Several months ago I went to a town meeting about the tax proposals the town wants to implement. We have all seen tax increases, and it will only get worse. Seniors on a fixed income can’t afford constant tax increases, especially when we add the school tax.

I graduated from Bristol High School the first year it was opened. I returned to Bristol after four years in the Navy and paid for the high school I graduated from. At my age, I shouldn’t have to pay for another one. As with any large project like a new school, the cost overruns are going to be out of control due to improper management.

At that meeting, the Town Administrator was asked how much Roger Williams University gives the town in lieu of taxes. He stated $350,000. The next questions was, who determines that amount? His answer was, “it’s an ongoing process.” That gave me the impression there was a committee that negotiated with RWU.

The next day, I went to the Town Clerk to see who was on the committee. I was told there is no committee and there never was one. The committee is one — RWU — that determines the amount.

The universities I have looked at that have the equivalent size, student body and finances paid an average PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) of between $2 million and $3 million per year. That’s like the fox being in charge of the hen house and getting to pick the largest chickens.

I would propose a committee be formed, including one Bristol Town Council member other than the chairman, the town’s solicitor, the town clerk, and five taxpayers from a broad range of the community. The clerk would report to the local newspaper the minutes of the mettings. This way there would be no illusion of any impropriety.

In the last several months, I have examined the operations and financial status of several colleges and universities in New England. The five in Providence will pay the city $240 million over the next 20 years in lieu of taxes. Salve Regina is a smaller school than RWU, and it pays the City of Newport almost a million dollars per year and also pays taxes on non-academic and rental properties.

The $350,000 paid in lieu of taxes is an insult to the town, and unfortunately has been going on since they came here. I can’t believe not one – the town administrator or town council – has picked up on this since the university moved to Bristol in 1969.

It’s difficult for RWU to claim poverty when they have an endowment of $80 million-plus. In 2011, they reported their net assets at $90.7 million. In 2023, the net assets were reported at $285 million and will probably exceed $300 million by the first of the year, which is reported to the federal government as part of their yearly tax filings and audit.

RWU published an “Institutional Master Plan Update” under its ten-year goal. They purchased the land between the Sisters of St. Dorothy and the Columban Fathers with the obvious intention of expanding.

The town needs to take control of any further expansion by limiting the number of building permits issued. We don’t have the roads and infrastructure necessary to take care of such a potentially large expansion without limits. The quality of life in Bristol has changed, and not for the better.

Steve Skuba
32 Ridge Road

Editor’s note: In addition to its payment in lieu of taxes, Roger Williams University pays the Town of Bristol sewer use fees based on its actual usage, and it pays property taxes based on the assessed value of the “Wind Hill” estate referenced in the letter above.