West Warwick council adjusts FY2026 proposal, raises projected revenues and sets tax collection rate

The West Warwick Town Council voted April 8 to increase budgeted revenues by $150,000, set the town's tax-collection assumption at 97.7% and send a provisional FY2026 budget to the Rhode Island Division of Municipal Finance for the May 8 tentative hearing.

Town Manager Mark, presenting the proposal with Finance Director Kristen Benoit, told the council: "Our total budget increase is approximately $5,900,000," and said that figure includes about $1.8 million in municipal expenses, $3.1 million in school state-aid pass-through and a requested increase to the local school appropriation of roughly $991,000. Benoit also described benefit and pension cost pressures: "Rates provided by BRSRI have been applied to all pensionable salary types," and she said healthcare projections increased to about 5.66 percent and dental to 5.07 percent.

Why it matters: the council's adjustments lowered the town's projected tax-rate increase from the plan introduced earlier in the process. After the revenue amendments and the new 97.7% collection…