West Warwick council advances FY 2026 provisional budget, sets tax-collection rate at 97.7% and adds $150,000 in revenues

The West Warwick Town Council on April 8 provisionally advanced the town's fiscal year 2026 budget after voting to add $150,000 in projected revenues and to set the tax collection rate at 97.7%, a combination council members said would lower the proposed tax-rate increase to about 1.75% if current assumptions hold. The council voted to send the provisional budget to the Rhode Island Division of Municipal Finance for required advertising and to return to vote on a final budget at its May meeting.

The vote matters because it frames how much the town will ask taxpayers to cover next year's municipal and school spending. Council members repeatedly pointed to limited flexibility in the town budget, saying roughly 90% of the town's spending is fixed by payroll, benefits and pension obligations while only 8'to 10% remains for discretionary changes.

Council members approved a motion, offered during the public hearing, to increase projected revenues by $150,000 through a combination of higher investment income and other fees. By voice vote the council also approved changing the assumed tax collection rate for FY 2026 to 97.7%. The town manager and finance director told the council those two changes together reduce the estimated tax-rate increase under the draft numbers to roughly 1.75% from earlier estimates in the notice materials.

Town Manager Mark (role provided in the record) and Finance Director Kristen Benoit explained the drivers behind the FY 2026 numbers. Mark told the council the budget reflects continuing uncertainty in state aid,…