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Council holds overhaul of tax-title ordinance after public concerns, asks for more analysis
Summary
Councilors and residents pressed the administration for more detail on a proposed rewrite of the city’s tax-title transfer ordinance; the measure was held to give the Land Trust, council members and staff time to review an inventory of 1,100 tax-title parcels and craft safeguards.
The Warwick City Council and its administration agreed to hold proposed changes to the city’s tax-title transfer ordinance after extended questioning from council members and public commenters. The proposed draft (PCO 13-25) would rewrite how the city assigns tax titles for parcels that go unsold at tax sale; the administration says the change is needed to conform city procedures to state law and a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision and to free up hundreds of parcels that have sat in tax title for decades.
Chief of Staff Bill Vicente and Director of Assessing Neil Dupuis briefed the council and said the city currently holds roughly 1,100 tax-title interests that are in various administrative states and that the draft ordinance is meant to simplify assignment so properties that have no private bidders can be transferred to parties that will pursue foreclosure-of-redemption and return the parcels to productive use. However, multiple council members and members of the public objected to the draft’s mechanics.
Objections centered on transparency and oversight. Critics said the draft removes or diminishes notice to neighboring property owners, the ward council member, the Land Trust and other city bodies; it also moves day-to-day assignment authority to administrative staff rather than requiring explicit council approval. Public commenters and the Land Trust asked for a prioritized inventory showing which of the 1,100 parcels might be suitable for sale, conservation, or city foreclosure.
City staff acknowledged the concerns and told the council the administration would provide the full parcel list and agreed to better coordinate review with the Land Trust and with council members. The solicitor’s office confirmed the city must follow state notice and foreclosure law, and the administration said those requirements would remain in force, but council members sought time to review the parcel inventory and to work with the Land Trust and other stakeholders on a policy approach that preserves public and conservation interests while enabling the city to move disused titles back into productive status.
Outcome: The council voted to hold the ordinance to the Finance Committee on October 20. The administration agreed to provide the 1,100-parcel inventory and to consult with the Land Trust, public-works staff, and council members before the item returns.
