Votes at a glance — Warren Town Council, Jan. 26, 2026
January 14, 2026 | Warren, Bristol County, Rhode Island
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Warren — Key actions taken by the Town Council at its Jan. 26 meeting:
- Budget hearings: Council closed the public hearing and approved a 6:00 p.m. start time for the scheduled budget hearings on Wednesday, March 18 and Wednesday, March 25.
- Accessory dwelling units (ADU): Council voted to (a) incorporate the state ADU definition into the local ordinance, (b) annotate the ADU use table with asterisks and convert 'P' (permitted) entries in the business and manufacturing columns to 'S' (special-use), and (c) require one additional off-street parking space per ADU. Council directed staff and the solicitor to prepare formal ordinance language reflecting these motions for final adoption.
- Hunting: Council amended and adopted section 13-1 of the municipal code to allow archery on qualifying private parcels and to permit state nuisance permits for agricultural damage. Council voted to raise the parcel-size threshold from the draft 3-acre minimum (the motion's transcript records the change text) and approved the section as amended; staff will return corrected ordinance text for filing.
- Wastewater: Council authorized a five-year extension of the town's O&M agreement with H2O Innovations (monthly charges unchanged) with the town assuming responsibility for laboratory-analysis testing costs; staff estimated historical lab testing averaged about $35,000/year and recommended an initial $5,000 increase to cover additional sampling tied to the new permit. Council also authorized going out to bid to replace a cracked HCl tank at the wastewater plant and asked finance staff to report on funding when bids return.
- IT services: Council approved a one-year extension for PacketLogix managed IT services to preserve service continuity while staff evaluates whether to hire in-house IT support.
- Licenses and appointments: Council approved several local licenses (food-production, ice-cream stand, tattoo studio transfer, entertainment permits) and confirmed multiple reappointments and new appointments to boards and commissions.
Votes were recorded as voice votes in the transcript; numeric tallies were not consistently reported. Council directed staff and the solicitor to prepare corrected and formalized ordinance language where needed.
- Budget hearings: Council closed the public hearing and approved a 6:00 p.m. start time for the scheduled budget hearings on Wednesday, March 18 and Wednesday, March 25.
- Accessory dwelling units (ADU): Council voted to (a) incorporate the state ADU definition into the local ordinance, (b) annotate the ADU use table with asterisks and convert 'P' (permitted) entries in the business and manufacturing columns to 'S' (special-use), and (c) require one additional off-street parking space per ADU. Council directed staff and the solicitor to prepare formal ordinance language reflecting these motions for final adoption.
- Hunting: Council amended and adopted section 13-1 of the municipal code to allow archery on qualifying private parcels and to permit state nuisance permits for agricultural damage. Council voted to raise the parcel-size threshold from the draft 3-acre minimum (the motion's transcript records the change text) and approved the section as amended; staff will return corrected ordinance text for filing.
- Wastewater: Council authorized a five-year extension of the town's O&M agreement with H2O Innovations (monthly charges unchanged) with the town assuming responsibility for laboratory-analysis testing costs; staff estimated historical lab testing averaged about $35,000/year and recommended an initial $5,000 increase to cover additional sampling tied to the new permit. Council also authorized going out to bid to replace a cracked HCl tank at the wastewater plant and asked finance staff to report on funding when bids return.
- IT services: Council approved a one-year extension for PacketLogix managed IT services to preserve service continuity while staff evaluates whether to hire in-house IT support.
- Licenses and appointments: Council approved several local licenses (food-production, ice-cream stand, tattoo studio transfer, entertainment permits) and confirmed multiple reappointments and new appointments to boards and commissions.
Votes were recorded as voice votes in the transcript; numeric tallies were not consistently reported. Council directed staff and the solicitor to prepare corrected and formalized ordinance language where needed.
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