Even if the city does send out the supplemental bills many residents will not be able to pay it because of their own financial situations. How many residents are currently delinquent on their current tax payments because of personal financial problems? Money does not grow on a tree.

True "Doctor" but they will pay a 15% penalty and the city will already have borrowed
more money on their tax bill increasing the city's debt. The taxpayer cannot win on this
situtation. You can't cut 6 million out of the school budget and not expect it to come back and bite you in the "you know where".

John R Dionne

John, do you of any reason why Taxbills for cars haven't been sent out like last year ? is it because of the investigating of the actual cost for cars was in question, I haven't seen anything on it, and wondering why I didn't get the bill I received last year, just curious.

Of course we should tax the home and propert owning residents of Woonsocket... Who else are we going to get to foot the bill? The ~17% of City residents who live in subsidised housing, collect welfare and unemployment and clog up the streets of the City with their trash and crime? Maybe we should start taxing drug sales in Woonsocket; 2% on meth, 5% on pot, 6% on crack, 8% on coke... But that would require basic math skills which most of these people don't have... I don't understand why I go to work, bust my @ss to make a good honest wage to feed my family and pay my mortgage and taxes only to get told that i'm being penalized for being a productive member of society. And the people that utilized the "projects" get dang near free housing, they're given a free paycheck, free money for food, free money for milk, free cell phone service, subsidized daycare for their broods, and they don't have to do a dang thing to get it except to DO NOTHING! How about we stop giving everything away; just stop. If these people stop getting free money, housing and food, they'll evaporate or they'll get a job really quick!
In all seriousness, why should I, as a taxpayer, choose to stay in the City of Woonsocket? What is here for me? High tax rates, a decent crime rate, underfunded schools and depreciating home values and a high percentage of people who leach off of me? Please...

Does the mayor even own property in the city? Of course he wants to tax us all more, it is of no consequence to him!

The Mayor and his wife own a home in the city and pay taxes. It's in the Appriaisal Vision Assessor's database.

$30,000.00 a year to send some Woonsocket students to Bellingham?

http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1804671327/Bellingham-owed-money-for-R-I-students

Are you kidding me?

I looked before I posted, didn't see it... http://data.visionappraisal.com/WoonsocketRI/findpid.asp#closest

I did see that he pays a whopping Total of $114.87 in excise taxes for 2 vehicles though.

http://www.opaldata.net/ritaxrolls/PublicSearchView1.aspx

I think they should tax families with children that go to Woonsocket schools. No exceptions. I don't care if you are on welfare. I have 3 kids in school and would pay my fair share..as long as everyone else does. When a girl with 5 kids moves into Morin Heights and is leaching off the system,that is more teachers that are needed with no money into the school system. This city will be all section 8 and projects soon.

I am an employee of the city AND a resident. The mayor wants a 10% cut in ALL wages, then I get to pay an additional 12% tax on property. Why am I even still here? I'm going to be priced out of my home due to increased taxes and fees. Water, sewer, trash, what's next? My kids have to attend this pathetically run school department.

Anyone else notice the police that have been out this week standing (almost blocking) traffic in certain areas to make sure people are wearing their seat belts ? I'm sorry I thought the city was broke ?!?! so exactly how much do these officers get paid to stand around for hours to make sure we're buckling up ? Why are we not demanding to see what the city is spending money on ? Its supposed to be public knowledge were is ALL the tax payers money going? ! We should be demanding answers and giving them other solutions so we are not bearing the weight for the rest of the city any longer. Change will only happen when people come together and stand up for the wrong doing and DEMAND that things change. I'm so sick of people doing whatever they are told by the elected officials who have proven time and again that they can not be trusted and do not know what they are doing. STAND up people and voice your opinions !! Why can't we contact the ACLU and sue Woonsocket for not listeing to the people ?

I'm with you Chorus are those fee's for the seat belts really going to City ? Doubtful because it is part of a federally funded click-it-or ticket program. Yet we're paying our police to be out there. Even if the money was going to the city I bet we're paying more for the 10-15 police officers that are out there all day than we are getting back in fines! I know the ACLU is a long shot but there's got to be something that can be done !

The Good People of The City of Woonsocket are already TAX to Death. I would never have thought that the day would come where there would be a tax to collect your trash. Oh, I'm sorry. It's not a tax. It's a service fee.

on Diamond Hill rd. we have State Troopers stopping people who are not buckled up
DHR Is a state highway,Im sure we do not get the money here. As usual, it will end up in Prov.

Dear Homeowners, The City is missing 10 million dollars. We're not sure when, how or who is responsible for losing it, but please don't worry, absolutely none of that matters. We just need more money from all of you immediately, it's an absolutely dire situation. Just send us even more money and this time we promise not to lose it. Sincerely, your elected officials of Woonsocket.

