Good evening.

I will call the special budget meeting to order September twenty fourth, twenty twenty five.

Madam Clerk, would you please call the role of the council?

Councilman Fogerty.

Councilman Lawson.

Council Vice President Riga.

Yeah.

Councilwoman Sousa.

Council President Rodericks.

Please rise for the pledge.

So he could not make it.

Councilwoman Sousa said she would be tied up at work.

So we do have the quorum with my self and the two francs that are here.

I I did ask the council if we could streamline the process and see which departments and department heads uh should or directors should should be here tonight.

And I I thank the directors of all the departments.

I think just about everyone is here, but we are going to key in tonight.

Uh on the lucky uh director of the DPW, uh, because so much uh goes on there.

And there were some uh questions, not concerns, just some questions about the IT department and maybe some of a miscellaneous nature.

And I know there are other department heads here, so if if you do have a question, um you can ask it now.

But then later on, when we adjourn, we'll set the next round for the next hearing.

So before I open this as a public hearing, I would invite uh Mayor DeSilva to come forward.

Thank you, Council President, members of the council.

Uh before I start, I want to thank and uh show a great sense of appreciation to our department as we're here today.

Uh we've been working on this budget now for weeks, months, uh trying to craft a responsible budget that keeps the taxpayers uh in mind, but at the same time uh allows us to still perform the quality services that our community has come to rely on.

I will say this.

If you ask me if I could use more people in the police department, yes.

Can I use more people on the fire department?

Yes.

Could I use another 40 or 50 people to service our community through various departments?

Absolutely.

But you have to live within your means, you have to live within a budget, and realities exist, and that's what we try to work with as realities.

So we're gonna start off by uh talking about some of the issues that drove this budget.

Uh the budget is increasing, and if you look uh on the screen uh quickly, the main issues that are are impacting the budget are debt service, health care costs, pension fund contributions, school support, and labor costs.

We're gonna go on to the next uh screen.

This is important because a lot of people uh sometimes I hear from both uh people in the community and and others who may be in elected office that no, we don't we we gotta do more for the schools.

Uh I take great pride in that the last seven years.

We've always budgeted for the schools what they've asked for.

And in addition to budgeting for the schools, what we they've asked for, we've also increased the debt service to the city through investment in a new East Province High School, a new Martin Middle School, and major improvements to Waddington and other schools.

If you look at this graph, you'll see that our current debt service in 2026 is 17,788,183.

That's in the budget.

That's what we pay in debt service.

And if you look at those uh the pie chart, you can see what each pie chart indicates as where that money is going to.

When you see a Rybek uh reference, that's all school construction.

Some of these bonds predate our administration by many, many years, but we're still paying on them.

We're still paying interest.

Next.

Another uh impact on the budget this year has been uh the ever rising cost of health care, as you can see here.

Uh our total health care cost this year is 7 million, 261,396.

That's a significant amount of money.

It's increased by 7.65%.

That's a $504,000 increase on the budget.

Next.

This one is always uh a challenge.

Uh our administration has made the annual required contribution required by our fiscal advisors uh every single year.

And this year, the pension fund for the police and fire department, which is classified as in critical condition, uh is getting another $900,000 of funding.

That's that's the increase in the budget because we're making the required annual contribution.

That's a 6.6% increase.

Um I certainly would never support not making this payment and kicking it down the road because it would cause uh further problems for the uh for the pension uh plan.

But if you look closely in 2024, our payment into the pension plan was 10 million nine forty-six.

This year, three late three years later, our payment is $13,627.

That's increased by almost $3 million year over year.

We've been making our payments.

Next local supportive schools.

This one always gets me because uh we on this council and me individually as the mayor, we support our public education system, we support our school department.

We have continually met what the school department has asked for, and it's always been close to 4%.

Year over year, we've made our contribution.

If you look at 2024, the city's contribution was $55,000 $3,481.

This year, it's $59,491,000.

This year alone, our budget is increasing for the schools by $2.288 million from the city side alone.

This is the contribution that the city of East Province is making to the school department.

And if you look at since 2024, we've increased the school budget by $4.4 million.

So it's a significant uh contribution to the school department.

We've made our due contributions.

Take this amount, and you add up the uh debt service, that $17 million.

That shows uh the community, shows our students, shows our teachers, shows anybody who's interested in a good public education system that we are committed to providing not only a first-rate facility where they can learn, but also the funding they need to operate.

Next.

These are uh labor costs, of course, labor costs go up year over year.

Uh and the reason being uh is you're dealing with uh contractual obligations.

Uh you're seeing a 3.68% increase over last year of $1.5 million.

Uh and that's that's the biggest uh part of the budget when you're looking at uh running a city.

It's it's your labor costs.

And we've been successful in negotiating with some unions to get a 0% increase in their contract because they understand and they appreciate the conditions that we're facing right now.

So I am very grateful to the unions who have agreed to a 0% increase in year one, and we continue to work with our uh some of our other labor unions to see if we can get them all on the same page, understanding that we are facing some severe fiscal constraints.

Next.

On the bright side, I'm very proud to share with you all that in 2026 we are projecting 49,755,000 in new tax base growth.

Uh there's several reasons for this.

I can always have uh Sarah Frew come up and explain this more detail at a later time.

But what that means for the city of East Providence is that we will be generating another $950,000 in tax revenue that will go towards the operating budget that will help offset any potential tax increases to the current taxpayers.

So the new tax base as it grows uh by $49 million will help offset uh the current taxpayers and what they pay uh for taxes.

Next.

When we put this budget together, we you know you have to look at not only did we make cuts uh in different areas, we had to make some severe cuts, but we also looked at uh revenues and what's funding this budget.

How do you fund this budget?

Uh one of the areas that we found uh some leeway on was the police detail uh fund.

