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Public Comment
The public was informed of the upcoming Memorial Day parade on Monday, May 29, 2023. There will be wreath laying at the Civil War Monument at 80 Boston Neck Road, as well as wreaths laid at the memorials across the street at Memorial Park. Thereafter there will be a parade that begins at 10AM, and a concluding ceremony at the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial on the grounds of the Elm Grove Cemetery.
Council Consent Agenda
The Town Council asked the town manager and the town IP department to explain the expenditures related to a recent cyber attack as well as the attack itself. According to the town manager numerous municipalities have been hit with these types of attacks. He further said none of the town’s financial and/or personal information of town employees or citizens was exposed. According to the IT department our previous IT consultant provided us with the wrong Office365 platform. We should have been using a Office365 gov platform as opposed to its commercial platform. The town has since changed vendors.
The Town Council unanimously approved the following expenditures monies:
Item Amount Funding Sources
Various expenditures related cyber attack $85,814 Insurance deductible account
Radio Equip for Fire Department $9,826 Water Depart. Balance Fund
Automated fingerprint ID system $34,537 Insurance Deductible Account
Reports
The town manager reported the potential cost of a sidewalk on Annaquatucket Road. He also said that the town has higher priorities. The council asked the town manager to provide list of those priorities so that it could determine whether or not to move up the Annaquatucket Road sidewalk project.
The town manager presented a draft resolution in Support of Joining the Rhode Island Municipal Education Compact. Council President Mancini said that while he appreciates this program and these funds, he noted that NK was level funded yet again in state education aid and that he would rather the state put more funding into state aid to its schools.
In his final report to the town council, Finance Director James Lathrop reported that he expects the town to have a little more than a $1million surplus at the end of our fiscal year.
Planning Director Nicole LaFontaine reported on the town’s open space and conservation efforts. Including in her report is the fact that in total, the Town, the Audubon Society, the NK Nature Conservancy and others have secured approximately 1/3 of the town’s square acreage to open space (more than 8,000 of the town’s 27,000 square acreage).
Old Business
The town manager reported on the possibility of developing a short-term rental registry and was directed by the council to pursue that initiative.
New Business
The Planning Department presented preliminary plans to consolidate our board and commissions. The administration will consolidate the Conservation and Groundwater Committees and possibly eliminate a few non-functioning committees. The administration was also asked to develop a plan for the boards and commissions will regularly communicate with the council.
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