While we would all like to be celebrating Earth Day today, I am concerned with our City’s poor trash collection and the performance of our vendor Waste Management Company.
As many residents are aware, there has been an ongoing issue with trash collection in all neighborhoods of our City for months. Entire streets are not being serviced, and most recently, yard waste has been sitting curbside for weeks.
I would like to reassure my constituents that I share your concerns and frustration. I am working with senior executives at the company and have asked for a comprehensive plan to address their staffing challenges and to return their performance to an acceptable standard.
I remain committed to working with the City administration, DPW Director and my Council colleagues to hold our vendor accountable. I would like to thank all of our residents who have reported missed streets and neglected pickups through the City’s 311 system and by reaching out to me personally. For example, from April 8, 2021 to April 22, 2021 for the 311 system alone, 148 of the total of 514 complaints received were for missed trash pickups. These records are important and will be tabulated for use by the Council during its ongoing contract review.
Trash pickup and waste management is a basic City service that must be completed efficiently and reliably. Please continue with your calls so we may address this genuine public health and safety issue head on so as to avert a growing rodent and infestation crisis if left unchecked. As we observe Earth Day today, let us remember the importance of being good stewards of our environment and good neighbors in this beautiful City we call home.
Jo-Ann Ryan
Majority Leader, Providence City Council
Councilwoman, Ward 5
The first budget to be passed under the leadership of Council President John J. Igliozzi Esq.
The Providence City Council passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Budget of $510 million at the April 15 City Council meeting. This is the first City budget to be passed under the leadership of Council President John J. Igliozzi Esq. (Ward 7). The budget will be signed into effect by Mayor Jorge O. Elorza.
“After serving as the Chairman of the Committee on Finance for fourteen years, I am proud to be joining my Council colleagues in passing the first budget in my tenure as City Council President, which reflects the current and future financial needs and goals of the City of Providence. We have listened to residents and stakeholders, and we have built a budget which makes room for modern initiatives such as the ‘Go Team’ Diversionary Program, while also responsibly addressing long term issues such as the pension crisis,” stated Council President John J. Igliozzi Esq. (Ward 7).
The Fiscal Year 2021 Budget includes $130 million in funding for the Providence Public School Department, as proposed by Mayor Elorza. Additionally, the budget creates a grant funded department to support the American Recovery Act COVID-19 Stimulus package of $130 million and allocates funding to Family Services of Rhode Island for a new “Go Team” Diversionary Program. There will be no City tax increases and commercial tax rates will remain the same.
“Now more than ever, it is crucial that our tax payer dollars be spent wisely. This has been a difficult year, which has exposed many new challenges for Providence residents and our City as a whole. I would like to thank Council President Igliozzi, my colleagues, the City Council finance team and the administration’s finance team who have all worked together to create a fiscal strategy that will keep our City moving forward and will keep money in the pockets of the hard-working men and women who call Providence home,” added Finance Committee Vice-Chairwoman Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5).
In accordance with the requests of Mayor Jorge Elorza, the FY 2021 budget also funds the contractual increase of $2.78 million to Providence Police Department including a 4.5% wage increase. The budget also provides a 2% wage increase for all City union and non-union employees and a 2.75% wage increase for the Providence Fire Department. The budget also ensures that the City will make 100% of its obligated pension payment and increase the City’s rainy day fund by $100,000 to $15 million.
“The obstacles that our City and our nation have faced in the past year have left many families, businesses and municipalities in a place of financial uncertainty. We have worked hard to create a budget that will ensure sustainable economic growth in our City for residents, business owners and City operations. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in government to keep propelling our City forward,” added Council President Igliozzi.
At last night’s City Council meeting, Councilman John Goncalves (Ward 1) proposed a change to the Providence Code of Ordinances which would require a building official to provide written notice to their City Council representative upon the issuance of a demolition permit. This ordinance was co-sponsored by Council President John J. Igliozzi Esq. (Ward 7), Council President Pro Tempore Pedro Espinal (Ward 10), Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5), Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris (Ward 11), Councilwoman Helen Anthony (Ward 2), Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune (Ward 3), Councilman James Taylor (Ward 8), Councilwoman Kat Kerwin (Ward 12), Councilor Rachel Miller (Ward 13), and Councilor David Salvatore (Ward 14).
“Recently, a beloved building in the Fox Point neighborhood was demolished, to the surprise of myself and the local community. Not only was this demolition project an inconvenience to residents of the area, it also was at the location of the former Duck & Bunny; a landmark of the Fox Point neighborhood,” stated Councilman John Goncalves (Ward 1).
