by Billy Kepner | Apr 11, 2019 | Community Engagement, 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
What You Need to Know
The City of Providence announced on March 29, 2019 that the state-mandated full real estate property revaluation is complete and real estate property value assessment notices will be mailed on April 15, 2019. At this time, the following 2018 real estate revaluation procedures have been executed: Data Collection of Building Data, Building Permit Inspections, Review Analysis of Sales, Cost and Land Analysis, Income & Expense Review, Commercial Market Rate Analysis, and Table Calculations.
Providence property owners will soon receive a notice (after April 15) advising them of the new appraised value of their real estate property prior to when the new value will officially be added to the tax roll.
What You Will Receive
How To Request A Review
The notice that contains the new appraised value will also explain how to arrange for a personal informal hearing to review the proposed assessment if they so choose. Recipients are asked to follow the instructions on your notice to book an appointment with Vision Government Solutions, Inc. for a hearing on any parcel. Please bring any information to support your request for a change; hearings are by appointment only. You can make an appointment online at www.vgsi.com/schedules or by phone by calling Vision Government Solutions at 1-888-844-4300.
Hearings will begin on April 23, 2019 and end on May 17, 2019 and will be held at either the Fox Point Boys and Girls Club located at 90 Ives Street or the Neutaconkanut Recreation Center located at 675 Plainfield Street.
The Hearing Schedule is as follows:
- Monday-Thursday from 10 AM to 6 PM
- Friday from 10 AM to 4:30 PM
- Saturday, April 27 and May 11 from 10 AM to 4 PM
The notices providing the results of the informal hearing will be mailed no later than May 31, 2019 with final values delivered on June 3, 2019.
Per RI General Law 44-5-11.6, cities and towns are required to perform a statistical update every third and sixth year and a full property revaluation every nine years. Vision Government Solutions uses recent sales and market data to inform their findings.
Property owners should not use the current tax rates when estimating their 2019 tax bill. Once the notices have been mailed, property owners may view their 2018 Data on the Vision Government Solutions website.
Learn more by visiting the City of Providence Tax Assessors website.
by Billy Kepner | Mar 8, 2019 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-11, Ward-13, Ward-15
City Council Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris (Ward 11) and the majority female-led Council, unanimously voted to recognize March 8th as International Women’s Day at a Council meeting last month. The Council will be hosting an event tomorrow, Friday, March 8, beginning at 6:00 PM on the third floor of City Hall in celebration of International Women’s Day, whos 2019 theme is #BalanceforBetter.
This is Harris’ second annual event to honor Women in Service, and it will begin with brief welcome remarks from Senator Jack Reed, Mayor Jorge O. Elorza, and City Council President Sabina Matos (Ward 15).
Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris said, “I’m thrilled to be partnering with SistaFireRI once again to bring the community together to celebrate International Women’s Day. It is our goal to bring both women and men together for a discussion on how we can better build a gender-balanced world. I hope that by sharing stories of our achievements and our failures, as women and men, we can all learn from our unique experiences.”
“I’m honored to serve with my colleagues who understand how important International Women’s Day is,” stated City Council President Sabina Matos. “Regardless of gender, it is important for each of us to understand how gender-balance can make stronger bonds and stronger communities.”
Councilwoman Rachel Miller, who helped plan this year’s event stated, “International Women’s Day is an opportunity to honor and celebrate all who identify as women in our community, but it’s also a call to action. We recognize that even in the conversation about gender equity, some communities face bigger barriers than others. Women of color and trans women face social and economic violence- like the attack on a trans couple in my neighborhood earlier this year. We can advocate for gender-balance by demanding a world that respects the integrity, safety, and health of all women in our community.”
The City Council’s International Women’s Day Celebration will take place on the third floor of City Hall, and will incorporate group discussions, and direct dialogue on how we can create a better balance not just in the workplace, but in all aspects of our society. It has been planned in conjunction with community groups including SistaFireRI, Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education (ARISE), and the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and is free and open to the public.
About International Women’s Day:
International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
No one government, NGO, charity, corporation, academic institution, women’s network or media hub is solely responsible for International Women’s Day. Many organizations declare an annual IWD theme that supports their specific agenda or cause, and some of these are adopted more widely with relevance than others. International Women’s Day is a collective day of global celebration and a call for gender parity.
