by Billy Kepner | Oct 8, 2019 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
I’m a proponent of giving parents choices. Historically, low-income families have never had the real option of choosing which schools to send their children to. The demand for choice is at an all-time high as evidenced by the 3,000 or so families on the Achievement First waiting list alone.
The school decision is one that is intimate to families and we should promote this freedom by providing them more options rather than limiting them.
by Billy Kepner | Oct 3, 2019 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
City Council President Sabina Matos and a majority of the City Council tonight introduced a resolution, which was passed unanimously by the body, urging the General Assembly to pass Senate Bill 1031 and House Bill 6266. These bills enable the State Lottery Division of the Department of Revenue to enter into a contract extension with IGT Global Solutions Corporation.
“IGT is a multi-billion dollar company that is homegrown, and losing them would be detrimental to the City of Providence and the State of Rhode Island,” stated City Council President Sabina Matos. “Over the past 20-years Providence has seen a transformation, and losing them would be losing momentum. With over 1,000 employees in Rhode Island, and 128 of those which live in Providence, we can’t afford to lose this great local company. They have called Providence home since 1976 and this is where they belong, and I stand with Governor Gina Raimondo in wanting to keep them in our great capital city.”
GTECH, now IGT Global Solutions, started operations here in the City of Providence in 1976. They began with just a few employees in offices over Capriccio’s restaurant, and now has grown to become one of Rhode Island’s largest and most successful IT startups. Today, IGT has over 12,000 employees around the globe and has revenues of approximately $5Billion.
IGT has over 1,000 employees based in Rhode Island with roughly 128 employees that live in Providence. Their commitment to maintain 1,100 direct jobs in the State will generate $329.5M in value-added economic activity. With two office locations in Providence at the North American Lottery Headquarters at 10 Memorial Boulevard and its National Response Center ( a 24/7 call center) located at 75 Baker Street on the City’s Southside they are embedded into our City’s economic engine.
As a company, they not only are a substantial contributor to the City of Providence’s tax base, but their philanthropy can be seen throughout the city. They currently support 20 After School Advantage Computer Labs and provide technology opportunities to students throughout the City. Since their inception they have supported several non-profit entities through their corporate philanthropy including Crossroads, Lifespan, Year Up, United Way, WaterFire, First Works, and Amos House just to name a few.
Council President Matos continued, “Extending their contract with the State of Rhode Island will ensure that this Providence born company which has operated in our capital city for 40+ years will remain right here. That’s not just good for Rhode Island, but it’s good for the City and its residents.”
by Billy Kepner | Oct 3, 2019 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
Violence, like any societal ill, doesn’t make people feel better because it may be in remission. Regardless of whether crime is actually down in our City, if taxpayers don’t feel a sense of security and peace then we haven’t done our jobs as elected officials to provide it to them. It is incumbent upon local leaders to stop finding consolation in numbers and to instead lead the fight for an even safer City than statistics show. Let me be clear, our City is far from a haven for criminals despite desperate attempts from some observers to try and paint it that way.
Yet, headlines dominate our newsfeeds and doorsteps detailing one horrific crime after another and they are impossible to ignore. From the Southside to Federal Hill, random acts of violence know no boundaries and can happen to anyone at any time. This was especially true this past summer. Just these past few days, our City suffered its 11th and 12th homicides of the year which is already more than last year. In the former case, an innocent young woman was shot while out celebrating her 19th birthday with friends.
Some leaders will respond to these heartbreaking incidents by citing that 12 homicides aren’t as bad as the 30 we had in the year 2000, and I find that upsetting.
Local leaders shouldn’t be patting themselves on the back because ‘crime is down’ and they have the statistics to prove it. We should instead be focusing on the problem areas that remain and allocating the resources to combat them.
I’m not naive enough to think that we’ll ever eliminate violence from the City completely, but I’m a firm believer that nothing bad can come from trying to do just that.
In the coming weeks, I will publish a set of recommendations my office has been working on to help address some of the night time issues we’ve been experiencing. I look forward to working with my colleagues at both the local and state level to make real changes that promote public safety and enhance the quality of life for our residents.
by Billy Kepner | Oct 2, 2019 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
Recently, we’ve learned more information about the deep systemic issues in our school department and how they are harming our ever-growing multilingual student population. Much like the John Hopkins report, this recently publicized ELL Report produced by the Council of the Great City Schools sheds a more intimate light on how our broken school system is not prioritizing students and families. This same disservice was dire enough to warrant the attention of the U.S. Justice Department last year that found that for years we’ve been failing our ELL students.
In addition to failing to provide the necessary supports and resources our ELL students require, a Boston Globe article this week reported that the Classical High School admissions test is only offered in English and that only 8 out of 1000 students at Classical, the City’s most prestigious high school, are in fact ELL.
These longstanding issues point to a more critical problem: this notion or narrative that multilingual learners are the ‘other’ and that they aren’t as capable or as knowledgeable as their English-speaking peers. When children, no matter what language they speak, aren’t treated as the centerpiece of a school culture it manifests itself in the subpar services they are provided and in the problematic behaviors undervalued students often portray.
In order to fix this disservice, we must first confront the biases embedded in our systems, structures, and in ourselves. We have to start treating multilingualism as an asset and not a deficiency and we have to build an educational system that accounts for the needs and supports of our ELL students from inception.
