Wednesday, May 18, 2011
The Portsmouth Town Council voted against tentatively approving a school department budget with a 1.9% spending increase.
The Portsmouth Town Council voted against tentatively approving the school department's proposed budget after nearly three hours of discussion Tuesday night. The vote was 4 to 3, with Keith Hamilton, Jim Seveney and Michael Buddemeyer voting in favor of the budget. Councilors criticized the Portsmouth School Committee members in attendance for presenting a budget that could potentially force the town to exceed the legally-allowed cap on tax increases. “I can’t believe we are going to cap this year,” Councilor Judi Staven said. “We just can’t lay this on our taxpayers. It’s too much in a time of recession.” “It disturbs me, we can’t get past year after year, of supporting the school system that educates our students, the future of this town…
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Portsmouth Town Hall
2200 E Main Rd, Portsmouth, RI
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Thursday, May 12, 2011
The Portsmouth Town Council tentatively approved a number of department budgets Wednesday night at Town Hall.
Could the decorative lights on Park Avenue be shut off overnight to save the town money? One town councilor thinks there could be savings. The Town Council met Wednesday night at Town Hall to continue its tentative approval of the town administrator's proposed budget. The meeting was called to order with only four members present: Joseph Robicheau, Judi Staven, Elizabeth Pedro and Paul Kesson. Robicheau said Jim Seveney and Michael Buddemeyer had “unexpected work obligations," while Keith Hamilton was away on business. Park Avenue's Decorative Lights While discussing the line item "Utilities and Town Hall" in the proposed budget, Councilor Liz Pedro questioned why the decorative lights on Park Avenue are "on" throughout the night. …
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Portsmouth Town Hall
2200 E Main Rd, Portsmouth, RI
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Wednesday, May 4, 2011
The Town Council voted to approve the fire department's tentative budget without a 30 percent increase in overtime at Tuesday night's budget workshop.
The Portsmouth Town Council tentatively approved the fire department's proposed budget Tuesday night, but denied the department's request to increase overtime by 30 percent. Fire Chief Jeffrey P. Lynch presented his department budget to the council on Tuesday night at Town Hall. Lynch was among several department heads to speak at this second budget workshop. "The biggest thing we’re tackling right now is the overtime," Lynch said. "We’re looking at a $97,000 increase in overtime." The request is a 30 percent increase from last fiscal year. Councilor James Seveney asked if any event caused the large estimate of overtime. “Every year we have one significance event,” Lynch said. “This year has been extraordinary with the forecast of storms…
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Portsmouth Town Hall
2200 E Main Rd, Portsmouth, RI
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Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The Town Council held its first budget workshop on Monday evening at Town Hall.
The town of Portsmouth is facing the first decrease in its real estate tax base in a decade. During the Town Council's first budget workshop on Monday evening at Town Hall, finance director David Faucher, who discussed the tax base in the town administrator’s proposed budget. The proposed budget is available on the town Web site here and attached at right. According to the finance director, the decrease could mean less revenue for the town. “We have an unusual situation this year,” Faucher said. “This is the first year in 10 years where we have a decrease in the (real estate) tax base.” The decrease is due to an estimated 15.91 percent decrease in property revaluations this year. The new property tax rate with this administrator's proposed…
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Portsmouth Town Hall
2200 E Main Rd, Portsmouth, RI
/articles/real-estate-tax-base-declines-for-first-time-in-10-years
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Friday, April 22, 2011
The Town Council received its first look at the proposed budget last week during executive session.
Town Administrator Robert Driscoll presented his proposed 2012 fiscal year budget to the Portsmouth Town Council last week. The proposed budget, which was not made available for viewing until early this week, calls for a 3.74 percent increase in the property tax. This is only a proposed budget, which will be amended during the entire budget process. "I am pleased to present the administrator's recommended budget for FY 2011-2012," Driscoll wrote in his letter to the council. "...The review process, though lengthy and demanding, is an opportunity for all of us to explain the town department's activity to you while gaining the benefit of your critical perspective." The administrator's recommended budget calls for an overall increase in …
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Portsmouth Town Hall
2200 E Main Rd, Portsmouth, RI
/articles/town-administrators-proposed-budget-calls-for-374-percent-increase-in-property-tax
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Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The School Committee met Tuesday evening at Town Hall to vote on the budget.
