Mayor: Why I’m vetoing the City Council’s budget

Mayor outlines stance on City Council’s budget amendments

Open letter to the residents of Woonsocket:

“Too bad” Too bad, was the message sent by the five member majority of the City Council last Monday night to the taxpayers of Woonsocket. In their efforts to exert their political will over the FY’18 budget, these councilors stripped next year’s budget of the tools our City needs to respond to the growing needs of its taxpayers and an improving local economy.

For nearly four years, I have worked hard with the taxpayers of our City to restore fiscal stability after years of mismanagement. During that time, we have implemented responsible budgets, resisted additional borrowing, and invested in initiatives that improve the quality of life in Woonsocket.

The result of Monday’s meeting threatens to disrupt that progress and hinder the work that brought our City back from the brink of bankruptcy. Too bad, indeed.

I believe that local government needs to be equipped with the necessary tools to meet the needs of the taxpayers in our community. My proposed FY’18 budget advocated for lower residential and commercial taxes while ensuring that we invested in key initiatives and City departments. As Mayor, and also a taxpayer in Woonsocket, responsible for managing the day to day needs of our community, I see the value to this approach – a careful balance between keeping spending in check while investing in areas that will pay dividends.

Instead, the majority of the council voted for a return to austerity – cutting funding for blight removal, slashing funding to pay for the future health care obligations made to our retirees, and eliminating positions that would allow city government to better respond to the needs of the taxpayers of our City.

Those initiatives and positions represent best practices within local government. In fact, past mayors had the benefit of having the following positions filled. Our Chief of Police identified the Deputy Chief position as a benefit to our newly accredited department – it would improve efficiency and operations within the department responsible for public safety. Our Director of Public Works identified the Infrastructure Coordinator as a position that would bolster an understaffed department that oversees road paving, water, wastewater, highway, solid waste, engineering, and parks & recreation. The return of an Economic Development Director would allow City Hall to meet the needs of a rising local economy, which would ultimately benefit our taxpayers by generating new revenue, jobs, and commerce. Directing funds towards the City’s future health care liabilities has been recognized by financial credit rating agencies as a key indicator in the City’s renewed fiscal outlook – and quite frankly is a move that departs from the “kick the can down the road” mentality of past leaders. Blight removal is critical for improving quality of life and putting a stop to properties that drag down the value and quality of our neighborhoods – another problem two decades in the making. Filling these positions and receiving the benefit of these modest investments far outweighs the cost of leaving them vacant.

Within the City of Woonsocket, we are fortunate to have a hardworking and devoted team of directors and staffers that represent the backbone of local government. Unfortunately, the gutted budget offered by the majority of the council impedes the work that our City departments are charged with. Their tireless work, achieved with taxpayer support, has led to noticeable progress and was set by the wayside when a majority of the council chose to ignore their informed departmental budget requests.

As Mayor, I have a responsibility to the residents and taxpayers of our City to make sure they get the best services for their hard-earned tax dollars. The City Council’s amended budget does not allow the City to best meet the needs of the taxpayers. That is why I will be exercising my authority to veto those Council amendments that are detrimental to the long and short term fiscal health of the City. I cannot support any budget amendments that threaten to disrupt the progress Woonsocket has made over nearly four years.