NORTH PROVIDENCE – The Town Council is making few changes to Mayor Charles Lombardi’s proposed 2023-2024 budget.
The grand total of changes approved last Thursday, May 4, dropped the budget by a negligible $28,000, from $117,340,403 to $117,312,403, meaning that other than any aggressive value increases for some homeowners, officials aren’t raising taxes overall.
A final hearing on this year’s budget is planned for May 23 at 5:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at Town Hall, 2000 Smith St.
The council voted last week to roll over its contingency funds from last year, meaning there’s now $538,250 in their contingency account to decide what to do with, with Councilor Mario Martone making the motion and Councilor Ron Baccala seconding it. In the past, members have said they could use that money to fund schools if needed, but ideas discussed this year included helping out with the new tax collector’s system and purchasing new equipment for the Department of Public Works.
Officials are level-funding the School Department this year, despite a request from school officials for an increase.
Here is a summary of the changes made last Thursday, according to the clerk’s office:
• Reduction of $50,000 from the Town Council budget, to $163,589;
• Addition of $7,076 to the town clerk’s budget, to $282,216;
• Reduction of $5,000 to the planning/economic development budget, to $154,300;
• Addition of $85,000 (for a director) and reduction of $42,798 to the board of canvassers, to $195,564;
• Reduction of $25,000 to communications, to $1,965,682;
• Addition of $57,000 to police for training and equipment, to 7,095,166;
• Addition of $5,000 to inspections, to $221,783;
• Reduction of $50,000 to auto repair, to $470,093;
• Addition of $14,000 to the DPW for equipment to deal with road repaving (after purchasing an asphalt roller last year), to $2,153,034;
• Reduction of $23,340 to “various” items, to $1,172,660.
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