Under current City law, building officials are not required to notify the City Council or the local neighborhood when a demolition permit has been issued. The proposal would require that written notice be given to the Council representative. This will allow for proper communication to be made between various City Departments, and ensure that residents and businesses surrounding the demolition site are made aware of the upcoming operations in their neighborhood.
“As a City, we work best when communication is open and reliable. As a City Councilman, I know I can better serve my constituents when I am aware of all developments in our Ward. Residents of any neighborhood deserve to know about major plans for construction or demolition which could affect their property, quality of life, safety or the integrity of our neighborhood. Moving forward, I hope this ordinance will encourage an open line of communication between building officials, City operations and residents,” added Councilman Goncalves.
The ordinance has been referred to the Committee on Ordinances for further review.
The facility will be a new state-of-the-art school for the City of Providence,
and will be a significant investment in the Broad Street corridor.
Tonight, the Council’s Committee on Ordinances chaired by Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5) approved a zoning change to the former St. Joseph’s Hospital. The property is currently owned by Paolino Properties, and it will be donated to the City of Providence. The building will be transformed into a state-of-the-art school as part of the City’s $300 million rehabilitation and reconstruction of the City’s school infrastructure. The new school will span across seven acres at 21 Peace Street, and the development is expected to become an economic catalyst for the South Providence neighborhood.
“First and foremost, I want to express my thanks to former Mayor Paolino for his generous donation to the City of Providence. This project will be a significant economic stimulus for the Broad Street corridor, and this is a great collaboration between the community and the petitioner. I want to also commend my colleague, Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris, for her dedication and advocacy in making sure that this project was done right and has the best interest of the neighborhood and our students in mind. As we work to turn our 20th-century schools into 21st-century places of learning, we must ensure that our students are top of mind. We can use this property as a template for what a 21st-century school can become. With this kind of neighborhood activation – the possibilities are endless for new development,” stated Chairwoman of the Committee on Ordinances and Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan.
After a public meeting in January of this year, and after several committee meetings where neighbors raised concerns regarding how the building will be used, the City and the petitioner worked to create changes to the original plan. The changes address those concerns and codify uses for the property. The property will be zoned to accommodate housing, educational facilities, office spaces, or recreational facilities. Former Mayor Paolino is donating the East Building, the chapel, and parking lot to the City of Providence, and the value of his generous donation is estimated to be approximately $7 million.
Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris (Ward 11) and a member of the Committee on Ordinances shared, “I am thankful to former Mayor Paolino and Paolino Properties for listening to the concerns of my community. For too long, South Providence residents have not had a seat at the table when it came to redevelopment and other important building initiatives in our neighborhood. With the support of Majority Leader Ryan and my colleagues on the Committee on Ordinances, we made sure that we addressed the residents’ concerns, and I thank all those who participated in this process. There is no doubt that we need this space to provide an amazing new school for South Providence residents. I am pleased that the commitment to the building’s uses alleviates much of my neighbors’ concerns expressed over the past several months. I look forward to seeing the building in use and to what the future holds for our neighborhood.”
The 8-story building is located in South Providence and will become a state-of-the-art dual-language school for students in pre-K through 8th grade. The property reconstruction is scheduled for completion in time for the start of the 2024-2025 school year. The zoning change will be sent to the full City Council for vote and passage.
“Every Providence student deserves a high-quality education in a modern, safe school building, and today’s vote brings us one step closer to making that goal a reality,” said Harrison Peters, superintendent of Providence Public Schools. “I appreciate the City Council’s commitment to working in partnership with the community as we move forward with this exciting project and want to again thank former Mayor Joseph Paolino for his generous donation.”
The estimated cost for the transformation of St. Joseph’s Hospital is estimated at around $75 million and will be funded through bonding initiatives previously approved by the Providence City Council. The first being a $160 million bond approved in 2018 and the second approved in 2020. Both bonds were voted and approved by the residents of Providence.
On Monday April 5, Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5) awarded the Rhode Island Irish Famine Memorial Committee a City Council grant of $25 thousand to create enhanced security and to provide for future upkeep of the monument located on River Walk along Memorial Drive.
In 2018, there was serious damage done to this iconic monument and these funds will go to help create safeguards to protect the monument from further vandalism or destruction for the years to come.
“On behalf of the Providence City Council I am honored to present this award intended to support and protect this poignant memorial in the heart of our Capital City.