The School Committee approved the 2012-proposed budget Tuesday evening by a unanimous 6-0 vote. Jonathan Harris was not in attendance. The total budget is $37,296,252 or an increase of 1.9 percent from budget year 2011. The increase amounts to $698,698. The next stop for the budget is for it to be presented to the Town Council on Friday, March 25. According to Director of Finance Mark Dunham, it contains a number of “assumptions.” One of those assumptions is the proposal of state aid for education by Gov. Lincoln Chafee. This aid could be drastically changed before the General Assembly passes the state budget. Another assumption is the increases in the local appropriation cap to 4.25 percent. The final assumption concerns ongoing …
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Portsmouth Town Hall
2200 E Main Rd, Portsmouth, RI
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Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Portsmouth School Committee approves Live Digital Video Bus Violation Monitoring System at Tuesday's meeting.
The Portsmouth School Committee unanimously approved all agenda items at Tuesday night's meeting, including approving the addition of a live video monitoring system for school buses. The School Committee approved a bid to the company Smart Bus Corp. for a Live Digital Video Bus Violation Detection Monitoring System, which will now add a video camera device on public school buses. The cameras will record cars passing after the emergency lights on the bus flash. Information will be sent to the local police, which will issue citations. The amount of the citation will be $300, according to Director of Finance and Administration Mark V. Dunham. The Smart Bus Corp., who was the only company to bid on this project, will receive 75 percent of the…
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Portsmouth Town Hall
2200 E Main Rd, Portsmouth, RI
/articles/portsmouth-school-buses-to-videotape-passing-cars-in-real-time
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Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Committee members reduced the $750,000 deficit by depleting funds and establishing gate fees for sporting games.
A week after residents rejected a referendum to give more money to the schools, the Portsmouth School Committee approved a budget Tuesday night of $35.5 million as appropriated by the Town Council. With the new budget, the school department was left with a deficit of $765,301. During the meeting, community and school committee members discussed ways to combat the deficit through a Deficit Reduction Plan, which was proposed by the school department. The plan uses expenditure reductions and one-time revenues to balance the new budget. This plan would use Medicaid funds, one-time American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds, take $50,000 in gate receipts from sporting events and empty the fund balance. The plan would result in a $982,…
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Portsmouth High School
120 Education Ln, Portsmouth, RI
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Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Committee chooses to not pursue a Caruolo Act and will abide by the outcome of the budget referendum.
The Portsmouth School Committee decided on Tuesday night that they would not pursue a Caruolo action. The action was being considered as an alternative if the proposed 1.5 percent increase for the budget referendum does not pass. On Oct. 5, the town will vote for either retaining the school department budget at $35,527,720, or increasing the budget 1.5 percent for an additional $765,301. Committee members in attendance were Michael Buddemeyer, Richard Carpender, Cynthia Perrotti, Marilyn King, Marjorie Levesque and Angela Volpicelli. Vice Chair Sylvia Wedge was not in attendance due to out-of-town business. Also present was Superintendent Dr. Susan F. Lusi, Assistant Superintendent Colleen B. Jermain and Director of Finance and …
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Portsmouth High School
120 Education Ln, Portsmouth, RI
/articles/school-committee-passes-on-pursuing-caruolo
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Thursday, July 29, 2010
The Town Council voted 4-3 to adopt a budget Wednesday night, while decreasing the school department's budget more than $502K.
It has been a long time coming, but the Portsmouth Town Council finally passed a 2010-2011 fiscal year budget with a 4-3 vote Wednesday night. Councilors Keith Hamilton, James Seveney and Dennis Canario opposed the budget. The budget has been through numerous revisions, at some points exceeding the tax cap by more than $500,000, but due to considerable concessions by the Portsmouth School Department, the council was able to close the gap and agree on a final proposal. The School Committee reduced its originally requested budget of $1.2 million down 28 percent to a final $913,345, achieved by reducing salaries, program reductions, laying off teachers and closing the Elmhurst Elementary School. That wasn't enough for some council members …
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Portsmouth Town Hall
2200 E Main Rd, Portsmouth, RI
/articles/portsmouths-embattled-budget-passes-4-3-school-leaders-prep-for-referendum
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Portsmouth Neighbor
6:44 pm on Wednesday, May 18, 2011
portscitizen - nope - Mr. Seveney is a caring, wonderful, dedicated and intelligent man, but he should abstain due to conflict of interest. Absolutely no disrespect to him, but I recall another story somewhere in the past few months where a council member had to abstain due to a (removed) relation to an attorney for one side or another. more ›