Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

WEST WARWICK, R.I. -- With less than a month before the 2009 fiscal year ends, the Town Council says it is facing a new potential shortfall of $2.5 million.

It is considering a host of cuts to cover it, most of which would affect public safety, fire service and trash collection. The council might also hold another Financial Town Meeting and offer taxpayers a new budget, to avoid additional cuts.

The $2.5 million is roughly equal to the 4.75-percent increase to the property tax levy, the maximum allowed this year under state law, which voters rejected at the May 19 Financial Town Meeting.

The no vote means the town does not have the authority to increase property taxes in the new fiscal year, which begins July 1.

Taxpayers also soundly rejected the council's recommended $79.8-million budget, which included $49.2 million for the schools. According to the Town Charter, since taxpayers voted no on all three items, the town must, for now, operate with a $79.5-million budget -- the same as this fiscal year.

For the past two weeks, the council has met in executive session, as they did on Tuesday evening, trying to find things to cut. Some of the ideas include possibly closing a fire station and eliminating 14 positions from that department.

Town Manager James Thomas also has met with other municipal union leaders, seeking more concessions.

"Everything is on the table. Nothing has been etched in stone," Council President David Gosselin Jr. said Tuesday night, directing his comments to a fire official concerned about the cuts.

"Everything was written down that the entire council discussed in executive session. With our financial crisis, as you saw at the town financial meeting, the taxpayers do not want a 4.75 [percent] tax increase. We may go back to a Financial Town Meeting ... and give [the public] some more detail. Maybe they will change their minds. Maybe they'll realize what they could be losing without the tax increase."

The Town Council said it has not heard from the School Committee as to what other proposed cuts it could make to help shoulder the potential $2.5-million shortfall.

Meanwhile, during Tuesday's meeting, the council voted to appoint the services of Warwick accountants Parmelee, Poirier & Associates LLP, to assist Town Solicitor Timothy A. Williamson with the schools' Superior court lawsuit against the town for an additional $3.3 million, also known as a Caruolo action.

In the past couple of days, two educational consultants, including Walter Edge and Thomas Sweeney, have given testimony on behalf of the schools during the case being heard in Superior Court.

"Mr. [Bernard] Poirier will be presented as a witness to the town," Williamson said during the meeting. "We need this witness to combat the testimony of Mr. [Thomas] Sweeney. We cannot win this case without them. They are very vital."

 Tags  budgets economy

Comments

wendy kenyon said:

I love the way the town council thinks, by raising taxes, our problems will be solved. The people of West Warwick can not pay any more in taxes.

Link | June 3, 2009 9:33 AM
Report Abuse

---

Avin Adhikari said:

Please.........
Town councils,Instead of asking for tax increase and telling us what we loose.
i think you'll should ask tax payers to brainstorm on ideas for the best possiblity.
Safety,clean and security is ours responsibility, and we need to have public Conscience.
we can change our behaviour in this hard time by being more Cautious,and expensed less
on public works, and maintain cost effective concept to overcome minimum budget.

Link | June 3, 2009 1:11 PM
Report Abuse

---

Leave a comment

Please be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish.

Name:

Email:

URL:  

Remember personal info?

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.