EAST PROVIDENCE, RI – Mayor Bob DaSilva has signed the fiscal year 2026-2027 budget ordinance adopted by the East Providence City Council by a vote of 3-2 during the October 13, 2026, budget workshop. The $209,930,748 budget reflects the administration’s tight fiscal management while also continuing to provide all of the services that East Providence residents expect.
“My administration sat down with every single department and went through every dime in each line item to find ways to make this budget palpable for our residents,” Mayor Bob DaSilva said. “This is an election year, but this is not an election budget. An election budget would be one where we did not raises taxes, did not properly fund the operations of city government, so we could tout that we did not raise taxes, but the council majority did the right thing, in spite of an election year to ensure that our residents could retain the services they have come to expect,” DaSilva added.
The causes of the mayor’s proposed increase of $4 million:
• A $306,000 (1.7%) increase in debt service for bonded projects (86% school related)
• A $966,481 (16%) increase in healthcare (driven by more employees taking healthcare, and an 8% rate increase from the city’s provider)
• A $196,558 (1.4%) increase in contributions to the city’s fire and police pension funds
• A $1.63 million (4.8%) increase in labor expenses, driven by the city’s union employees being due for raises after taking one year of 0% wage increases with their most recent contracts
• A $2.38 million or a maximum 4% increase in the budget for schools
In order to pay for the increases, the approved budgets will raise the total property tax levy by three-point-five-percent, which will bring in an additional $4.3 million in revenue.
Mayor DaSilva noting, however, that the expected additional economic growth of $45.1 million which is anticipated to be realized before the city sets the new tax rate in the spring which should offset some of the fiscal impacts to taxpayers.
"Our budget process was very open and there were plenty of opportunities for anyone to make suggestions or changes,” Council President Bob Rodericks said. “It provides for public safety, infrastructure needs, education and much more. Considering this, and the need to begin paying for two large voter approved school bonds, our tax increase is as low as possible."
The increase to individual property owners is estimated to be just two-point-three-percent, well below inflation at both the state and federal levels and will be determined and finalized later in the year prior to tax bills being mailed out.
The City’s new fiscal year begins November 1st, tax bills will be mailed in May 2027.
