As the Chairwoman of the Committee on Urban Redevelopment, Renewal and Planning, I would first like to apologize for the confusion caused by last night’s committee meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the proposed Council resolution opposing the Rhode Island Department of Transportation’s plans for a multi-hub bus system in Downtown Providence.

While the committee planned to hear from Rhode Island Department of Transportation representatives, concerned Council members and community members on the proposed multi-hub bus system, miscommunication regarding the nature of this meeting created an issue.

Last night’s meeting was not formally advertised as a public hearing. This means that the details of the meeting and its agenda were not circulated widely enough to ensure that any concerned community member would have the opportunity to share their thoughts with the committee. Moving forward, the URRP Committee will be working with the Clerk’s office to schedule a legitimate public hearing and advertise it as such.

Although there were many concerned community members ready to speak last night, I have no doubt that there are more residents out there who would also like to share their thoughts, and we owe it to them to provide that opportunity.

While the Providence City Council has no authority over this matter, as it is a State transit plan, our goal is to facilitate stakeholder discussions and act as a community liaison between transit riders and the Department of Transportation. I look forward to facilitating this important community discussion.

Mary Kay Harris

Deputy Majority Leader-Providence City Council

Chairwoman- Committee on Urban Redevelopment, Renewal and Planning

Councilwoman- Ward 11