House Version of Woonsocket Supplemental Tax Bill To Be Heard Tonight

Council President John Ward says time is running out to pass tax and send out bills.

  With local senators' supplemental tax bill passed May 9, the next step in the fate of the $2.5 million the Budget Commission intends to add to the tax base rests in the House tonight, a day past the deadline to send bills out in time.   The House Municipal Government Committee will hear the bill tonight at 5 p.m., but Budget Commissioner and Council President John Ward said the goal was to get the bill approved, then send out tax bills ahead of June 30. "Which means that the goal was to have it by yesterday. So We're already running late," Ward said.  The process, albeit with a smaller supplemental tax, is following a course similar to last year. This time, however, the companion bill, House 6103, is sponsored directly by Rep. Lisa …

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David T

1:47 pm on Saturday, May 18, 2013

The underfunding is only part of the problem. What was the cause of the problems for the city before the state cut the funding? The solution today can't just be to get more state aide and call it a day. That does nothing to address the underlying weaknesses of the city and it is a failure of our current and past leadership to not identify those weaknesses and then to fix them.   more ›

Budget Commission OKs Filling 29 School Posts, Tables Three Positions

Curriculum director waits on job description, IT posts await discussion.

  The Woonocket Budget Commission gave Superintendent Giovanna Donoyan the go-ahead to fill 29 open positions already in the budget Thursday, but told her to wait on three. Following the approval of Woonsocket Schools' new Financial Controller, Donoyan asked the Commission for authority to transfer people within the district to fill open positions, so long as those positions were already approved within the Woonsocket Schools budget. "These are not new positions, at all," Donoyan said. Commission member Dina Dutremble asked Donoyan for more advance notice of the school committee's actions, particularly regarding hiring decisions.  Commission member John Ward said he thought that was a good idea, but noted that twice a month, the School …

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RonW

12:55 pm on Wednesday, September 26, 2012

http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/nesi/lawyer-landmarks-buyer-is-backing-out   more ›

Woonsocket Schools Invite Ninety Eight Teachers To Re-Apply For Jobs

Results of today's job fair hinge on Budget Commission approval.

  The Woonsocket Budget Commission hasn't decided whether to call back 98 laid off teachers invited to apply for open positions at the school department today. The teachers have been asked to attend a job fair at Woonsocket High today at 4 p.m., said Roxanne Cary, executive vice president of the Woonsocket Teachers Union. Cary said there are 52 positions that are open for the 98 teachers. Kathleen Lombardo, human resources director for Woonsocket Schools, said the number had been reduced from 104 due to attrition. Budget Commission Chairman Bill Sequino asked Woonsocket Teachers Union President Jeff Partington if they could postpone the job fair for two weeks until the Commission had more information on next year's budget, particularly the…

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Woonsocket City Councilors Spar Over Taxes, Budget Cuts

Ward, Beauchamp argue with Jalette during Monday work session on budget.

  Woonsocket City Council President John Ward and Councilman Christopher Beauchamp had heated words with Councilman Roger Jalette over the the supplemental tax bill during Monday's work session.  The councilors cooled long enough to continue discussing possible cuts as alternatives to the supplemental tax bill. Audio of the exchange can be reviewed at Mywoonsocket.com's "In their own words" page under the title June 4, 2012 Woonsocket City CouncilWork Session Budget", at links #14, #17 and #18. Jalette addressed the council, telling them the only solution to fixing the school department's $10 million deficit he'd heard from the majority of his fellow councilmen was increasing taxes. "Really? You didn't hear me discuss cutting retirement …

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Tommy Tutone

12:24 pm on Sunday, June 10, 2012

I respectfully disagree,supplemental=a very short term fix for deep structural problems.Throw more money at them and they'll want more in the future.This crisis needs to be looked at as an opportunity,an opportunity to reset for a more sustainable future. RI's got the second highest unemployment rate in the country and is the only state in the country that hasn't shown any improvement since 2008.…   more ›

VIDEO: Sequino Says Budget Commission Will Work With Local Boards

Chairman says panel will not usurp local authority.

In an interview following the first meeting of the Woonsocket Budget Commission June 1, Chairman Bill Sequino said the panel's first order of business will be working with the City Council and School Committee to get a budget passed before July 1. Sequino noted that despite the fact that ultimate responsibility for the budget now rests with the Budget Commission, the process will include input from the two city boards in a collaborative process. "The question I want to answer first is whether the schools were properly funded," Sequino said during an interview this morning, "If reductions are made, they would have to be made city-wide." During Friday's meeting, RI Director of Revenue Rosemary Booth Gallogly said the Budget Commission would…

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Woonsocket Budget Commission May Have To Cut To Fix Deficit

RI Revenue Chief: Members face tough choices if supplemental tax bill doesn't materialize.

