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Council refers ordinance requiring fiscal and equity impact studies before leasing city buildings to charter schools
Summary
Providence councilors voted to refer an ordinance that would require fiscal and equity impact studies prior to leasing city-owned buildings to charter schools to the finance committee for review.
The Providence City Council on May 15 directed to the Committee on Finance an ordinance that would require both a fiscal impact study and an equity impact study before the city leases a city-owned building to a charter school.
Councilwoman Peterson said she “stands in strong support” of the ordinance and added her name as a cosponsor, telling colleagues the studies would help the council make better-informed decisions on a topic that has “a very, very, very important” impact on the community. The ordinance was introduced by Councilor Royas (item 7 on the docket), and several members voiced support for referral to the finance committee so the measures could be thoroughly vetted.
Why it matters: Leasing city-owned property to charter schools raises questions about fiscal impacts to the city budget and distributional effects across neighborhoods. The proposed ordinance would require objective analyses before the council approves a lease.
What the council did: As part of a group motion to waive readings for items 6–8, the clerk recorded: “please refer item 7 to the committee on finance.” That referral sends the ordinance to the finance committee for hearings and staff briefings.
Attribution: Quotations are attributed to Councilwoman Peterson and floor statements read during referral.
