by Abigail Appel | Oct 20, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-1, Ward-10, Ward-11, Ward-12, Ward-13, Ward-14, Ward-15, Ward-2, Ward-3, Ward-4, Ward-5, Ward-6, Ward-7, Ward-8, Ward-9
At last week’s City Council meeting, the Council approved a resolution proposed by the Committee on Finance to extend the City’s contract with Waste Management of Rhode Island by three years. Led by Chairman John J. Igliozzi, Esq. (Ward 7), the Finance Committee has deliberated over necessary improvements in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and environmental concerns.
“The contract with Waste Management was very one-sided and didn’t benefit the needs of our residents. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City has seen a larger amount of waste due to many people and families working from home, and some people are illegally dumping bulky items on the side of the road. This can lead to unsafe and unsanitary conditions in our neighborhoods. I am confident that this contract will make Waste Management more efficient and reliable while also helping residents save some money,” stated Chairman John J. Igliozzi, Esq.
This contract includes a commitment to embracing green initiatives, such as better access to recycling for residents and the use of waste collection vehicles powered by natural gas. Additionally, the contract has been amended to eliminate fees for mattress and box spring collection to residents beginning in January of 2022. Currently, the cost for mattress collection is $26, which has proven to be too expensive for many residents.
“This plan will not only promote public health by keeping our City clean and green, but it will also promote the financial health of Providence residents by making important waste management services such as mattress collection free as of January 1, 2022. I spend almost every Saturday driving through Ward 8 and picking up discarded mattresses. With so many in our communities on fixed incomes or not working due to the current pandemic, we need to provide relief when and where we can. I firmly believe that removing the cost barrier for residents to dispose of mattresses and box springs properly will exponentially cut down on the mattresses that are dumped on the side of the road all around the City,” added Councilman James E. Taylor (Ward 8).
In addition to eliminating mattress collection fees in 2022, the contract includes a plan to create a “mattress fund,” which will be utilized by the City of Providence when a mattress cannot be collected by Waste Management and must be disposed of by the City. “This is another step in saving our resident’s money, and I would like to thank Chairman Igliozzi and my fellow Committee on Finance members for taking these steps for our residents,” continued Councilman James E. Taylor.
As approved by the City Council, the contract will continue until July of 2023, when the Finance committee will again reassess Waste Management procedures in the City of Providence.
Read the full resolution here.
To learn more, visit us on the web at council.providenceri.gov
by Abigail Appel | Oct 15, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-1
At tonight’s City Council meeting, Councilman John Goncalves (Ward 1) proposed resolution, passed by the Council, requesting that the Department of Planning coordinates periodic workshops on Zoning practices and procedures in the City of Providence. This resolution has been co-sponsored by Council President Sabina Matos (Ward 15), Council President Pro Tempore Michael Correia (Ward 6), Senior Deputy Majority Leader Nicholas J. Narducci Jr. (Ward 4), Councilman Pedro Espinal (Ward 11), Councilor David A. Salvatore (Ward 14), Councilwoman Nirva R. LaFortune (Ward 3) and Councilwoman Carmen Castillo (Ward 9).
“As someone who supports robust development in our city that’s also aligned with the community, it is in the best interest of the City of Providence that there is an educated public that understands how to best engage in processes related to zoning matters. From time to time, communities are faced with contentious zoning matters that tend to create public confusion and frustration. Our goal is to alleviate this disconnect, and make public engagement and discourse regarding city planning more accessible,” stated Councilman John Goncalves.
This resolution requests that the Department of Planning and Development along with the Zoning Board of Review coordinate public workshops to better explain the distinctive roles of the City Plan Commission, the Historic District Commission, the Downtown Design Review Committee, the Capital Center Commission and the overall zoning processes and procedures. These workshops will be aimed at improving public understanding of matters pertaining to land development and economic growth in the City of Providence.
“By hosting periodic workshops to better articulate the intricacies of the zoning process, the Department of Planning would provide a setting where members of the public would be ale to better understand, ask questions and learn more about the City’s zoning authorities and the limitations of the Zoning Board of Review,” added Councilman Goncalves.
The Providence Zoning Board of Review is tasked with enforcing the Providence Zoning Code, which governs land development in the City of Providence through limitations on the types of land uses allowed in a particular district and dimensional requirements that apply to development of a given parcel of land. In the event that a developer wishes to deviate in some way from zoning requirements, they may request relief from the Zoning code from the Zoning Board of Review.
by Abigail Appel | Oct 15, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
Statement from Council President Sabina Matos in Response to Mayor Saying We Can’t Have “Both” New Police Academy and Reinvestment:
“I wish the Mayor would spend more time collaborating and resolving to address this issue of rampant violence in our City in partnership with the City Council rather than taking such a prideful contrarian stance.
When a shooting occurred on Dorchester Avenue, just a stone’s throw away from both of our homes just five days ago, I reached out to the Mayor and asked him how we could work together to address this issue plaguing every corner of our City. I have yet to receive a response.