Uh we had budgeted $735,000 last year, but when we look at the actuals this year, we we looked at we are close at to $2.3 million.

Uh on rescue billing, we saw an increase uh and rescue billing by a little bit uh over the previous year, so we added another $106,000.

Um, and then if you look at the the balance of the settling or balancing this budget comes off of the uh taxes.

Next.

So to conclude and to kind of take a look at, because people will ask, hey, what's driving the the cost of the budget?

What what why is there, you know, why is this budget increasing by this number?

It's important to realize debt service.

We're seeing an increase of 971 million, uh 971,000.

That's close to a million dollars.

And that's you know, a requirement that we need to do to pay our bonds.

And you're gonna see that growing over the next couple of years as the Martin Middle School bond.

Uh, I understand we're gonna be closing on that bond tomorrow.

So we'll be closing on that bond.

We'll know more definitive definitively what our interest rate is gonna be on that bond.

That's 149 million dollars that the taxpayers voted to support to build a new Martin uh middle school and to make improvements at Waddington Elementary School.

We've been uh funding that project with what's called bans, bond anticipation notes.

It's almost like taking a uh a construction loan.

When you're building a house, you take a construction loan, you build a house, then when you complete the house, you take a mortgage on the house.

So we have a ban that's in place that we've been paying, and we have to pay.

The state of Rhode Island uh money that comes in to support this project doesn't come in until we're substantially complete.

So we need to make up that difference until that money starts coming in.

Uh if you look at health care costs that increase by 54,000, the pension fund contributions, once again, close to a million dollars, 900,000.

School support, local school support, 2.288.

So it's $2,288,000 in uh additional local school support, and labor costs have increased by 1.5 million dollars.

So when you start going through the budget and you see the increase, the increase is uh entirely related to these cost drivers.

Um and I feel that we've put together working with our uh incredible department heads, we've put together a good budget, a responsible budget that uh is able to fund all of these increases, able to continue funding the level of services that we've become accustomed to, and at the same time keeping the uh tax burden on our taxpayers uh to a minimum as possible.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Thank you.

Sure, we'll have some questions for you throughout the evening, but at this time before we open it up for the general uh public hearing, we're gonna open up to council discussion.

And our first um guest will say would be uh director of uh DPW.

So if Dan, if you want to come forward and sit at the budget table here, how about the public hearing public first and then the field public hearing in the capital?

And you can have that would be a lot shot.

Okay, that's good legal advice.

So appreciate that.

So we'll remember that we get paid tonight.

Yeah, we're we still have questions for your budget, Mr.

Solicitor.

So we'll we'll punt on that and uh I will open up for the general public discussion first, sir.

Anyone who would like to uh speak in any way on on this proposed budget, there will be other other hearings.

This is not the one and only.

Uh if so, you need to come up to the podium, just give you a name and address for the record.

Mostly uh department directors are here anyway.

I'll ask one more time.

Is there anyone from the general public would like to come forward at this time and make any comment or ask any question?

Hearing none, I'll close the that part of the public hearing and open it up to council discussion.

Dan, thank you.

Did you want to make any kind of a general comment on the either the year closing, budget year closing and the year ahead, or you want us to just fire away?

Either way, I mean I think um kudos to all the staff in public works.

I mean, there's a lot of work that's been going on um over the last year that will continue to go on over the next uh you know few years.

So um I give them a lot of credit for all the hard work they do every day to keep you know our fields maintained, our roads uh improved, and um, you know, yeah.

So well, I thank you for that.

And it goes without saying that leadership comes from the top.

And I know speaking for myself, but I'm sure that uh vice president and the councilman from Ward 3 will wholeheartedly agree with me that uh we want to thank you for your efforts.

Um you are always available to us and to the community.

I know members of the public will see you around the city and talk to you.

And well, we'll get calls once in a while about gee, the grass is an inch taller at my neighborhood park than I'd like.

But for the most part, I hear nothing but great accolades from the public.

Uh our fields, our parks from the tip of Riverside, Crescent Park coming up through Grassy Plain, going to the northern part of the city and uh Glen Lyon and the Kimberley Rock Complex and Thompson and the fields are all great.

Could could we do more?

Could you add more?

I'm sure we could, but we we had dollar constraints, but Pierce Stadium is still a jewel that it always was.

I was there the other day.

There were activities in all four corners of the stadium.

Baseball, soccer, small kids playing football, uh, people just walking through the park.

Um, the Kent Field Project, uh, congratulations on I know you just returned from giving a presentation nationally in in Florida on such a successful project.

And these are projects that did not come out of this budget per se.

There, of course, uh staff expenses, but throughout the city, I think 30 million dollars in grants and other funding from DEM and the state, and that's not even a mention the community center that's uh that's underway.

So I know I was a little long in in that preamble, but uh you deserve and your department deserves uh applause for that.

With that, uh any questions of the DPW director, I'll go to the vice president first, Councilman Rego.

Uh thank you, Mr.

President.

Um first again, looking at the budget and base what the mayor said.

Uh I want to assure the public there was uh I got a couple of phone calls today because I guess somebody online started saying that we are cutting DPW's budget substantially, where we citizens might have to go out and cut the grass at certain locations.

So that is not true.

That is not true.

I mean, there is the adopted island program, and you know, that way look I just want to assure people that it the budget is fine in DPW.

My question to you, uh Director Borges is do we do we have enough uh first with again with the storms next next couple of days and everything, and I have a couple of streets that end up becoming like the uh becoming gondola like to go down.

Are we in good enough position to continue that sewer program?

Uh to clean in the waterways.

Are you referring to the uh stormwater project?

Stormwater project.

Yeah, so we we are well underway on that project.

Um that we we do have a consultant involved, and they have provided us with some preliminary findings on um essentially modeling these problem areas.

So we are in the process of um you know working working through that and coming up with solutions.

