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New Shoreham council officially opposes statewide nonowner-occupied property tax
Summary
The Town Council adopted a resolution opposing any statewide tax on nonowner-occupied properties, saying such a tax would undermine local authority and could disproportionately affect New Shoreham properties.
The New Shoreham Town Council on May 6, 2025 adopted a resolution opposing legislation that would impose a statewide property tax on nonowner-occupied residential properties. The resolution argues such a tax would undermine local authority over property taxation, could fall on a majority of island properties, and would risk substantially increasing tax burdens for local property owners.
The resolution text, read into the record by staff, notes that local property tax is the town’s largest revenue source — representing roughly 70% of general fund revenues — and that up to 85% of the town’s residential properties may be classified as nonowner-occupied. The draft says more than 80% of the town’s residential properties are assessed over $800,000 and that a statewide levy could effectively double the tax burden for many properties.
Council members amended the draft to add language opposing a statewide nonowner-occupied property tax “regardless of how the revenue is distributed” and instructed staff to transmit the resolution and a letter to the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns and to solicit support from other municipalities.
A majority of council members voted to approve the amended resolution. Staff said they would follow up with a letter to the League and notify the town’s legislators and other municipalities about the council’s position.
