This was buttressed by a convoluted opinion by the town solicitor (who, although admitting casino gaming revenue is revenue that must first go into the general fund, then claimed an interpretation of charter language that allowed this revenue to be grabbed out of the general fund into a special restrictive account under the aegis of the town treasurer outside of the FTR process). The town council voted 4 to 3 to extend the wresting from you of your control of the casino gaming revenue pursuant to the FTR. Sadly, at the March 8 Town Council Zoom public hearing on President DeMedeiros’ proposal to extend the Town Council control over the spending of the casino gaming revenue, only four people called in to Zoom to be heard at the public hearing for this proposal: Nancy Driggs, Justin Katz, Diane Farnsworth, and Joel Bishop – all opposed to the DeMedeiros proposal to extend the removal of voters’ control through the FTR process of casino gaming revenues.Ĭouncilwoman Donna Cook argued that the placing of any casino gaming revenue into a restrictive account, like any other revenue, must stay in voter control through the FTR process, especially since your voices in agreement had already been heard in your response to the 2018 ballot question on this very subject.īut it was not to be. Then came COVID, and a multitude of “emergency” executive orders, and, voila! The Town Council (again, Driggs and Cook objecting) took the opportunity to grab whatever casino gaming revenue might come dribbling in that year, outside any say from you, the voters, at the FTR.

In 2018, pre-COVID, you, the voters, rejected a ballot question on this very issue of giving the town council control of the allocation of casino gaming revenue outside of the normal FTR process of creating restrictive accounts - think the paving account, the election account, capital carry-over account.

The threat of COVID, even as vaccinations expand and businesses are open for business again, is being kept alive and well in your town government as a continuing pretext to an aggrandizement of government power.Īt the Zoom Town Council meeting on March 8, a public hearing was held as to whether to approve now Town Council President Denise DeMedeiros’ proposal to extend a soon-to-expire COVID-inspired executive order which gave, by a vote of 5-2, (Driggs and Cook objecting) the town council control of whatever casino gaming revenue Tiverton received that year.

Wake up, Tiverton voters, you no longer have the power to determine whether casino gaming revenue should be placed in restricted accounts.

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