So they'll ultimately be providing the city with um a memo a review memo that will essentially give us some options to help improve you know some of these problem areas.

Um, in particular to you know, Rumford or Ward One.

Um there are there is some collaboration that needs to happen with Rhode Island DOT as well.

So, you know, as part of this project that will all that will all sort of be falling into place as we start to design solutions.

The last I was told by the the delegation that represents the ward, and they do obviously they do a great job and they're in positions of uh uh leadership at the State House that that project and have they been in contact with you that that should be happening over the next six months to a year at Newport Avenue.

That that's where the problem lies is on Newport Avenue.

Right.

Yeah, I I have not heard uh that'd be great news if that is true.

I have not heard uh any you know additional funding coming from DOT at this point, but typically um DOT will address issues like this, you know, as they uh work through their STIP, which is their uh, you know, essentially their capital program for improvements throughout the city.

So um I would hope that once Newport Avenue is addressed from a pa paving standpoint that they would also incorporate some of these uh drainage issues.

Can I interrupt you for one second of while along these lines for people who maybe watching uh this um this hearing?

Obviously, there are not people here other than some department directors, maybe one or two residents here.

So I know people are uh watching.

Can you just in a quick nutshell explain?

Because I don't think everyone understands what's going on.

They they see paving going on in some parts of the city.

The last couple of days, the complaints are about the traffic on Bullock's point coming up towards Bank of America and Tucket Avenue.

These are not city projects per se.

Could you just in a nutshell explain what's going on and yeah, they're certainly not city projects, but the city is heavily involved with coordination with DOT, you know, to address issues just like the one you just mentioned at Bank of America.

Um I was on the phone with uh Dave Walsh this morning, who's the uh director of project management over at DOT to try to come up with a solution for that light signal.

So uh the hope is that by tomorrow morning that signals actually shut off completely for the time being until the road can be paved and the loop detectors can be put back in um so that that light doesn't just continuously cycle.

Yep.

And they're making progress, like Willard Avenue looks good now and they're coming north.

Yes, sir.

I think you meant the roads, but it the light was the issue today.

The light today, yeah, which was backing up people to the roads.

I think he's referring to the whole road project going up and down there and the mess that it is and but yeah, so to add to that, I mean I it you know, any road project is obviously going to cause disruption to a community.

Um, you know, but if we don't do those road projects, then we have other issues that obviously come up, you know, as part of that.

So unfortunately, you know, it is difficult to have to deal with that, the added traffic, but you know, at the end of the day, we'll have a a brand new new paved road, and hopefully within the next uh few weeks we won't have any more uh complaints.

Thank you.

I'm sorry, you can continue.

Uh that's fine.

Some of my questions are being answered with the with the physic with the FTEs being adjusted in the uh, you know, because I had a question when I was perusing this over the weekend, we were going from 13 laborers down to zero.

So obviously that uh caused a red flag for me.

Um of the adjustments in positions.

Can you uh title-wise, can you fill me in on that?

Yeah, so title-wise, you may see um foreman uh labeled in in some of these positions.

They these were just contractual obligations um when we renegotiated the contract with the uh 15509 steel workers.

Um so you'll you'll see some changes in names of titles of positions, but at the end of the day, the FTEs have remained the same.

We haven't reduced jobs, the the positions are have stayed consistent.

We haven't eliminated any positions.

So you'll notice, you know, Foreman was previously lead worker.

Um AEO1, which is auto equipment operator one, is now a truck driver.

AEO two um is now a uh heavy equipment operator.

That they're just requests that uh the 15509 uh steel workers had made during negotiations, and you know, we move to change those names.

Okay.

Uh moving on to page from my class.

84 in the book under the street lights.

Um we uh price of everything is going up.

So Rhode Island Energy, is that who we be who bills us?

It is, yes.

Okay.

Uh the reason why I I don't know you were away, I think, at the last council meeting, but uh I gave a brief uh outline as to uh this council, and I haven't spoken to the mayor about it yet, but Patricia got the presentation from Narragansett.

I I think the city could be in savings if we look at the community uh choice program.

Providence, I know has adopted this as well.

So from the street like you know, street light program, obviously the the new light save money, but uh I am thinking that this is a way that we can save some substantial money.

Yeah, we've we've actually actively been working, we've had a few vendors approach the city.

Um we've been working with them.

Um or can't really be working with them, but we're trying to model um other municipalities throughout the state that have done this program to put out um an RFP to ultimately uh allow our residents to potentially save um in utility cost um by going out to a separate bid.

They'd either be able to uh opt in or opt out to this program.

Um it is something we're we're certainly working on and with the we're locked now with the contract for the uh tipping fees up at the we just signed that, correct?

So we're locked for the next three years on that excuse me on that contract.

Uh yes, yes, sir.

So the few council meetings ago I had done the presentation on the contract renegotiation.

Um so the city was able to uh save some money in the first year's uh renegotiation uh contract with with Mega.

Um that contract will go up.

I don't have the percentages in front of me.

Um, but we do feel we had a we got a favorable uh agreement with them for an additional three years.

And I know it's under capital, but uh I just wanna let you know that the you have my uh vote for the new salt the the additional salt brine machine that I that obviously does wonders in the uh neighborhood and it helps with the removal of snow and I hate to say that word, but it definitely helps and everything.

Yeah, it certainly made a big difference.

I mean, I think even from allowing our staff time to rest before a heavy storm, it it gives us the time to ultimately attack storms ahead of time during you know regular regular work hours um to allow our staff to be ready to you know uh attack a larger storm.

So and one ward question, or when do you anticipate uh the pickleball courts being ready at Glenline and Lyle Bourne?

So uh so the uh painting contractor was scheduled to uh top those paint those field uh excuse me, paint those courts uh this week.

