerous fall events throughout the city.
Among the items that will now be delayed are contract awards for HVAC system upgrades at the Martin Recreation Center, City Hall retaining wall repairs and LED sports lighting for the John Chafee Recreation Area.
The council was also set to consider approval for upcoming events including this weekend’s Richard Morris Hunt Lecture at Rosecliff, the Sail for Hope Regatta and October’s Mid-Autumn Festival at Marble House.
A resolution supporting a moratorium on new natural gas hookups on Aquidneck Island, introduced by Councilors S. Smyth and E. Pinnock, will also be pushed to the rescheduled meeting.
The Board of License Commissioners was scheduled to reconvene a show cause hearing for the Pyramid Club, which has been operating without a valid alcoholic beverage license.
