House Version of $2.5 Million Woonsocket Supplemental Tax Bill Passes

Woonsocket’s supplemental tax bill raising an extra $2.5 million this year, added to the future tax base, passed the RI House of Representatives tonight.

The city's legislative delegation is asking for a briefing from the Woonsocket Budget Commission on the progress made on the balance of its five-year plan for fiscal solvency before the House version is reconciled with the Senate's.

The supplemental tax is among the most potent in the array of tools the Budget Commission intends to use in its 5-year plan to repair the city's chronic financial shortfalls. But all of them are necessary to make the plan work and avoid calling in a receiver, Commission members say.  

Council President and Budget Commission member John Ward noted there's a shrinking window to reconcile the supplemental tax in time to mail out bills ahead of the June 30 deadline. 

Tax Assessor Chris Celeste said he'll need about three weeks to get the bills sent out once the supplemental tax is approved.  

While the House bill's primary sponsor Rep. Lisa Baldelli Hunt (D-Dist. 49) said she and her fellow city representatives would prefer not to have to sponsor the supplemental tax bill, the alternative of letting the city go without paying its bills is far worse. “We understand that the residents of the city are struggling. That’s why we are also sponsoring the legislation to move larger rental properties to the commercial tax, because it would mean lightening the load on a great many homeowners and small businesses,” said Baldelli Hunt (D-Dist. 49, Woonsocket), 

The House also approved legislation to change the tax classification of apartment buildings with four to ten units from residential to commercial as a means to shift some of the tax burden away from most homeowners and small businesses. Baldelli-Hunt was also the lead sponsor of the tax classification bill.