Unfortunately, due to the rain, they haven't been able to.

So the hope is that they'll be mobilizing uh Friday, but most certainly um I've gotten commitment from the contractor that they will be out there next week um at the latest.

So with with that with the Glenline project, can you maybe at the next council meeting?

I know it doesn't it doesn't concern the budget, but the and and the funding to see if there's any opera funds left to go with the wish list that has been added.

Yes.

Yeah, I did receive that email.

Um and for some reason it sat in my outbox before I went on vacation.

So I I do have answers to all those questions.

Um we are still looking internally at the the two projects as a whole, that being Glen Lion and Bourn Lyle, um, to to determine you know what improvements need to be made and then um you know ultimately address a lot of the concerns that that you and the uh little league had.

And it falls underneath the couple of open and the open positions, you when do you anticipate filling any of your open positions like the in the water sewer and uh we're at I mean we're actively hiring and trying to hire vacant positions.

Um are you referring to any in particular or well I I know uh Jim's position is you know is the big one.

So yeah, his job's been very difficult to fill.

Um just from uh financial standpoint, what we're offering for salary, you know, competitive wages versus you know private engineering firms.

Um we've had some successful candidates uh recently apply, so we're you know, we're hopeful that we can fill that position to help uh address some of the uh work workload in those those offices, but I can assure you that you know any vacant positions are being you know filled as quickly as we can we can.

The other question was uh now that I turn to that page on what what you hear.

Um is the how long is the contract run for with Villar right now?

How when is that contract up?

With Violia, that contract was recently signed.

I uh I want to say three years ago.

Um so there's an additional seven, seven to seven and a half years left on that contract.

It was a 10-year contract.

Okay.

Um I have no further questions.

Obviously, I'll you know, sentiment that uh that the council president said in regards to you and uh the work you do and you keep uh you keep my constituents happy 95% of the time, but we can't, you know, we can't do a hundred percent, which I understand.

Fortunately, you can't keep everybody happy, exactly.

But um I think I think you've done it in this three years being on the council, you've done a good job.

But uh I think I think you've done in this three years being on the council, you've done a good job, and uh there's a couple things obviously we've got to keep on working on and make it happen.

Um I think uh uh there's no reason uh I would love to increase the budget, your budget, but we can't, but I think you're in great shape.

And uh I just wanted to get the word out that your department is not being cut, where to the point where the the street, you know, city parks were gonna look like uh you know run down and everything that or the you know the islands and everything, and that really disturbed me because yeah, that information is certainly not true.

And it's an impression that you know it it falls on us, it falls on the administration, it falls on you, and that's the last thing.

I just I don't know sometimes where these people they should go work for Disney because they got great minds.

I feel I feel very comfortable with you know the increases in the requests that I've made um you know before you tonight, and I I think that you know we're in good position to keep making positive progress in our parks, highway, you know, all the divisions I oversee.

And please look at my wish list.

I will send you a response as soon as I leave this table.

No, thank you.

But no, I appreciate everything.

Yeah, no problem.

Thank you.

Thank you, uh Vice President.

Councilman Fogerty.

Uh, mine will be short and sweet, Dan.

Thanks for all you do, but thanks for everybody come out tonight for the budget hearing that all your positions and your director department heads because it means a lot.

And you know, you did a long day already.

So to be here just in case you have a question for you is impressive to me, and I appreciate it because we all have long days.

Excuse me.

With that, Dan, do you have enough laborers currently?

I mean, uh as the mayor mentioned, could could we use another 20 individuals?

Absolutely.

But at the end of the day, we're here to provide you know a responsible budget to the council.

And you know, I feel confident with the staff that we have that we're accomplishing everything that we can.

And you're doing an impeccable job.

All the parks are looking great.

Um the parks that weren't done on time, and you got flaked forward because of back order parts for those that are watching or caring, and it took months to get them.

And then they were repaired, and then they get done.

And that's how process works with construction.

So not to hold you up.

I looked at all your budget.

I think you could use more laborers.

How's the equipment at the garage?

Everything up to date.

Nice and we've been very fortunate.

Bought a lot, so we kept it up.

Yeah, we've been very fortunate, you know, between the ARPA funds and constant um, you know, improvements through uh capital funding.

I mean, we're we've been doing very well replacing a lot of the older vehicles in our fleet.

So stockpile, good.

Oh, yeah.

Yep.

So another concern not to hold you, but I'm a fan of taking over the state roads and and having them in our own back pocket and taking the money that goes with them, whatever paper money that might be, and then local contractors cement, whatever we need higher within our own community, and we'll have impeccable work.

Thanks for all you do.

Thank you, councilman and councilman Lawson had submitted a few questions because he was just not feeling well enough yesterday today.

But I think the council members have asked them, and his concern was about staffing.

You know, do we have um enough to get by?

And I'm sure your your answer is could you use 10, 20 more guys out there, men and women in the field um who couldn't.

But um I take it that the proof is in the pudding, the city looks pretty good.

And and I as we round this up, um I know at times I get maybe get accused of being too positive about some things.

I will, if I see something amiss, I have no problem in speaking about it and bringing it up.

But in my recent travels around Little League fields, high school games, soccer games, um go to the football games on Friday nights where there's a few thousand people.

I get nothing but compliments.

Not me personally, but about the city looking so good, the parks and the fields, and um you just need to go look at some other neighboring cities and towns where they they're having trouble building high schools in Warwick.

And look what we've done here.

Uh so is it a perfect world?

Not yet, but thank you for everything you've done.

Any other questions for DPW or have any closing concerns of of us?

Uh thank you for being here.

Thank you.

The next item would be under IT, Mr.

Carlisle Brunell, the director.

If you are to come forward at this time.

And as you're coming forward, I I thank you for the design of the new council chambers here, if you will.

