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Foster council adopts $18.21 million budget, approves contracts and a revenue-sharing resolution
Summary
At its April 10 meeting the Foster Town Council approved the fiscal year 2025–26 budget, accepted a three-year refuse contract and a three-year animal control contract, adopted a resolution urging restoration of state revenue sharing, and approved several routine personnel and event items.
The Foster Town Council on April 10 voted to adopt the town's proposed fiscal year 2025—26 budget, approved two multi-year contracts and adopted a resolution asking the Rhode Island General Assembly to restore state general revenue sharing to cities and towns.
The council voted to adopt the overall budget that includes capital, with a stated total of $18,214,541 and a tax-levy increase shown in meeting materials as 3.38 percent. Councilors also approved a separate Land Trust capital request of $110,000 to be presented at the town's financial meeting; councilors removed an earlier one-time $120,000 property-acquisition request from that package to be decided at the financial meeting.
Why it matters: The budget approval sets the town's spending plan and tax-levy ask that will go forward to the financial meeting and affects services from refuse collection to public safety.
Other formal actions taken by the council at the meeting:
- Refuse contract: The council awarded a three-year refuse and recycling contract to the sole bidder (recorded in the meeting as "Ramboom disposal"). The contract schedule presented at the meeting lists year 1 at $359,920, year 2 at $374,316 and year 3 at $389,289, for a three-year total of $1,123,525. The council approved the contract as presented.
- Animal control contract: The council approved a three-year contract with Scituate animal-control services for the period July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028. The contract as discussed increases the vendor's payment approximately $3,000 per year, shown in the meeting materials as $53,000 in year 1, $56,000 in year 2 and $59,000 in year 3. The council amended the motion to clarify the contract dates and approved it.
- Resolution on state revenue sharing: The council adopted Resolution 2025-02, a Town of Foster resolution requesting that the Rhode Island General Assembly and governor reinstate general revenue sharing for all 39 cities and towns to help offset inflationary impacts. The resolution text was read into the record and the council voted to adopt it and authorized the president and town clerk to sign.
- Personnel and event items: The council authorized the town clerk to advertise for a deputy town clerk position; accepted resignations from Recreation Committee members Danielle Scott and Elaine Gugliotti; and approved a beer tent for Old Home Days noting the vendor holds a valid state liquor license (meeting materials identify the vendor as Trinity Brewhouse).
Motions on these items were made and seconded and carried by voice vote. The meeting record does not show roll-call tallies for the votes.
What the council did not decide at the meeting: Although the council finalized the budget for approval, several capital and committee-level documents (including final design-development and civil/zoning sets for the proposed police station) remain with the building committee for review before coming back to the full council.
