Title 45, Title 45 and Cities

(a) At the request of the council of a city or town, the board of elections shall furnish a sufficient number of voting machines for use in connection with votes taken at any municipal budget referenda. Any request shall be made to the board of elections not later than fifteen (1…

All town meetings are open to the public, including representatives of the press and news media; provided, that, in the event that there are space constraints, voters shall be admitted to the meetings before non-voters. Non-voters may be seated or assigned to a separate area as i…

If, on the day of the town meeting for the election of town officers, any town fails to make an election of town clerk, town council, or town treasurer, the meeting may be adjourned for the purpose of completing the election of those officers, but of no others, from day to day, n…

(a) If at the stated time and day of the town meeting in the town of Barrington, there is insufficient room to accommodate, seat, assemble, and hear, all the qualified electors present at the town meeting, and if after review by the town moderator and town clerk it is determined …

(a) In the event that in the judgment of the town moderator there is no facility in the town of Foster large enough to accommodate the electors reasonably expected at the annual financial town meeting, then the moderator may make arrangements to schedule the financial town meetin…

Town meetings, other than annual or biennial meetings, shall be held at the times that are, or may be, by the Constitution or by law required, or may be called in the manner provided in this chapter. Notwithstanding any provision of any state law or municipal charter provision to…

Town clerks shall cause the electors of their respective towns to be notified of every town meeting prescribed by law, and also of all other town meetings legally called.

Whenever the town council, or whenever ten percent (10%) of the electors of any town, as provided in this section, less any fractional part that may appear in this computation thereof, shall make a request, in writing, for the calling of a town meeting to transact any business re…

No special town meeting shall be called without the consent of the town council, if the subject or any of the subjects proposed to be considered at the special town meeting have been acted on by the town at any time within six (6) months prior to the time of the proposed call.

The notice to the electors to meet in a town meeting, prescribed by law, shall be given by the town clerk issuing his or her warrant, directed to the town sergeant or one of the town constables of the town, or in the event that the town sergeant or a town constable is not availab…

The notice of meetings, when called by request provided in § 45-3-6, shall be given in the manner provided for meetings prescribed by law. In towns in which the hour of meetings prescribed by law is fixed by law, meetings called by request shall be held at the same hour. In other…

(a) The electors in each town shall, on their town election days, choose and elect as many town officers as are required by the laws of the state; that is to say, a moderator to preside in all the meetings of the town, and a town clerk, a town council to consist of not less than …

Mayors of cities shall be elected by a plurality of the electors qualified to vote in the election of general officers, who shall vote for the candidates for that office.

Unless some other form of engagement is specially prescribed by law, every person elected to any town or city office, whether by the town, city council, or town council, and every moderator and warden, and ward and district clerk, shall take the following engagement before he or …

The officer administering the oath shall make and deliver to the officer a certificate of the taking of the oath.

(a) Every collector of taxes shall give bond, with sufficient surety, for the faithful performance of his or her trust, to the town treasurer of the town for which the collector is chosen, in any sum the town or the town council determines, not exceeding double the amount of the …

In case of the death, resignation, or removal of any collector of taxes, the collector who is appointed to complete the collection of taxes has the same power to collect taxes as is by law given to the collector first appointed.

All town officers shall hold their offices until the next election of town officers, and thereafter until their successors are lawfully qualified to act, except where it is expressly provided to the contrary.

(a) Whenever a vacancy occurs in any office by death, removal out of town, resignation, or by neglect or refusal to qualify, or for any other cause, the town council may fill the office until the next town meeting for the election of officers. Whenever from any cause there are va…

The provisions of this chapter are subject to the provisions of any special statutes respecting any particular town or city, none of which are repealed by this section; provided, that no elected or appointed official or member of a board or commission, or employee of any city or …

The provisions of this chapter govern elective meetings held in accordance with the provisions of chapter 19 of title 17, if and so far as they are applicable and not inconsistent with the provisions of chapter 19 of title 17.

