PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Characterized as a "happy medium," half of the tax discounts that the elderly, disabled, veterans and some other homeowners received last year are likely to be reinstated.
The City Council's Ways and Means Committee and top officials for Mayor Angel Taveras crafted the partial restoration Monday night. The full council plans to vote on it for the first time -- two approvals are necessary -- Thursday.
Some council members initially wanted a complete reinstatement, but settled on half after Michael D'Amico, director of administration and Taveras' acting chief of staff, said Providence has no financial wiggle room in the new city budget.
The fractional reinstatement creates a nearly $690,000 revenue hole for the $662 million spending plan.
"If there was frivolous money in there, we would have found it by now," D'Amico said, while adding $690,000 is "a lot harder to find than the average person may realize."
If approved, the administration says new bills will be sent out. If affected residents already paid their bill in full, they have the option of receiving a refund or having a credit applied to next year's bill. If they paid just their first quarter amount, the remaining three quarters will be adjusted to reflect the change.