Newport Council Set to Consider $20M FEMA Grant, Tax Rate Adjustment; Zoning Board Reviews Variance Petitions
Newport's City Council and Zoning Board of Review have several consequential items on their agendas, but minutes have not yet been published for any of the recent meetings. All items below reflect what was scheduled for consideration, not confirmed outcomes.
City Council — June 24, 2026 Meeting
The council agenda included a resolution to adjust the non-owner occupied residential tax rate (Item #23). No vote tally or dollar figure for the adjustment was listed in the agenda.
The council was also scheduled to authorize seeking two FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grants:
- **$20 million** for South Easton's Pond Dam flood resiliency (Item #19)
- **$1.425 million** for Elizabeth Brook daylighting (Item #18)
Other items on the agenda: a bid award for the Sidewalk Improvement Program 2026 (Item #16), an ordinance revision prohibiting parking on Russell Avenue (Item #11), special event licenses, a sound variance public hearing, and appointments to city boards.
City Council — July 8, 2026 Meeting
The council will hold a public hearing and act on a Community Development Block Grant application for Mumford Manor at 39 Farewell Street.
The agenda includes a notice of a projected school budget deficit from Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain. No dollar amount for the deficit was specified in the agenda.
The council is also scheduled to consider:
- Authorization to accept a **$321,600** Federal Highway Administration FY-24 SS4A grant award for safety
- Ordinance revisions prohibiting parking on South Baptist Street and designating Bridge Street as one-way
- An electricity supply fixed-rate contract and a contract for Station 1 water treatment plant SCADA modernization
Zoning Board of Review — June 22, 2026 Meeting
The board was scheduled to hear three full-hearing variance petitions:
- **18 Barney St:** The Collection at Barney, LLC seeks variances for AC condenser and deck reconstruction, increasing lot coverage from 59% to 61% (45% allowed).
- **32 Bayside Ave:** Equity Investment Group seeks variances for a rear addition and roof deck, increasing lot coverage from 29.8% to 36.9% (28.48% allowed).
- **153 Ruggles Avenue:** Variance to increase lot coverage beyond allowed limits. No specific figures were listed in the agenda.
Extension requests were scheduled for 57 Marchant (6 months) and 551 Thames Street (12 months). A petition for 2 Wheatland Court was listed for withdrawal by staff.
A continued hearing for 640 Thames Street, LLC — requesting a special use permit and variance to convert a dwelling to a 5-bedroom guest house without parking — was continued to July 27, 2026.
What We Don't Know Yet
All three meetings are marked "agenda only" — minutes have not been published. No vote tallies, approvals, denials, or final dollar amounts are available. Outcomes will be confirmed when minutes are released.
Coming Up
No upcoming meetings are listed for the next 14 days. The Zoning Board's continued hearing on 640 Thames Street is scheduled for July 27, 2026.
Earlier weeks
- week of 2026-06-29 — Newport Council Takes Up Non-Owner Occupied Tax Rate, $20M Flood Grant Bid
Generated from official meeting agendas and minutes — every underlying document is linked from the city page. Read the primary source before you rely on a detail.