Mayor Scott Avedisian announced yesterday he has accepted the $288.8 million budget as enacted by the City Council. Avedisian has previously vetoed the budget amendments that were made by the …
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Mayor Scott Avedisian announced yesterday he has accepted the $288.8 million budget as enacted by the City Council. Avedisian has previously vetoed the budget amendments that were made by the Council. Eleven amendments were vetoed and ten of those vetoes were sustained by the Council.
The eleventh amendment appropriated an additional $400,000 to the Warwick Public Schools for the upcoming Fiscal Year. In allocating this additional expense, the Council failed to balance the City budget, as required by the City Charter. If the money were to be raised by taxes, the administration would need to bump up the residential property tax rate by an additional 4 cents, making for an overall increase of 27 cents.
Leaving matters as they are, Avedisian said in a statement, “This means that we would begin our upcoming fiscal year July 1, 2014 with a structural deficit of $400,000. I am meeting with the Finance Director and members of my budget team to determine the correct action to ensure the budget as finally enacted by the Council comports with the City Charter.”
“It is my desire not to raise the tax rate and I will make every effort to balance the budget through other alternatives,” Avedisian said.
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fenceman
Mr. Mayor and Mr. Howell, are you both kidding? You are both attempting to state that the addition of $400,000 to the school budget puts the city in a structural deficit. What kind of Bernie Madoff accounting principals are you using? Have we conveniently forgotten about the $800,000 in city bonuses that are going to be given out with money taken directly from the emergency fund? Have we forgotten about the $75,000 supervisors position that is being gifted to Ed Carpenter to supervise 1 janitor? Do both of you ignore the fact that the mayor has hit the emergency fund for 3.6 million for his giveaways? When you tap the emergency fund for $1.00 then the budget is not balanced. This is the kind of accounting procedures that puts people in jail. The budget is so over padded that it is ridiculous. The budget is so fat that even Picozzi cant spend all of it. after all the documentation of workers not working and just driving around, the DPW gets a fuel increase. You people are sick and with few exception the council is useless. CJ Donovan, speaks not 1 word this entire year. Just follows along with Travis. Ward 7 has no voice whatsoever. This council should hide their heads in the sand. Just call him "Mayor Giveaway".
Thursday, June 12, 2014 Report this
connor
fenceman... if this bothers you so much and your that unhappy why live in warwick?
Friday, June 13, 2014 Report this
JohnStark
connor: Thanks so much for epitomizing the Rhode Island Mentality; I.e. "If you don't like it, leave." fenceman points out several valid concerns as an informed taxpayer. If the best you can do is to question his residency rationale, you've done little but capture the mentality of the average low information RI voter.
Friday, June 13, 2014 Report this
Scal1024
Connor I'm sure there's plenty of people who have left already The mayor loves to talk about declining population...I wonder why they leave? This is a great city to live if you are a city employee, or school administration official. It's not a good place if you are a student or taxpayer. The mayor talks out of every side of his mouth, and John Howell and the Beacon are there to eat every last word of it up. Last weeks story about the $1,000 raises going back in the budget started with "Mayor Scott Avedesian put his political capital on the line and it sure did pay off." Are you kidding me? What political capital? The mayor has caved to city employees throughout his entire tenure in office. I'm sure there are some very deserving employees who should get a raise. There are many however, who know full well how to play the game and it's insulting to think these people will get a raise.
Someone needs to stand up and challenge this mayor. He is the very definition of an empty suit. He has had more excuses than accomplishments, and continues to try and spin his way out of an unfunded pension liability that continues to grow. I hope somebody comes forward with the courage and leadership skills this city needs to grow. There are no big idea's here. Everything is small ball, raise taxes, plug the budget, hand out favors, get re-elected. When you look at our roads, our schools, our tax policy what are we getting for our money? It's time people in this city wake up and tell people like connor that we don't like what's going on, and no we won't be leaving anytime soon! If nobody steps forward...Solomon, Merolla,(maybe even Cushman) to challenge this mayor than you are inviting another term of disaster. No one will care if you were right all along or if you saw this coming...because it may be too late by then.
Friday, June 13, 2014 Report this
sadforspeced
Why should the schools get this money? If the School Committee had a real superintendent who could have the confidence of staff and parents, and manage finances with the welfare of students as his prime focus then things could.be different. Finances should be for those who care and who manage appropriately and responsibly.
Saturday, June 14, 2014 Report this