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Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers mull burying power lines in Providence, East Providence
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A decades-long conversation between Providence and East Providence about burying power lines in both communities was renewed before state lawmakers on Tuesday night. The House Committee on Municipal Government and Housing took testimony about a bill that, if passed, would allow for the start of the process of burying the overhead power lines that run through India Point Park in Providence and Bold Point Park in East Providence. If the bill were to make its way through the General Assembly, both communities would see utility rate increases for the duration of the project. Providence officials say the project's estimated cost would be $19.3 million in total. East Providence Mayor Bob DaSilva said on the East Providence side, residents could expect to pay an additional $32 over the course of three years. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said residents could expect to pay an additional $2 per month on average over three years. RELATED: House committee approves bill that would allow tax hike in Providence 'The cost on each side is prorated to our respective ratepayers,' Smiley said. 'That could be spread out over more time, and that's only if other funding sources are not secured through ISO or other grants that are available.' (ISO New England is the regional grid operator.) The two mayors, both Democrats, also spoke to the panel about why they felt it was time for the proposed project to move forward. 'It's something that we believe will be great for economic development as we start looking at developing our waterfront, but also the beautification of both sides of the river,' DaSilva said. Smiley added that the stanchions that the power lines are on 'are past their useful life.' 'This is long overdue, and now that the infrastructure needs to be replaced — it's going to get replaced one way or the other — we should replace it the right way,' Smiley said. 'We should replace it the right way for the maximum economic development benefit, we should replace it for resiliency, safety and security, and we should replace it because of all the people that enjoy both the public parks and the development potential,' he said. RELATED: Small Providence department sparks big concern with some city councilors The proposal received support from the Providence City Council last February. The city unveiled upgrades to India Point Park earlier this month. DaSilva said there are already funds earning interest that have been earmarked to bury the power lines, but said additional funding is still needed for the project. Smiley said both cities believe that Rhode Island Energy 'will make a good-faith attempt' to seek other funding. 'They're working closely with us on this, and we actually jointly applied for federal funds back in the winter of the previous administration,' Smiley said. RELATED: RI lawmakers take aim at rising utility costs Smiley said there is currently a $7 million funding gap that would be prorated by each community, should no other additional funding be secured. 'The East Providence share of the work of what's left is approximately $750,000 and the Providence side is $6.1 million,' Smiley explained. Nicholas Ucci, Rhode Island Energy's director of government affairs, submitted written testimony to the committee. He identified the power lines at issue as part of the E-183 electric transmission line. 'Importantly, this legislation provides for the recovery of incremental project costs not otherwise offset by other funding sources from electric distribution customers in those two municipalities, subject to review and approval by the Public Utilities Commission,' Ucci wrote. 'Rhode Island Energy concurs with this approach, which insulates all other electric distribution customers across our service territory from any new costs resulting from this project.' Representatives of the R.I. Public Utilities Commission and the R.I. Division of Public Utilities and Carriers both submitted testimony indicating their agencies had no objection to the bill, as long as it ensures the cost of burying the power lines is paid by ratepayers in the two cities. David Riley, co-chair of the group Friends of India Point Park, said his organization has been advocating for burying the power lines for nearly a quarter-century. 'What's at stake tonight?' Riley said in a statement. 'Nothing less than the next 100 years of our public waterfront.' 'If we don't start burying these lines now, the 60 million people a year who use the I-195 gateway to Rhode Island will very likely see massive electrical towers dominating the Ocean State's only panoramic water views along its interstate highways for the foreseeable future.' Smiley said an exact timeline for the project is unclear, though it was likely to be a 'multiyear project.' He said the legislation would instruct the Public Utilities Commission to grant Rhode Island Energy the ability to apply each city's surplus funds to the project. 