Mattiello Kills Providence City Council’s Two-Tier Tax Structure
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
Speaker Nick Mattiello has pulled the plug on the Providence City Council’s request to pass enabling legislation for a two-tiered homestead exemption.
“A collective decision was made not to post the bill for a House hearing this year. The bill was introduced very late in the session and there is too little time to give it a careful vetting. I also listened closely to the concerns raised by Rep. [Chris] Blazejewski, a member of my leadership team,” said Mattiello in a statement to GoLocal.
In light of Mattiello’s decision, the leadership of the City Council announced that they would move forward with a single tax rate.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTEarlier in the day, Providence City Councilman Michael Corriea said Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza was playing politics with summer jobs as retribution against those members of the Council who do not support his budget.
In a Facebook message posted Tuesday morning, Correia criticized Elorza’s tactics.
“To all parents & city youth, I know many of you have applied for a summer job with the Department of Recreation and haven’t heard if you have been hired," wrote the Correia. “Unfortunately these jobs are out of our control [City Council]. The Mayor and his administration is playing politics with these jobs, using our city youth to get a budget passed. ‘Shame on you Mayor.’”
Matos’ Pivot
Council President Sabina Matos said, “I am grateful for the support that we received in the General Assembly. Although we didn’t get the result we had hoped, we have laid the groundwork to continue the discussion on the best path forward in creating a progressive tax plan here in our capital city.”
“I want to thank the Senate leadership for their broad support of our plan that would provide tax relief to the most disadvantaged neighborhoods in our City,” said Chairman of the Council’s Committee on Finance and Councilman John J. Igliozzi. “I would also like to thank the Speaker of the House, and the Representatives for their consideration of our bold plan. This is the first step in creating a truly progressive tax plan that benefits all residents and not just some.”
The City Council leadership said Tuesday night that Elorza’s plan — now the only plan, was “ giving 1% of the City’s wealthiest property owners a tax break.”
According to the City Council leadership is still committed to providing tax relief to the citizens of Providence, and will present a budget that will include a flat tax rate, and will incorporate a single homestead exemption for every resident of Providence.
The majority of the Committee on Finance and the Council believe that bringing back the homestead exemption will help the most disadvantaged neighborhoods in Providence. Many of those neighborhoods saw 30, 40, and even 50% increases in their property revaluations, and this plan will work to protect those individuals.
In a statement, the Council’s leadership said it is the Finance Committee’s goal to have the budget passed out of Committee as early as the end of this week, and then passed by the full Council the first week of July. The fiscal year ends on June 30 and the issuance of the tax bills will be delayed.