His tone-deafness on the issue of violence is alarming and concerning. His quip of not being able to have it “both ways” (referring to a police academy and reinvestment) is a fallacy, simplistic, divisive, and disingenuous.
It is possible to both support a new academy to maintain a healthy number of police officers to replace those at-risk of retiring or leaving, while also diverting funds into initiatives and programs that better serve the needs of the community. Furthermore, it’s through new academies that we are able to diversify the department to better reflect the demographics of our communities.
I stand by my statement that we as a Council cannot pass a status quo police budget and that investments need to be made wisely and guided by the principles of preservation of public safety and community empowerment.
Now is not the time to pick a fight, Mayor. Please call me back and let’s talk about solutions.”
Sabina Matos
President-Providence City Council
Councilwoman-Ward 15
by Abigail Appel | Oct 13, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-11, Ward-15, Ward-2, Ward-4, Ward-5, Ward-6, Ward-7, Ward-8, Ward-9
Tonight, the City Council’s Committee on Finance adopted a new Compensation and Classification (Comp & Class) portion of the Fiscal Year (FY) ’21 Budget. The Council previously passed the tax levy keeping property taxes level and ensured no tax increase for residents. The Mayor’s Comp & Class budget, as submitted, called for the filling of vacant positions at a cost to the City’s taxpayers of just over $4 Million, and with revenues from speed cameras, school speed cameras, parking meters, hotel occupancy taxes, and food and beverage taxes all at record lows and have not yet received the City’s full Thirty-Two Million dollar pilot payment from the State (a payment from the State the City in lieu of taxes for state-owned properties), the Committee felt compelled to ensure the safety of the current workforce by removing these budgeted positions. The third and final portion of the FY ’21 budget, the appropriations portion, will not be taken up until the State passes its Budget.
“The fiscal forecast for the City of Providence is in peril,” stated Chairman on the Committee on Finance, Councilman John J. Igliozzi, Esq. (Ward 7). “As the legislative body, we have a fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers of Providence to work in their best interest. By removing the Mayor’s request for an additional $4 Million in vacant and open funded positions it cuts the spending portion of our Budget, ensures our capacity to continue to keep our current workforce stable, and will help the City from falling off the fiscal cliff we are on. I have been a part of almost every City budget since I became a Councilman, and this is one of the gravest positions I have ever seen the City in financially.”
The Mayor’s requested positions can be revisited once the Council and the Committee on Finance have a better understanding of the state’s pilot payment notice. The City also had to make a significant investment in retrofitting offices and ensuring its workforce’s safety during this global pandemic and are waiting to learn what will be reimbursed from the state or federal agencies.
“We have a duty to protect our tax dollars for the residents of Providence,” stated Vice-Chairwoman of the Committee on Finance and Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5). “Had our fiscal outlook remained the same as it did in January, we would not be in this position. Since mid-March we have lost valuable revenues from hotel occupancy taxes, our food and beverage taxes, and state aid are significantly down which are critical to the City. However, like all cities, we are facing three crises at once an economic crisis, a global pandemic, and social unrest. $4 Million savings in vacant and open funded positions and raises is an opportunity to reduce our spending while preserving our current workforce, which is essential to keeping our City running.”
Chairman Igliozzi continued, “I want to thank my Committee colleagues Vice-Chairwoman and Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan, Councilors Carmen Castillo (Ward 9), Helen Anthony (Ward 2), and James Taylor (Ward 8) for their hard work during this longer than normal budgeting process. I would also like to thank my colleagues, President Sabina Matos (Ward 15), President Pro Tempore Michael Correia (Ward 6), Senior Deputy Majority Leader Nicholas J. Narducci Jr. (Ward 4), and Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris (Ward 11) for their input and guidance as we navigate these uncertain times.”
by Abigail Appel | Oct 9, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-14
Throughout my tenure as a member of the Providence City Council, I have been an outspoken advocate for gun safety and common-sense gun reforms. Programs such as gun buybacks play an important role in removing firearms from Providence streets. I believe that programs like the one being proposed in Providence and Central Falls can potentially get firearms out of the hands of those who might use them to do harm against our fellow residents.
However, the program slated to happen next weekend in Providence includes an amnesty clause. Any firearm turned in through this program cannot and will not be traced or examined to see if it had been used in a violent crime. This sends a clear message to criminals that they can now get rid of their weapons and not face any consequences, while simultaneously being rewarded.
For decades, scores of violent crimes have gone unsolved because of public safety officials’ inability to find the weapon(s) used during the act. This program is equivalent to giving a criminal a “get out of jail free card”.
We owe the victims of gun crimes and their families more than this. They are owed justice. Giving amnesty to potential criminals will only help create more pain and suffering for their victims.
Before this program moves forward, I urge the Mayors of Providence and Central Falls to think about the long-range impacts this may have on our community’s unsolved crimes, and I urge them to remove the amnesty clause from the planned program. Further, I will be introducing a resolution at next Thursday’s City Council meeting calling for the same.
The victims of gun violence deserve better.
David A. Salvatore
Providence City Council
Councilor – Ward 14
