North Smithfield Town Council - January 5, 2026
"The Council continued the public hearing regarding the petition for a Zoning Map amendment for Plat 7, Lot 38, located at 14 Pine Hill Road. The proposed amendment aims to establish an 'Industrial Special Management District 1 Overlay' to permit stonecutting, crushing, and loam stripping operations. Furthermore, the Council entered discussions concerning alternative solutions and potential mediation for the ongoing legal cases dating back to 1991 and 1999 involving the applicant and the Town of North Smithfield."
North Smithfield Town Council - September 15, 2025
"A primary focus of the evening was the Groundwater Protection Committee's presentation of their first formalized strategic plan, which Council members later praised as a model for all town boards. Simultaneously, the Council addressed a recurring frustration with the town’s sewer billing formula, granting a five-figure credit to Village Haven. While the Sewer Commission admitted they are powerless to fix the state-mandated calculation that bills based on seating capacity rather than actual usage, the Council stepped in for the second year in a row to provide financial relief to the local business."
North Smithfield Town Council Meeting - August 04, 2025
"The Sewer Commission presented a sobering 'infrastructure time bomb,' noting that for decades the town had failed to establish a reserve fund for the system's depreciation. Comparing the risk to the Surfside condo collapse, officials warned that systems appearing functional can fail catastrophically if maintenance is perpetually deferred. This theme of deferred maintenance extended to the DPW, where the purchase of a 14-year-old used street sweeper sparked a candid debate on whether the town is being 'penny wise and dollar foolish' by avoiding the $500,000 price tag of new equipment."