Cranston

Funding Cranston

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 31, 2009 |

At last night’s meeting of the Cranston City Council, Mayor Allan Fung offered his budget for fiscal year 2009-2010, and his plans for closing this year’s large budget deficit. Mayor Fung began by relating the budget situation in Cranston to the national and state situaion: “Cranston, like every municipality in the state, is living through…

High Budget Noon in Cranston

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 30, 2009 |

That’s it?!! The meeting just adjourned. Apparently the hearing with public input is not until Thursday. Mayor Fung will ask for a 5.46% increase in the tax levy, requiring some kind of bypass of the state tax cap, possible because of the probable cut in state aid. Greetings from the City of Cranston. where Mayor…

A Slightly Longer History of Police Budgets in Cranston

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 27, 2009 |

Two substantive objections offered in the comments section to my short history of the Cranston Police Department budget were…The figures for the Napolitano years include some million-dollar-plus temporary “rent” costs associated with the construction of a new police station, andNapolitano’s first police budget was the 3rd year of a contract negotiated by his predecessor (that…

A Short History of Police Budgets in Cranston

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 26, 2009 |

Here are the official budget numbers for the last several years of the operation of the Cranston Police department, plus a column showing the change from the previous year… FY2006Laffey III $16,616,502— FY2007Laffey IV $17,536,373 $919,871 FY2008Napolitano I $19,919,454 $2,383,081 FY2009Napolitano II $20,679,721 $760,267 I had a chance for a brief interview with Cranston Mayor…

Chaos in Cranston

By Carroll Andrew Morse | March 17, 2009 |

Last evening, the finance committee of the Cranston City Council voted to table the contract negotiated by Mayor Allan Fung with the International Brotherhood of Policemen’s Local 301. According to Mayor Fung, the contract would have saved the city approximately $1.4 million dollars over three years through measures that include not filling vacancies, implementing an…

City Council to Consider Measure Making Itself the Rhode Island within Rhode Island

By Monique Chartier | February 23, 2009 |

If Rhode Island has had one of the worst business climates in the country due to taxes and fees, at tonight’s City Council meeting, Cranston may seek to similarly distinguish itself on the state level. The other is a resolution that would seek the General Assembly’s authorization to require all businesses in the city to…

When Negotiating Season and Flat-Tire Season Coincide

By Justin Katz | February 21, 2009 |

In a comment to my post about Tiverton school officials’ ambiguous admission of intimidation by the National Education Association, Cranstoner Donald Botts relates the following anecdote: My take on their comments was that the union was attempting to use intimidation tactics against them, but they either were not intimidated or didn’t want to admit they…

Making Education Fit the Budget in Cranston

By Justin Katz | January 31, 2009 |

The scythe has come out in the Cranston school department: Gifted and talented programs? Gone. Middle school sports? Gone. Music lessons for children who want to play stringed instruments? Gone. These programs and others are among the casualties in the budget proposed by Schools Supt. M. Richard Scherza for the coming fiscal year, and the…