W. Warwick eyes tax increase to avoid layoffs, cuts
7:01 AM Wed, Jun 17, 2009 | Permalink
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Get the 7 to 7 on your mobile at www.projo.com. Twitter: projo | RSS | Email alerts WEST WARWICK -- Taxpayers were strongly urged and warned Tuesday night to support the Town Council's proposed $79 million budget and its roughly 80-cent tax increase - - or face drastic cuts to services. Those cuts would be extremely visible. "Laying off 25 employees...is 10 percent of our workforce. The level of services that residents have become accustomed to would be drastically reduced,'' Thomas told roughly 60 people who attended the meeting. "I care about the employees. I care about the town. I don't support laying off 25 people. We've got to quit worrying about nickels and dimes and start worrying about our future. The state is struggling. Unemployment is going to continue to climb. Rhode Island is probably going to be the last state that will pull out of this recession."
The budget for street lights would be cut, leaving many blocks in the dark. Money for the senior center and the library would be slashed in half, making it nearly impossible to keep them open. The Parks Department would merge with Public Works. Taxpayers at the May 19 meeting soundly rejected the $30.5 million municipal spending plan and the recommended $49.2 million budget for the schools. They also failed to vote on raising taxes. The Town Charter stipulates that if the town budget is defeated the council must run the town with the same amount of money that was budgeted for the current fiscal year. But this time traditional revenue sources have dried up. There is no promise of state aid to municipalities in fiscal year 2010. Revenue at the Town Clerk's and building offices is down because the economy and construction is slow. The town is also anticipating less revenue from changes to the state's motor-vehicle tax structure. Thomas said that if voters approve the 4.75 percent tax increase -- an average 80 cents increase on the tax rate, per $1,000 of assessed property value -- and the maximum allowed this year under state law, it would save town services and people's jobs. But taxpayers must vote for it. Most members on the council are calling for the tax increase. But the discussion didn't come without a debate "This is a great rehearsal for next week. It is up to us to recommend [to taxpayers] the best way to go," said Councilman Edward Giroux. "We need to go to next week's meeting with the rationale of why they need to support this tax increase. We know more than the average taxpayer, as far as what is happening with this operation. Not to approve this is shirking our responsibility and our trust...the taxpayers trust in us." Councilman Angelo Padula said he is against tax increase of any kind. He says the municipal side has cut enough and the schools haven't. With the town also being sued by the schools in a Superior Court case, also known as the Caruolo action, the tax increase will ultimately be higher, Padula said. "They are the people who put us into this position,'' Padula said. "I don't want any more cuts from the municipal side. When is enough, enough? These people will not get any relief." 
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What a novel idea! Why don't other Rhode Island cities and towns consider this imaginative, innovative, and ground-breaking new approach to managing fiscal irresponsibility? Somebody asked me 25 years ago about what the difference was between West Warwick and Central Falls. You know what I told him? I told him that West Warwick has more trees! That folks, is the only difference. It's administered by incompetents, populated by fools, and it is doomed to insolvency. West Warwick is a disaster area in every way that a town can be a disaster area.
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How about live within your means ? tax rates for homes are high enough in west warwick and elsewhere - RI state GOVT has had tough decisions to make and stick by them to lower spending and try to get to financial balancing - the govenor expected towns to do the same , not raise tax rates to make up the difference - if this was private business and times were tough , layoffs would occur - WOW imagine that , staying in the black when times are tough - you wouldnt raise the prices of your items - thats business suicide in bad times - you make cuts - TOWN OF WW HAS TO MAKE CUTS , PERIOD
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It is ASTONISHING that WW (and State leaders as well) always say "Well, its either raise taxes, or cut services" - Uhhh, NOOOOO!!! The other option is to realign health care and pension benefits of town employees back into reality!!! If you do this, you could actually CUT taxes and actually provide BETTER services! Honestly, our elected officals either are idiots or think we are idiots - either way, UNACCEPTABLE!!!
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Enough is enough. We W.W. taxpayers can no longer accept raising taxes as a mean to generate more revenue to pay for expenses. The word is out to the town council and the school committee to make CUTS, PERIOD. We hear no CUTS from the school commitee side. Why does it cost about $15000.00 per year to educate a child in W.W. when the average cost in the State is about $12000.00. School committee come up with a new budget and show us CUTS in your budget. At least the town council has done it on the municipal side and presented to us taxpayers. NO TAX INCREASE. VOTE DOWN THE BUDGET.
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Just keep drowning us with taxes. Eventually we will have to foreclose on our homes to eat. That will leave the town with even less taxes coming in. When will it end!
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we in west warwick are paying taxes on homes that
are assessed at twice what what they are worth!
home values have dropped but have the taxes??
how much can we take, i retired after working all
my life now i cant afford a good meal! i have been paying taxes for schools that i never sent a
child to, and all the renters get the free ride.
tax the people that realy use the schools, not us
retired folks
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All west warwick voters need to turn out to vote no! No changes to the budget? Increase taxes? Same old same old...No creativity or sense of reality! THE WELL IS DRY - NO NEW TAXES!! DO YOU WANT MORE FORECLOSURES?? Maybe bankruptcy is our only option. We need to live within our means!
Trash collection every other week, ditch the parks, who uses them anyway?
WHAT ABOUT THE SCHOOL SIDE? WE ARE BLUE COLLAR TOWN PAYING FOR CADILLAC SERVICES AND NOT GETTING ANYTHING TO SHOW FOR THE DOLLARS SPENT. The Schools need a sense of reality, they produce low results, ditch sports and other non-core electives and extras. That stuff doesn't put food on the table. We need to educate for career not pander to what parents should be doing for kids.
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how is that they need MORE money then last year??? tough times call watchful spending. The budget should require LESS money not more
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