Woonsocket City Council moves ahead on budget plan
WOONSOCKET – The City Council moved a step closer to finalizing the city’s proposed $140.8 million budget for the coming fiscal year after meeting with Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt and members of her administration on the budget plan in Harris Hall.
The session did not include public questions on the budget since the council has already held that portion of its budget review but Council President Daniel Gendron did ask the mayor to go over the list of budget questions raised by local residents, which she did.
Gendron said the council will likely act on the budget when it meets for its regular session on June 19, the date now scheduled for that action. A work session will be held at 6:30 p.m. on June 19 which could include a closed session on some of the personnel account increases the mayor is proposing if specific employees are discussed.
Council members Christopher Beauchamp and Melissa Murray both voiced support on Monday for proposed new positions in the budget, that of economic development director at a salary of $75,000, a new infrastructure coordinator for public works at a salary of $75,000, and the existing business outreach coordinator post at $42,000, that the council has already sought to eliminate.
“I think we should look favorably to some of these positions we have and what they do,” Beauchamp said. “I think we are missing the boat,” he offered while pointing to how Pawtucket has used similar positions in its local government to help spur its downtown renaissance. Although some might contend Woonsocket is too poor of a community to do the same and can’t change that, he argued, Beauchamp pointed to the positions as a way to do just that. “You can change it,” the council member said.
Murray also voiced support for economic development and event promotion improvements in the budget while contending “we want to provide residents with things to do because that request is coming from city residents.”
Murray said she had once been against creating the position of economic development director because of the city’s past financial difficulties but changed that view given the more recent improvement in the local economy.
“We are in a different place right now and we have seen Woonsocket grow,” she said.
“I think these positions are vital to bringing in new businesses but will also help shift the focus to existing businesses,” she said. Many times, Murray noted, the city focuses on trying to attract new businesses but could also ask its existing businesses if their needs are being met at the same time.
The council also had a discussion with the mayor on some personnel account pay increases she may be proposing and Baldelli-Hunt said she would like to meet with panel in closed session on personnel to air any proposals that may be included in the budget.
Councilman James Cournoyer asked if the proposals could be submitted to the panel prior to a meeting on Monday and Baldelli-Hunt said she would do that. Councilman Richard Fagnant said he did not want to discuss the budget proposals in closed session but after hearing Gendron indicate the session may only air specific salary proposals after they were submitted to the panel, he too agreed to the brief closed session if needed on Monday prior to the Council’s regular session at 7 p.m.
While reviewing the list of resident questions with Baldelli-Hunt, Gendron asked what would be the impact of Landmark Medical Center’s proposed change from for-profit operation to non-profit on the budget.
Baldelli-Hunt said Landmark’s request would not have an impact on the current budget proposal. “It would take effect potentially the year after,” she said. For budget purposes, the mayor said, there would be no budget change from Landmark’s $1.6 million annual tax contribution until the end of its original 5-year conversion approval plan.
As for public safety position increases in the budget, Baldelli-Hunt referred the personnel question to Deputy Finance Director Cindy Johnston who listed the fire department as having the same number of members, 107, proposed as the number approved in the current budget.
The Police Department, with 92 members, is adding three positions under the overall six-position increase in Baldelli-Hunt’s budget proposal, according to Johnston.
“The police department is adding two officers and a deputy chief,” Johnston said.
Baldelli-Hunt said Police Chief Thomas F. Oates Jr. had actually requested five new officers and a deputy chief for the coming year.
“We reduced it from five officers to two and the deputy chief,” Baldelli-Hunt said.
The mysterious charge for land rental at the Public Library is actually an annual fee, $5,000, that the city pays each year to National Grid for use of a parcel of land to the right of the library as additional parking, Baldelli-Hunt explained. It has been an ongoing arrangement that preceded her administration, she noted.
A question over clothing allowances at City Hall was explained as the same contractual allotment for city hall and public safety employees that have been in place for prior budgets. Baldelli-Hunt said she did not get a clothing allowance and confirmed with Johnston for the council that there have been no increases proposed in those contractual requirements.
The budget Baldelli-Hunt is proposing represents approximately $3.3 million more than current spending, a change of about 2.5 percent, but also cuts local residential taxes by about 3 percent to $30.84 per 1000 assessed value.
Commercial taxpayers would see less of a tax reduction in the rate they pay, a reduction from $38.34 per 1000 to $37.44 per 1000 under the mayor’s plan.