In March, Providence’s City Council reached a tipping point with the embattled Board of Licenses, hiring former R.I. Attorney General Jeffrey Pine to investigate the city board charged with licensing and regulating businesses following complaints about how it conducted hearings and issued rulings. Six months and $10,000 later, Pine’s report lambasts the board for its abject procedures, inefficiencies and inconsistencies.
“It is abundantly clear that at present the board is not serving the citizens of Providence at an acceptable or required standard, and that significant changes are necessary in several areas,” wrote Pine.
The former attorney general, who now practices law at Lynch and Pine Attorneys at Law LLC, recommends a host of changes that he believes – if implemented – could help curb many of the raised issues.
But many of his suggestions have been made before.
In 2012, City Council approved a review of nightlife safety and the licensing process after the prior year, when there were 290 incidents and violations issued at nightclubs in Providence. The review, headed by the Ordinances Committee, resulted in a host of recommendations, including many for the Board of Licenses. They sound very similar to Pine’s report, released on Sept. 12.
The Board of Licenses should “establish guidelines for licenses, and penalties for license violations, including suspension and revocation,” according to the 2012 report. Pine’s report echoes the sentiment, saying there’s a “lack of consistency and uniformity in penalties and manner in which violations are handled.”
Even the development of guidelines – which are supposed to dictate board processes – hasn’t seemed to come far. The committee in 2012 said the Law Department was “in the process of drafting rules and regulations for the board.” Pine found the board’s operations and procedures manual is “in the process of being updated by the legal counsel to the board.”
In 2012, the report said the board should “strengthen policies and procedures for hearings.” Pine’s report said, “Hearings are informal and often disorganized, the appropriate administrative hearing standards are not consistently met.”
So what difference will Pine’s report make?
Council President Luis A. Aponte “is hopeful that these reforms will be implemented soon,” according to a statement that accompanied the Pine report. Council Majority Whip Jo-Ann Ryan – a strong advocate for the Pine report – insisted the review is part of the council’s “ongoing effort to bolster and grow the city’s economy.”
Mayor Jorge O. Elorza declined to comment on the specifics of the report, and instead pointed to other efforts he’s made within City Hall to improve the experience for businesses.
“We look forward to continue working to make our licensing function, as well as every department in our city, as streamlined as possible,” Elorza said. •
