Hello Friends & Neighbors,
Spring has arrived - and with it, longer days and warmer weather. I hope you are able to take some time to enjoy some time outside in our neighborhood -- this time of year, I am always grateful to our neighbors with beautiful gardens and also to the Parks Department for creating and maintaining so many lovely spaces in our community.
As always, there's a lot going on in Providence, so I'll get right into it.
Town Hall: April 7th at 6pm at Hope High - Special Guest House Speaker Joe Shekarchi:
I hope you can join Speaker Shekarchi & I for a special Town Hall on Monday, April 7th at Hope High. So many of the issues we face as a City - and especially the housing crisis - need partnership and collaboration across state and municipal government. I am so excited for this Town Hall conversation and for the Speaker to take time during the middle of their legislative session to join us in our community.
Taxes, Levy, Budget Season - What's Next?
I know many of us in the community are very concerned about the upcoming tax year -- especially with the revaluation process that just occurred and the news about the tax levy cap and upcoming budget cycle. I hear you & I know any upward changes in taxes bills would have personal consequences on each of us in different ways. I have also seen some misinformation spread online, so wanted to transparently continue to share additional information here. It's important that residents and business owners know about the City Finances and also when/where they can participate and advocate in the process.
First - Finance Chairwoman Helen Anthony & her team did a really great explainer of the reval process & how property taxes work. You can find that resource here.
"Tax Levy" - What Is It?: The phrase tax levy keeps being used in the news. Tax Levy is the sum total of all the taxes that the City collects in a year. By state law, that sum total can only increase up to 4% a year, without explicit additional permission from the General Assembly. To use simple math, if the total amount of taxes collected by the City from all taxpayers (residential and commercial) was $100 million**, the total levy can only increase by $4 million the following year. (**The real number is closer to $400 million).
How can the Tax Levy increase?: A) The levy can increase through natural growth in the City. For example, if more buildings get built, we are able to collect additional revenue from new sources. This is what happened last budget cycle, where we increased the levy ~2% but did not raise taxes. B) The tax bills for taxpayers can be increased across the different types of taxpayer groups that exist (owner-occupied residential, non-owner occupied residential, commercial). C) Some combination of the two.
Did the Council vote to increase taxes by 8%? No. The tax rates are only set through the budget process, which has not occurred yet. The Council voted on an amended resolution to ask the General Assembly to pass legislation that would provide "a one-year levy cap exemption with a maximum total levy increase of 8%, to be used as procedural tool allowing for more flexibility and options as the City seeks to pass in the development and passage of a balanced budget this upcoming Spring." We included many guardrails on this request and explicitly did not commit to approving an 8% increase in the budget.
Why do we need to ask the General Assembly for permission? The City only has the taxing authority given to us by the State. To go over 4%, even in planning, we need permission. The timing of the General Assembly session and our budget planning periods overlap, so we need to ask for permission now, whether or not we end up using it.
What else can be done? As I've shared before, we know that this will be a difficult budget year. The Council leadership team (including myself) and our staff have been spending countless hours developing proposals for additional sources of revenue -- including poring over every fine and fee and loophole we can find to help fill the budget gaps. Some of these are currently also under consideration at the General Assembly, and some we can push forward ourselves in the budget process. When we have the proposed budget before us, we will also be seriously looking at places where we can cut that won't impact necessary services.
When does the budget get set?: The Mayor is developing his proposed budget right now. He will present it to the Council and the City in mid-April. After that, the Council finance team will hold public meetings through early June with every department to pore over their budgets. We will also hold public hearings for comments and ideas. I will share these calendars with you once they are set. The total budget is where the tax levy and tax rates are set -- this is the opportunity to share your concerns and ideas.
I know these are challenging issues. I am so grateful to all of you who reached out with ideas for new sources of revenue, places where things could be cut, or just your personal experiences.
Upcoming Important Dates, Meetings, and Events:
April 9th, 5:30pm - The Council Special Committee on the Environment & Resilience will hear a presentation about the ProvPort Master Plan - a planning process that this Council required to renew the ProvPort lease in 2023.
April 12th: Tree Planting with the Summit Neighborhood Association! Get your hands dirty and help plant trees across Ward 3! To sign up, email: kloeblenemily@gmail.com
April 14th: Yard Waste Pick-Up Resumes. Just in time for spring cleaning! Please bag it in yard waste bags, or have trash bins that are labeled for yard waste. **I will bring yard waste stickers to the Town Hall on the 7th if you need to label your bin.
Events at the Rochambeau Library: There are always way more events happening at the library that I could ever share with you here - but I suggest you bookmark their events page and check it regularly! https://clpvd.org/clpvd_library/rochambeau-library/#events
Hope Street Farmers Market Returns - first weekend in May in Lippitt Park!
Save the Date: Porchfest returns on June 7th! A wonderful day of music on porches across the east side -- all run by volunteers.
Gratitude:
As always, I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve. Your commitments to & concerns for our community inspire me every day. Please reach out to me any time with questions or concerns or ideas! I hope to see many of you at our Town Hall on the 7th!
With Gratitude,
Councilor Sue AnderBois
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