Every officer of the city, whether elective or appointive, shall before entering upon the duties of such officer's respective office take or subscribe to such oath or affirmation as may be required by the laws of the state or by ordinance, which oath or affirmation shall be filed and kept in the office of the city clerk.
(Approved at referendum 11/3/1998)
All ordinances of the city and all rules, regulations and orders of any department, board, commission, office or agency of the city, in force at the effective date of this Charter, to the extent that they are consistent with the provisions of this Charter, shall remain in force and effect until amended or repealed in the manner provided therein.
It is the policy of the City of Cranston that all municipal elected and appointed officials and employees and members of boards, commissions and agencies must adhere to the highest standards of ethical conduct, respect the public trust and the rights of all persons, be open, accountable, and responsive, avoid the appearance of impropriety, and not use their position for private gain or advantage.
The Code of Ethics, as set forth in Title 36, Chapter 14, of the General Laws of the State of Rhode Island 1956, as amended, as referred to in Article III, Section 8, of the Constitution of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, be and hereby is adopted as the Code of Ethics of the City of Cranston.
(Res. No. 91-74, §§ 2, 3, 10/28/1991, approved by referendum 11/3/1992)
Whenever the city solicitor or the head of any other department finds it necessary to employ special counsel, architects, engineers, experts or consultants in connection with any bond issue, suit, trial, investigation, research project, study or preparation of plans for any building or public work or improvement, the solicitor or other department head may with the approval of the mayor and within the limits of the appropriation applicable thereto engage such services on a contractual basis. The terms of every such contract, including the payment arrangements and fee agreements shall be reported to the city council at the next regular meeting, and an updated accounting of the expenditures and obligations related to each such contract shall be disclosed to the council no later than every sixty days thereafter.
There shall be an advisory committee on architects and engineers consisting of two city councilmembers and the chief engineer of the City of Cranston. One councilmember from the majority party shall be appointed by the majority and one from the minority party shall be appointed by the council minority, and ifthere be no minority party both shall be from the majority party. Council appointments shall expire in January following each general election and vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
Except for school buildings and facilities, prior to approving the employment of any architect or engineer for the preparation of plans for any buildings or public work or improvement where the fee will exceed five thousand dollars, the mayor shall call a meeting with and discuss the proposed employment with the advisory committee on architects and engineers. After discussion and consideration of the ability, past performance, availability to carry out the employment, and other matters relating to the qualifications of the architect or engineer, the committee may offer the mayor such advice as it sees fit. The functions of the committee, however, shall be purely advisory and the final responsibility for the approval of architects and engineers shall rest solely with the Mayor; however, the Mayor shall not, except by prior committee consent, approve an architect or engineer until at least seven days have elapsed from the date of the meeting with the advisory committee.
(Res. No. 74-171, 11/25/1974, approved by referendum 6/24/1975; approved at referendum 11/3/1998)
Whenever the exercise of any power or the performance of any duty conferred or imposed on the city by the constitution or laws of the State of Rhode Island requires the acquisition ofland lying within the city, or any interest therein, the city shall have the power to acquire such necessary land or interest therein and may take the same upon payment to the owner or owners thereof of just compensation therefor in any manner hereinafter set forth; provided, that the provisions of this section shall be alternative to and not exclusive of other methods of taking property for public purposes which now are or may hereafter be provided by law.
Proceedings for the taking of land or any interest therein may be begun by the introduction in the council by the mayor, or, with the mayor's approval, by the director of public works, of an ordinance declaring the necessity of such taking, which shall include:
(a) 
A description of the land or an interest therein which is proposed to be taken;
(b) 
A statement of the necessity of such taking to the completion of the project included in a capital budget previously adopted, or of a project otherwise authorized by the council after approval by the city plan commission;
(c) 
A map or plan showing the land proposed to be taken, in relation to such project; and
(d) 
An estimate of the sum required for the payment of just compensation for the land, or interest therein, proposed to be taken.
The proposed ordinance together with notice of the time and place of a public hearing thereon shall be published as a paid advertisement in a newspaper of general circulation in the city and county in which it is situated once a week for two successive weeks, the last publication to be at least one week prior to the time fixed for the hearing. A copy of the proposed ordinance together with the notice of hearing shall be sent by registered mail at least ten days before the date fixed for the hearing to each owner of record of any portion of land proposed to be taken, or of any interest therein, at each said owner's last-known address as shown by the records of the city assessor and city clerk. After such hearing if the council shall adopt the proposed ordinance by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of its members such action shall establish a conclusive presumption of the necessity of the proposed taking.
A certified copy of the ordinance as adopted shall thereupon be filed with the land records of the city in the office of the city clerk and another certified copy with the superior court of the county. The court shall proceed to fix, by taking testimony if it deems necessary, a sum in its judgment amply sufficient to cover just compensation for the taking of all the land described in the said ordinance and all interests therein. Upon the city paying into the court the full amount so fixed title to such land shall pass to the city and it shall be entitled to take immediate possession thereof.
