by Billy Kepner | Jun 12, 2017 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-7
Tonight, the Providence City Council Finance Committee approved the 737 million dollar city budget for the 2018 fiscal year. This budget is the result of the Elorza Administration and the Council’s mutual goal to produce a fiscally responsible city budget that includes no tax increases, invests in schools and neighborhoods, includes strategies to stimulate the economy and asks city departments to streamline operations and maximize efficiencies. The budget focuses on developing a rainy day fund that will help increase the city’s bond rating, thereby allowing the city to be more efficient in future borrowing practices, increasing economic development, building the city’s tax base, providing an excellent quality of life for city residents.
Council led initiatives in the budget include:
Tax Reform:
• The current penalty system for late tax payments assesses interest and penalties based on the total annual tax obligation, regardless of what quarter the payment is late in or if all other payments have been made on time. This new budget reforms the appropriation ordinance to end this aggressive practice, replacing it with a fair policy that will charge interest and penalties based only on the amount of the quarterly tax obligation for which the late payment is assigned.
Traffic Calming and Nuisance Control:
• Allocation of $300,000 to build on a revenue-neutral neighborhood traffic calming program to be led by the Providence Police Department. Successfully piloted last year in Ward 5, this program funds placement of police detail in neighborhood traffic hot spots where speeding, lack of compliance with stop signs and other infractions pose public safety issues. This program increases police visibility in neighborhoods across the city, and also allows additional officers to be more nimble in the enforcement of noise ordinance violations. This successful program is revenue neutral, as the revenue raised by fines levied pays for the cost of the detail.
Public Safety:
• This budget allocates money to run a second cohort of police and fire academies.
Neighborhood Infrastructure Program
• Allocation of $1.5 million dollars to the Council’s successful Neighborhood Infrastructure Program. Initiated last year, this popular program paid for parks and bricks and mortar improvements to neighborhoods across the city, including significant upgrades and renovations to city pools, school buildings, recreation centers, parks and sidewalks.
Blight Removal Pilot Program:
• Allocation $200,000 to pilot a city-wide blight removal program. While the Mayor’s Every Home program focuses on rehabbing abandoned properties around the city, some structures are too costly to rehab and are a persistent source of neighborhood blight and infringe on the quality of life for surrounding homes. This program will target demolition of these properties, and turn the remaining lot into public green space or expansion of yards for neighboring properties. This program will be administered by the Department of Inspection and Standards and will provide much-needed relief for communities hobbled by the detrimental effects of long-standing blighted properties.
Investments in PVD Fest:
• Every year, PVD Fest becomes more popular and is a landmark event for the city. This budget allocates dollars to sustain and grow this important and successful festival.
by Billy Kepner | Jun 1, 2017 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15, Ward-5, Ward-7
Highly Detailed Public Infrastructure Plan Reaches Every City Neighborhood
Finance Committee Chairman John Igliozzi (Ward 7) tonight introduced a resolution that seeks to authorize the issuance of a $45M bond from the Providence Public Buildings Authority (PPBA) to fund a comprehensive 5-year strategic infrastructure plan for the City of Providence. The resolution was referred to the Finance Committee for further vetting.
The proposed Capital Improvement Plan—a highly detailed public infrastructure program that reaches every City neighborhood— is the result of a strong, collaborative effort by City Council leadership to deliver a transparent, equitable, and thoroughly vetted spending plan to taxpayers prior to bond issuance.
An earlier proposal introduced by the administration last summer failed to earn Council support due to the lack of a clear spending plan, a rushed timeline, and the city’s financial outlook. The initial proposal, which was less than a half page in length, sought to allocate tens of millions of dollars into a few “spending buckets.” The proposal was introduced to the Council after the budget for the current fiscal year had been adopted, and just weeks ahead of the state deadline to put a bond referendum on the November ballot. At the time, the city also had a negative rainy day fund balance and low bond rating.
In recent months, the city’s financial outlook has improved; the city’s bond rating has been upgraded and a large portion of the city’s debt will be repaid in the upcoming fiscal year. The Council is also expected to pass a balanced budget and add $3.5M to the city’s rainy day fund. In light of this progress, the Council will soon deliberate the proposed Capital Improvement Plan. The proposal will be available to the public and deliberated in open Finance Committee meetings.
“This proposal has come together through collaboration between the City Council and administration,” said Acting Council President Sabina Matos (Ward 15). “Councilors feel more comfortable now that adequate time has been taken to develop a plan that includes greater input from all stakeholders.”
“The vetting process of the Capital Improvement Plan will ensure that a clear spending plan is presented to the public, and that the needs of every neighborhood are addressed. No corner of the city will be overlooked as we seek to secure resources for these critical infrastructure improvements,” said Finance Committee Chairman John Igliozzi.
