Central Falls council hears proposed budget with 4% levy hike; vote to table final adoption

Finance director Mary Chase presented the city’s proposed operating budget and asked the council to consider it alongside department presentations. She said the proposal includes a 4% tax-levy increase and approximately $3.6 million in state aid, while non-tax revenue is projected to rise about 2%.

Mary Chase said the administration tried to hold non-labor and fringe expenses flat and noted key cost pressures: pension obligations, negotiated salary increases, and a 12% rise in medical premiums. “The budget includes a tax levy increase of 4%,” she said, adding that the finance team used a “zero‑based” review of personnel costs to identify savings and errors in invoices.

The proposed budget also contains an allocation intended to support a transition to local control of the school district: a local-support amount equal to 1% of the prior year levy and funding for an education strategist, both included in the package.

Council members pressed for detail on state aid and variable revenues. Mary explained that certain state-provided lines (motor-vehicle and tangible‑asset distributions) are largely fixed by formula, while hotel, beverage and cannabis tax estimates vary with activity. She also said the administration placed storm-related, over‑the‑top DPW costs in a separate line to track potential FEMA reimbursement; she budgeted an optimistic $50,000 for expected federal aid but said reimbursements are not guaranteed.

After directors from several departments made their presentations, the council voted to table formal action on the annual operating budget to the next meeting so that all directors could present and questions could be resolved.

The council recorded the motion to table and the clerk noted the motion passed.