Warren’s ballot may look a little intimidating to voters this year.
In addition to the three statewide ballot questions every community will vote upon, Warren residents will be asked to decide on 21 local issues.

This is because the town’s Charter Review Commission went through the process of updating the Town Charter this year, and many of the changes they proposed were put through to the ballot by the Town Council.

Many of the proposed amendments include small changes to create more inclusive language within the charter, but others have potentially significant repercussions. We’ll try to dig into each question here to provide you with context ahead of next week’s election. Please also note that the Times-Gazette has run in its legals section each local ballot question with the current and proposed language between Sept. 28 and Oct. 26.

We recommend you pay close attention to Questions 4, 8, 10, 13, 15, 16, and 22.

Question 4 - Recreational marijuana
We have delved into this question on a couple separate occasions, so we’ll try to summarize as best as possible. An ‘Approve’ vote on this question means you would like to allow recreational marijuana businesses to operate in Warren, while a ‘Reject’ vote means you would prefer Warren not allow such businesses.

As we have noted elsewhere, approving the allocation of retail licenses for recreational cannabis businesses in Warren does not guarantee that Warren will see a marijuana shop open any time soon, as there are only six licenses to be made immediately available in a region that includes 11 other cities and towns. Regulators have also indicated the first licenses likely won’t be handed out until 2024 at the earliest.

Zoning currently being legislated in town would prevent any marijuana retail shop from operating within 100 feet of residential zones and within 500 feet of schools, while marijuana cultivators would not be able to operate within 100 feet of residential areas and within 1,000 feet of schools.

Question 5 - Charter numbers
The Town Clerk’s office is likely anxiously awaiting the results of this one. An ‘Approve’ vote would require the town to convert the use of Roman numerals in its Charter to Arabic numbers, which would require a whole lot of administrative edits.

Question 6 - Preamble
This would amend the preamble of the Charter from its old language, to one with a more mission-focused statement.

The old:
“We, the people of the Town of Warren, in order to secure the right of self-government in all local matters, pursuant to the provisions of Article XIII of the Constitution of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, do adopt and establish this, Charter.”

The proposed change:
“Shall the Preamble be amended so that the right of self-government includes an honest and accountable council-manager government, for the benefits of home rule and the values of representative democracy, professional management, strong political leadership, citizen participation, diversity, and inclusiveness, regional cooperation, and environmental protection?”

Question 7 - Elected conduct
This question seeks to create a small section in the charter clarifying that the Town “expects its elected officials and employees to do their job in the spirit of public service.”

Question 8 - Ending term limits for Town Council
This proposed change looks to change the current way Town Council members are elected and the length of the terms they serve.

Currently, a Town Council member may serve a four- or two-year term, depending on how many votes they received. They are also term limited, and may not serve more than eight consecutive years.

If you vote to approve Question 8, beginning during the 2024 election cycle, Town Council members will all serve two-year terms, and term limits will be eliminated.

Question 9 - Declaration of emergencies
This question would amend existing language that essentially says the Town Council President will retain the power to declare a state of emergency, but that they will do so based on the assistance of the Director of Emergency Management, the Chief of Police, the Fire Chief, the Public Works Director, and the Town Manager.

Question 10 - Qualifications of the Fire Chief
This question would amend the qualifications for the town’s fire chief. Currently, those include a minimum seven years experience as a line officer, an associates degree minimum in fire sciences or related field, an EMT certification, and certification in the Rhode Island Fire Laws and Rules and Life Safety Code (NFPA 101) within a year of being appointed.

An ‘Approve’ vote would require aspiring chiefs to have the safety certification prior to being appointed.

Question 11 - Board of Fire Engineers
This question would enable fire companies that don’t have Chief Representation to be included on the town’s Board of Fire Engineers.

Question 12 - Fire Marshal
This question would allow the Town Manager to appoint a fire marshal in consultation with the Fire Chief, and “prefer” but not require that the prospective fire marshal hold a current State of Rhode Island EMT License and Rhode Island Assistant Deputy State Fire Marshal current certification (NFPA).

Question 13 - Formalizing wastewater management
If this question is approved, the Town Manager would be empowered to hire a Superintendent of Sewers (to be approved by the Town Council). This measure, if approved, would also permit the Town Council to organize a formal Department of Wastewater Management, that would be overseen by the new Superintendent of Sewers.

Question 14 - Social Service Director
This measure, if approved, would change the title fo the Town’s Public Assistance Agent (responsible for the disbursement of state and federal public assistance funds) to a “Social Service Director”.

Question 15 - Changes to Planning Board size
This measure, if approved, would shrink the number of Town Council-appointed members of the Warren Planning Board from nine (9) down to seven (7), with two members being appointed as alternates.

Question 16 - Changes to budget timeline
If approved, this question would:

1. Change the term “Budget Workshops” to “Public Budget Meetings”, which would continue to occur in the month of March (two meetings).
2. Change the deadline for approval of a preliminary budget from April 1 to April 15 (the Town Manager has advocated for this due to not knowing how much the town will receive in state aid by April 1, and to give the Joint Finance Committee time to complete their process for the school budget, which often isn’t complete by April 1).
3. Require the preliminary budget be send to the Rhode Island Division of Municipal Finance for review and approval.

Question 17 - Budget petitions by residents
If approved, this question would change the amount of time residents have to submit budget petitions to the Town Clerk asking for increases or decreases to the budget from a hard deadline of April 10, to within ten (10) business days of the preliminary budget being published.

Question 18 - Public preliminary budget meeting
If approved, this question would change the term for the public meeting to discuss the approved preliminary town budget from a “public budget workshop” to a “public budget meeting.”

Question 19 - Council budget approval
If approved, this question would provide the Town Council the authority to approve the final budget following deliberations and public input.

Question 20 - Changes to possible referendums
If approved, this question would remove the requirement for a voter referendum for proposed budgetary increases of $50,000 or more. It would keep the current language that requires a voter referendum for bonds exceeding $250,000 and the proposed sale, donation, or destruction of any public land or buildings. It further would dictate that polls for referendum votes would be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Question 21 - More on budget referendums
This question would effectively only change the language used when discussing potential voter budget referendums. It would also change the deadline for commencing a referendum proceeding from “no later than June 1” to “at the earliest possible date”.

Question 22 - Summary of budget for publication
This question, if approved, would require that the finalized and approved budget be advertised in the newspaper and published on the Town’s website.

Question 23 - Charter Review Commission alternates
If approved, this question would add two alternates to the nine-person Charter Review Commission, which are elected every six years, for a total of 11 people. The alternates would include the two highest vote getters after the nine members are selected.

Question 24 - Various grammatical changes
This question merely authorizes the amendment of the Town Charter to fix grammatical inconsistencies and improve the readability of the town’s governing document.