FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 24, 2021
CONTACT INFO. :
Office of the Mayor
Patricia Resende
(401) 529-3207
Note to Editors: Please see attached Letter to Council, Copy of Budget and Capital Improvement Projects
Mayor Bob DaSilva proposes FY 2022 budget
EAST PROVIDENCE, RI – Mayor Bob DaSilva has proposed the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 budget. Mayor DaSilva submitted his proposed Fiscal Year 2022 budget to the City Council and City Clerk’s Office on Monday, August 23 at 10:48 p.m.
The proposed budget fully funds our police department, adds an additional rescue to Station 3 in Rumford and increases fire personnel.
“A fourth rescue will fill a significant public safety need for our residents,” Mayor DaSilva said. “The need for this rescue has been conveyed to this administration by Council President Britto, who together with the residents of Ward 1, has lobbied for an additional rescue over the last several years.
“This budget also keeps our residents and businesses safe, our city service levels high, our infrastructure in repair, and our parks and recreational facilities maintained, beautiful and enjoyable,” DaSilva added.
The proposed fiscal 2022 budget recommends General Fund expenditures of $177,570,346 million, an $8,208,328 million increase (4.8 percent) over last year’s spending. Of the total General Fund expenditure increase, city operating expenditures increased by $6,586,079 million (8.1 percent), city funding of the school department rose by $1,622,249 (1.8 percent).
The following six items represent the majority of the overall increase:
1. The line item for high school bond has been increased by approximately $2.85 million. The school will be substantially complete by September 1, 2021. Thanks to the efforts of the East Providence School Building Committee, the city will be reimbursed 74 percent through the construction aid program sponsored by the Rhode Island Department of Education. The aid is distributed based on the State of Rhode Island’s fiscal year after substantial completion, which is the City of East Providence’s fiscal year 2022.
2. The School Department budget has increased $1,622,249 million. Of that increase, the School Department is requesting from the city an additional $639,639 (1.26 percent).
3. In preparing last year’s fiscal budget, the administration did not fill a number of full-time positions because of the uncertainty of the economic impact of the pandemic. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allows municipalities to use federal funds to fund positions that were previously unfilled due to the pandemic.
The administration has identified in this budget, 12 full-time employee (FTE) positions and some part-time positions totaling $985,000, which will be paid through ARPA funds through fiscal year 2026.
This funding will enable us to fully fund the East Providence Police Department at 103 sworn-personnel and 12 public safety communications personnel. In addition, this funding will also enable us to fund four laborer positions in the East Providence Dept. of Public Works, two positions in the East Providence Library, and one position in the East Providence Planning and Economic Development Dept.
4. We are budgeting $848,510 as a placeholder in anticipation of being awarded a federal SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant. The city has submitted a SAFER grant application in the amount of $7.3 million over three years (from the time of the award). This grant will enable the East Providence Fire Dept. to hire an additional 24 firefighters. As a result, this will enable the city to staff a fourth, full-time rescue at Station 3 in Rumford. We anticipate being notified in September 2021 as to whether we are awarded this grant. Should we be awarded the grant, the $848,510 will be funded through said grant reducing the tax increase by .779 percent, bringing the total increase in this budget to a mere .587 percent.
5. Our police and fire Annual Required Contributions (ARC) to the pension increased a combined $1.37 million mainly due to this administration’s decision to follow the actuary’s recommendation. The City of East Providence will also be an adopter of a more conservative mortality table than what previously used to ensure that future generations in East Providence are not unfairly burdened.
6. City regular base salaries and other compensation are budgeted to increase by approximately $1.3 million. The increase is associated with projected salary increases for all personnel.
An interactive link to the proposed budget is available on OpenGov, on the city’s transparency portal HERE.
