Pawtucket finance committee approves tax abatements for two 2025 quarters totaling $143,356.65

The Pawtucket Finance Committee approved two resolutions Monday authorizing tax abatements for motor vehicles, real estate and tangible personal property covering April–June and July–September 2025, with the committee recording unanimous 3–0 votes on both items.

The first resolution covered abatements for April, May and June 2025 and was recorded in the motion as $10,192.45; Councilor Rubio moved to approve and Councilor Moran seconded. A clerk roll call recorded 'Kevin Waldenhains Yes,' 'Council Moran Yes,' and 'Council Rubio Yes.' Committee members and staff noted an earlier, inconsistent figure in the spoken record (an apparent transcription or verbal error that listed $10,000,192 and $1.05) before the motion affirmed the $10,192.45 total.

On the April–June item, staff identified a duplicate billing for Johnson Tyler Realty, LLC that accounted for a small portion of the abatement (noted in the discussion as $58.53 and $0.09). Staff said the remainder of the line items were routine debits and offered to answer follow‑up questions.

The second resolution authorized abatements for July, August and September 2025 in the amount of $133,164.20. Councilor Moran moved to approve the item and Councilor Rubio seconded; the clerk again recorded a unanimous vote and the motion passed 3–0.

Finance staff explained the larger total for the July–September quarter reflects a handful of recurring adjustments and one‑time corrections. Staff said the total covers the first three quarters of the 2025 billing period and includes many abatements for property owners who are ill or at the poverty level and therefore have long‑standing eligibility for relief. "These are all, people who are either ill or on the poverty level that come in and they're trying to keep their houses," a committee member said during discussion. The staff member who answered added that many recipients live on fixed incomes and that adjustments or payment plans are used to help them retain housing.

Staff described several specific causes that contributed to the larger quarter total: a data‑posting/processing error affecting Branch Blackstone Limited Partnership (a Section 8 property subject to Rhode Island Housing rules and an 8% rent‑law adjustment), and a court settlement with Amalgamated Financial Group related to Beverage Hill Shopping Center that had been handled in multi‑year installments (discussed as roughly $80,000 per year over five years and billed quarterly). Staff said the Branch Blackstone posting error required an adjustment when the amount did not transfer correctly into the billing system.

Committee members thanked staff for working with affected residents and asked staff to continue outreach where appropriate. The meeting ended with no further business announced and brief online technical difficulties noted for viewers.

Votes at a glance • April–June 2025 abatement resolution (recorded total $10,192.45): moved by Councilor Rubio, seconded by Councilor Moran; approved 3–0. • July–September 2025 abatement resolution ($133,164.20): moved by Councilor Moran, seconded by Councilor Rubio; approved 3–0.

Next steps: Staff offered to provide additional details to committee members on request; no further deadlines or follow‑up actions were recorded in the meeting.