Legislative panel to review tax exempt properties

Posted 2/18/14

Three Warwick legislators have been named to serve on a Warwick study committee to review tax exempt properties in the community.

Created by an executive order of Mayor Scott Avedisian, the …

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Legislative panel to review tax exempt properties

Posted

Three Warwick legislators have been named to serve on a Warwick study committee to review tax exempt properties in the community.

Created by an executive order of Mayor Scott Avedisian, the committee was established to acknowledge that the city has a high number of tax-exempt properties, many of them owned by the State of Rhode Island or secondary educational institutions.

The committee is charged with examining tax exempt properties in the community and making recommendations to ensure more equity among all property owners in the city.

Rep. K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick) has been named a member of the committee, and Rep. Joseph M. McNamara (D-Dist. 19, Warwick, Cranston) and Sen. Erin P. Lynch (D-Dist. 31, Warwick, Cranston) have been named to advisory capacities on the panel.

Others to serve on the seven-member committee are Councilwoman Camille Vella-Wilkinson, who will serve as chair; City Treasurer/Interim Tax Collector David Olsen; a representative of the Central Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, and Acting Tax Assessor Evelyn Spagnolo.

In his order creating the committee, Avedisian noted that although the city receives some compensation in the form of Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) funding from the state and annual reimbursement from the RI Airport Corporation and T.F. Green State Airport, the state is still the largest property owner in the city. “If the city received only a portion of taxes that would be collected from these properties, it would help alleviate the burden on residents and businesses,” he said.

Comments

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  • FASTFREDWARD4

    Wow not 1 person from joe 6 pack. lol what does that tell you. Thank-you

    Thursday, February 20, 2014 Report this

  • InTheW

    Ask McNamara if he will be making calamari non-taxable.

    Thursday, February 20, 2014 Report this

  • FASTFREDWARD4

    leave joe alone. I want to be the head calamari man in this state, Lots of people work in that dept.

    Friday, February 21, 2014 Report this

  • FASTFREDWARD4

    leave joe alone. I want to be the head calamari man in this state, Lots of people work in that dept.

    Friday, February 21, 2014 Report this

  • Scal1024

    I find it so convenient this panel is being formed right before an election year. These people ought to be ashamed of themselves. Every 2 years Avedesian finds some pet project the Beacon can write a story about to make himself look good. It's about time people start waking up in this city...the mayor brags about surpluses when every single year he level funds the school budget, and they end up plugging holes with any surplus money. I would love to see a candidate challenge the mayor. Avedesian has not faced one SERIOUS challenge since he was elected. He's never faced a tough debate opponent, he's never been asked a tough question by any media outlet. He ducks issues such as the car tax, and school consolidation, and he just wiggles his way around it. It's about time somebody held his feet to the fire, and asked why is it the city runs surpluses yet property taxes are never frozen or dare I even say lowered. The pension/health care situation for city employees is a disaster. Anytime the mayor is asked about that it's someone else's fault too! Somebody needs to hold him accountable for the areas he's been lacking leadership in, and there are plenty of those issues that nobody seems to bring up. Why hasn't the Beacon asked the mayor his thoughts on consolidation of secondary schools? The mayor doesn't have an opinion on the direction we need to go in? Did he support the LTFPC? Does he support a consultant coming in? Why is it nobody seems to know where he stands on anything? It's about time the people of this city start asking questions, and demanding answers. Let's not let Scottie walk into another UNCHALLENGED 2 years of office. If he has been such a great mayor, than why is it he's never had the courage to advance office? Is it because people will actually start to look at his record? Let's go Beacon!!! Put your journalist hat on, and stop writing these fluff pieces about "where we've been", "where we are" and "where we're going" and start looking at the facts!!!!

    Thursday, February 27, 2014 Report this