I know along with the mayor, you both decided to get rid of those original blue chairs that were bolted to the floor, and there was no flexibility.

And this is a nice setup.

I guess there was a program here today, and the chambers and tables could be moved around and chairs.

And so we have new monitors that are up.

So those are little things that you know we we we notice readily.

Do you want to make any opening statement?

Thank you, Colson President.

Um, I don't want to make any statement right now.

I've just uh my team works hard all the time to try to improve the city throughout ITYs.

Yeah, you're you've learned fast the least that you say, the quicker we may get out of here tonight.

So um, other than what what I've mentioned, and I I know that you have done a lot as has the small staff that you have to protect the in integrity of of our um internet service and the scams and the malware and all the different things.

Uh are we in good shape still?

Um there could always be improvement, but we're slowly getting there, sir.

Um we are in good shape, uh there's gonna be improvement coming soon.

There isn't one major thing that we've neglected as a uh fiduciary board to to assist you with.

No, sir.

Um you've been supportive of everything that I brought up to you without any issues.

You just have minor questions, so you sure it's been supportive of IT.

Thank you.

Uh council vice president.

Uh good evening, director.

So I guess I can see here that you uh you did a good job over the year that you lobbied the mayor and you got that extra position that you're lobbying for last year.

So I guess you uh you got your you get your wish that when you came in front of us last year that you needed an additional person.

I see you are going from four to five.

So I congratulate and I congratulate you for uh getting that.

That thank you, sir.

It's um I would like to thank the mayor as well as you um for allowing the extra position in my department, sir.

And to elaborate on what the council president said, is five enough in this day and age that we we wake up every day and we see threats, like what happened potentially the Secret Service stopped yesterday in New York City, and uh there's threats all day long on different technologies, is five enough to handle everything.

Um, like everybody else said here, um, we would like more, but um the budget doesn't allow it, and no matter how big of an organization you are.

Um, unfortunately with AI, it's just people are getting more creative, so we're gonna try our best to uh be prepared if it happens to us.

So next year you need really number six.

I'm trying to help you get number six for next year.

So uh I was just gonna ask, is this really the mayor's budget, or is this an AI?

You know, you don't have to answer that.

I'm sorry, continue.

Just you know, okay.

So continue.

Look there.

So I just got a couple of questions when we get down to the expenses.

Um under the property line, it's going up by a hundred and uh a hundred and thirteen thousand dollars.

It's going from 274 to 387.

Is that the software?

I don't know what it is.

That's why I'm asking you why why is it why is it you know you identify the page for those here?

Yeah, no, no, it's the budget.

So the book 45, okay.

So in the book, Council Vice President, it it categorizes it as property.

But if we yeah, I'm just going by I don't have what you have, so I I it's just says property, and it's being increased by a hundred thousand.

So bringing it down.

So is that the new hardware system?

The software system, excuse me.

So most of the most of the software that is going to go up is Microsoft related.

So when I took the original count last year, I didn't take into consideration some uh employees that weren't here beforehand.

So basically last year we or I should say this year we hire some people.

So like in my original count, it was basically um not up to full staff.

And also um when we did the original, so last year when I came in June, basically our Microsoft um license agreement had expired.

So I had less than 30 days to take account of everything.

And when I work with the fire and police department, there was like some um they needed um better or like more expensive licenses for what the jobs that they entitled.

So there was a miscreancy of what I presented to you last year to this year, and then we have changed that to make sure that we have the correct type of licenses for the fire and police department, along with um we added more staff last year or this year that we're in.

Um so that accrue like probably around 15 to 20,000 extra um in one of them.

And then we're also getting a couple of other software um that we that we're gonna need in the future.

Um that was one of the increases.

Um as far as the actual hardware lines, we are gonna need um we are basically some of like our switches and routers that we had, some of like the maintenance agreements were already paid off farm for three years.

And because they were already paid from when I did like our budget pools for the last two years, I didn't find anything there, so I didn't take that into consideration.

So that's one of the reasons like um it went from I believe 14,000 14,000 to around 44,000 is because uh those uh software maintenance agreement for the switches.

I could not pull them in the last two years that I did beforehands.

So that was the increase in um from last year to this year, just because we had pay for those three years in advance, so there was no way to for me to actually find that when I pull the last two previous years before you last.

So that's why that one is gonna up around um $30,000, sir.

No, that would make sense.

I was just asking the numbers sort of jumped out on me.

So uh that's all I have.

Thank you again for uh you know what you've done in the last year and everything, uh, as far as the security of the of the city systems and everything.

So under the uh under your umbrella of technology, uh you're covering as well as city departments, police, fire, yes sir, the entire city, yes, sir.

The only thing that I'm not the schools, right?

Correct.

I was just gonna say not the school system.

Right.

Okay, councilman Fogarty.

Uh no, thank you very much, Carlos.

Good job with the team.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you.

Do you have any excuse me?

Anything I had was answered already.

Thank you.

Okay.

You have any uh pressing needs that we haven't talked about or closing comment or um I even the mayor's not looking right now, so you can you can tell us.

Oh, he's coughing though.

I think that's a signal.

No, I mean, I think like uh with the um budget here, and if the capital gets approved, I think we'll go we're gonna be in good.

Yeah, capital will be able to.

Thank you very much.

Just elaborate on what you're well, so he doesn't have to come back.

Do you do have the item under capital?

Can you just can you just talk about your request under capital?

So we don't have to bring you back another time.

Yes, sir.

So um the so one of them is for the backup system.

Um that system is for the city hall is 11 years old.

So we purchased it in 2014.

Um, so we need the back end system as I call the server switches and things like that.

A good life cycle will be like around seven years.

Obviously, it's 11 years old, so we need to replace it.

So that's why we are masking for that money.

The other one is the same thing.