  With little time and no progress to revive the supplemental tax bill, RI Director of Revenue Mary Booth Gallogly told the Woonsocket Budget Commission they may have to cut millions from the city's budget. Gallogly, who was working this week to gain support for the supplemental tax from the Woonsocket delegation to the General Assembly, said she had nothing to report so far. "I actually don't know any more than I knew when it was referred back to committee," Gallogly said. Without the Woonsocket delegation's support, the supplemental tax bill won't make it back to a House vote, which effectively kills the bill. The supplemental tax is expected to raise $6.6 million, with $4.3 million for the school department, said City Finance Director …

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DonQ

6:19 am on Wednesday, June 6, 2012

This is exactly why Fontaine and Ward should not be seated on the budget commission. Instead of making the hard cuts necessary, it's going to be business as usual. Fontaine and Ward have convinced the commission that they have cut as much as possible and now it is time to further screw the taxpayers. So what was the purpose of bringing in the budget commission. They obviously have no more …   more ›

School Committee Still Working On Draft Budget

Members sorted though line items totaling at least $66 million Monday.

The Woonsocket School Committee was still sorting though a byzantine draft budget Monday night line by line, with no estimate on when they'd finish. "This still needs a lot more work," said School Committee Chair Anita Forcier-Mcguire.  The Committee began with $64 million on Saturday, adding, among other expenses, a $550,000 line item for the capital budget and two $89,000 school principal positions. On Monday, the Committee continued to add to the request, with the biggest line item a $1.4 million expense for retirement funding. Those additions alone would put the budget request at $66,128,000, but Forcier-McGuire and Superintendent Giovanna Donoyan wouldn't estimate the final figure, insisting that the draft budget was still a work in …

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Rob Borkowski

8:17 am on Wednesday, May 16, 2012

brendalee hartland mcgovern - I actually selected Byzantine intending this meaning: "5. ( sometimes lowercase ) complex or intricate: a deal requiring Byzantine financing."   more ›

Woonsocket School Committee Reviews Draft Budget

Saturday working session examines line items in determining final figure.

  As Woonsocket's School Committee reviewed a draft $64 million budget in advance of an anticipated vote on the document Monday, the final figure was increasing. Nearly two hours in, the Committee had already added two $89,000 elementary school principal positions at Savoy and Harris Schools to the mix, in anticipation of thawing out a hiring freeze. The Committee also added $550,000 for a capital budget, which would cover the biggest ticket item on a laundry list of needed fixes: a new boiler for Bernon Heights Elementary School with a likely cost of $500,000. The original request on the capital budget was $860,000. At $550,000, Superintendent Giovanna Donoyan said, if they are forced to fix the boiler, "If one other thing happens, we'll …

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[POLL] What Do You Think About Chafee’s Proposed Meals Tax Hike?

Under the governor's budget plan, the restaurant tax would go from 8 percent to 10 percent next year.

When it comes to Gov. Chafee's proposal to increase the restaurant tax from 8 percent to 10 percent, restaurant owners in Rhode Island have strong feelings. “This is a second restaurant tax,” said Matt Wronski, owner of Tio Mateo’s and Greenwich Bay Gourmet in East Greenwich. “First they added a percentage point that was going to be temporary,” he said, referring to the increase from 7 percent to 8 percent in 2003, when Gov. Carcieri was governor. That 1 percent, which is still collected, goes back to cities and towns. Chafee's 2 percent increase would go to funding education on the local level. “Once they get their fingers in your pocket, they don’t let go,” said Wronski. “I’m from Detroit. I’ve seen this movie and it doesn’t turn out …

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5 Things To Know Today

Today: School Committee, Medicare and Mantle

We're halfway through the week, Woonsocket - here are some things to keep in mind:

Good morning Woonsocket - Wondering what's going on today in the city that's on the move? Well, here are some things to know: 1) School Committee  - The embattled Woonsocket School Committee will meet again tonight. On their agenda, Discussion/Vote to Request Opening of Union Contracts. For the full agenda, click here.  2) Medicare session - If you're on the cusp of your Medicare years, today could be the day for you to learn all about it at the Holiday Inn Express. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) hosts informational Medicare meetings throughout the year for individuals who are about to be 65 years of age and are eligible to enroll in Medicare. Check it out. 3) Mantle - On this day in 1967, Mickey Mantel hit his career …

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