International Women’s Day is all about unity, celebration, reflection, advocacy, and action – whatever that looks like globally at a local level. But one thing is for sure, International Women’s Day has been occurring for well over a century – and continues to grow from strength to strength. Learn about the values that guide IWD’s ethos.
by Billy Kepner | Feb 21, 2019 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-1, Ward-12, Ward-13
Providence City Councilors Rachel Miller, Seth Yurdin, and Katherine Kerwin introduced a resolution opposing the plans to privatize Providence Water and opposing the proposed state enabling legislation (House Bill 5390).
“It’s not credible that the City of Providence will somehow receive hundreds of millions of dollars today without residents, rate-payers and employees bearing the cost for future decades through higher rates, lower wages and potential water quality issues,” said Yurdin. “It’s a false choice to pit our water supply against the city’s fiscal health. No one disagrees that the city faces long-term financial challenges, but the water-transfer scheme is yet another one-time fix with serious long-term costs to our community,” Yurdin continued.
“To consider removing control of our water from the public hand’s in 2019, when access to affordable, quality water is a global risk, is a short-sighted proposal,” Miller said. “What we know from communities across the country, is that when private entities manage public resources like water, rates go up, quality goes down, worker protections are eroded, and the environment is threatened,” she added.
“Water monetization is being presented as the only option in a financial crisis,” Councilwoman Kerwin said. “But, our city spending priorities don’t align with the idea that we are in crisis. There are options we have not yet taken, and after hearing from countless members from my community, I feel selling water, one of our most precious assets at the expense of raising water rates, should be our last resort.”
The resolution was crafted in partnership with the Land and Water Sovereignty Campaign, a group led by Black, Indigenous, people of color, and environmental advocates. They shared the following joint statement:
“Water is an inalienable human right and shouldn’t be commodified. Monetization /privatization would negatively impact our most vulnerable communities and our environment. Over 600 cities and towns have already suffered the negative effects of monetization/ privatization. We oppose Mayor Elorza’s House Bill H5390, and we call for a moratorium of all negotiations and actions leading to monetization/privatization.”
by Billy Kepner | Feb 13, 2019 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-11, Ward-13, Ward-4, Ward-6, Ward-8
Council President Sabina Matos has created a special committee to examine public safety in municipal-owned buildings and has tapped Councilman James Taylor to lead the effort.
“After much discussion with my colleagues I decided to create a special committee to explore public safety in our city-owned facilities,” stated City Council President Sabina Matos. “City Hall and other municipal buildings are used for public meetings, and although we have security protocols in place, there is always more we can do to ensure the safety of all that visit and work in our facilities.”
The Special Committee on Public Safety will include:
- Councilman James E. Taylor, Chair
- Council President Pro Tempore Michael J. Correia, Vice-Chair
- Senior Deputy Majority Leader Nicholas J. Narducci Jr.
- Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris
- Councilwoman Rachel M. Miller
Councilman James E. Taylor stated, “Public safety is only discussed during the budget season, and we need to be proactive instead of reactive. I believe that this committee can address some of these public safety issues that we face. In addition to looking at the security and safety of public buildings, we will be addressing the current challenges of having our E911 CAD system upgraded to receive ANI (Automatic Number Identification) and ALI (Automatic Location Identifier) to make Police and Fire Dispatch more efficient. The Committee will also address why the Providence Fire Department, the Country’s second oldest paid Fire Department, does not currently have a dedicated Chief and hasn’t for the past four years. We live in turbulent times, and as a life-long public safety officer I believe in preparedness, and that’s my goal for this committee.”
The Special Committee on Public Safety will meet regularly and will work closely with all stakeholders, including public safety officials in the city and the state.
by Billy Kepner | Feb 1, 2019 | Council News, Ward-11, Ward-13, Ward-2, Ward-5, Ward-6, Ward-8
Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris reminds us all to be the best street sweepers we can be at Providence’s 16th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards & Hall of Fame Ceremony hosted by Mayor Jorge O. Elorza.
In 1967, Dr. King in a speech to a group of middle school students in Philadelphia stated: “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’”
Congratulations to Shawndell Burney-Speaks, Detective Anthony Roberson, and to the family of the late Laura Rodriguez who live, and lived, in service to others. They each were the best street sweepers Providence has to offer.
by Billy Kepner | May 30, 2017 | Press Release, Ward-11, Ward-12, Ward-13, Ward-5
The City Council Committee on Ordinances will tonight receive a final report from the Community Safety Act Working Group, a panel established by the Council in April tasked with resolving outstanding concerns about the proposed landmark ordinance that seeks to improve police and community relations by adopting best practices from around the country. The working group was comprised of community members, police administration and union representatives, and City solicitor, administration, and City Council representatives.
