Chapter 002
2018 -- H 7196 SUBSTITUTE A
Enacted 05/18/2018

A N   A C T
AMENDING THE CHARTER OF NORTH PROVIDENCE

Introduced By: Representatives Corvese, O'Brien, and Hull
Date Introduced: January 18, 2018

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
     SECTION 1. Article 20, Chapter 1, Sections 20-1-2 and 20-1-3 of Chapter 471 of the
2014 Public Laws entitled "An Act Amending the Charter of North Providence", are hereby
amended to read as follows:
     Sec. 20-1-2. Meetings.
     The board shall hold regularly scheduled meetings and give written notice of regularly
scheduled meetings at the beginning of each calendar year. The notice shall include the dates,
times, and places of the meetings and shall be provided to members of the public upon request
and to the secretary of state at the beginning of each calendar year in accordance with chapter 46
of title 42, "Rhode Island Open Meetings Act."
     The board shall give supplemental written public notice of any meeting within a
minimum of forty-eight (48) hours before the date. This notice shall include the date the notice
was posted,; the date, time, and place of the meeting,; and a statement specifying the nature of the
business to be discussed. Notwithstanding the aforementioned forty-eight (48) hour notice, this
supplemental notice shall be provided to the members of the board at least two weeks (2) in
advance of the meeting(s).
     In the event of an emergency affecting the public safety, health, or welfare, on the written
recommendation of the purchasing agent, additional meetings of the board may be held provided
that written notice of the meeting, as provided under the Rhode Island Open Meetings Act open
meetings act, as amended, is given.
     The board shall hold all meetings at the North Providence town hall. All meetings shall
be held on weekdays at 6:00 p.m.
     The agenda, the time, and the location of each meeting, except an emergency meeting as
hereinabove provided, shall be advertised in a paper of local circulation on the town's website and
within town hall on the Public Notice Bulletin Board public notice bulletin board at least one
week prior to the meeting.
     Sec. 20-1-3. Processing prior to requesting bids and upon Submission submission of
Bids bids.
     (a) Prior to sending out the Request For Proposal request for proposal, the treasurer
must approve, in writing, to the purchasing board, a written certification of the line item in the
budget that supports the purchase.
     (b) All purchases requiring the submissions of bids pursuant to state law or this charter, at
the time they are submitted to either the town or the purchasing agent, shall be time stamped by
the purchasing agent or the town when submitted. No bid submitted after the time set for
submission in the bid specifications shall be considered by the board.
     (c) The purchasing agent may declare a general amnesty to this requirement in the event
of severe weather or other state of emergency, such that town offices are closed or mail is
otherwise undeliverable. Said The general amnesty shall be until a time immediately following
said the severe weather or state of emergency.
     (d) Should the town post an addendum to any bid specifications after they have been
circulated to proposed bidders, the purchasing agent may extend the time for bid submissions to a
date no later than fourteen (14) days from the original date of bid submissions.
     SECTION 2. Article 20, Chapter 2, Section 20-2-1 of Chapter 273 of the 1999 Public
Laws entitled "An Act Amending the Charter of North Providence" is hereby further amended to
read as follows:
      Sec. 20-2-1 Procedure.
     All purchases for construction exceeding an aggregate amount of Ten Thousand ten
thousand ($10,000.00) Dollars dollars and for all other purchases exceeding an aggregate
amount of Five Thousand five thousand ($5,000.00) Dollars dollars shall be made only by bids
except, that this procedure shall not be enforced for purchases required in connection with an
emergency as defined in Section section 2-1-6 (d) of this Charter charter.
     All purchases not exceeding an aggregate amount of Ten Thousand ten thousand
($10,000.00) Dollars dollars for construction and Five Thousand five thousand ($5,000.00)
Dollars dollars for all other purchases shall be made by obtaining written or telephone quotations
from at least three (3) suppliers/contractors of the items/services. A record of all such purchases
and quotations shall be retained by the Purchasing Agent purchasing agent. In the event that
there are available less than three (3) suppliers of the items/services, such the lessor number of
suppliers may be requested to quote prices.
     Purchasers of items with a value of items/services with a value of less than Fifteen
Hundred ($1,500.00) Twenty-Five Hundred twenty-five hundred ($2,500) Dollars dollars shall
be authorized to be made by the Purchasing Agent purchasing agent.
     All items which that are essentially a unit, are made normally on a recurring basis or
which that can be purchased more economically in larger quantity, shall be purchased in such a
quantity as the Purchasing Agent purchasing agent may direct for the greatest economical
advantage to the Town town. The Purchaser purchaser shall not be fractionalized to circumvent
the intent of this Section section. The Purchasing Board purchasing board may declare void any
purchase it deems to have been made in such a manner as to intentionally defeat the intent of the
Section section and the person making the purchase may be held personally liable for any
resulting loss or other damages to the Town town.
     In order to operate as a central purchasing agency or to otherwise make purchases more
economically, the Purchasing Agent purchasing agent may require each office, department, or
other agency to submit, at specified times, a list of items and of their quantity as may be needed
within designated periods.
     The amount set forth in this Section section shall be increased or decreased annually at
the same rate as the Boston Regional Consumer Price Index.
     SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC003604/SUB A
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