We want to make it easy for Citizens of Charlestown to keep track of how their Town Council voted. Votes are listed here with the most recent votes at the top of the page. If you think we've missed an important vote, please send an email to mail@CharlestownCitizens.org and let us know how we can improve this page. Where possible we will have links to the full text of the resolution that was voted on. Town Council members are listed left to right in their same ranking from the 2010 election.
| Explanation of Resolution or Issue | Date | Tom Gentz |
Dan Slattery |
Lisa DiBello |
Marge Frank |
Gregg Avedisian |
Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motion to schedule a public hearing on the new wind Ordinance A pubic hearing on this ordinance was scheduled for March 14. The hearing will allow the public to give input on the new ordinance. Read the advertised ordinance here |
2/14/11 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Motion passed |
| Motion to create an Ad Hoc Committee to rewrite the wind ordinance The Planning Commission working with a Planner who wrote the Block Island wind ordinance have revised the existing wind ordinance. The previous ordinance was written at the direction of the last Town Council and has caused the town a lot of litigation. Mr. Avedisian suggested that the Council bypass the efforts of the Planner and the Planning Commission and form an Ad Hoc Committee to write the ordinance. Vice President Dan Slattery objected to the contents of the proposal. Mr. Slattery pointed out that Mr. Avedisian was proposing the same action that the prior Council had done which was one of the reasons the Town is currently involved in litigation. |
2/14/11 | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Motion failed |
| Amend the Zoning Ordinance to allow Income Restricted Accessory Dwelling Units This ordinance is written in fulfillment of the Town's Affordable Housing Plan. This will allow a more permissive policy for the creation of affordable accessory apartments if the units are counted by the state as meeting the state criteria for an affordable unit. These units will also receive a tax reduction. Read the advertised ordinance here |
2/14/11 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Motion passed |
| Amend the Yard Sale Ordinance to make it more permissive The town has had a yard sale ordinance for many years, but it only allowed two sales per year. The Police department feels it is important to continue to have some kind of ordinance in order to address those who have a yard sale every weekend all summer long. So the ordinance was liberalized, but not eliminated. Read the advertised ordinance here |
2/14/11 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Motion passed |
| Vote to appeal the decision of the Zoning Board with regard to Whalerock The Building Inspector found that an application to build two 410 foot tall wind turbines on land next to Rt. 1 was not a complete application. In a split decision the Zoning Board overturned the Building Inspector because an earlier application to the Town Council had not been deemed incomplete. By finding the application complete, the Zoning Board allows it to go forward under an ordinance written specifically to facilitate that application. If the Town Council is successful in their appeal to Superior Court, the application will have to meet the requirements of a new ordinance. |
2/9/11 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Motion passed |
| Create a new Ad-hoc Committee to study and report on options for beach bathrooms Parks and Rec commission returned with only the $800,000 stick built solution in response to the motion below. Some of the Council members supported the P&R decision, but Tom Gentz and Dan Slattery urged that the voters make the decision and that they have a choice of solutions. Tom Gentz made a motion to form an Ad-hoc group to study and report back on both stick built and rolloffs. All were supportive of that group doing the study. Read the full motion here |
1/10/11 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Motion passed |
| Ask Parks and Recreation Commission to study and report on options for beach bathrooms A Motion was made by Tom Gentz to send the issue of beach facilities back to the P&R Beach Sub-committee. The Committee will report on both stick built and rolloffs as solutions. Read an e-mail list discussion on this issue here |
12/13/10 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Motion passed |
| Study land to determine if land meets open space criteria A property owner offered his land on Shannock Road for purchase for open space. The property has been proposed for a high-density housing development that could cost the town $500,000 per year in increased school costs. It is unknown if it meets the town's criteria for preservation. A motion was made to send the property to the Planning Commission to score using the town's established criteria. If it met the criteria, it could then be studied further by the Town Council. One councilor said they would rather see the land developed for housing and the motion was defeated. |
12/13/10 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Motion failed |
| Town Council workshop with Planning about affordable housing A Motion was made to meet with the Planning Commission to discuss ways to increase the number of countable affordable units in Charlestown, help current residents, comply with the State 2025 Plan and not create an increased burden on taxpayers. |
12/13/10 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Motion passed |
| Temporary Moratorium on Wind Turbines This temporary moratorium is to remain in effect for four months The town planner and planning commission will review the existing Zoning Ordinance provisions concerning wind energy generators and systems and provide any recommended ordinance amendments to the Town Council for their consideration to address regulating applications, design standards, location considerations and regulatory standards for new wind energy generators ... read entire resolution |
11/15/10 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Motion passed |