Thank you very much. I want to call the special commission on Veterans Affairs to order for Mhmm. March, let's say, the eighth. Yes, sir. Madam clerk, can you please roll the roll call?
Vice chair Iannucci is absent. Commissioner Alves?
We have three present and one absent. We have a quorum.
Thank you very much, and welcome, everyone. Happy spring. Before you, we have the agenda for today. If there's an opportunity to review what you probably have already, we'd like to take on the first item on the agenda, which is the discussion relative to house bill fifty three zero seven and senate bill zero three zero, veteran exemption in the city of Providence. As you can recall, through the input and, dialogue that we've had, over several months, our office worked with the administration, Brett Smiley's administration, and we put a bill forward that was represent presented in the house and also in the senate.
I had the opportunity to go up to the state house and testify in favor of it. The mayor also expressed during the same time support for this, both in the house and senate. And I noticed also the director of veterans affairs also penned a letter in support. So this is moving fast within the general assembly. And it appears that Thursday, I believe the house and the senate is going to the bills come coming before them, and, hopefully, they get to move it out.
So that's one of our wins, and we hope that, once it passes, both the house, the governor signs it and brings it back to us. And in the meantime, we're also looking at, our policy, team, which is represented here today by Tricia Tricia Badrielli. We're working on a resolution, sending also a a resolution up to the state house both for the house and senate leadership, along also to the governor, in support of this bill. So that way, it has a a full complement of support from the local municipal and, also, at the state level. Once we once that passed, we're also going to be looking at, what that percentage is going to be in terms of the discount, for veterans, also seniors, working with the administration at this time.
And then as you know, we're going through a very challenging time, budget wise, But I'm hopeful through our advocacy and through our efforts that it will be at least some increase from the $153 that our veterans are receiving. So any further questions or comments, director, if you would like to sign on it or not? We're good? Very good. Mhmm.
The next item would be discussion related to governance ordinance. I I think I covered that. We're gonna be working on the ordinance, and that has to deal with also, again, with the amount of of benefit that will be put forward the general the the body of the city council to, to look at and have discussion. Once that ordinance gets, drafted, hopefully, we'll also just share it with you, and, we'll have an opportunity to have it before the ordinance committee. And if you wish, you could also come that day that the ordinance will be heard before the ordinance committee.
Also, we encourage the director, other agencies to, pen a letter of support, when that comes. Any questions? Any discussion on that matter? Alright. On the third item, discussion relative to, the twenty twenty six Veterans Day parade and other events.
Open up the floor here. As you know, we've been discussing how how can we get, this parade or at least the the organization, forward? I know, commissioner Al said, had to express some some, information and so forth. So I'll open it up to you Thank you. Commissioner.
I, I had a phone conference, phone call with Alexis from ACT Mhmm. And, you know, just to ask some questions,
on what to look for and how to
go about certain things. So one one of the items that he said was I mean, obviously, we're gonna start by picking a a date, you know, if we're gonna actually do it on Veterans Day, because depending on if that, so Veterans Day twenty twenty six, you know, we're at our hundred and fifty years, two hundred and fifty years.
This year. Well, next Next Next year. Yeah.
So I know that there's gonna be a slew of events happening everywhere. So we just you know, making sure we're we're we stick with the date and time, and we need to pick a location, you know, from point a to point b. Mhmm. So everything starts city services. We have to fill out an application.
With the application, you have to have the the parade route provide some sort of, plan for security, a plan for police and fire, and funding. So, he stated that, like, with some of these parades and events, a lot of times it gets too costly, to have the police department pull all the security locations and whatnot. So there's the on the other end, you can go with private security. But there's a lot of factors, you know, how many roads would have to be closed down and and everything else that goes into it. So we we we need some sort of a funding source.
And then, also, if if there's going to be any sort of mat maybe match it up with the water fire. So if the water fire starts, you know, when it gets dark out, let's hypothetically say seven, we could back plan and potentially start the parade to kinda coincide with water fire. So maybe the potential end of the parade is, say, two hours before water fire. That way people that come for the parade are gonna stay in Providence, go get some food, and then hit the water fires.
So maybe trying to coordinate the two Mhmm. To keep everybody in Providence. That's what I got for that.
Yeah. That was that would be a discussion with probably this water fire and also with your director.
A a I can see the can. So the first Saturday in November is dedicated for the water fire. That's the last water official water fire event for the season. The event starts at 04:30. Mhmm.
Speaker program, it goes until the evening. There's a lot of prep work going into that day. So if you were to do it, it'll be a Saturday morning. Mhmm. And, roughly, the parades are tend to happen, start, push step off at 10:00, and it roughly runs about two hours, megabytes or two as well.
So and then you have plenty of runway either way to figure it out too, knowing that the water fire is that's the stone to be the first Saturday of November. Event starts at 04:30 in a series of prep work leading into that, for it to kick off that event that are happening that morning. But but it's mutually exclusive of the parade itself. So it's it's affordable for that day. Yeah.
I just wanna be mindful if you were to do it on Veterans Day proper, the eleventh, that's yeah. Now you compete with everyone else that are doing in parade on that time frame. Right. So a lot of the municipalities, they pick a date either Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, depending on how it how the municipality they pick Veterans Day off. Yeah.
The first Saturday is the seventh.
And that's Saturday. Yep. And then actual Veterans Day is Wednesday, eleventh?
Correct. The water fire will be that that first Saturday. We tried to do the second Saturday, but this timing because it didn't go back. Mhmm. And then now you've got tires and currents.
You have to deal with it. It becomes a safety issue. So we can't we try to do it. So only way it'd be possible if we did it on the eleventh, but even still, computer requirements. So the best day that we found based on lessons learned would be the first Saturday in November to do the water Veterans Waterpipe.
Yeah. And it starts at 04:30.
And does do you keep dates of different parades throughout Absolutely. The date? Correct. To see
are at. Where where they're at.
And I would I do that I do that because I can only be one one parade
And so And we wanna make sure that
yeah. That's yeah. That we're there. Correct. Yeah.
Correct. And so that that Saturday tends to be a good time knowing that it's the seventh, it is close to but it's close to the level. So Four days. Right. Would so you would your recommendation be
to do it that side? That side of the room. Okay. So one of the things I I also looked at, to see where, right, as you may how do we keep it centralized? How do we tie into this, with having that as an option, or off was to and I looked at a couple that I've been to over the years where there's North Providence, you know, Clansden and East Providence, usually, the parades are a mile, mile and a half.
Right? Not that long. So with that under consideration, just putting it on the floor in a sense of starting, I think it's important to What is
the pride what's the pride what's the pride parade, Robert?
Pride parade comes out here by the the library. K. Goes around loops around what's that? Washington Street? Washington PVD Performing Arts Center
And ends on that end. So when I was I looked at that too. It was for us to start off at at the Van Lee's Den Memorial Park, well, down down this way and end up around here. Or if we wanted to incorporate, veterans I
was gonna say, is there an identifying veterans location in Providence?
