Council Sets Second Referendum Date
By Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA
June 6th 2025
RICHMOND – The Town Council, at Tuesday’s meeting, approved a motion to hold the second budget referendum on July 8. The council also approved the ballot question, with the addition of the word “revised,” to reflect the amendments the council has made to the original proposed budget.
After voters rejected the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget by 18 votes in the June 3 referendum, at a special Town Council meeting on June 10, members approved an additional $244,000 in reductions. They also approved the second referendum.
Hess Returns
The council approved the reappointment of Nancy Hess to the Planning Board.
The Town Council, in 2023, declined to renew Hess’s appointment to the board, where she was Vice Chair. The vote was controversial, with then - council President Mark Trimmer and members Michael Colasante and Helen Sheehan opposing Hess’s reappointment and Richard Nassaney and Samantha Wilcox supporting it.
Hess, who served on the Planning Board for 20 years before her non-renewal, is a Project Manager at the Rhode Island Division of Statewide Planning.
Participating remotely in Tuesday’s meeting, Hess said she had enjoyed volunteering on the Planning Board and was ready to return.
“I’ve been a professional planner,” she said. “I’ve worked for the federal government, the private sector, three municipalities in Washington County and am currently employed by Statewide Planning. So, I would like to return to volunteering and helping my own community with my planning skills.”
Councilor Dan Madnick, who served with Hess when he was on the Planning Board, made the motion to appoint her.
Council Vice President Mark Reynolds said,
“She’ll be a great addition,” he said. “Her experience obviously speaks for itself.”
The council, with Jeffrey Dinsmore casting the only “no” vote, approved the appointment.
The council also appointed Jeff Noble to the Finance Board. Dinsmore opposed the appointment.
Noble told the council that he hoped to make information on the town’s finances more available to the public.
“As we’ve seen, some misinformation came out about the budget and I’d like to try and provide more information to the public, because this is truly a unique situation, in my experience, having lived in several different state and even a different country, of a direct democracy, basically, of approval of an annual budget, and so the executive authority, for lack of a better term, rests with the voters through the referendum, and it’s difficult for voters to make decisions unless they have all the facts. So, I’m hoping to take the budget and have the Finance Committee [Board] make a better presentation to the public so they can make informed decisions about what they’re voting for.”
Council President Samantha Wilcox agreed that better communication would be helpful.
“I look forward to that idea, actually, of having more information from the Finance Board to the public,” she said. “I think that will be really helpful in future years so people can learn more about the process and get more information before we start telling them to vote.”
Gun Legislation
Council members were unanimous in their vote to approve a resolution, introduced by Dinsmore, opposing Rhode Island General Assembly Bill H5436-2025 and S359-2025.
The resolution states that the bill, if passed, would constitute amendments to the Rhode Island Constitution, circumventing the amendment process outlined in the Constitution.
Known as “Rhode Island Assault Weapons Ban Act of 2025,” the legislation, which passed in the House but has not yet passed in the Senate, would establish new regulations for the manufacture, purchase and sale of assault weapons.
The legislation would also prohibit the possession of assault weapons by individuals without “specific authorization.”
Rhode Islanders who possess assault weapons would have one year to register those weapons, pay a $25 fee and undergo a background check.
Council members agreed that while they were not equipped to determine the constitutionality of the bill, the legislation was poorly drafted.
Reached Wednesday, Wilcox said,
“The consensus among the council was that we don’t like the way this year’s bill is written,” she said. “We didn’t want to get into constitutional law too much. There were concerns with the types of weapons that would be banned.”
Other Business
Town Administrator Karen Pinch provided an update on the renovation of an existing building at Crandall Field in Hopkinton that will serve as a community center for both Richmond and Hopkinton.
Pinch toured the building on May 23 and showed photos of the work in progress. The renovation is expected to be completed in October or November this year.
“As far as what services they’re going to provide, the state actually had several requirements in order to get the grant money,” she said. “Certain activities had to take place there. That was, education, workforce readiness and health initiatives. So, at a minimum, those things will take place there, although I know they’re also planning to do some recreation activities there.”
With Pinch retiring in early August, the council discussed forming a search committee to find a new Town Administrator. Members approved a motion to advertise for search committee members but agreed to postpone the discussion of the committee itself until the next council meeting, when councilor Jim Palmisciano, who did not attend Tuesday’s meeting, is able to participate. In the meantime, the council is expected to appoint an interim administrator.