Woonsocket councilors discuss repealing downtown tax‑stabilization ordinance, no vote taken

The Woonsocket City Council met in a workshop on Jan. 27 to discuss proposed repeal of Ordinance 25‑0604, the city's omnibus tax stabilization program for the Downtown Revitalization Area. Council members and city officials said the item was for discussion only and the council would not take a vote that night.

Council members and staff said the downtown ordinance may be redundant with state law and that repealing it would return decision‑making to the statutory process under Rhode Island law. The city assessor told the council: "As the city assessor, I would support repealing the downtown TSA." Director Pagliarini and the council's solicitor said the state statute governs tax stabilizations and the repeal would not remove the city's ability to grant tax stabilizations under state law.

Councilman Kenoyer told colleagues the General Laws give the city "all the tools we want" to grant tax stabilizations on a case‑by‑case basis and said the downtown omnibus program has created confusion for prospective investors who believed the downtown program was the only option. Councilwoman Gonzales asked councilors to avoid a public impression that the council is "against" TSAs generally; she and others said repeal would clear the way for tailored incentives crafted by the council or administration in the future.

Several participants emphasized process and equity. Speakers described the downtown program as a blanket delegation that allowed administration discretion without the specific findings of fact the state statute requires; supporters of repeal said returning to the state framework would require finding‑by‑finding council review and create the same playing field for projects citywide. The council's solicitor referenced Rhode Island General Laws related to tax stabilizations in explaining the statutory process.

Council discussion included operational clarifications. City staff said three TSAs have been issued historically, one later deemed void, leaving two extant awards connected to properties outside the downtown overlay. Council members confirmed that repealing the downtown ordinance would not bar future TSA requests; applicants would still follow the state statute and administrative process and then seek council approval if required.

No formal motion to repeal Ordinance 25‑0604 was offered or voted on during the meeting. Earlier in the agenda the council voted to consider item 3 (the TSA discussion) out of order for the workshop; that procedural motion passed. Councilors indicated they want to return with clearer draft language and possible alternative incentive approaches rather than leave the current downtown provision in place.

The council moved on to other agenda items and did not schedule a repeal vote that night.

Ending: Councilors said they will pursue follow‑up work: staff will prepare options for a replacement incentive framework (if councilors choose) and clarify the interplay between local ordinances and the state statute cited during the discussion.