More Door-to-Door Discussion

By Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA

January 21st 2026

RICHMOND – At Tuesday’s Town Council meeting, members considered amendments to the “hawkers, peddlers and door-to-door sales salespersons” ordinance. They also approved a resolution establishing a task force to study and report to the Town Council on programs that might allow residents to take advantage of cheaper energy.

Door-to-Door

After hearing complaints from residents about the intrusiveness of some door-to-door sales representatives, the council discussed possible ordinance amendments at the previous council meeting and asked town staff, including Town Solicitor Chris Zangari, to draft the proposed changes.

On Tuesday, members discussed the amendments and asked staff to incorporate council feedback into further revisions to the draft.

Acknowledging that prohibiting solicitations might result in legal action against the town, councilors tried to reach a balance between respecting residents’ wishes while not impinging on the rights of political, religious and other groups.

“No trespassing” signs were discussed and ruled out.

Councilor Jim Palmisciano asked Zangari,

“If there’s a ‘no trespassing’ sign, that would stop someone from a non-profit from approaching the property and would probably stop somebody who is expressing religious freedom? It would probably stop someone expressing political ideology from coming on the property.  And, there’s a lot of people who don’t want to stop those behaviors but do want to stop the random person wanting to sell them, so there’s a balance there.”

A “no knock” registry of residents who don’t want to be approached by salespeople has been proposed but might be an additional burden on town staff. 

Energy Task Force

The council approved a resolution creating a new task force to evaluate an electrical energy program presented at the Jan. 6 council meeting. The program, Kilowant AI, uses artificial intelligence to search for the lowest electricity rates. 

The five-member task force will include one Town Council member. 

“One of the responsibilities of this task force is to provide the council with input on whether our government should be promoting a private entity,” councilor Dan Madnick said. 

Council President Samantha Wilcox said she wanted the task force to look at other energy companies.

Council Vice President Mark Reynolds noted that the task force should not be addressing the question of whether the town should endorse a private company.

“In my opinion, that’s not part of their charge,” he said. “That’s a policy decision, whether we decide to do that. The purpose of the Task Force is to investigate Kilowant’s app  and any others that they may become aware of and report to us on whether they think it’s worthwhile making our residents aware.”

Madnick agreed.

“If their responsibility is not to suggest to the council that we endorse a private entity, I’m okay with that.”

Legislative Priorities

Town Administrator Erin Liese told the council that the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns had released its list of legislative priorities for 2026.

“They’ve identified several categories of working on behalf of the cities and towns,” she said. “I know it’s early in the session and I just wanted to get the temperature of the council to see how you felt on some of the initiatives, whether you would send resolutions in support or oppose any of the items that they presented.”

Wilcox and councilor Jeffrey Dinsmore said they would want to see the bills first.

“I would prefer to see the bills before we do anything for or against them,” Wilcox said.

Madnick said he supported most, but not all of the items on the League’s list. He also noted that he believed the concerns of towns like Richmond are often ignored.

“Sometimes, I’m really discouraged, because it seems the General Assembly doesn’t even listen to us,” he said.

Other Business

The council authorized the Town Clerk to schedule a public hearing on proposed changes to tipping fees at the transfer station.

The council approved awarding a $8,709.50 contract to design the septic system for the town’s property at 4 Richmond Townhouse Road to Alfred DiOrio RLS Inc.

Kristen Chambers and Victoria Vona, who, with Wilcox, serve on the town’s 250th Semi Quincentenntail Commission, presented a preliminary calendar of local events commemorating the founding of America. 

Police Chief Elwood Johnson briefed the council on the department’s new CSI records software.

“This has been a project that’s probably been in the works for almost 12 years,” he said. 

Johnson noted that the old system, which had been used for about 30 years, needed to be replaced, but he added that the new system has been challenging to set up.

“Rearrange your furniture in your house, get new furniture, shut the lights off and try to walk from here to there without tripping into something,” he said. “That’s what it’s like right now. It’s probably going to take us a month to get up to speed.”

Liese told the council that the town’s new website, which was designed at no cost to the town, will be going live on Jan. 28.

“The new website reflects the Town’s commitment to transparency, accessibility and community involvement,” the announcements states. “Staff encourage Council members and residents to explore the site after the launch and provide feedback to further enhance its usability.”