Budget calls for 2.26% increase in tax rate

The $69,967,453 budget for fiscal year 2023 that was provisionally approved by the Town Council last week calls for an overall increase of $892,877, or 1.29 percent.

The tax rate would go from the current $15.31 per $1,000 of assessed valuation to $15.657 – a jump of about 35 cents, or 2.26 percent more.

Town Administrator Richard Rainer Jr. has pointed out the budget increase is well below the U.S. inflation rate, which currently stands at about 8.5 percent.

Here’s how the provisional budget, if approved next month without changes, would impact various property owners:

• A resident owning a $300,000 home would pay $4,697.10 in annual property taxes, an increase of $104.10.

• $400,000 home: $6,262.80 in property taxes, an increase of $138.80

• $500,000 home: $7,828.50 in property taxes, an increase of $173.50

• $600,000 home: $9,394.20 in property taxes, an increase of $208.20

• $800,000 home: $12,525.60 in property taxes, an increase of $277.60

The public hearing on the budget will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 15, at a location yet to be selected. (Council member Keith Hamilton said he would like to have the hearing at the high school rather than the middle school, as the former has a superior sound system.)

The council will formally adopt the budget on Monday, June 27.

PORTSMOUTH — In provisionally approving a $69.97 million budget for 2022-23 that calls for a 1.29-percent increase over the current spending plan, the Town Council made a move that several members have been threatening for years.

In a 4-3 vote, the council defunded the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission (AIPC) to the tune of $18,000 in civic support for the next fiscal year.

The nonprofit works with other island communities on regional planning with the goal of improving the environment, the economy and the quality of life. Transportation, clean water, community design and land use are among its focuses. Several council members, however, expressed a “What have you done for me lately?” attitude toward AIPC.

Council member Keith Hamilton started the discussion by questioning AIPC’s benefit to the town. Although the organization has done some valuable work in the past (he mentioned a traffic study that was completed in 2011), the town has not been getting a decent return on its investment in recent years, Hamilton said.

“In the past six or seven years, it’s been a rudderless ship as far as I can see,” he said. “They have not lived up to all of the things they said they were going to do.”

Council member Daniela Abbott agreed, saying the $18,000 would be better spent elsewhere — perhaps in the Planning Department in developing grant strategy.

Local resident Nancy Grieb, a frequent critic of AIPC, called the group a “do-nothing organization” that’s had eight different directors since 2012. AIPC was not even worth “minimal financial support,” she said.

Town Administrator Richard Rainer, Jr., however, said AIPC can be a valuable partner when it comes to securing grants for the town. “We are just not equipped to apply, prepare and write the kind of grant applications that are going to be required because of the stipulations put into these grant opportunities, so we’ve reached out for help,” he said.

Council Vice President Linda Ujifusa also supported AIPC. “As far as I can tell, the work is being done by legitimate contractors and it’s benefitting Portsmouth residents,” she said, adding the town should maintain its commitment to regional planning.

Steve Johnson, one of three local resident recently appointed to AIPC as the town’s representatives, said the organization has had an “extraordinary 15-year run” of initiatives in stormwater management, transportation studies, planning around Burma Road, and more. 

“In short, this is a partnership. We look forward to working with you, and continue to supporting the town staff,” Johnson said. “My request is to give us one more year to show you what we can do.”

Council President Kevin Aguiar said AIPC has done good work, but perhaps Portsmouth should be more of its own advocate on certain issues “so we get more bang for the buck.”

On Abbott’s motion, the council voted 4-3 to reallocate the $18,000 earmarked for AIPC in civic support to the Planning Department for grant-writing support. The AIPC is not necessarily out of the picture, as incoming Town Planner Lea Hitchen — she succeeds Gary Crosby on July 1 — has discretion over whether she wants the organization to assist with grants. Any Planning Department expenditures would have to come before the council.

Voting for the motion were Abbott, Hamilton, Aguiar and council member Len Katzman. Voting against were Ujifusa and council members J. Mark Ryan and Andrew Kelly.

In an e-mail, Kelly expanded on why he voted against defunding AIPC. One reason is that he supports regional planning, especially on Aquidneck Island.

“Second, we have appointed three of our fellow citizens within the last six months to the AIPC,” he stated. “They are ready to be the change that AIPC needs to become a better regional planning organization. I'll admit I haven't been impressed with the performance of AIPC over the last couple of years, but they have had rapid turnover and there was also the COVID pandemic.”

$1.06M in civic support

The council voted to provisionally approve about $1.057 million in civic support next year for organizations that are not part of municipal government but which provide crucial services to local residents. That’s slightly under $1,000 less than the amount approved last year.

As always, the Portsmouth Free Public Library got the biggest slice of the pie: $547,024, about 1.42 percent more than what it received this year.

About $192,000 was approved for the Prudence Island Volunteer Fire Department, a 2-percent increase.

The Newport County Community Mental Health Center (NCMH) received the biggest bump, percentage-wise, when the council provisionally approved $5,200 for next year — an increase of more than 40 percent. 

“This has been an absolutely hideous couple of years,” council member J. Mark Ryan said in support of giving NCMH more funding, noting that the pandemic has disrupted families and caused increases in depression and anxiety.

Hamilton, who also supported extra funding for NCMH, made the motion to give the organization $1,500 more by taking it from a request from the Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island. That group, he noted, was one of four organizations that were requesting civic support for the first time this year.

“My concern is we’re cracking that door open next year for” new civic support requests, he said.