I am hopeful that the state’s intervention will provide us the opportunity to do just that.
Sabina Matos, President – Providence City Council – Councilwoman for Ward 15
by Billy Kepner | Oct 1, 2019 | Ward-15, Ward-5, Ward-7
Tonight the City Council’s Committee on Finance, Chaired by Majority Whip John J. Igliozzi, Esq. (Ward 7), invited Xaykham Kamsyvoravong, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Providence Water Board to discuss municipal Asset Transfers as a potential tool to help address the City’s underfunded pension fund.
“Providence is not the only city in the State that is facing serious pension liabilities,” stated Finance Chairman John J. Igliozzi, Esq. “There are 17 other municipalities that have critically underfunded pension plans, and Providence is one of them. It is not only necessary but prudent that we explore all options on the table to mitigate our liabilities and obligations.”
Asset Transfers are a common practice by corporations to help support their unfunded pension liabilities. This practice moves the ownership of a non-cash asset from an entity to its pension fund, allowing the asset’s appraised value to offset unfunded pension liabilities.
Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan and Vice-Chairwoman of the Committee on Finance (Ward 5) said, “The City of Providence is facing serious long-term financial challenges, and we need to explore all avenues to address our unfunded pension fund. I want to thank Xaykham Kamsyvoravong for his scholarly paper from his time at Roger Williams Law School, his service to the City of Providence, and for joining us to begin an important discussion.”
Leader Ryan continued, “Clearly, asset transfers are not a silver bullet for state and local governments or pension funds, and there are many challenges that need to be addressed. It is hard to identify assets suitable for this funding mechanism and even more difficult to price and structure them fairly. More importantly, an asset transfer should only be one piece of a well thought out, efficient long-term plan that includes pension reforms. We will be looking for help from our State colleagues to determine if it should be part of our long-term plan. Bottom line – it is an accepted accounting treatment that can positively benefit our balance sheet. It doesn’t solve for the cash flow that is needed to address our financial challenges, but it may be part of the broader solution.”
“This is not a new concept, corporations have used Asset Transfers for decades to leverage the value of their assets,” stated City Council President Sabina Matos. “The Council is looking broadly at our pension obligations, and felt this idea is worthy of further discussion.”
In 2017 the state of New Jersey transferred the New Jersey Lottery to its pensions for a 30-year term, and it offset nearly $13.5 billion of unfunded pension liability. Other states like Connecticut and Illinois are currently exploring this process to mitigate their pension liability as well.
Council President Matos continued, “We have serious financial obligations facing this City – from our schools to infrastructure, to a ballooning pension. Nothing should be off the table, and every idea must be explored and vetted. Asset Transfers are just one area that my leadership team is exploring. This Council is not willing to shirk its duty, and we must be proactive. I applaud the Committee on Finance, and it’s Chairman John Igliozzi and Vice Chairwoman Jo-Ann Ryan for being so willing to explore these difficult scenarios.”
by Billy Kepner | Sep 20, 2019 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
City Council President Sabina Matos (Ward 15) and Council President Pro Tempore Michael Correia (Ward 6) tonight introduced a resolution that creates a special commission to study a progressive tiered property tax in the city of Providence.
“There is not enough predictability for residents when it comes to their property taxes,” stated City Council President Sabina Matos. “After this year’s revaluations we saw property values skyrocket in many areas of the City. Some property values rose as much as 50%. The hardest-hit areas were also communities where a majority of families live on fixed incomes. Creating a progressive property tax is a way for all residents to be on equal footing when it comes to their annual tax bill. Earlier this year we were successful getting enabling legislation in the State Senate to put forth a tiered property tax structure but were ultimately unsuccessful in the House of Representatives. We will again work with our state colleagues so that we can have this in our City’s toolbox if needed. In the meantime, I am bringing together professionals from various relevant fields of expertise to help us assess whether a progressive tiered property tax is right for our communities.”
The city of Providence is required by State law to have a full property revaluation every nine years, and a statistical revaluation every three years, and this Commission will look at best practices to help modulate those swings in values. The accurate and timely valuation of property is crucial to ensuring equitable and predictable assessment of local taxes, but because the particular standards and procedures for revaluations vary broadly across different jurisdictions, the Council believes they need to address this issue head-on.
In May of this year the City Council leadership team proposed a progressive tiered tax plan that would have given a 40% exemption for the first $350K of assessed value for all homeowners, and then a 28% exemption on the assessed value after that. The Council’s leadership and finance teams felt that this was an equitable way to provide much-needed relief for homeowners who were facing a greater increase on their property tax liability than in years past.
Council President Matos continued, “This is priority for my leadership team, and I want to thank Council President Pro Tempore Michael Correia, Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan, and Majority Whip John J. Igliozzi for their guidance and steadfast support to ensure that our residents have predictability when it comes to their annual property tax bills.”
The goal of the Commission will be to study and make recommendations regarding the property tax tiered system and to make further recommendations regarding appropriate changes to City procedures and State law, including study and analysis of the overall revaluation process. The Commission will consist of at least nine members appointed by the City Council President and will issue a report within 120 days of the date appointments are made to the Commission.