Basically, we have some older cameras in City Hall that are I would say eight to ten years old that need to be replaced because of age, and sooner or later they're gonna become a security issue, sir.

And is cameras obviously uh you you touched on a couple of things.

Do we do we have enough security outside the buildings inside the buildings as far as cameras and everything?

Not in the working place.

I don't want I'm not going down that rabbit hole.

But as far as uh perimeter can all the cameras, are we in good shape security-wise?

So throughout the city, there are gonna there are some weak spots.

Um I'm gonna try to get some money federally um for 2024 years, cyber money.

So hopefully we could add to the city.

So that's why I didn't ask for it this year, but there's always, like I said, room from improvement.

I'm just trying to work within what we're given with budget and also try to find uh federal money to to improve those, sir.

And the data backup, the information technology at 125, you're saying probably a sh uh shelf life of seven years.

It's usually that's why it is like around seven to eight years.

Now, from a standpoint, so we we have the we have it.

Is there is it better for us in like year three or four?

And uh, some of us might be here, some of us might not be here, but is it year three or four if they up which they're always upgrading technology and everything?

Can we buy it, you know, an add-on to that program or system, or would you just wait until it is run its course?

I to be honest with you, I will go trade it in or change it like around five years, five to seven.

I know depending on the budget and what other projects I have in hand, that's kind of like seven years might be pushing it.

Ideally will be in between five to seven years, sir.

But like depending on what other projects I might have that year, I might have to push one or the other depending on what else is expiring around that time frame, sir.

And this will be all in place in in the calendar year 2026.

This you'll have this all up and running in all the departments and everything.

What's the after we approve this budget?

What's the timeline to get all this technology up and running?

So this data backups, I would say is probably because we have some other projects on hand, I would say probably around uh June, July of next year.

So we have a some of the budget, some of the projects that you approve of last year, um, and some federal funds that we got, we're in the process of basically finishing those.

Um some of them are around 25% of the done, some of them are closer to uh completed.

So we just have to take one project at a time.

But I would say we will probably have the backup one.

I would say done probably around June, July of next year.

You might not be able to answer this, or if the maybe the finance director had you just brought up an interesting point.

Do we have the federal funds in hand or is it uh complete or or is it when it's completed?

So you know the way things.

We have to pay for it first, and then they'll reimburse us.

But the the money is sitting in Rhode Island, it's not like in the federal level.

So we just have to basically pay for it, make sure that we follow all the rules and regulation, and then basically submit everything that they need and then we'll get refunded, sir.

Now, would that be and even the mayor can interject if he has an answer?

Would that be uh uh also an inclusion of our parks to to interject with a price for uh for cameras?

I would like to get them all security, not to be bothersome, but because I've already witnessed several attacks on use, and I've already been on the phone with the mayor a few times on our local brand new park.

Uh the bullying is real and the situation table that we came to, not to change the subject, but just to get to that, mayor.

Oh, we we have been working.

I know Dan has been working with uh Chief Reposer and some of his staff to identify locations to bring in some uh some flock style uh security cameras, which if they detect some type of a bad action or or sounds that may resemble a gunshot automatically uh uh a message would get sent to the police department.

So we're looking at this this uh infrastructure, we're working with IT on it also.

Uh we're just trying to weigh what the best options are.

We're looking at a couple of different uh options, so we'll see what uh what direction we go in.

And and funding, of course, always becomes an issue.

Yeah, well, that's why I'm asking because it was on the cameras and on the parks we own, so or we're responsible for.

And with that said, any way we can visualize to hold accountability is all I'm looking for.

I'm not looking for nuisance.

I'm just looking for accountability and protect our children, our seniors, and this that's preventive maintenance.

Thank you.

Thank you, councilman.

You know, along those lines, the whole area of IT security.

Uh we know recently the state had a lot of programs compromised where people, the data of many people, many persons was compised.

And so far so good here.

So we appreciate that.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, sir.

And uh finally, um well, we may have some questions beyond that, but I know the council vice president, councilman Fogerty and Councilman Lawson had also indicated, as well as myself, some questions about different miscellaneous accounts.

So if you want to uh bring up any of those questions now, we may have answered some already.

I don't know.

Good.

Yeah, anything?

Or do you want to wait for the next uh I I mean it's miscellaneous?

I I have questions, but I'll wait till uh you want to formulate them more on a formal basis and for the next to like uh if again, so we don't have to go back to full council is here.

Okay.

There are some other department directors here tonight.

Is there anything outstanding that you want to ask anyone?

Um before we schedule other on our next round of of workshops.

Well, I for the finance director and the mayor uh alluded to this earlier.

Do in the next couple of years, uh any of the bonds gonna mature so that our bond responsibility or our bond debt is reduced.

Are there any coming to maturity?

Can we actually were able to take two off of this budget that had um returned?

Could you take a look?

Sorry, thanks.

Uh we were able to take two off uh the budget this year that had fully matured.

Um the 2010 RIBAC one and the 2010 3.955 RIP back bond.

Both uh return in May of 2025.

Okay.

Um, and then a follow-up questions.

Uh we have to go out in you always we go out with the TANs.

Okay.

When do you think you'll be going out for the TANS?

Probably between February and March of the upcoming year.

Okay, so with in so we'll we'll we're in the right time frame where with interest rates dropping, so we'll we'll see a better, we'll see a better rate.

Fingers crossed, yeah.

Fingers crossed that supposedly to say another another reduction in that.

And with in the same with the mayor, and the mayor brought it up again about the Martin bond.

We have we locked in a rate yet, or are we still floating?

Is that still floating out there?

We're closing tomorrow.

Uh, we're gonna have a uh pricing call in the morning.

Um and planning on closing tomorrow afternoons prices have not been finalized.

With the recent rate reduction, we'll will we see that in this bond.

The rate reduction or with the bond with the interest rates reduction and everything.

