[Summit] Fw: Councillor Helen Anthony's 2nd Ward letter for Aug. 14th -- Census, Virus, Voting, Council, Budget, Defunding Police, Angell St. Hotel

Fri Aug 14 19:51:09 UTC 2020

   ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Helen Anthony <helen at helenanthony.com>To:Sent: Friday, August 14, 2020, 07:44:45 AM EDTSubject: Providence Ward 2 Letter, August 14, 2020
   An update from City Councilor Helen Anthony  
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Dear Neighbors, 

I hope you and your family are well during these challenging times. I continue to be grateful to live in a community of kindness, strength and beauty. I am recommitting to regular email communication with you, something that has been a challenge for me as I dove into serving on our City Council and attending committee meetings, neighborhood events and responding to your calls and emails. I know we are all grateful for the commitment that Sam Zurier made to his regular letters, and I am stepping up my efforts to send updates about the work of the city council through this newsletter. Please encourage your neighbors to subscribe. Our future holds many unknowns and your participation is essential.

Please call me at 401-489-2470, visit helenanthony.com or email me at helen at helenanthony.com with questions or comments. Stay safe and healthy.

Helen
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COVID

The city and state continue to monitor COVID-19 in our community and adjust our response. You can get timely information from the RI Department of Health, the City of Providence, and the Governor's office. For the latest information on our local schools please contact the RI Department of Education at ride.ri.gov or 222-4600. 

Brown University has posted updates about students returning to campus and is holding a community forum on Zoom on August 20 at 5pm to take our questions.

Please contact me at helen at helenanthony.com if you have concerns about our community’s safety.
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Providence City Council

As you may know the City Council takes a hiatus every August, so there will be no public meetings this month. During the rest of the year the full Council meets twice each month on Thursday evenings.

Our last meeting was on July 31, and you can find the agenda and minutes here. The full council will meet on September 3 and 17 - please join us on Zoom. 

Much of the Council’s work takes place in committees. I serve on the Finance Committee and the Committee on Claims & Pending Suits. The Finance Committee is of utmost importance to me and meets nearly every week when the budget is being debated. More about the budget below.

Stay up to date on meetings of the Council and its committees through the City of Providence Open Meetings Portal, where meetings, agendas, and minutes are posted. You can register for an account and receive notifications about the work of dozens of municipal groups (click here and see “register” in the upper right corner).
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Update: FY 2021 City Budget

In a normal year the City Council passes the levy and appropriation ordinances together by the end of June. In a normal year the State passes its budget before the City Council, so the City knows what to expect in state aid. Nothing is normal this year. The State has not passed a budget, and the City does not know how much it will receive in state aid and federal relief.

The Mayor proposed a budget of $770,169,494.00 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, including a municipal budget of $506,843,316 and $130,046,611 for the Providence School Department. The 2021 Annual Required Contribution to the Pension Accumulation Fund is $73,494,647. Keep in mind that the Mayor based his budget on the Governor’s Budget prepared at the end of January, before COVID. You can review FY 2021 budget documents here. 

On June 30, the City Council passed a $358 million tax levy in order for the City to issue property tax bills. The tax rates were unchanged from last year. The Appropriation Ordinance has not been passed, as the City Council is waiting for the State budget.

There is no question that the City will have to cut the proposed budget. While we are collecting a high percentage of our property taxes, shared state revenues such as hotel and food/beverage taxes are significantly diminished. The Mayor’s budget is likely to require cuts of at least $10-$12 million. It is my hope that we avoid the typical horse trading of typical budget seasons and instead consider across the board cuts to all departments such as overtime, supplies, etc. I hope the Council will be able to reach reasonable consensus regarding cuts.
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Update: Defunding the Police

As you know, demonstrations, public dialogue, and protests about police brutality have been taking place across our country and here in Providence. I have listened to hours of public testimony regarding defunding the police, read hundreds of emails and have participated in several forums, such as the one I hosted with Councilmembers Nirva LaFortune and John Goncalves. I am so very grateful for everyone’s passionate words, for their courage in sharing their stories, and for their determination in asking for change.

I think Major Hugh Clements and most of our police force are dedicated, but we must take this opportunity to rethink how we police our community. The history of policing in our country is filled with racial bias and inequity. We ask our police to handle many issues they are not trained to handle -- homelessness, mental health, domestic violence and other non-criminal behaviors.

One strategy that has potential is to route non-criminal 911 calls to professionals trained in social service support. The City Council and staff have examined model rapid response programs in Eugene, Oregon and Denver, Colorado. If non-criminal matters can be handled by other professionals, theoretically we could reduce the number of police officers. If a similar program could be created in Providence, I believe funds could be reallocated from the police budget to support it.

Systemic racism cannot be addressed unless every one of us acknowledges that we are part of the problem. We we must listen, but we must also take purposeful action to create change. Let’s get to work.
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Update: Smart Hotel

Ed Small, the developer of the Smart Hotel proposed for the corner of Angell and Brook, submitted a revised plan to the City Planning Commission (CPC) on June 16, 2020. The new plan reduced the hotel from six stories to five; reduced the density by 6% and reduced the mass by 17%. Despite hours of testimony in opposition, the CPC approved the revised hotel plan.

Two parties appealed the CPC decision. The Zoning Board of Appeals is hearing those appeals on August 20 at 5:30 p.m. If the Zoning Board upholds the decision of the CPC, the developer still needs the City Council to approve rezoning the three lots intended for the project from RP to C2. The petition to rezone is pending in the Ordinance Committee. A public hearing will probably be scheduled in early September. Stay tuned.

The Providence Preservation Society continues to post updates on the project here. 
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Voting

The RI Primary Election is on September 8. In Ward 2 our candidates - Sen. Reed, Rep. Cicilline and Sen. Goldin -- have no primary challengers, so Ward 2 residents do not need to vote on Sept 8 or apply for mail ballots. I will remind everyone about the deadlines for voter registration and mail ballots for the November general election.
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Census 2020

If you have not filled out a Census form, you can do so here. Everyone should complete the census -- this data is critical to determining federal funding for our state and can also influence our representation in Congress. The current deadline is September 30, 2020. 
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A Bright Light
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We are lucky to live in a community with wonderful parks. You can see the parks in Ward 2 and surrounding communities with the Providence Parks Finder. Pictured here are volunteers with the Blackstone Parks Conservancy working to remove invasive plants -- check their web site for volunteer opportunities. 
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|  Copyright © 2020 Providence City Council Ward 2, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
Providence City Council Ward 2654 Angell StProvidence, RI 02906-5552

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