The Central Falls, R.I., City Council will hold its first public meeting in more than a year after Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed a bill requiring more input from local elected officials in communities under state receivership.
Council President William Benson Jr. said the council hoped to meet this week. “We’re shooting for Thursday but it might be Friday,” he said in a telephone interview.
Rhode Island’s open-meetings law requires 72 hours’ notification and Benson on Monday was notifying City Hall officials and representatives of receiver Robert Flanders.
Rep. Agostinho Silva and Sen. Elizabeth Crowley, both Central Falls Democrats, co-sponsored the bill Chafee signed, saying the law that allowed receivership of Central Falls called for an advisory role for city councilors, but that Flanders, a retired state Supreme Court justice, has not consulted with the City Council on key decisions.
Chafee also signed a bill last week, in a move aimed at Central Falls, requiring municipalities to guarantee that lenders get first rights to property taxes and general revenue should they file for bankruptcy protection.
Mayor Charles Moreau has sued Rhode Island after it stripped him of his powers, and the state Supreme Court is considering his appeal.
Central Falls, which covers only a square mile and has a population of about 18,000, owes $80 million in unfunded pension and benefits obligations and an estimated $25 million in deficits over five years. It could run out of pension money in October.
Flanders on Tuesday is scheduled to meet with police and fire retirees. He is asking for nearly $2.5 million in concessions.
Moody’s Investors Service in June notched Central Falls’ general obligation bond rating down one level to Caa1 from B3.
The city has been under state receivership since May 2010. The five-member council has been prohibited from holding public meetings.
“We’ve had no input. He wasn’t spoken to us at all. By having a meeting, we hope to provide some input,” Benson said.
