PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- In another 9-to-6 vote, the same as Friday, the City Council set a $662 million budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
Mayor Angel Taveras' slightly modified budget, $20 million more than this year's spending plan, includes raises for police officers, firefighters, teachers and other city employees, as well as pays for more than 100 new firefighters, two building inspectors and 18 officers. (The officers are funded completely by a federal grant.)
None of the budget details were discussed Monday. The meeting was over in less than 10 minutes, and only Councilman Sam Zurier spoke about the increase to the residential tax rate that is helping to pay for the budget.
The residential tax rate for homeowners living in their houses will increase from $15.95 to $19.25 per $1,000 of assessed value. The residential tax rate for most landlords will increase from $27.11 to $33.75 per $1,000 of assessed value.
The commercial ($36.75), tangible or business equipment ($55.80) and motor vehicle ($60) tax rates per $1,000 of assessed value will remain the same as this year.
Although it varies by neighborhood and type of residential property, city internal auditor Matthew Clarkin says single family homeowners citywide will see an average $351, or 9.51 percent, increase in their tax bills when they come in the mail around July 1.
Homeowners on the East Side, which include three neighborhoods represented by Zurier, will see higher than that average because their house values didn't drop as much in the recent revaluation.
"The budget will increase the tax bills of the people in these three neighborhoods by more than $2.6 million," he said. The increase citywide is $7.2 million.
Those residents, Zurier said, will pay 36 percent of that overall increase despite being eight percent of the city's total property owners.
"This goes beyond what they consider to be a fair share," he said before voting against the budget with council members Luis Aponte, Carmen Castillo, Kevin Jackson, Sabina Matos and Davian Sanchez.
Voting for the budget was Council President Michael Solomon and council members Michael Correia, Terrence Hassett, John Igliozzi, Wilbur Jennings, Nicholas Narducci, Bryan Principe, David Salvatore and Seth Yurdin.