Adventures in Town Government
[9:16] Good morning, from the Rhode Island Statewide Coalititon Winter Meeting, where a panel discussion on municipal finance in Rhode Island has been convened. Panel members are Woonsocket Mayor Leo Fontaine, Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, Central Falls Receiver Robert Flanders, and the multi-titled Gary Sasse. [9:18] Central Falls Receiver Flanders is the moderator, and introducing…
I’m frequently reading articles about how towns are struggling financially because of millions of dollars less being given to the municipalities. The mayors say that they’re struggling because they’re not getting as much money. The Assembly is plugging their own budget holes with that money instead. Providence Mayor Angel Taveras has said that a part…
… It may be more difficult than it seems. If dislike of dictators Is contingent on progressive dreams Over on the Current, I express restrained hope that some noise on the Left about Central Falls’ receiver will spur reconsideration of liberals’ long-running centralization project. I note, too, that Anchor Rising’s unease with the entire municipal…
The RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity had published data covering all of Cranston’s public-sector retirees, and I’ve posted a general comparison of the numbers with those for the state system overall.
Fresh on the heels of Governor Chafee’s declaration of the Year of the Cities and Towns, Reps. Scott Guthrie (D, Coventry), Roberto DaSilva (D, East Prov., Pawtucket), and John Savage (R, East Prov.) have introduced legislation (H7317) that may win the sure-to-be-tough contest for union-loving lunacy: 28-7-7.1. Representation of towns and cities – maximum legal…
The principles underlying debate about Providence’s ability to suspend the cost of living adjustments (COLAs) of its public-sector retirees are fascinating. On one hand, we’re told that they’re contractual, unlike the state-level pensions, which are legislated: Unlike state-level public employee pension benefits, which are set by state law, municipal retirement benefits are incorporated in collective-bargaining…
It’s true: the City of Warwick charges the School Department to get multiple building permits for work being done in school buildings that the City itself owns. From today’s Warwick Beacon: School Committee Chair Beth Furtado said, for example, if there were six projects being conducted on one building, instead of getting one permit for…
I’ll admit that I don’t have much new to say about the continuing activities of the state-appointed budget commission now ruling East Providence: The state-appointed budget commission overseeing the city’s finances convened for the first time Wednesday, chose Michael O’Keefe, a former state budget director, as its president, and established its first priority: improving the…
This time of year, you can tell quite a bit about a writer or publication by the items it highlights from the past year and wishes it expresses for the coming one. This gem of a wish, from the Sakonnet Times, is an excellent example: That Tiverton’s new Financial Town Referendum really does bring peace…
So, today Tiverton voters will have the opportunity finally to do away with the financial town meeting (FTM) that has allowed a relatively small group of very motivated people to double taxes in the past ten years and ensure that they would continue to climb even during the worst economy that most of us have…