Portsmouth council provisionally approves town department budgets; caps snow fund and directs surplus to paving
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Summary
The council gave provisional approval to multiple departmental budgets including police, fire, DPW and public safety, and voted 6-1 to cap the snow reserve at $250,000 and transfer any excess to the road paving account.
PORTSMOUTH, R.I. — On April 29 the Portsmouth Town Council provisionally approved FY26 budgets for multiple town departments and took a separate vote to cap the townsnow-removal reserve at $250,000, directing any excess to the road paving fund.
Highlights from the councilsession:
- Police: The council provisionally approved a police department budget of $8,512,203 (vote 7-0). Town officials said the increase (about 11.1%) is driven largely by a newly ratified 3-year collective bargaining agreement with the police union that includes a one-time $3,000 salary adjustment and a 5% general wage increase. The budget includes funding for personnel, patrol operations and planned records-management migration costs that will be one-time items during the transition.
- Fire: The main fire department budget was provisionally approved at $8,210,775 (vote 7-0). That total represents a small decrease (about 0.6%) from the prior year, the administration said, and absorbs positions previously funded by a SAFER grant into the general fund. The budget increases ambulance and medical-supply funding to support paramedic-level services and replaces turnout gear.
- Department of Public Works (DPW): The council provisionally approved the DPW budget at $3,410,225 (vote 7-0). The budget includes a shared facilities maintenance technician that the town and schools split 50/50, increased health-insurance costs and funding for equipment and tree maintenance.
- Other provisional approvals (each passed 7-0): Prudence Island public safety officer $132,019; Prudence Island Volunteer Fire Department $215,007; animal control $135,688; harbor master $135,615; Emergency Management $69,250; Prudence Island Transfer Station $127,237; snow removal $142,673; and a road improvement program budget of $1,170,000 (the town anticipates up to $184,211 in state reimbursement for eligible work).
Snow fund cap: The council voted 6-1 to cap the snow-removal reserve at $250,000 and to transfer any overage to the road paving fund after the annual audit (typically in February). Councilors said the restricted snow fund is intended to avoid ad-hoc transfers in years with heavy winter costs; the fund balance stood at roughly $232,592 on the night of the meeting and has fluctuated historically with major winters.
Recruitment and staffing: Town officials described staffing pressures in public safety. The police chief and town administration said recent contract increases have helped stabilize retention and improve recruitment; the police department said it had eight recent applicants for openings but noted that recruitment remains difficult statewide. The council discussed the possibility of civilianized or retired-officer SRO models to reduce strain on patrol staffing without eliminating school resource coverage.
What this means: The provisional approvals keep the FY26 spending plan moving through the municipal budget process. Most votes were unanimous; the only divided vote was the snow-fund cap (6-1). Several budgets reflect wage adjustments under negotiated contracts and higher health-insurance or pension costs.
Next steps: Provisional approvals give departments ability to plan for FY26 and allow staff to proceed with procurement and staffing decisions that depend on funding certainty. Final adoption follows the townbudget calendar and may be affected by state aid, grant awards, or further council action.