Give me a break, literally.

I'm not sure how this fits into the topic but what happened to all the money the city had for snow removal and didn't use ? Can't they take that money and use it towards the schools ? or something else that would help the residents of Woonsocket ?

Forgive my ignorance, but...

Since this is such an economic emergency, why can't our Mayor and/or Governor solicit for federal emergency funds to resolve this whole mess? Our federal government always seem to have millions of dollars for foreign aid? Why not help cities here in the United States???

diamondmom, the money that the city allocated for snow removal WILL be spent regardless of how much snow we actually had. If they dont spend the allocated money from this year, they loose it next year. So you can bet the they will spend it.

As for the deficiet.... Lets find other ways to tax us city residents. How about a tax/fee for mail delivery? Or a tax/fee for renters, not just property owners? How about a toll to drive thru the city, right at the end of RTE 99?

Woonsocket property owner, I like your ideas! My children don't even go to school.

Your gonna make people pay to get into this city??? Hahahahaha! Good luck w/that..

Soon there will be A Toll to cross The Court Street Bridge.

Woonsocket property/home and business owners are carrying the burden for everyone. Woonsocket is a magnet for welfare cases and the seniors with homes and productive working people are being punished and left out to dry.
The leeches continue to get everything free and are exempt from any of this debacle. In my opinion,the School Department administration gets most of the blame for this financial crisis. They should be accountable for their incompetent handling of their budget. The punishment is being re-directed to the WRONG people. I fear who will be left in Woonsocket after we are all taxed to death and drained.

Bob Dobalina,
The idea is to tax existing Woonsocket residents
that have no choice but to pay the toll in order to get home. I think this is right up the same ally as paying for trash pickup!!! Lets get this one passed.

So, I have been trying to contact the city for 2 days trying to work out an agreement on water, sewer and tax arrearages. I am trying to give them money and can't get through to the "right" person.

This city is incredulous...

how about a $10 / student tax on parents, per month? are we taking a serious look at charter schools as opposed to letting our fiscally irresponsible leadership continue to screw up our children's education? Where else can we offset cost with elbow grease? volunteer fire department? Volunteer EMT's? How about computerizing the horrible billing department in City Hall?

I have two points to make....first of all, renters pay property through their landlords. Is the city going to lower the tax rates for landlords are collect tax twice for the same unit? And are they going to tax people who rent with section 8 dollars? Or just the people who are struggling to make their rent payments?

My next point is with all the tax increases happening in Woonsocket and Ri, look at all the businesses that have been lost....Walmart moved to North Smithfield, Lowe's is soon to follow and gee, didn't the state lose money because they started taxing the people who were coming to RI to film?

Lets make woonsocket a unwelcome place , Tax all the homeowners till there broke, Pull every car over and harass them. . Woonsocket is definitly a city on the move DOWNWARD !! GOnna scare all the halfway decent people out, and welcome the welfare/section 8 renters ....gonna be a great city. sell your house and get out NOW!

Instead of districts being named East Woonsocket, Bernon, Fairmount, South End and North End, why don't our reps/legislators redistrict them to ADD/SECTION 8 END, because nothing is being done about welfare reform. I've asked plenty of times and get a round a bout answer of diddly squat. Exactly what they do...nothing about matter that count.

Supplemental taxes...hmmm, what if we tax or go after Girardi and the superintendants of the past 10 years that knew of these issues? information like this has been getting swept under the rugs for many years, those in office now in the City of Woonsocket has played some part of the City's political arenas for years now, just different roles...they all need to be held accountable and leave the poor residents of the city alone...it's not that the teachers have a 75 million dollar a year contract that we are trying to reduce, its that they have a 59 million dollar a year contract that they are inflating...when stories are told they need to be factual and not emotional...

As tough as it would be to swallow, I would prefer to see the city file for banktuptcy. You have to look at the track record of those currently in office and ask yourself how we are going to be any better off with a supplemental tax. You have a Mayor who is not a first term mayor and he was on the City Council for years. You have a City Council president who has been serving on the City Council for several years now and served on the School Committee prior to getting elected to the City Council. You have a first term City Councilman who served on the School Committee and worse yet, was a member of the Finance Oversight sub-committee of the School Committee - this is while all of these millions of dollars that didn't exist were being spent by the School Department. Since there has been such a strong record of mis-management involving these key players, how can the citizens have any confidence at all that these people will suddenly be able to properly manage the supplemental tax funds that they want to bleed from us. I think we need to have a receiver come in to the city and clean house once and for all. That is the only chance we have for getting the situatuion that we are in corrected.

