Wednesday’s Council meeting begins with the second Public Hearing on the FY2022-FY2023 Budget.
June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and Newport will be holding celebrations in honor of our LGBTQ+ community. As part of this, there is a resolution on Wednesday’s docket requesting that three crosswalks around Equality Park be painted in rainbow pride colors in celebration. Newport has a vibrant and thriving LGBTQ+ community, and having rainbow crosswalks will serve as a symbol of support and recognition from the City.
Last Monday, the City Council held a Special Meeting to consider Middletown’s proposal to create a regionalized School District with separate schools. The public expressed concern that there had been no public discussion and information to understand the implications of regionalization. My motion to amend the resolution to include another chance to consider the proposal was voted down, so I voted against the proposal because I felt that it is moving too quickly without enough information or engagement. To attempt to address these concerns, I have submitted a resolution for Wednesday’s meeting detailing a plan to ensure that both the Council and the residents can get the information we all need to make thoughtful and informed decisions on this significant ballot measure that will have long term consequences for our community.