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of the general or public laws to the contrary, the Pawtucket board of canvassers shall combine councilmatic voting districts for a special primary election and special election in 2018 to fill a vacancy on the Pawtucket city council. The district…

In towns not divided into voting districts, and in which town meetings for the election of town officers and for the transaction of town business are held on the same day as an election for the officers mentioned in § 17-18-5 is held, the town meetings shall be held and conducted…

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of the general or public laws to the contrary and solely for purposes of a 2019 special town council election, only the Barrington board of canvassers shall combine all town council districts into one voting district. (b) Once the voting district…

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of the general or public laws to the contrary, the Coventry board of canvassers shall combine school committee voting precincts for a special election in 2019 to fill a vacancy on the Coventry School Committee. The precincts shall be combined so …

Those towns mentioned in § 45-4-2 are authorized to elect an assistant moderator, who may preside at town meetings held on the same day as an election for the officers mentioned in § 17-18-5 is held, for the election of town officers and the transaction of town business, and with…

A duplicate list of the qualified electors in each of the towns shall be prepared for use in town meetings held under the provisions of §§ 45-4-2 and 45-4-3.All the provisions of law relative to the preparation, furnishing, and use of voting lists apply to these duplicate lists.

The mayor of every city and the president of every town council shall, as soon as possible after the election of city or town clerk, send to the secretary of state a certificate of the election of the city or town clerk, which certificate shall be kept on file in the office of th…

Before the election of members of the town council is begun at the town meeting, the electors shall determine the number of officers to be elected, except as may otherwise be specifically prescribed by law.

The members of the town council shall be chosen immediately after the election of the town clerk; and in choosing them the vote shall be taken for the whole number at the same time.

If any town, on the day of any election for town officers, fails to elect any of the officers whom they may lawfully choose, except town clerk, town council, and town treasurer, the officers shall be elected by the town council of the town at its next meeting; provided, that town…

The town council of each town has full power to manage the affairs and interests of the town, and to determine all matters and things as by law come within its jurisdiction.

Town councils and city councils are authorized to charge and collect for licenses and commissions issued to officers elected or appointed by them, fees that the town and city councils, respectively, fix by ordinance or resolution; provided, that the license fee for appointment of…

(a) Town councils may take and hold, to them and their successors in office, all lands within their towns, conveyed to them in trust for burial purposes and, in like manner, may receive, hold, and manage all funds conveyed to them for the purpose of ornamenting or keeping in repa…

(a) Town councils may also take possession of and hold ancient, neglected, or abandoned burial grounds including historic cemeteries as defined in § 23-18-1(5), whenever they can take possession without opposition from the persons interested in those grounds. The councils may tak…

The town council of any town, and each of the members of the town council, may administer oaths in any matter pending before the council, and may engage town officers upon their warrants or commissions, and a record shall be made, or a certificate given, of these engagements.

Every town council, city council, school committee, or any committee of any of these bodies, may, by their presiding officers, issue subpoenas to witnesses to testify in any manner pending before them, may administer oaths to these witnesses, may compel their attendance, and may …

In every case where bonds are required by law to be given to any town council, they may be given to the town council by name, without naming the persons at the time constituting the town council, and may be sued in the same manner.

Any person aggrieved by any order or decree of a town council may appeal to the superior court for the county in which the town is located, within forty (40) days after the order or decree is made, unless another provision is made.

The appeal shall be claimed within forty (40) days by the filing with the town or city clerk of a written claim of appeal and the payment to the clerk at that time of the lawful fees for a copy of the record of the proceeding appealed from. Within fifty (50) days from the date of…

The provisions of the sections of this chapter and chapter 6 of this title are subject to the provisions of any special charters respecting any particular town or city.

Notwithstanding any provision of the general or public laws providing for the appointment of a municipal officer by the mayor of a city or the president of a town council, if the home rule charter of any city or town adopted pursuant to article XIII of the Constitution of Rhode I…

Town councils in towns where the council has probate jurisdiction shall hold regular meetings for the transaction of council and probate business as often as once in each month, at a time in the month and at a place within the town that the council shall by general order fix and …

City and town councils may establish joint agreements between two (2) or more municipalities for the purpose of purchasing materials, supplies, tools, and other items common in usage between units of local government. City or town councils may, jointly or independently, seek the …

(a) Cities and town councils, school committees, water and fire districts may, through passage of a resolution, establish agreements between two (2) or more cities, town councils, school committees, and water and fire districts for obtaining for obtaining or effecting insurance b…

(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, corporations established pursuant to § 45-5-20.1 also shall have the power to manage and operate such other post-employment benefit (OPEB) trusts as are established pursuant to § 45-21-65 and § 16-2…