Homestead Exemption May Be Cut

The state-appointed Budget Commission approved Woonsocket's $122-million budget proposal, but continues to look for cuts and more revenue. Public safety vacancies are left unfilled.

Woonsocket has not escaped the possibility of a property tax hike, and homeowners could see the biggest increase, if the Budget Commission follows through on ideas discussed Thursday afternoon. One item on the table: a phase-out of the city's homestead exemption, a program that reduces tax bills for homeowners. "It won't disappear in one fell swoop," City Assessor Christopher Celeste said after the meeting. "Right now it's 42 percent, and that would kill people." The five-member budget commission, appointed by the state earlier this month to take over city finances, must find ways to raise revenue and reduce spending in an effort to balance the city's books and avoid bankruptcy. They were  appointed to take the reins after state reps. Jon…

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la_mouffette

10:16 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012

lol, dommage will translate literally as "damage" if you don't speak French and are relying on translation software, or a dictionary. Quelle vraiment dommage means "It's a real shame" in a sympathetic tone. Thanks, Tommy.   more ›

When ALEC Takes Over Your Town

Municipal bankruptcy is not a good option for Woonsocket or any city.

City Council Tables Request For Budget Commission

Members decide to wait for General Assembly's decision on supplemental tax.

  Councilman Dan Gendron announced a change of heart Monday night, moving that the Woonsocket City Council table the proposal that they ask for a budget commission. Most of the rest of the council voted to put the request on a back burner. The only holdout was Councilman Albert Brien. He was in favor of a vote on the issue, he said, but only so he could vote 'No'. "I am against a budget commission at any time," Brien said. Gendron and the other members of the council were not as fervent in their reluctance to ask for state intervention, but most were wary of asking for the state to step in if it wasn't as a last resort. "We do not have the option of asking them to leave," Gendron said, and a budget commission could end up running the city'…

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Tommy Tutone

12:00 pm on Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Best of luck to you,DonQ.   more ›

Woonsocket School Budget To Be Ready By May 14

Draft budget will be ready May 11, Committee declines to ask for Donoyan's ouster.

  Tom Sweeney of B&E Consulting reported he'll have a draft FY 2012-13 budget ready for the Woonsocket School Committee early on May 11, too late to meet a new deadline for delivering the document to the city. Instead, the School Committee is planning to have the budget ready for the city by May 14. The May 11 deadline was agreed to on Monday by City Council President John Ward and School Committee Chair Anita Forcier-McGuire. Ward asked the School Committee on Monday to fire Donoyan if she didn't deliver a budget by that time. The School Committee didn't do that, and didn't acknowledge that part of Ward's resolution during the meeting. After, neither Forcier-McGuire nor Committee Vice Chair Vimala Phongsavanh said they were considering …

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russell archambault

8:28 pm on Tuesday, May 15, 2012

these are very nice words I respect you for them. being politically correct got into this mess. donoyan does not have the business expertise to know how to run this business. this is NOT about teaching our children. no one would suggest that. its about running a business properly. she knew what she was getting into, perhaps knowing what HER SALARY was going to be ?? any ceo would have been fired …   more ›

Committee Cans State Police Probe

Some committee members believe school employees have broken state laws in incurring a $10 million deficit.

There will be no state police investigation of the Woonsocket Education Department's $7-million budget shortfall, despite assertions by two School Committee members that some past employees may have violated state laws. At Wednesday night's meeting, the committee voted 3-2 against requesting a police probe, with only Christopher Roberts and chairwoman Anita Mcguire Forcier in favor.  Committee member Vimala Phongsavanh used the discussion to denounce the name calling and fingerpointing that in recent weeks has become common at Woonsocket public meetings. "This feeds a culture of hate and revenge," she said. "These mistakes didn't happen overnight. I'm exhausted from blaming everyone we can think of. We've been making headline news for …

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DonQ

7:08 am on Tuesday, April 3, 2012

To me, it's not a matter whether every school in the country has lowered their standards to allow a "passing" grade of 60 or not. It's a matter that any school that has lowered the passing grade to 60 is pandering to the dumbing of America. As long as we maintain little Johnnies self esteem, we don't care if he is as dumb as a stump. What the heck, he can always move to Woonsocket and join the …   more ›

Homeowners Could Soon Pay Hundreds More

Angry residents vent their outrage at the City Council, some even calling for "revolution."

If the assessed value of your Woonsocket home is somewhere near $150,000, you could soon be paying another $470 or more in taxes this year. Should the City Council and the state legislature both give their approval, the city will soon be sending out supplemental tax bills that seek an extra $3.15 for every $1,000 of assessed residential property value. The supplemental tax would also tack on $4.51 for commercial property, and $5.81 for motor vehicles. The extra tax — which some have dubbed "the fifth quarterly bill" — wasn't on the agenda when the City Council met Monday night, but it took up most of the session. The details of the plan are already widely known around the city, and close to 100 residents packed the meeting to offer …

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