'They would then have to go get all permits and such, which would be many,' Smiley said. DaSilva also said he felt language in the bill around both cities being on the hook for acquiring property needs to be amended. 'The taxpayers of the city of East Providence are certainly not going to want to pay for acquiring waterfront property for this project,' DaSilva added. State Rep. Richard Fascia asked the mayors if the ongoing Washington Bridge project would impact the project. Smiley said while that possibility has been discussed, those involved don't see it being an issue. 'For the portion over the river, those power lines will actually be above ground. It's not tunneling under the river,' Smiley said. 'They will be placed in a place such that it will in no way interfere with the Washington Bridge.' The bill was held for further study so that the committee could review written and in-person testimony. A hearing on a Senate version of the bill, sponsored by state Sens. Sam Zurier of Providence and Robert Britto of East Providence, happened earlier this month. Alexandra Leslie (aleslie@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook. Ted Nesi contributed to this report. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Providence residents pack State House hearing to oppose bill to go above tax levy cap
Rep. Stephen Casey, a Woonsocket Democrat and chair of the House Committee on Municipal Government and Housing, gets up from his chair as the committee begins a recess before returning to hear testimony on a bill to raise Providence's tax levy cap. Some people waited over two hours to testify. (Screencap/CapitolTV) Some people waited two hours to speak at Tuesday night's meeting of the Rhode Island House Committee on Municipal Government and Housing. Some people couldn't wait and left before they had their chance. Rep. Stephen Casey, the Woonsocket Democrat and committee chair, shuffled the six sign-up sheets in his hands, each page filled with the names of Providence residents who wanted to testify at a hearing on a bill that would raise the the city's levy, or total collected tax revenue, above the statewide 4% cap in fiscal year 2026. The hearing room and overflow area were packed with about 100 people. As the meeting stretched past 7 p.m., Casey opted for speed over procedure, and told people to leave the microphones on when they came up to testify. Smiley puts faith in General Assembly in unveiling $624.1M fiscal 2026 budget 'Don't anybody touch anything. Just get up there and talk,' he said. Providence residents had a lot to say about the bill sponsored by Rep. Rebecca Kislak, and three other Democratic reps in the city: Scott Slater, Edith Ajello and Nathan Biah. The bill's 27-word amendment to the state's municipal tax law would authorize the capital city to hike its levy on owner-occupied and non-owner-occupied residential properties, commercial properties, tangible properties, and natural growth, or the increase in value of properties over time. Kislak's bill would allow Providence to go up to 8% more than last year. Mayor Brett Smiley is proposing a 7.5% increase, announced April 16 in his proposed fiscal 2026 budget. The impact would hit property owners depending on the kind of home they own and if they live there. The average tax bill for owners who live in their single-family homes or condominium units would go up 4%. But the increase would be 16% for homes with two to five families, whether owner-occupied or not. 'We think that this is, in fact, an extraordinary ask,' Smiley told lawmakers. 'But it's because there are extraordinary circumstances. The last time the city of Providence was at the State House to ask for this was over 15 years ago during the 2008 financial crisis.' The budgeting maneuver is meant to cushion city finances for fiscal year 2026 against an expensive settlement with the state education department to resolve past underfunding of Providence public schools. But compliance with that November 2024 settlement, which accounts for $11 million in the upcoming fiscal year's budget and additional investments in subsequent fiscal years, depends on state lawmakers' approval. 'There are a lot of reasons that Providence has this need to increase the levy,' Kislak said in her introduction of the bill, citing the agreement with the Rhode Island Department of Education as 'the most immediate.' 'We will be fixing…30 years of underfunding of our schools in just three years,' Kislak said. 'We should do it. It's painful, and it's so important to the city.' Without the General Assembly's approval, Smiley has said his budget will need to return to the Providence City Council and substantial revisions made. The council is still engaged in the budgeting process with a final version emerging in June. Ahead of Kislak's April 2 introduction of the bill, the council voted to affirm up to an 8% increase. Democratic Rep. David Morales of Providence — a 26-year-old lawmaker who's floated the idea of running for mayor himself one day — wondered why no Plan B was in place. 