Will we see any of that?

Oh, yeah, yeah, we'll find out tomorrow morning when we have the call.

Okay, and we have to lock it in tomorrow, like we all right.

I was gonna say if we could if we could get if we could wait another 30 or 60 days, but obviously we can.

And when is the when is the last day we can, you know, with the TANS?

Is it February, March, or how comfortable are you if we'll if we hear that another rate, okay.

So we'll be passing an ordinance as part of the budget process that gives the uh finance director authority to go out for TANS, and then she can go then depending on what on our cash flow purposes, but you have to pass the ordinance first.

Yeah, but yeah, I'm saying if we could if we can, you know, if the rates continue to drop and we're hearing something, if we can wait till like April or May to purchase something, we'd be you know, I understand that you may be a candidate for the Federal Reserve um govern board of governors, so I hear you might be a candidate.

Council vice president, yeah.

I'll I'll uh I'll say that we always try to wait and try to get the best rates possible.

The issue that comes with TANS is we look at our cash flow.

Unfortunately, because for those people out there listening who may not be aware of it, I know you know more than anyone else.

We are on a different fiscal year.

We always run short of money.

So we have to do tax anticipation notes, and it's based on cash on hand.

If we don't have cash on hand to make our payroll and to make our contributions to the school department for their payroll, then we have to go out to TANS.

So it's a tricky situation because it's whatever the market is offering at the time.

Uh, just like this, these bonds with um the bonds for Martin Middle School.

Just like this these bonds with um the bonds for Martin Middle School, the bonds go out, and then investors, depending on their appetite for it, really drive what the interest rate's going to be.

So hopefully we get a lot of people interested and we get a good interest rate tomorrow for the uh Martin Middle School.

We got an incredible interest rate for the high school bond, which was remarkable, but we're probably going to be looking around 4% uh when it comes down to it.

We don't know for sure, but we'll find out.

Um I did want to address a coup one thing here that's a glaring thing on the miscellaneous.

I know you may have questions on the miscellaneous.

And so something that is uh really pops out at you is if you look at the uh 900 line, miscellaneous expense by type, you notice that uh the fiscal year budget 25 goes from 5.9 million uh six million dollars, right, to 7.6 million, right?

And I I knew that's what you were looking at.

So I just want to explain that.

No, I want to explain that so everyone understands at home, and also everyone understands here.

The charter requires that you take one percent of your revenue, your general revenue, and airmark it for capital.

If you recall last year, during last year's budget, we had the wrong information on uh school housing aid to the school department.

What we did is we we took the difference in what we had anticipated and what we actually were getting, we took it out of capital that year.

So if you look at the fiscal year 25 budget, we put in 17614 in capital, and the balance of that we put towards uh housing aid.

So that's what we did in in that particular year.

This year, the 1.9 million dollars that goes into capital is what's required by the charter, that one percent that comes off the general funds, the general revenues uh into the uh the capital line.

Um that's that's the main driving point.

Other miscellaneous items in that in that are all uh items that really don't fall into a specific uh category in each department.

It's something that kind of encompasses all departments, retiree health care, uh retiree uh uh dental, uh there's all kinds of different things uh out there that fall under that umbrella of miscellaneous, including uh purchase professional services, uh grant matching funds, uh workers' comp.

So we we we budget $566,000 for workers' comp.

If somebody gets hurt in DPW and they go out, they go on workers' comp, we pay for that.

Uh even though it's managed by the trust, I believe, right?

What's Rob?

It's it's managed by the trust.

Well, technically we pay for it.

So uh these are all what these line items uh reflect.

And um, if you guys want to wait for the next council meeting to talk more detail, uh that's fine.

But you do have the uh you do have everyone here if you have questions for anybody anybody who's this might fall out of, you know what I'm saying?

So bring in bringing people back, but you raised a question.

You raised uh something that just triggered something in my head, uh cash flow.

And uh obviously rate, you know, proper, you know, properties have gone up, so percentage.

So from a percentage standpoint, is the how's the cash flow to uh each you know, since July 1 when the you know initial thrust, you know, for property taxes came in.

Are we averaging, you know, there should be more money because rates have gone up?

But from a percentage standpoint, are we is it still if it's usually 85% of the people or taxpayers, I should say, paying their bills.

Are we in that same area, or because of what we hear with the economics that we're now trailing?

We're pretty much in the same place as we were last year.

Cash tend to be really predictable.

We have senior citizens that like to pay their bills at the same time every year, so it's kind of predictable that we get most of our cash flow in between July and August, and tend to run low between February and March.

Okay.

So the and I gotta look at it a little bit more as far as you know, it would be income to the city.

Uh with the entertainment tax due to the fact that when you go to the when you go to a restaurant, obviously we should be getting more money because that hamburger that the meal tax, the meal tax, yeah, the entertainment meal tax.

That the one that uh that entree used to cost $15, is now costing $25.

So we should be seeing uh an increase and have you the state um budget came out already.

We are receiving $1.5 million this year in uh meal tax revenue.

Uh last year we we received 1.478, so not not that big of an increase.

Well, and also too prices might go up, but there's less disposable income, so it's the balance there, but so the cash flow, we're in the same percentage.

Obviously, dollars can shift and everything, but yes, okay.

Thank you, councilman.

They're it isn't too late.

It's only a little after 7 30.

There are other department heads here.

If you are prepared with any specific questions for any of them, I you can certainly ask other because we we have to identify for the next hearing which departments we don't want people to have to keep coming.

We want fire here on Tuesday.

Well, yeah, but I I know police and fire, we're going to announce that it'll be Tuesday, but others that are here if there are no other questions.

Um I know the feeling pretty much has been that I think the major departments we're well I went through I mean I've gone through the budget, you know, all the way to the end and uh you know, asking questions and uh I I look at the uh I look at the directors of recreation and uh senior center here right now, and uh they do a terrific job looking at the budgets.