Notice of such taking including a description of the land taken with a map or plat thereof and a statement of the sum paid into court by the city shall be served by the sheriff of the county or his duty on each owner of record of any portion of the land taken or of any interest therein, personally or by leaving such notice at each said owner's last and usual place of abode with some person living there. The mayor on behalf of the city shall cause such notice to be published as a paid advertisement in a newspaper of general circulation in the county once a week for three successive weeks. If thereafter the mayor or an officer of the city designated by the mayor, and the owner of any portion of the land taken or of any interest therein, shall agree upon the amount of compensation to be paid by the city, the court shall order the sum agreed upon to be paid to such owner from the moneys deposited with the court as just compensation awarded in this proceeding. The owners of any portion of the land taken or of any interest therein who cannot agree with the city or its representative concerning the sum to be paid a just compensation may, within three months after personal service of the notice above provided and if not personally served within one year from the first publication of such notice, petition the superior court of the county in which the land is situated for assessment of damages by a jury. Upon twenty days' notice to the mayor of the city the court may proceed to try the matter with a jury. Such trial shall determine the sum to be paid the petitioner as just compensation for the land or interest therein taken by the city. Such determinations shall constitute a judgment against the city which shall first be satisfied from the moneys deposited with the court and if the balance thereof is not sufficient, in the same manner as are other judgments against the city.
(Approved at referendum 11/3/1998)
[1]
Editor's note: For act validating this section, see chapter 183 of the Public Laws of 1963.
All records and accounts of the city council, the mayor and of every department, board, commission, office and agency of the city shall be open to public inspection at all reasonable times during business hours except: (a) Those of the departments of police and law the disclosure of which would tend to defeat the lawful purpose which they are intended to accomplish; (b) those of the department of public welfare pertaining to the history of individual cases; (c) those of the department of records pertaining to the adoptions and parentage of adopted children; (d) those of the school committee pertaining to the grades and matters of discipline of individual pupils; (e) all other records required by law to be treated as confidential. Any person inspecting public records as above provided shall be permitted to make written copies or abstracts of any such records. It shall be the duty of any officer or employee of the city having custody or control or any records or accounts open to public inspection as above provided, to furnish as expeditiously as possible to any person requesting the same a certified copy of any such record or account or any portion thereof upon payment of a reasonable charge for the preparation of the copy. Any person who shall have been refused access to any records or accounts properly open to public inspection under the provisions of this Charter, for the purpose of inspecting or making copies or abstracts of the same, or who shall not have been furnished within a reasonable time a copy or copies of any such record or account which such person shall have requested and for which such person shall have offered to pay any reasonable charge, shall, have the right individually to petition a court of competent jurisdiction for appropriate process to compel the officer, employee or body responsible for the custody and control of the records or accounts concerned to make the same accessible or to furnish on payment of reasonable charge therefor the copy or copies requested.
(Approved at referendum 11/3/1998)
Chapter and section titles have been included in this Charter solely for the convenience of those consulting it and shall not affect the construction to be given to any of its provisions.
If any section or part of a section of this Charter proves to be unconstitutional or otherwise invalid the same shall not be held to invalidate or impair the validity, force or effect of any other section or part of a section of this Charter unless it clearly appears from the context that such other section or part of a section is wholly and necessarily dependent for its operation upon the section or part of a section held unconstitutional or invalid.
Amendments to this Charter shall be proposed by the city council and adopted by the people of the city in the manner provided by the constitution of the State of Rhode Island.
Commencing in calendar year 2018 and every ten (10) years thereafter, a Charter Review Commission shall be appointed to review the Cranston Home Rule Charter and to make recommendations to the council on proposed amendments.
(Res. No. 2010-47, §§ 1, 2, 5/24/2010, approved at referendum 11/2/2010)
Whenever the mayor or council appoints a member to any municipal board, agency, committee, or commission, a written notice of the appointment with the term thereof shall be filed with the city clerk by the appointing authority. The city clerk shall maintain a register of all members and appointees of all municipal boards, agencies, committees and commissions, including name, address, date of appointment and date of expiration of term for each appointee; and such register shall be published as part of the annual report of the city. The city clerk shall notify the appointing authority and the appointee in writing at least thirty days prior to the expiration of the appointee's term of office.
If a member of the municipal board, agency, committee, or commission is not reappointed, then any action taken by him subsequent to ninety days after his term shall have expired shall be null and void and of no effect.
(Res. No. 73-122, 6/25/1973, § 18, approved by referendum, 8/7/1973; approved at referendum 11/3/1998)
The official seal of the City of Cranston shall not be used or reproduced by any person for any purpose but official city business, nor shall the city seal or a reproduction of it be affixed to any but official city documents, unless otherwise provided by law.
(Approved at referendum 11/3/1998)