Cranston Council Tentatively OKs 4.65% Levy, Hears Pleas to Save Senior Center; Final Vote Delayed

Cranston City Council President Wall called a special meeting May 14 to begin public hearings on the mayor’s amended budget after the city missed the state’s advertising deadline, and the council voted to raise the preliminary levy to 4.65% as staff and dozens of residents urged preserving the Cranston Senior Center and school funding.

Attorney Marcelo told the council that Cranston’s home-rule charter requires final action on the operating budget by May 15 but that the state Property Tax and Fiscal Disclosure Act also requires the mayor to publish a notice at least 10 days before a hearing on a proposed tax increase. “You have to comply with the state law and you have to comply with the … charter,” Marcelo said, and recommended the council treat any May action as “subject to compliance with state law” and schedule the statutorily required hearing for June 1.

Why it matters: Because the required newspaper notice was not published in time, the city cannot complete the budget adoption process by the charter deadline without running afoul of the state law’s notice rules. That left the council with a compressed set of choices: approve a conditional budget tonight, seek a temporary cap increase from the Division of Municipal Finance (DMF) or later ask the General Assembly for an exemption.

Chief of Staff / Director Moretti told the council the Rhode Island Division of Municipal Finance had issued a letter allowing Cranston to exceed the 4% levy cap up to 4.65%, an amount the administration calculated at roughly $1.25 million. “We have received a letter authorizing the city council to exceed the 4% cap to 4.65%,” Director Moretti said, and added that any decision to go above 5% would require additional advertising, another public hearing and Department of Revenue approval.

Public comment dominated the meeting. Jonathan Francis, president of Cranston Firefighters Local 1363, said unions had offered concessions and defended firefighters’ service record: “We willingly offered between 1 and $1.2 million,” Francis said, and emphasized that first responders “answer the call” while urging the council and administration to negotiate.

Many residents and center staff described the Cranston Senior Center and the Cranston Adult Day Services as essential: Jennifer Kavorian, identified in the meeting as director of Cranston Adult Day Services, said the program was “a lifeline” that provides meals, medical oversight and caregiver relief. Bookkeeper Nora Grady and multiple users warned that partial funding (for example, $1.2 million reported in press accounts) would not sustain all programs. “If we are fortunate enough that the council decides we should get the money, there is absolutely no way we can function completely on $1.2 million,” Grady said.

Council response and votes: After discussion, Councilman Anduhar moved to increase the levy from the mayor’s 4% proposal to 4.65% (approximately $1,248,361). The motion was seconded and carried on a roll-call vote with the full council recorded in favor. Council members said the increase was a stopgap to protect the most vulnerable services while they pursued deeper line-item reductions and additional revenue options.

Over the next hours the council began a line-by-line round of amendments. Members proposed and approved a string of targeted cuts intended to free money for schools and senior services, including reductions to legal, technology and certain parks payroll lines. The council approved a separate $200,000 reduction in the police vehicle replacement line after debate on fleet readiness (roll call: seven in favor, two opposed). Sponsors said that making such cuts was painful but necessary to avoid eliminating core programs.

Administration and next steps: Director Moretti and the auditor told council members the adjustments reflected trend reviews and that more work remained: a $100,000 reduction in the fire overtime estimate was adopted after administrators said recent patterns made the figure supportable. Council members also voted to reallocate roughly $43,000 in police-related impact fees as part of the balancing exercise.

Because of the state notice requirement, the council did not complete final adoption. Council President Wall introduced a request asking the Rhode Island General Assembly for a one-year levy-cap exemption; councilors amended that request to ask for authority up to 4.99% (rather than the 5.5% figure discussed earlier) to avoid triggering extra state notice obligations. The revised resolution to seek a 4.99% exemption was passed and will be referred to a special finance committee and, if needed, to the General Assembly.

What’s next: The council continued final action on the FY 2026–27 operating and capital budgets to the next meetings, including a required public hearing on June 1. Council members emphasized that the May 14 votes and cuts were conditional and that further adjustments—either restoring items or making additional reductions—remain possible between now and final adoption.

By the end of the session, council members framed the outcome as an uneasy compromise: they approved a preliminary revenue step that gives the city more options this month while preserving the statutory hearing that allows residents another formal opportunity to comment before any budget becomes final.

(Reporting note: quotes and attributions in this story come from the May 14, 2026 Cranston City Council transcript. The council continued formal adoption and scheduled the next public hearing for June 1, 2026.)