On April 3, the town council again convened to hear and vote upon a proposed resolution to use eminent domain for a new police department, fire department, and town hall campus proposal.
The special meeting convened following an Open Meetings Act violation finding against the Town Council’s January 28 meeting, as determined by the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office.
“I want to reiterate that we are here basically because of procedural issues, and this was already discussed and we’ve had presentations and discussions a few months back,” said Councilman Alfred Carnevale.
According to reports, the violation complaint was filed by Johnston resident Gerry Willis along with Steve Ahlquist the reporter and editor of RI Future for not providing adequate public notice ahead of the council’s original vote in January. According to the January agenda, the sparse details written about the process were “Resolution 2025-10: A resolution regarding a hearing pertaining to the property located at Assessor’s Plat 37, Lot 193.”
To find the wording and more details about the resolution, one had to visit the Town Clerk’s website and click on a highlighted link that provided the information on the eminent domain procedure.
The resolution was proposed to acquire land on George Waterman Road that would otherwise be privately developed as a 252-unit low-income housing project. That process has drawn lawsuits in state and federal courts from the property owners in an attempt to halt those proceedings.
As previously reported by the SunRise, the Town of Johnston’s attempt to acquire the property through eminent domain for the municipal complex was dismissed in state court. This follows an agreement by both the town and landowners, as the case is still progressing forward with arguments proceeding in federal court.
After obtaining an appraisal that found the property was worth $775,000, the town put that amount into the state court register and claimed ownership of the property. That process has been reversed, and those funds have since been returned to the town following the legal challenges brought by the property owners.
During the council meeting, Council President Robert Russo read the resolution in its entirety. Councilman Robert Civetti was the only council member to pose questions about the resolution.
“If the town were to move forward with this, are we bound that every item in here has to be put on that property or could certain items that we decide they are fine where they are currently located [remain], or does this bind the town that we have the police, fire, all the facilities in there,” he asked.
According to Town Solicitor William Conley, this resolution only authorized the initiation of the eminent domain process. Other matters that will arise during that process will be subject to the complete review of the town council as the matter proceeds.
There was no public comment allowed during this hearing, and all five council members voted to adopt the resolution.
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