'Has your administration prepared an alternative budget in the case that the committee does not move forward with this levy proposal?' Morales asked Smiley. 'No, we have not,' the mayor replied. We will be fixing…30 years of underfunding of our schools in just three years. We should do it. It's painful, and it's so important to the city. – Rep. Rebecca Kislak, a Providence Democrat and sponsor of the bill authorizing the capital city to exceed state tax levy cap Morales also asked Smiley if he would stay for the entirety of the hearing, 'because we have dozens of working people across the city of Providence that are here to share their perspective,' Morales said. Smiley replied: 'I appreciate that. I'll stay as long as I can.' In a phone interview Thursday, Morales said Smiley left before residents had their turn to testify but encountered residents outside the committee hearing room. A WPRI-12 report on Tuesday confirmed that Smiley spent time talking to residents for some time in the State House rotunda, explaining his budget in detail. 'Mayor (and also in a different spot I) stayed for hours talking to people in the hallway,' Kislak said via text message Wednesday. 'We should pass this bill plus additional revenue bills that will give the city council and mayor additional flexibility in their budget negotiations.' Some of the additional revenue bills Kislak previously mentioned include taxes on parking lots and Airbnbs. Josh Estrella, a spokesperson for the mayor, said in a statement Wednesday, 'Mayor Smiley has been attending community meetings in every ward of Providence collecting feedback from neighbors and explaining the critical importance of this legislation and he was glad to have stayed at the State House last night to answer every question community members had.' Morales was disappointed in Smiley's showing before the committee, he said. 'I think he was dismissive…He opted to talk about the complex formula as to how one's property taxes are calculated, which I think was an easy cop-out from actually answering any questions.' Many people testifying Tuesday were addressing lawmakers for the first time, Morales said, and some spoke through Spanish interpreters. Residents worried about tax hikes being passed to renters, making apartments unaffordable and ultimately leading to displacement. Charles Pinning, a landlord and part-time writing professor at the University of Rhode Island, explained how the levy hike would affect his tenants: 'These people who have spoken, 'Oh, yeah, when I rent the apartment, I will pass it on to them.' They're absolutely correct.' Providence residents viewed the committee as an important blockade against the tax hike's passage, arguing that the City Council will likely approve the measure. But the House committee emphasized its role is to merely allow the levy hike to happen. The venue for resisting the hike itself, they suggested, was at City Council hearings instead. Casey, the chair, at times told public testimonies to stay on track, and not stray into discussions of the city's housing market or general critiques of Smiley. He told one man his testimony's content was better suited to a Facebook post. 'This bill has been held for further study,' Casey said. 'Everybody needs to relax. We're not going to vote on it today.' Fixed-income homeowners, including senior citizens, said a 25% additional property tax exemption for senior citizens under Smiley's budget was insufficient. Sandra Lee, a low-income senior citizen and 25-year resident of the Mount Hope neighborhood, said her property assessment went up 100% in the most recent valuation, and her lot 521%. 'I own a little home there, and I own a little speck of green,' Lee said. 'My right to quiet enjoyment is being threatened, and I don't know what to do. I feel completely powerless.' The bill was held for further study, as is standard practice on an initial hearing. Based on conversations with his colleagues before and after Tuesday's hearing, Morales thinks the committee vote will not be unanimous. Morales said Thursday he was proud of the people in his city who showed up to be heard, and hoped his fellow committee members were listening closely. 'I hope that they recognize that these stories of hardships are going to become reality if we're not conscientious about our own decisions when we vote on this,' Morales said. At the hearing, Rep. José Batstia of Providence told fellow Democrat Smiley that he understands how the city has been wedged between a multimillion dollar rock and the hard place of a tax increase. But he said he would not support the levy hike, because he thinks the city is not doing enough to extract money from the city's wealthy nonprofits like Brown University. Smiley, in part, agreed. Nearly half of the city's property is tax-exempt, he said, adding the city is 'burdened with a hugely disproportionate share of the tax-exempt properties in Rhode Island: the colleges, the hospitals, government, churches and certain nonprofits.' 'It is, I know, very popular, and certainly the size of their endowment makes it eye- popping. But it is not just Brown,' Smiley said. Morales thinks the city has not explored all its options, citing industrial, waterfront properties on the city's south side. 