So since I am getting screwed for being a homeowner I DON'T have to pay this additional excise tax? Oh I do?? I thought so. Thanks Fontaine, that's "the least you could do".

Once again, the only positive influence in this entitlement program driven city are being forced to support the parasitic members of Woonsocket. Thank God the landowners are their to support a city filled with free food, free housing, free education, free public service, free child care, free money, free medical, etc. for those deemed to important to work, but consider wonderful breeding stock (obviously seen in the size of the huge non-working families in our city).

shouldnt we see what the unions do about conssesions first before we get taxed up the butt!! if the unions say no whats next? i have an idea why dosent the city just send all the property owners in the city the general bank account mnumber and everyone that works for a living just have thier pay check direct deposited right into that account and if thier is anything left after the city pays the union crap and gives all the people that dont pay any taxes (thats 30,000 out of about 42,000) thier cut maybe the city will find it in thier heart to give alittle back to us!!!

It's always a good idea to buy a good quality used car or truck.Pay attention to reliabilty and year of manufacture should not be too much of a concern as long as the mileage isn't too high.

Don't try to keep up with the Joneses.that's for suckers.The same goes for Real Estate...prioritize with an eye towards functionality,not cosmetics.The above article confirms this.

TO ALL UNFAIRLY TARGETED BY THIS OUTRAGEOUS MONSTROSITY:
CALL, EMAIL AND SNAIL MAIL THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEMBERS.
DO IT NOW if you haven't already!!!

PROTEST, SPEAK AT THE NEXT CITY COUNCIL MEETING OR GIVE WRITTEN TESTIMONY.

Awesome! More taxes and no services in return. Mr. Mayor, I have a 5 year plan too! In 5 years I will have equity (even in these grim economic conditions) and I will say good bye to Woonsocket. No incentive to live here as a homeowner at all. I hope many homeowners do the same.

Personally if it were up to me I would put us into receivership, apply for bankruptcy, and get all the same old politicians we've had in office, some for decades it feels, and just start over! It's obvious we can't trust our politicians, the school department, or any other city department for that matter to effectively run themselves! Take away their power and corruption and get someone in here to truly fix the mess we are in not just our old time politicians doing same old some old junk that's not going to help but only further hurt the city! LOOK AT HOW MANY PEOPLE AND BUSINESS ARE MOVING AWAY FROM THIS CITY, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCILORS THIS SHOULD BE TELLING YOU SOMETHING!!!!!!

One-time vehicle tax will raise $500K. Change that to, will anticipate a raise of $500K if everybody pays it. Good Luck achieving that.

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples money...

Monkeyshines obviously you have missed my point it's not that people don't want to work there's just no jobs here this city's turning into a ghost town and our politicians don't even care because they are still getting theirs! My whole point was we need to bring jobs to this area instead of them leaving because this city sucks and is so corrupt!!!!!!!

I want to know who voted to NOT include Commercial properties in the extra tax(?) Fontaine? Ward?

Did any Council members speak out on this?

I say lobby the State Reps to not support this!

ok who can give me the assembly email addy ......................so many of the people of woonsocket can tell them enough is enough. not only are companies leaving the city but the homeowners are as well........when the market goes up i will also be leaving and moving to mass.keep it up soon you will have nothing but a ghost town here in woonsocket then who will pay the tax.

This proposal should include all property owners and businesses including the multi-familys, apartment complexes and condos. And if the mayor wants to include car owners it should just be for those who live in non-taxable dwellings. This was supposed to be shared sacrifice, remember last year? The unions workers and pensioners will hopefully do their part and then the rest of us have to do our part.

I'm sorry to predict that the GA will vote no on this. It puts too much of the burden on single family home owners under, which is not fair.

1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.
2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.
3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it!
5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation

I think we blame each other too much while the real problem in the first place was the over spending of the city officials. They should reduce their spending by doing less of what they are doing because what they are doing isn't working out. Should be like a car, the less you move, the less gas you consume, the less money it takes to fill up. Let's just stop blaming ourselves for something we didn't do.

Also, I am confused about people talking about freeloaders in the city. Aren't they funded by the federal government and not the city?

Have you really looked at your taxes lately? I did. Regardless of the fact that my property value has decrease 46% in the last 6 years, my tax has risen 51%.

It’s been mentioned they have a cap of 4%. That’s BS. Last year my tax went up 13.55% without any general assembly modification.

Keeping the tax rate the same and just modifying the exemption from .39 to .29 my taxes will go up $588. Now they want an addition 5%? ( $175). Knowing these greedy little pigs you can expect the tax rate to change 4% on top of that without the general assembly’s approval ($140), now we’re up $904.

They need to put their cards on the table.

Want a solution, stop funding the school department that can’t live within their budget or get the state to kick in for the people not paying taxes.

Year Property Value Tax charged % increase in tax
2005 $2,327
2006 $261,200 $2,429 4.39%
2007 $261,200 $2,523 3.87%
2008 $261,200 $2,592 2.72%
2009 $212,600 $2,757 6.38%
2010 $212,600 $2,914 5.68%
2011 $212,600 $3,095 6.22%
2012 $178,600 $3,515 13.55%
2013 $178,600 $4,279 21.75% Projected

Find anyone’s taxes in Woonsocket at http://www.ci.woonsocket.ri.us/assessor.htm
You’ll see the same results.

OK so now the city has posted the meeting minutes at http://www.ci.woonsocket.ri.us/budget.htm
It's pretty clear they want to raise 2.5 million dollars using both the single family homeowner/condominiums and the motor vehicle owners the first year. Then they eliminate the motor vehicle owners from the equation and use just the homeowners. The tax is permanent. The legislation also opens the door to eliminate the exemption entirely. So if 39% to 29% raises 2.5 million what does 29%-0 raise? They will not need the general assembly after this legislation goes through.
(sp)

In order for our present politicians not to be re-elected, they have to stop giving the high rises, (senior citizens, "good meals". Let's face it, that's where most of our voters come from. I think taxpayers should make the effort to go visit them and tell them the truth and what's really going on, when the time comes. Maybe if we all show them our bills that we all struggle with, they just might actually feel bad.

I think all of Woonsocket's "scum" would leave Woonsocket if all welfare recipients were required to be drug tested before they were allowed housing. That would weed out about 65%. Wouldn't that be something if our "reps" would put in that kind of legislation? But no, they need their votes !!

Woonsocket's bankrupt...just remember everybody,receiver or no receiver,the City's creditors are getting paid 100 cents on the dollar plus interest (TAX FREE).You can thank your reps for that,it's called the Fiscal Stability Act of 2010 and it makes sure that bondholders get paid first.

I've never heard of a "bankruptcy" that doesn't include creditors and just because Woonsocket is a municipality shouldn't make it exempt.The City needs a fresh start and that can only be achieved through some form of debt relief,amongst other things.

There's a big piece of the puzzle missing folks.Don't worry about bond ratings either,Woonsocket's credit stinks.

Who is John Galt?