WOONSOCKET, R.I. (WPRI) – A steep tax break former Woonsocket Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt granted to a downtown apartment building is at the center of a federal lawsuit against the city, with municipal officials arguing the deal is illegal because it never received City Council approval.
The dispute centers on a May 19, 2022, tax stabilization agreement, or TSA, signed by Baldelli-Hunt that reduced property taxes for a redeveloped building at 43 Railroad St. as part of a 12-year deal. The deal capped the property taxes at less than $3,000 per year for the first three years. The city now says the bill should be roughly $52,000.
Madison Leigh Properties LLC, owned by a former professional hockey player, bought the property for $3.8 million shortly after the agreement was signed. The company now argues in court that its purchase was expressly contingent on the tax break being valid and enforceable. The company is calling on a judge to enforce the deal and award damages…