Hello Friends & Neighbors,
What an eventful week in Providence. With the annual St. Patrick's Day parade down Smith Smith Street, a celebration of International Women's Day at City Hall -- so many opportunities to engage in our communities and see our friends & neighbors. And don't forget to double check that you've adjusted all of your clocks for this weekend's "Spring Ahead"!
Upcoming Events:
April 7th at 6pm: Town Hall at Hope High Co-Hosted with RI House Speaker Joe Shekarchi
As I talk with neighbors, one of the top concerns raised with me is the housing crisis. From rising costs to insufficient supply, the rising population of unhoused neighbors and folks being pushed out of our neighborhoods - housing is a top concern of mine at Council. We've made some early strides with the increased gentle density in the Comprehensive Plan and associated update to the Zoning Code in process - but there is so much more to do.
Speaker Shekarchi has been a real leader at the State level championing housing policy - including recent legislation addressing the Council's call for a State of Emergency on Homelessness to help streamline processes for emergency shelters. When I shared with him our community's interest in housing policy, we planned this Town Hall together to hear your thoughts and answer questions.
I am honored and so excited to host him in our neighborhood & hope you can join us on April 7th! If you cannot attend in person, it will also be recorded and aired on Capitol TV. Q&A will only be taken in person.
Upcoming Meetings & Events:
(All meeting agendas and minutes for official City meetings can be found on the open meetings portal).
Tuesday, March 11th at 5:30pm: Special Committee on HOPE
Wednesday, March 12th at 5:30pm: Special Committee on Environment & Resiliency: We'll hear two presentations on implementation plans for policies we passed last year -- Vision Zero & Building Energy Reporting/Net Zero Energy Municipal Buildings.
Thursday, March 13th at 5:30pm - Finance Committee
Wednesday, March 19th at 5:30: North Main Street Task Force regularly monthly meeting
Thursday, March 20th, 6pm: Full Council meeting in Council Chambers
Save the Date: April 26th: Earth Day at Lippitt Park! More details coming soon from the Friends of Lippitt Park
Save the Date: April 27th: Earth Day at North Burial Ground! More details coming soon!
City & Neighborhood Updates:
Revals, City Budget & Taxes:
Thank you to everyone who has reached out to ask questions and share concerns about the Reval process. I had a longer explanation of the Reval process in my last newsletter and discussed it at my last Community Meeting. But I wanted to share some additional information here.
First - we had a lengthy discussion about the Reval process at our last Finance Committee meeting and brought the City's vendor Vision Government Solutions to come speak with us and answer questions. It was a long meeting with many questions - and if you're interested in watching it, you can find the recording and notes here.
The City's Chief Financial Officer Larry Mancini also did a great job describing the annual process he and his team undergo called “Tax Equalization”, whereby the City Assessor, utilizing the City-wide revaluation values adjusts the rates, by classification, (Residential, Commercial Etc.) to rates, that when applied against the current revaluation values, to get near equal revenue of the prior fiscal year adopted levy.
What is the Levy?: The City's Tax Levy is the total amount collected by all of the property taxes each year. I think of it as one pie that is sliced up for various city priorities. There are rules in State law that the entire levy can only increase by up to 4% per year** - so the Tax Equalization process helps ensures the tax rates adjust based on the values of property and the allowable total level.
How is the Annual Levy Determined?: Through the Annual Budget process. The Mayor and his team develop a proposed budget. He addresses his priorities in an annual budget address in mid-April, at which point the budget is transmitted to the Council for the Finance Committee's review. I serve on the finance committee, and for the past two years, we've met several evenings per week between mid-April and mid-June to review each section of the budget thoroughly. We hold two public hearings: one on the Mayor's proposed budget and another on our proposed amendments. When we have the calendar, I will share it with you so you know when/how to best advocate and engage.
With the increased $11+ million obligation to the Public Schools and reductions in federal funding, we will be looking at making some hard decisions this year in the budget. Many folks have asked if budget cuts in other areas are on the table for the budget discussions, and the answer is yes. We will be looking for places where we can make cuts without major disruptions to important City Services.
Can you go above the 4% Levy Cap?: The City only has the taxation authority explicitly given to it by the State. The General Assembly can approve additional ability for the City to have taxes and fees, which can include one-time increases above the 4% cap.
There is a current proposal from the Mayor to go above the 4% cap to meet this additional obligation, and the Council will consider a resolution on whether to support that as it is heard by the General Assembly. The Council has also been looking into additional potential sources of revenue and taxation that do not put the full burden on residential property owners - some of which will be introduced at the General Assembly and some will be part of the annual budgeting process beginning in April. As I have more information, I will certainly share it!
Parking and Traffic Calming:
Big thank you to everyone who weighed in on recent letters they received from DPW about parking adjustments to Pleasant Street. The City will NOT be moving forward with changes to on-street parking on Pleasant Street.
Morris Ave between Doyle & Olney: I have received consistent notes from the neighborhood that parking on Morris between Doyle & Olney is a challenge for residents because of the students at Moses Brown blocking folks in & taking up neighborhood parking. The City will be installing parking signs to try to address this in the coming weeks. Please let me know if you have additional feedback after these have been installed.
Farmers Market Parking: I am so excited for the Lippitt Park Farmers Market to reopen in May (best farmers market in the state!). After conversations with neighbors on 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th & Chace - I asked the City's curbside parking administrator Melanie to address concerns by residents about folks parking on both sides of these streets and blocking residents into their driveways and preventing emergency vehicles from traveling on these streets. We should see some signage when the market opens to address this.
Block Parties:
It's getting to be the season for Block Parties! I love how many of our streets and mini-neighborhoods have small block parties every year - it's such a lovely way to build and celebrate community! (I'm always down to pop by if you give me a heads up -- but no pressure!).
The City has a process for applying for a special events permit if you're looking to close a road. You can find the special use permit application here. I also have a longer powerpoint I can share with you if you'd like to see details of the process spelled out -- just shoot me a note, and I'll send it over! Please make sure you give ample time for your permit application (at least 3 weeks prior to the event for an event with under 500 people), and please feel welcome to give me a heads up that you're submitting an application.
Providence Water Questions:
Providence Water joined us at our last community meeting to answer questions about lead service line replacements and the letters many of us received over the holidays. I wanted to share some follow up information from them with you:
Helpful links:
Providence Water Resources about Lead: Lead Center | Providence Water
To check your service line material and free replacement eligibility: Lead Service Location Map | Providence Water
To sign up for a free replacement: Accelerated Lead Service Line Replacement Program | Providence Water
How to identify and report your service line material to Providence Water: Quick Guide to Determine Your Service Line Material | Providence Water
Contact Information:
Questions about eligibility for free lead service line replacement contact the Lead Service Line Replacement Hotline contact (401) 575-0776 or PWleadfree@cdmsmith.com.
Questions about your service line material, lead testing, or 10-year loan program for lead service line replacement contact PW Water Quality Hotline at 401-521-6303 or PWWaterQuality@provwater.com
Gratitude:
Thank you for the opportunity to serve this community and this City. I am so inspired every day by how engaged and passionate our neighbors are about our city, our schools, and this state.
I would love to continue to serve - and I hope many of you can join me at my Spring Fundraiser at Wild Colonial on Monday, March 10th from 6-8. If you cannot join but would like to donate, you can use this link. If you can't donate, you're still more than welcome to attend and enjoy an evening with friends and neighbors. I am so grateful for your support & honored to serve.
With Gratitude,
Councilwoman Sue AnderBois
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