Shut down the school department cut our state and city taxes and we will pay for our own children to go to school. Problem solved

It is time for the city of WOONSOCKET, to declare bankruptcy, that's my opinion and this is why;

"the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result"
each year we go through this foolish dance all of this will fix the problem but it never does it just gets worse.
It's time to do something different, bankruptcy, our political leaders of this city are incapable of governing after numerous attempts to do so. They are going to bleed us dry, the taxpayers, and after we've been financially destroyed their last resort will be bankruptcy. Do it now, stop the bleeding and go see the doctor(bankruptcy)

I understand there are some drawbacks to bankruptcy but nothing else is working!

we need to open these contracts and start doing what is right for the city and its people, all we have seen is more taxes if we are going to pay 4.9 million in new taxes than the cause of the problem has to put forward 4.9 million in cuts there are cuts to be made they just are not popular with anyone don't raise the taxes if you are not going to cut you have not fixed the problem it will be back soon and doubled the time for doing is now the talking is over if you don't want to do your job let the reciever he will show you what you should be doing yes more taxes but also many cuts not just for 3-months what good is that pay attention this is the breaking peroid and all the reciever is going to do is what you were supose to do and then you are all out of a job.........

The Woonsocket Education Department doesn't know the differents between a Surplus and a Deficit.

The City of Chelesa, Ma filed for Bankruptcy in 1993. They had a defict of nearly $9 Million. The city tax payers took over and here are the End results, Hired a City Manager with all the degrees needed to run a city of 39,000 people, re-wrote the City Charter to keep Poltics out, elected an honest City Council, per Charter. Reduced the bleeding and has for the past 17 years run the City with no bleeding and no deficts. The average tax bill in ma is $3,095 per yr and water and sewer is $1,054. Chelsea's is tax bill $2,113 for homes & $1,060 for Water & Swear. What the hay are we doing here in Woonsocket?

@RonW I think the WED does know the difference I think the state just thinks the school department can run each year with less money even though every bill goes up.

Actually they do but the problem is human error which is normal because it's HUMAN ERROR. Well is a question how many of you complainers are going to the city council meeting tonight? Who will be on here complaining about something in which they show no interest in?

Strange that we are seeing a flurry of posts in just a few minutes from one person. He has posted a negative reply to almost every post that calls for declaring bankruptcy or making drastic cuts. Anyone want to bet he's worried that his job is one that will be cut if a receiver comes in and takes over.

Friday afternoon I over heard a city resident make a statement that if true heads should roll There's a property a mill building that use to house Nyanza on Singleton ST The property has an assed value that would bring in $100,000 in tax money to the city. The owner complained to his friend & City Woon Economic Dir Matt W & He helped the man get the value reduced so as he would only pay $136.00 per yr in taxes.The Owner & Matt W stated he was re-cycling not MFG there hence reducing his taxes I'm not sure if this is true or not but someone on the City Council should find out if this is true I know rumors are started all the time in this city it's worth looking into Here's some math if city tax payers have to pay a supplement tax @ $400.00 & you divide that into the $100,000 that was changed that would amount to 2500 tax payers having to come up with extra money to make up those taxes lost Also another fact we are in the RED by $10 Million now & next Yr some say another $8/$10 Million for a total of $20 Million which makes sense If the WED needs $75 Mill to run the Schools & are given only $66 Mill PY that's $9 Mill in the hole The city father's say the 5th quarter tax bill will only be $400.00 or so Let's look at that for a moment theres 10K home owners in Woonie that pay taxes if $100K divide by $400 = 2,500 tax payers, then how much will it cost every Home Owner & Biz Owner to bale out a $20 Million deficit? In my opinion it looks like $2000 per Home Owner & Business OUCH

In the Providence Journal there was an editorial reminding Woonsocket that when a city (like Central Falls) is in bankrupcy one person... a receiver, is in charge. He (or she) is not voted in. He is able to make major changes like raise taxes, break unions, close libraries, and the taxpayers have no say. That sounds like a dictator or king. I am not sure if this is true. However, I don't like anyone appointed by the state (Chafee appointee?) that cannot be voted out.

Another Sorry Statement, our good Mayor states he is having trouble Living on the $80,000 Salary that he gets. WTF

Ron.... I am not sure if what you say is true. In Central Falls I don't think any one was fired or let go. The Mayor is still the Mayor.....in Central Falls. Luckily, I don't have to decide this I was just mentioning the "appointee" status of the bankruptcy situation. Who will Chafee appoint to run Woonsocket? I am not even sure if it will work the same way in Woonsocket as Central Falls. Many of the contributors of this page are more informed about this situation that I.

http://oceanstatecurrent.com/research/woonsocket-teachers-receive-4-7-million-in-raises-and-bonuses-in-current-contract/

BANRUPTCY AND REGIONALIZATION NOW!!!!!!!! Let's start over and clean up this city and state.

