EAST PROVIDENCE — Requests from the East Providence Fire Department to purchase replacement apparatus totaling $692,517 from an existing line item in the current Fiscal Year 2018-19 budget was approved by the City Council at its meeting Tuesday night, Sept. 17.
New acting EPFD Chief Glenn Quick, who only the previous day was promoted to the position by Mayor Bob DaSilva following the September 16 retirement of Oscar Elmasian from the post, presented the formal application to the body via a resolution sponsored by Ward 1 member and Council President Bobby Britto, which passed unanimously.
The funds will be used in the following fashion: $327,000 for a new rescue vehicle; $212,764.52 for the first lease payment on a new E-1 Metro Ladder Truck; and $152,752.48 for “minor ancillary cost and repairs and equipment and tools for the purchased used ladder.” The last item was bought previously using $57,483 of the initial $750,000 the then-seated council approved last fall in the EPFD FY18-19 budget under Capital Improvements.
City Clerk item
The council, after tabling the measure at previous meetings, approved a resolution specifying its authority to grant the vacation time for the City Clerk position.
The key wording of the resolution reads, “The City Council authorizes the City Council President to approve the discharge of any and all earned time of the City Clerk, including vacation, compensation, sick and other such time; Once approved the City Clerk shall submit said approval in writing to the Director of Personnel who shall record said time.”
The clerk remained as the lone director position within the departmental structure whose appointment was controlled by the council following voter-approved amendments to the charter with the change in governmental form to elected mayor from appointed city manager.
Personnel Board matters
After giving first passage to amendments in the charter, Section I 11-4 “Personnel,” the council opted to punt on making those adjustments settled via second passage last week.
Following a discussion led mostly by Ward 3 Councilman Ricardo Mourato, At-Large member Bob Rodericks decided to pull the ordinance from consideration.
Mr. Mourato expressed concerns about the proposal first presented to the council by City Human Resources Director Victor Santos and Library Director Michael Carlozzi at its August 20 meeting. The amendments included removal of certification authority over employment lists from the appointed Personnel Board and giving it to the mayor’s office.
The department heads urged the change in part to streamline and accelerate the process, noting it was often difficult for the currently constituted three-person board to form a quorum to hold a legally binding meeting. At the council’s ensuing September 3 meeting, however, a letter from Personnel Board member Wendy Caputo was read into the minutes disputing the assertion.
During the talk last week, City Solicitor Michael Marcello informed the council the Personnel Board was among those bodies altered during the aforementioned charter changes, which called for an increase in the number of members from three to five.
In the end, the council chose not to move the item for final approval. Instead, the body will consider further adjustments to wording of the ordinance and await the full five-member Personnel Board to be seated before taking any formal vote on the matter.