Council approves $106.5M budget

By Tim Forsberg
Posted 6/22/17

At the June 13 special meeting of the Johnston Town Council, the ordinance appropriating the proposed $106,545,145 supporting the town’s governmental budget, personnel classification, salary plan …

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Council approves $106.5M budget

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At the June 13 special meeting of the Johnston Town Council, the ordinance appropriating the proposed $106,545,145 supporting the town’s governmental budget, personnel classification, salary plan and tax levy for the 2018 fiscal year was approved.

In a presentation of the budget to the council, Mayor Joseph Polisena told the council that the town continues to watch how each taxpayer dollar is spent. He listed some of the main accomplishments that his administration and the council have achieved during the last 10 years, including economic development seen with the Citizens Bank Campus project, sewer and water line extensions, and the construction of the new indoor sports complex.

Polisena also highlighted several new restaurants and chains that will soon call Johnston home, planned solar and wind turbine projects in development, and the recent $18 million water sale deal with Invenergy. He said the town is currently in talks with the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) to renew the town’s community host agreement and has made major improvements in terms of making the town’s buildings energy efficient. Polisena also indicated that the town is working towards correcting their unfunded pension liabilities.

The mayor reiterated that the town did not have a tax increase last year and there is no tax increase in this year’s budget. Citing the recent growth in business initiatives, the total tax levy this year is $76,403,133, a proposed increase of 0.72 percent.

With this budget, Johnston’s property tax rate will remain at $27.49 per $1,000 of assessed value for real estate, and $59.71 per $1,000 of assessed valuation for tangible property. The tax rate for motor vehicles also remains at a rate of $41.46 per $1,000.

Funding for Johnston’s schools increased this year thanks to additional state aid. The council approved a budget for education of $54,050,137, an increase of $1.7 million.

“I want to commend the school department for working with the administration, and I want to commend the school teachers,” said Polisena. “I’m a strong supporter of public schools.”

Fire and police budgets were increased year over year. Last year, the fire department’s budget was approved at $15,813,262, while this year that allotment totals $17,257,635. The police department’s budget increased by $1,729,223 to a total of $15,496,46.

Other approved budgets for departments of note include $722,973 for the public library, $973,912 for parks and recreation, and $5,033,356 for public services.

No questions were posed to the mayor or the council by a member of the public during the special hearing. The budget received unanimous approval from the council, and is available for review at Town Hall.

“It’s a good budget, it’s a lean budget, there’s no frills. This is great, second year in a row with no tax increase,” said Polisena.

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