PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Mayor Brett Smiley is trying to prepare Providence residents to expect higher property tax bills, though he won’t yet commit to an exact amount that taxes will go up.
The mayor said the city’s budget needs to grow by about $25 million, largely due to a recent $15 million settlement with the the R.I. Department of Education , which controls the city’s schools. He began warning about potential tax hikes and budget cuts to offset the budget gap as early as last fall.
RELATED: Smiley mulling tax hikes, cuts in 2025
“That has to come from one of three places: either property taxes, other revenue, or cuts to city budgets,” Smiley said. “And in my plan that I’ll introduce to the City Council when I introduce the budget at the beginning of April, we’ll have a combination of all three of those things.”
Smiley said in addition to the money owed in the settlement, there are other nonnegotiable costs that have to be included in the next budget, too, from increases in pension payments, medical insurance, contractual raises and more. The next fiscal year starts July 1…