'They can certainly afford to pay more in their taxes,' Morales said, an alternative to what he described as the overly broad taxation in Smiley's strategy, in which 'owner-occupied, multifamily homes…are going to feel the brunt of this increase.' Meanwhile the budgeting process chugs along on the city side. In an email Thursday, Marc Boyd, a City Council spokesperson, said individual councilors have been holding community meetings over the past month with residents in their respective wards to hear concerns about 'revaluations, property taxes, the levy overall, and the budget process broadly.' 'Now that the mayor has proposed his budget, the Finance Committee will review, vet, and, if necessary, amend the mayor's proposal as part of the normal budget process which, as usual, will include public hearings, the first of which is scheduled for May 6th,' Boyd said. Boyd added that on Saturday, May 3, several Spanish-speaking councilors will be hosting a Latino Town Hall to discuss the same issues with Spanish-speaking residents. English translation will be available, and the event runs from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Providence Career and Technical Academy on Fricker Street. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Providence taxpayers confront Mayor Smiley at State House tax levy hearing
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Dozens of taxpayers confronted Mayor Brett Smiley at the State House on Tuesday after a hearing on a bill that would give Providence permission to exceed the state-mandated tax levy cap of 4% for one year. 'You want to tax us to park, you want to tax us to live, you want to tax us for everything,' one woman told Smiley. 'Just tell us the truth. You want to gentrify the hell out of Providence.' 'That is not true,' Smiley responded. 'Do not raise the taxes! Do not raise the taxes' the group chanted. The confrontation began in the hallway before House Committee on Municipal Government and Housing Chairman Stephen Casey asked the group to 'take it to the rotunda,' because it was disrupting other bills being heard. Smiley took questions from a number of taxpayers, and pulled out a binder with an overview of proposed tax rates to explain to residents what he was proposing. A Smiley staffer also helped to translate what the mayor was saying to Spanish-speaking residents. Before the committee got underway, Casey explained a number of bills, including the proposal for Providence, would be held for further study. Casey said it was procedural and would give lawmakers time to review all written and in-person testimony. Rep. Rebecca Kislak, one of the bill's sponsors, explained that Providence is not the only community that has requested an exemption to exceed the state-mandated tax levy, and said that state lawmakers have previously allowed Middletown, New Shoreham and Warren to do so. Rep. June Speakman, who sits on the committee, referenced Warren getting permission to exceed the tax levy after losing a lawsuit with a 'very large settlement.' She said the committee should not be litigating how the the city spends its money. Smiley said this was an ask for 'a one-time permission' to exceed the levy due to the city's $15 million settlement with the R.I. Department of Education, which controls the city's public schools. In his budget, Smiley proposed increasing property tax bills, making $9 million in cuts, and boosting fines and fees as a way to deal with the financial blow. 'The last time the city of Providence was at the State House to ask for this was over 15 years ago during the 2008 financial crisis,' Smiley explained. Rep. David Morales grilled the mayor with a number of questions, including if the city prepared an alternative budget if this bill is not passed. Smiley said that there was not another version of the budget, and explained that the budget review process was only just getting underway. (On Tuesday night, the Providence City Council's Committee on Finance held its first budget overview meeting since Smiley's budget proposal was released last Wednesday.) The mayor took questions from residents for a little over an hour near the State House rotunda. Residents went back to the hearing room to continue with the public testimony. 'Deny this. Deny what he's asking for. Let him find the money someplace else,' one resident told the committee. Eliseo Rojas, who came to the U.S. from Guatemala, said if Providence increases taxes he won't be able to afford his house. 'Now this is not the American Dream. This is going to be the American nightmare,' Rojas said. Samantha Richter explained that her landlord told her if the city raises property taxes, her rent would go up. 'I understand that the budget needs to get balanced,' Samantha Richter said. 'But it feels like this measure is just trickling down and asking the most of the people who have the least, and I don't really think that that's fair to the residents of this city.' Another hearing for the bill has not yet been scheduled. Alexandra Leslie (aleslie@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
