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Housing board votes to request town warrant for up to $2 million; weighs in on three housing bills
Summary
The Block Island Housing Board voted to ask the town council to place a warrant question before voters to provide additional funding for Ball O’Brien affordable housing and approved recommendation letters on three pieces of proposed state legislation affecting housing funding and taxes.
The Block Island Housing Board voted Tuesday to ask the Town of New Shoreham to put a funding warrant on the upcoming financial town meeting ballot and approved recommending letters to the town council on three proposed pieces of state legislation related to housing funding.
Motion to seek town warrant Board members passed a motion to request that the town council place a warrant question before voters seeking an unspecified amount (discussion centered on $2,000,000 during the meeting) for affordable housing construction and development, targeted to the Ball O’Brien project. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote; board members said the next step is to work with town council and to quantify the dollar amount and the messaging used when presenting the question to voters.
Why it matters: The board noted its current revenue (including a $200,000 annual rental tax allocation) is insufficient to build rental units and that a town‑approved warrant could be leveraged with other state funding to close financing gaps. Board members discussed the political work required to place the question on the warrant and to lobby the council and voters in advance.
State legislation and board recommendations The board reviewed three related legislative proposals and took positions to inform the town council: - Housing and Conservation Trust Fund: The board voted to recommend the town council endorse the proposal to create a statewide Housing and Conservation Trust Fund administered by the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank. The draft bill carries no dedicated funding mechanism; the board supported the concept, emphasizing the connection between conservation and housing. - Hotel/seasonal‑rental tax increase: A proposed increase that would add 5 percentage points to the hotel tax and extend the additional levy to seasonal house rentals starting January 1, 2026. The board asked the town council to advocate for returning a commensurate share of any new state collections to municipalities and to seek clarity on how proceeds would be distributed; the board instructed staff to send a letter expressing concern and urging the town to press for local returns. - Conveyance tax on high‑value sales: A draft proposal would allow a conveyance tax (for example, a 2% levy) on sales above a specified threshold (the draft discussed a $900,000 threshold) with revenue dedicated to affordable housing. The board voted to recommend support for the conveyance‑tax concept but asked the town council to seek adjustments to the proposal’s AMI (area median income) targeting so proceeds can be used in ways that work on Block Island, where lower AMI thresholds may not produce workable ownership prices.
Votes and next steps The board approved sending the three recommendation letters to the town council and agreed to draft and deliver a warrant request to the council so the matter can be considered for the town financial meeting. Members noted that if the council places a warrant before voters, board leaders and members will need to perform outreach and advocacy to explain the request’s purpose and financing impact.
Ending note: The letters and the warrant request are intended to give the town council recommendations and to launch the public review and budgeting process required to place a question before voters at the next financial town meeting.