This memorial is a beautiful piece of art designed to educate and honor those who decades ago; concurred, starving and cast aside, struggled to seek a new life; it’s the original American Exceptionalism story; a grand triumph over tragedy, only to be repeated by countless others in pursuit of the American Dream,” stated Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5)
The Rhode Island Irish Famine Memorial had suffered major damage in August 2018 from vandalism and theft at the site. Several of the Bronze Plaques on the Historical Narrative Wall, which tell the story of Ireland’s Great Famine and its consequences, were stolen.
Dr. Donald D. Deignan, President of the Rhode Island Irish Famine Memorial Committee, Inc added, “We, as a Committee and as representatives of Rhode Island ‘s entire Irish-American community, are all deeply grateful to City Council Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan—and to all her colleagues—for their generous financial support of our ongoing efforts to enhance security measures at the Famine Memorial site located along the Riverwalk in Downtown Providence. Improved lighting, and other security devices which these Community Grant Funds will enable us to install, will better protect the Famine Memorial from further vandalism and theft and preserve our complex and deeply meaningful Monument for many generations of visitors to come,”.
The immediate damage has been fixed. However, there are plans for ongoing maintenance and increased security.
Mary Smith of the Irish Famine Memorial Committee shared, “The grant we received will not only allow us to enhance the security to protect our memorial but will hopefully help deter damage to other memorials along River Walk. Our Committee strives to present and preserve a tribute to an important piece of Irish history for residents and visitors alike. In doing so, we also recognize the importance of respecting the culture, heritage and traditions of the many immigrants that call our Country home.”
Included in the FY ’21 Budget is Direct Funding for a Crisis Diversion Program
Tonight, the City Council’s Committee on Finance approved the City’s $510 Million Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 budget which will now go to the full Council for vote and passage. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the budget’s spending portion was delayed due to uncertainties around funding from the state and the federal government. The City Council already passed the tax levy in July without an increase in property taxes.
“After nine hours of public testimony, I want the residents of Providence to know that we heard them. We listened to their call for a dedicated crisis intervention team. We ensured that we allocated more funding to Family Services of Rhode Island to increase their ability to provide crisis intervention services when police response is not required. We also ensured that we provided relief to our residents by passing the tax levy with no increase. Yet, when we received the Mayor’s budget in the early part of 2020, we could have never predicted what we were facing as we saw how much our City was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to acknowledge that without the COVID Relief Package the City would have had a multi-million-dollar deficit. Yet, the City Council’s finance team and the Administration’s finance team worked tirelessly to make sure that the focus remained on the residents and our businesses and that we would be able to pass a responsible and fiscally prudent budget. There is still more work to do as we look to the FY 2022 budget, and I look forward to continuing advocating for the residents of Providence,” stated Chairman of the Committee on Finance and City Council Majority Whip John J. Igliozzi, Esq.
The FY 2021 budget will provide the actuarially required contribution to the City’s pension fund; it will include funding for quality of life services and ensure that the City meets all its financial obligations and maintains its bond ratings.
Vice-Chairwoman of the Committee on Finance and Council Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5) stated, “The City Council Leadership team has worked very hard to mitigate the adverse effects of the lost revenues due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic. These are challenging times for every municipality across the country, and we have been grappling with a year-long pandemic and civil unrest, and financial uncertainty. Yet, we must keep the City running and our essential services operational and be good stewards of our precious tax dollars. Further, I am proud that we could allocate additional funding for our Family Service “Go Teams,” which will take some of the police department’s burden when an armed response is not warranted. I want to thank the hardworking members of the Council’s Committee on Finance and the Council’s finance team for helping craft a fiscally responsible budget that ensures the City is meeting its financial obligations and provides for services that are important to a vibrant and culturally diverse city like Providence.”
Budget Initiatives Include:
No Tax Increase.
Homestead Exemption remained the same – 40% or $14.74/$1,000.00 of assessed value.
Non-Homestead Tax Rate remained the same – $24.56/$1,000.00 of assessed value.
Commercial Tax Rate remained the same.
Funding for the Providence School Department is funded as proposed by Mayor Jorge O. Elorza at $130 Million.
Funds Family Services of Rhode Island for the “Go Team” Diversionary Program.
Creates a grant-funded department to support the American Recovery Act – COVID-19 Stimulus Package of $130 Million.
Per the Mayor’s request the budget funds:
The Providence Police Department contractual increases of $2.78 Million – including a 4.5% wage increase.
Gives non-union and union employees a 2% wage increase.
Providence Fire Department Received a 2.75% wage increase.
Ensures that the City will make 100% of its obligated pension payment of $73,494,647.00.
The City’s “Rainy Day” Fund is increased by $100,000.00 to $15 Million.
