Hearing on city budget held tonight
WOONSOCKET – The City Council will hold a public hearing tonight on Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt’s proposed $140.8 million spending plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
The public’s only opportunity to offer feedback on the proposed taxcut budget is scheduled to begin in Harris Hall at 6:30 p.m., but it’s the second of two items on the agenda and won’t likely get started until somewhat later. Also on the agenda is a hearing on a plan to prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products.
Despite the mayor’s offer of a tax cut, Council Vice President Jon Brien urges members of the general public to attend the hearing.
“I think it’s important for us to know what the public sentiment is because ultimately we’re working for them,” said Brien. “We need to take their temperature before we go into deliberations to determine what kind of footing we’re going to put the city on going forward.”
While the budget represents an increase of roughly $3.3 million in spending, or about 2.4 percent, the plan proposed by Baldelli-Hunt would also cut residential tax rates from $31.84 per thousand to $30.84, a reduction of more than 3 percent.
A property owner who qualifies for the homestead exemption could save $112 a year on a residence worth $150,000 if the tax cut takes effect as proposed, officials say.
Commercial tax rates, which are currently among the state’s highest, would also shrink slightly under the mayor’s spending plan. Currently set at $38.34 per thousand, the commercial rate would be scaled back to $37.99 – slightly less than a percent.
Most of the wiggle room the administration has found to cut taxes is coming from increases in state and federal spending for the Woonsocket Education Department. All but about $518,000 of the proposed spending increase is covered by more generous allotments in school aid from the state and federal government.
While overall spending in the budget increases 2.4 percent, school spending accounts for most of the hike.
About $72.2 million in all is dedicated for schools, and most of that comes from federal and state sources. The share of school spending that would be contributed
exclusively by local taxpayers is $16.1 million – the same for at least three years in a row.
Among the biggest-ticket items on the municipal site are debt service, about $15 million; and public safety, checking in at a combined $18.5 million for police and fire. Baldelli-Hunt is also seeking $700,000 to maintain the city’s in-house road reconstruction program and $490,000 to replenish an account used for razing blight- ed and unsightly properties.
While taxes are appear to be in line for a cut, the council has nevertheless vowed to scour the budget for unnecessary – or unwanted – spending as the panel exercises its power to adjust the mayor’s proposal in the weeks ahead. Upon the mayor’s delivery of the spending plan to the council about two weeks ago, a major bone of contention that appears to have set the tone for deliberations was her continued support for the position of public relations and business liaison coordinator, currently held by Blake Collins.
Although the council voted to defund the position effective April 29, Baldelli-Hunt not only retained Collins through the end of the fiscal year, she resurrected it in the proposed fiscal year 2018 budget. One councilman said it’s imperative the panel leave no “scrap on the table” in order to avoid such clashes of will with the administration going forward.
The mayor has repeatedly defended the need for retaining Collins and other positions needed to support economic growth and commercial investment.
“We are witnessing business development as a result of a healthier economy throughout the city in areas like Main Street and Diamond Hill Road,” the mayor says in a preamble to the 149-page budget. “My administration has made great progress in our economic development efforts and we must show relentless devotion to meeting the growing needs of our local economy by having the necessary staff to find and develop growth opportunities...”