The working group’s recommendations include greater clarification of definitions used in the ordinance, improved language that eliminates confusion about intent, and language changes that ensure consistency between the ordinance and State law. The working group has also proposed changing the ordinance’s title to the Providence Community-Police Relations Act (PCPRA) to better demonstrate its intent.
“The working group’s final recommendations reflect an open, collaborative process that successfully resolved all stakeholders’ stated concerns,” said Majority Leader Bryan Principe (Ward 13), who served as the group’s chair. “Our diverse panel of stakeholders engaged in thoughtful deliberation to make friendly amendments that strengthen and clarify this important piece of legislation.”
“The working group was constructive in making necessary changes and modifications with the original version. It also presented an opportunity to make clarifications on some of the language to resolve issues,” said Providence Police Chief Col. Hugh Clements. “I stand in support of this current version.”
The group met regularly throughout the month to reach consensus on each of the ordinance’s proposed amendments. Working group members were careful not to alter the intent of the ordinance, and instead focused on improving and clarifying the language in the legislation. Each recommended amendment of the ordinance was approved unanimously by the panel.
“The working group has done an outstanding job in working through some of the former concerns about the ordinance and coming up with alternatives that we can feel confident about,” said Councilwoman Mary Kay Harris (Ward 11), who served as a member of the working group.
“This process brought everyone together to participate in the discussion, which was beneficial for the act itself and to achieve its objective,” said Councilman Terrence Hassett (Ward 12), who chairs the Council’s Ordinance Committee and served as a member of the working group.
“This is an important piece of legislation, and the additional deliberation was time well spent,” said Majority Whip Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5). “I commend the working group for their diligence and working together to address unresolved issues.”
In its final form, the bill is the product of nearly three years of stakeholder engagement. Among its many provisions, the ordinance effectively prohibits racial and other forms of discriminatory profiling, mandates policies for the use of body cameras, brings much-needed reforms to the Providence Police Department’s “gang database,” and codifies policies regarding non-criminal immigration concerns.
CSA HIGHLIGHTS
- Prohibits racial and other forms of discriminatory profiling
Prevents police officers from racially profiling or otherwise discriminating against individuals based on their race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and other factors
- Establishes how police officers will document and collect data from traffic and pedestrian stops
Allows individuals stopped by the police to request and receive a report on their stop
Mandates policies for the use of body-worn cameras
Protects individuals’ rights to photograph and film the police
- Mandates greater transparency and accountability in police-community interactions
Requires officers to inform drivers of why their vehicle was stopped, sets standards for requiring information from passengers, and codifies policy on individuals driving without a license
Requires that officers inform individuals of their constitutional right to refuse before asking for consent to a search
Requires officers in uniform to wear name tags and to show their federal ID numbers
Requires officers to provide their name and federal ID number when conducting stops and searches.
Requires the Chief of Police to submit quarterly reports to Providence External Review Authority (PERA) on the data collected
- Establishes new protections for juveniles, immigrants, and transgender individuals
Establishes right of transgender individuals to be searched by an officer of their gender identity and requires Police Department to develop policies for handling those searches
Prohibits officers from inquiring about an individual’s immigration status, and requires officers to accept valid identification from foreign governments
Sets standards for dealing with individuals lacking proof of identification
Prohibits officers from photographing juveniles under most circumstances
- Improves and codifies policies for use of Gang Database
Requires the Police Department to establish policies for determining if an individual should be added to the gang database
Prohibits certain factors, such as race, from being included in the criteria for adding someone to the gang database
Requires parental notification when anyone under 18 is added to the gang database
Allows anyone over 18 to ask if they are on the gang database
Creates both an administrative removal process and a formal appeal process for people who feel they were added to the database in error.
Requires an annual audit of the gang database to identify any errors and make recommendations for improving its use
- Improves language access for Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals
Requires the Police Department maintain its language access hotline to connect officers with qualified translators
Requires the use of qualified translators if the officer isn’t fluent in the language spoken (except in emergencies)
Mandates policies on officer fluency and defining emergencies
Requires custodial interrogations of LEP individuals be recorded
Requires vital materials be available in the five most commonly spoken languages in Providence
Councilors are expected to take a final vote on the proposed legislation at the City Council meeting on Thursday, June 1st at 7:00 pm.
