Then Again...What Do I Know?

Local commentary by Roger Bouchard as published in the Woonsocket Call on February 14, 2008

Block Island

Like the rest of the cities and towns in Rhode Island, Block Island also needs money to balance the town’s budget and they thought they had the answer. So town leaders asked the state to permit adding another 1% to the sales tax and take advantage of that heavy influx of summer visitors to bring extra cash but the state’s “finance people” said the town can not add to the sales tax. Any additional tax would have to be instituted statewide and legislators would probably not support it. Now town officials are talking about house rental tax to bring in new dollars.

Phoenix, Arizona

Here’s another way for Rhode Island to bring extra dollars. How about speed cameras on state roads? Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano would like to take the technology statewide with as many as 170 mobile, stationary and red-light cameras over the next five years. The measures apply only to state roads, so they don't affect municipal photo enforcement on local streets. But the stakes are high considering the more than 1 million paid citations that are expected to initially result under Napolitano's speed-camera expansion. It could net the state $90 million in fiscal 2009 and nearly $125 million the following year, critical to Napolitano's plan to close a $1 billion state budget shortfall. Does this sound familiar? Legislative critics object to the link between traffic enforcement and adding dollars to the state coffers. Do you object to this way of bringing in new money to Rhode Island?

Woonsocket

Looking for new revenue sources to fill the gap left by the state’s proposed cutback in funding to the city, Mayor Susan Menard announced in a WNRI interview yesterday three new money saving practices including expanding the billing practice for rescue runs to individual insurance companies and this could generate between 100 to 200 thousand dollars a year. Another move is taking advantage of new low interest rates and refinancing debt owned by the city. The savings “could be a couple hundred thousand dollars a year” less in interest payments. The Mayor has compiled a list of city owned it is ready to sell to raise additional funds. A list of the available will be published in a newspaper advertisement expected to be published soon. The land identified according to the Mayor “the city has no use for.” She also reveled the restructuring of highway and parks department to achieve additional savings.

South Kingstown

One less friend at the State House for the Mayor. Deputy Majority Leader and Democrat Representative John Patrick Shanley (district 35) fired off a nasty letter to Mayor Susan Menard for chastising the state leaders like him for messing up state finances. The Mayor in a letter dated February 5^th wrote in her special style “had the State emulated us (city of Woonsocket)) it wouldn’t be confronted with its current dilemma.” Shanley who is not used to criticism decided to offer his own crotchety response: “in my 4 terms in the General Assembly, I have never seen or heard of a more parochial, myopic, and avaricious statement from a public official. Shanley whined that her “attitude of noncollabartion unworthy of any chief executive in my state.” When we asked the mayor for a comment: “Thank you Mr. Shanley”.

Woonsocket

State cutbacks have come home to roost at the Homestead Group here in Woonsocket and North Smithfield. Last night the organization which offers services to adults with developmental disabilities asked the affected families for advice on what programs should get cut. With 54 years of service under its belt, the Homestead Group is bracing for massive reductions of state funds. Published reports point to closing certain programs, curtailing services, staff reductions and transfer of clients to other agencies. The agency serves 350 adults and 700 children.

Providence

Another public official says only when regionalization materializes Rhode Island may solve its fiscal problems. Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline sounded more like a philosopher than politician in his State of the City address Tuesday. The Providence mayor thinks the fiscal problems of Rhode Island cities come from the state not fixing its problems. Cicilline summarized “in the past, our financial difficulties arose from internal problems — a shrinking tax base, major shortfalls from poor budgeting, or bloated government. The financial problems we face now are caused by forces outside of the city’s direct control.” Cicilline proposed overhauls of the state tax system, consolidation of school districts, regionalized public safety and public works services, and state-level initiatives to make Rhode Island more energy efficient — all coming at the state, not the city level.

Woonsocket

On this Valentine’s day:

At the post office yesterday Roger noticed a middle aged man with many heart-shaped envelopes. He was sticking 'love' stamps on each envelope and was spraying them with perfume. Obviously curious, Roger went up to him and asked him what he was doing. With a big grin, the man replied: "I'm sending 500 Valentine's Day cards signed "guess who". Roger was taken aback—"But why on earth?" The man replied—"You see I'm a divorce lawyer!"

ROGER BOUCHARD is general manager of radio station WNRI. His column appears every Thursday in the Woonsocket Call. He can be reached at rogerwnri@prodigy.net.

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Then Again...What Do I Know?

Local commentary by Roger Bouchard as published in the Woonsocket Call on February 14, 2008

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