Providence mayor unveils balanced budget prioritizing schools, housing and public safety

Mayor Smiley presented Providence’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year at a special City Council meeting on April 16, saying the plan balances major new investments in the public schools, housing and public safety while limiting property-tax increases. “We developed a solution that is not solely reliant on raising taxes,” Mayor Smiley said, adding later, “We are ready to take back the schools.”

The proposal would increase funding to address a recent settlement with the Rhode Island Department of Education and other fiscal pressures without relying solely on higher property taxes, the mayor said. The administration says it reduced operating expenses and removed 23 positions, saving more than $1 million, and cut total expenses by $9,000,000 to limit the necessary tax increase. “For our residents that own their own single family home, your tax bills will only be going up 4%,” the mayor said, adding that this would amount to about $13 a month for the typical single-family homeowner.

The nut graf: the budget is presented as a tradeoff between funding a large, one-year increase for city schools and holding down tax impacts through a mix of spending cuts, revenue measures and program consolidations. The mayor framed the proposal as the largest school…