EAST PROVIDENCE — At its meeting Tuesday night, Sept. 12. the City Council, for the first time in its still young session, to the note noteworthy step of overriding several vetoes issued by Mayor Bob DaSilva over its appropriation of millions in East Providence's remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

Twice previously, the body, the current incarnation taking office in January 2023, moved a number of measures authorizing the use of the majority of the city's $14 million ARPA fund balance via ordinance. All expenditures must follow ordinance procedures, which include two votes and a public hearing.

Per City Charter, and after the change in governmental form to an elected mayor as of 2018, it takes a "super" majority of the Council, a 4-1, to do override an executive's veto.

Before any tallies were taken Tuesday night, the known result was going to be at 4-1 on most if not all of the questions. That's because At-Large member and Council President Bob Rodericks stated his intention to support DaSilva's efforts.

"I'm not going to say it after each one because I'm not go to be repetitive," said Rodericks. "On most of these if not all I'm going to vote to sustain the veto.

"My position is that I'm going to listen to our professional engineers, our professional staff, people that we have all said we trust and listen to. Every one of these items is something we all want to do, but how do we expend millions of dollars without specific plans? And in a couple of cases DPW (Department of Public Works) has said we've already started that, so is there duplication? Time will tell in the long run which was the better path to take."

In the end, and as follows, the Council overturned six of the seven vetoes DaSilva penned:

Appropriating up to $50,000 for a citywide utility box art project.
Appropriating up to $1,000,000 for the former Oldham School building on Bullocks Point Avenue.
Appropriating up to $200,000 for a splash pad in Riverside
Appropriating up to $550,000 to replace the walking track at Pierce Field football stadium.
Appropriating up to $5,000,000 for needed improvements to the infrastructure of sewers and drains citywide.
Appropriating up to $550,000 for placemaking throughout the city.

On the latter, Ward 1 member Frank Rego recommended to his peers that they come back within 90 days with a detailed outline of where the signage should be placed. He suggested they come up with at least two locations per their wards as well as a handful of other sites around the city as a means of showing the administration it was prepared to present it with specifics.

Rego did split with the majority on one item, the only sustaining vote on the night. He joined Rodericks in voicing his disapproval of using up to $450,000 for improvements to Townie Pride Park, the retention pond behind Pierce Memorial Stadium.

Though he twice was in the affirmative on the proposal during the ordinance process, Rego explained last week upon further research there were at least three other ways to could go about funding any more upgrades at the park: through Department of Environmental Management or other state sources as well as the city's Capital Improvement budget.

And Rodericks also had a change of heart so to speak on one of the items, voting with his colleagues to override DaSilva's veto of the Riverside splash pad. He voted "aye," noting simply, "We do have a plan for this one." It was the sole 5-0 tally.

The mayor did not speak on any of items last week, though DaSilva's stance on each was well known as of the second of two votes the Council took on the ARPA appropriations at its Tuesday, Aug. 29, meeting.

In just about all of his supporting notes explaining each of his vetoes, DaSilva included a familiar refrain of words/phrases he used when objecting to the expenditures at previous Council forums: "lost the flexibility...city risks forfeiture of these funds...transformational impact."

It is well documented, the mayor wanted, or still wants, to use nearly all of the $14 million to build a recreation/community center, a project about which he often uses the word "transformational." In fact, after initially presenting a proposal with an estimated cost of over $40 million, DaSilva said at the last Council meeting his updated rec center could achieved with roughly $14 million in funding.

As for the rest of the expenditures approved by the Council previously, DaSilva opted not to veto the following ARPA authorizations:

Appropriating up to $1,000,000 for funding of the Crescent Park Concession Project and Event Tent Project.
Appropriating up to $500,000 for adaptive playground equipment for the city’s Special Seeds population.
Appropriating up to $450,000 to update road (ground surface) landscape and public access to the boat ramps, lighting and parking for trailers at Bold Point Park and John Lewis Waterfront Park.
Appropriating up to $400,000 to the planning department for the storefront improvement program.