Mr Bernier, I believe that the people responsible have all moved on already. What a shame THAT is. And why dont you suggest an actual plan to "reduce the Illegal population". What should the city do? Send out letters saying "if you are illegal, you have 30 days" That should do it right? And as far as attempting to get $ from all of the people who dont own property in Woon, like the ones who are sucking it dry...there is no REAL way to do it. The people who DO know anything about how to get $ from taxpayers are already trying to find a way...b/c you see...they work and have to pay for all of "the others" too. Guessing they dont like it either. So Ron, when you come up with those answers/suggestions...I bet the City would like to hear them. FYI a receiver will make your lives MISERABLE...more than you can even imagine. Regionalization is a GREAT idea....its just a decade away, even if they start today.

f John Wards plan moves forward his idea is to send out the 5th quarter bill, then take the balance of the 10 million deficit and spread it out over 5 years. If the school committee, city council and mayor do their jobs another supplemental tax bill should be avoided because the next city budget should include the needed amount to balance the school departments needs. The Superindent of schools has stated she is working on a zero based budget. This will accomplish two things. It will finally tell us what the "basic need as required by law is" and secondly provide for a balanced budget. If the Council doesn't
fund the need, the school committee will go to court in the city will have to pay the shortfall.
A receiver could eliminate the five year plan and hit us for the 100% monies due. Remember the 10 million deficit has already been spent so it has to be paid. Let us not forget that people who rallyed against the extra tax bill last year won with 11.7 mil being put on a credit card for 5 years at a interest cost of 3 million dollars. That 3 million in interest we are now about to pay could have been given to the school department and is what a receiver would have probably concluded. People forget that former mayor menard recommended a supplemental tax bill which was defeated because of Roger Jalette, Stella Brien and Sue Vadenais. I don't call 3 million in interest for five years a win for the taxpayers.

John R Dionne

well does anyone wonder what would happen if we all took the supplement tax bills and mark the envelope RETURN TO SENDER.????

what to the council and the mayor in CF when the receiver took over, omg i don't want to loose my power,please pay your tax bills

SO Ron, Im sorry I dont see the answers to those ?? up above. We all understand that we need to close the borders, stop the wasteful welfare fraud, shut down the food stamps and free phones to people buying Ding Dongs & driving Escalades but what SPECIFICALLY would you proposed to get the ILLEGALS OUT OF WOONSOCKET TODAY? Or wait, you dont have a plan? didnt think so. Ok, and I agree that some of the players are stiil in this game...but I have to disagree on your complaint with Mr Ward. I have been reading the news and watching tv for weeks on this stuff and it seems to me that he is one of the only ones who has the education, background and frankly the patience to deal with trying to fix a mess that likly isnt fixable. If I were him, Id turn my back and walk away. I believe he has a "regular job" doesnt he ? Like Mr Dionne said, a reciever could hit you with a bill for "ALL MONIES DUE"...Would hit you all involved like a kick to the throat.
Oh, and Mr B, why no reply button on your posts? Not looking for replies?
Ill be waiting for those replies...Illegals ? and on how to tax the slugs?...
tick tock tick tock..

Can anyone give me in written that we will not get another supplement tax bill next year or the year after if not then file bankrupcy..water and sewer taxes are going to be bad enough the next few years nevermind a supplement tax bill every year,, also two ideas 1, why not tax everyone who has a registered car in the city, 2, tax every child in the school system... its not perfect but it will help more than just the 10000 people paying taxes now,,, and yes i have two kids in the school system

Ron, I am simply a person who has been watching and reading, everything...and can see that very few people are offering up suggestions. Including you. And when asked direct questions you have no answers. WHO I am is really of no consequence to you, nor why I choose not to identify myself. Last I checked, it was not required. I would hope that if you come her to complain, then you might have some solution. I guess not.
If the city goes into recievership...you will all lose services that the current administration would have fought to preserve...for the sake of its people...Maybe a Library, or a Senior Center. Some pretty intelligent people are fighting for you....WAKE UP...

Now that's more of what I was looking for. I've been reading and watching for a very long time and thought that with all of the focus on unions in the past few years, the council had done all that they w/regard to reeling that issue in. If what you say is true, then that is certainly top on the list. Not sure that any receiver is going to take on Unions however, will just chop off easy stuff, services. And in this day and age, I would hope that if Woonsocket still has city employees standing around, as you say, anyone who is able would get those phones out, and take pictures. Show the leadership..if people are frustrated..show them the actual abuse. NO blanket statements. I really hope that this will work out for you Ron, b/c no one should lose their home at this point in your life. With regard to issues as large as Illegals, and abuse of the systems put in place to help people, they will hopefully all be addressed in November. We vote the people in who are working toward amnesty instead of bigger (and cheaper) fences. Tell your friends to VOTE.

The Ward Tax Will Destroy the City!!!!