“The Council has worked to secure an infrastructure proposal from the administration that specifies spending plans and reaches every neighborhood,” said Majority Whip Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5). “I look forward to vetting this comprehensive proposal with my colleagues.”
by Billy Kepner | May 11, 2017 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-7
The Providence City Council Committee on Finance tonight approved a tax stabilization agreement with Vision Development Inc. that brings a $56 million new construction project to downtown Providence. The Canal Street Project marks the city’s first concrete and steel commercial development in years and is expected to generate at least 100 construction jobs and 30 permanent jobs. The site is located at 169 Canal Street, which is currently a surface parking lot that generates minimal tax revenue.
Once completed, the Canal Street property will include 180-190 units, with a mix of residential and commercial spaces. The project is expected to be shovel-ready with cranes in the sky this summer.
According to a representative for the developer, the developer intends to use a tower crane for construction, noting that “Providence deserves to see a tower crane project” in the sky. He described the project as a “true urban living experience” that will attract millennials and professionals to Providence’s downtown core.
“This is an exciting time to be working and living in Providence,” said Finance Committee Chairman John Igliozzi. “The Canal Street Project is another positive sign that the City of Providence is moving in the right direction, and this is exactly the kind of project the City is craving. We’ve attracted an out-of-state developer to invest in our city, which tells us that the business and banking industries have faith and trust in the City of Providence.”
As part of the tax stabilization agreement, the developer will be required to pursue contracts with women and minority-owned businesses and hire apprentices for construction, and purchase construction materials from Providence vendors.
by Billy Kepner | Mar 15, 2017 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-7
The Providence City Council Committee on Finance tonight approved a contract with Taser International to supply the Providence Police Department with 250 body-worn cameras (BWCs) and accompanying equipment, training, and video storage at an approximate first-year cost of $292,000. The City of Providence acquired an “economy of scale,” according to Finance Committee Chairman John Igliozzi, by piggybacking on an existing contract with the City of San Antonio, Texas. The four-year contract can, however, be terminated at will by the City of Providence.
BWCs are widely credited for contributing to officer safety and providing a new level of transparency and accountability to policing operations. In a study published in the Journal of Quantitative Criminology, researchers found that when officers in Rialto, California, began wearing body cameras, use of force by officers was reduced by 59 percent, and complaints against officers dropped 87 percent. Another report by Arizona State University revealed that the addition of body worn cameras in the Mesa Police Department yielded a 48 percent reduction in citizen complaints and a 75 percent decline in the use of force complaints. Similar results were reported in San Diego, California, where the use of pepper spray by officers wearing body cameras was reduced by 31 percent.
Overall, Providence police officers who have been trained to use the body cameras have reported positive results. During an eight-week pilot program, officers tested equipment from two suppliers and gave strong preference to the Taser brand, citing superior usability and reliability. Using the officers’ feedback and numerous case studies, the Providence Police Department developed formal policies regarding usage of the equipment and footage in advance of tonight’s vote.
“This technology will bring greater safety to the citizens in need of protection and the officers that do the protecting,” said Igliozzi. The Finance Committee’s thorough vetting of the contract yielded additional incentives from Taser International; the company, which also manufactures Taser guns, has agreed to include an additional 500 Taser cartridges at no cost to the city. “It was a good contract when it first came before the Finance Committee,” said Igliozzi. “It’s an even better contract now.”
If the contract is approved by the City Council, police officers will likely begin the implementation process within a few short months. The contract is expected to appear before the full City Council in early April.
by Billy Kepner | Jan 19, 2017 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-10, Ward-7
The City Council tonight approved a tax stabilization to advance the revitalization of 225 Weybosset Street, an abandoned historic property in Providence’s downtown theater district. Once complete, the property will feature 6 commercial/retail spaces on the ground floor and 10 apartments on the upper floors, which have been vacant for over twenty years.
“Historic buildings are challenging to renovate, and those with empty storefronts make for the kinds of projects where tax stabilizations matter most,” said Council President Luis Aponte. “This investment will transform a historic building that’s been abandoned and overlooked for far too long. These kinds of projects enliven our business districts and bring new housing stock to our vibrant city.”
225 Weybosset Street marks the third redevelopment project in Providence by ASH NYC, which is led by principal Ari Heckman. Heckman’s most notable local investment was the conversion of the former Sportsman’s Inn on Fountain Street into the Dean Hotel. Following that success, the developer reinvested tax savings into the rehabilitation of 32 Custom House Street in the city’s Financial District.
“We love Providence, and we look forward to restoring another building in the heart of a city we’re so passionate about,” said Heckman. “We’re grateful for the support from the City Council that makes this project possible.”
“This developer’s previous projects have been a rousing success for the City of Providence,” noted Finance Committee Chairman John Igliozzi. “Small-scale projects like these can often have the biggest long-term, positive impact on the city.”