Uh I I know if I brought them both up here now, they would probably say that they would need more money, but obviously you can't do that.

But I uh that there's nothing right, there's nothing there's nothing there.

I think that you know, I think it's uh well balanced out budget.

Uh uh so uh no police will come on Tuesday too.

No, yeah, he again it's up to you.

No, I mean I uh if you're prepared.

No, I I think uh I think a major I think you know maybe the rest of the council, you know, rest of the council, but uh I just uh I I uh again I I focused, I mean I went through here and you know, did my little notes to start off, you know, the beginning.

Uh uh I definitely think on you know, I want to you know dig in a little bit more into planning and then police and fire, you know, a little bit more there as you know, generalization.

Oh, and and so folks know you and I um representing the council have participated in some of preliminary budget preparations, you know, with the mayor and finance department, and I I think we are relatively satisfied that I know I am, I'll speak for me.

This is a is a good budget.

Um we we could anyone who thinks that we we could make cuts, I would say to you come forward and tell us where.

I don't see it where where we can.

If anything, we're hearing that we some people in the public would like more services.

So we're we're at a good point.

Um so with that, if we will close this part of the public hearing, Mr.

Solicitor, we want to set the next date.

We're looking at Tuesday, September 30th.

So the schedule that we provided provided to you last couple of meetings ago has a preliminary date of um nine twelve excuse me, nine thirty, yes, the budget workshop.

And it would be that by Friday.

Yeah, so we yeah, we're we'd like to have uh the fire department as well as the police department.

Uh what else should we oh and then we got a notify uh we we got a notify superintendent.

The school department.

So I'll I'll have the uh city clerk uh tomorrow.

You'll be here all the time, right?

So yeah, so's finance and and then and then planning.

We'll have the city clerk tomorrow morning so people know if you could um please inform the chief of police, chief of fire, the um school superintendent with other department and planning department to um if they could please be here on September 30th at 6 30.

Other departments are not from our point of view.

The mayor might have a different administrative directive, but my point of view not required to be here.

We're very satisfied with these other departments.

We're satisfied with police and fire also, but you're just so big that you know, unless Rego's looking to cut.

I'm not looking to cut any cops or fire.

I'm not cutting any police department.

I'm not gonna beat you to the punch.

I'm not cutting anybody there.

Oh wait, but seriously, it's just those are the big departments, and uh I'm prepared tonight to go forward, but I know there are two council members not here, so we have to.

And all right.

9 30 is the next meeting.

9 30.

9 30 at uh 6 30 p.m.

here.

We'll post that.

The clerk will post that too.

And could you probably please let the um recordings company know to be here also?

And we'll we'll post that.

Umor, any closing comments um from administration.

Again, I want to thank the council for uh doing their due diligence on this budget, and I really want to thank uh all of the city employees who go out uh above and beyond to offer the first rate services to our community.

Um I you know it budgets are budgets are what we uh we uh demonstrate to the public what our priorities are.

And uh this budget is well crafted.

Uh yes, there's increases, but you know, those increases have to be dealt with.

Uh and at the end of the day, we'll be able to continue to provide first rate services to our residents.

Thank you.

And decreases would be nothing but would set the city back and would set the city back 15-20 years.

If we were, you know, you hear about you know rates going up.

Well, unfortunately, we can't get in, you know, we can't get into back to the future and get in that time machine.

I mean, if we were to cut, if we were to cut where we're at the bare bones, then then we'll be see we'd be saying the pox what that person said to me this morning, or lack of services throughout uh throughout the city, you know, closing out.

I mean, we're not here and and uh we're not closing the library on uh one day a week where you hear other cities and towns doing that, or cutting recreation or cutting senior services.

We're not gonna do that.

And and that's the only way looking at this budget right now, the cut.

I mean, we'd all like to add.

I mean, I've looked a couple of things and like to add, but obviously, and don't want to increase the rate, you know.

The last thing I want to do is increase the rate anymore, excuse me, anymore.

We have to, but cuts the you know, people are telling us to cuts, they'll be the first ones to scream and holler that the library's closed on Wednesday afternoon, or uh, you know, see or the recreation, there's no uh summer program for the kids or anything, and that's not gonna happen.

And that's and that's what happens when in this economic climate that you know the citizens end up suffering.

And I will say that we did make a couple of difficult cuts.

Uh we cut a person in the planning department.

Um, and we were able to do that because uh we had a retirement.

That position moved into a new role, but he's also gonna be doing a lot of what he was doing before, which is a business liaison.

So he he's now serving in the C D BG department, but also doing the business liaison work that he was doing as a planner.

So we had to eliminate that as a way to find savings.

And we did eliminate um one of the uh junior engineers in the engineering department.

Uh it was a difficult uh situation, but we had to do it.

So, yes.

Um, you know, it's interesting because I I you know I follow social media, and that's like the the uh the forum of public opinion nowadays.

And you often hear people interestingly enough wanting more.

Hey, we need more this, we need more that we need listen, it's wonderful that you want all this, but who how do you pay for it?

And you try to keep the budget within uh a reason.

So thank you, councilman, for the positive words on the budget, and I I appreciate all of you.

Thank you, Councilman Fogarty.

You are yeah, I just wanted to end it where I began it.

Thank you, all of you.

Thank all your workers.

Appreciate it.

Sorry to take up your time, but it's important for all of us.

We thank you.

We also just learned that the mayor follows social media.

I didn't know that.

I was very surprised to hear that tonight.

That's a whole nother only two Facebook pictures today.

There must have been an it's an off day today.

There are only two.

Rainy day.

Is there a motion to adjourn?

Motion is uh, and I'm the one who called about the light.

So as soon as you get in that line and that light is red.

I mean, I'm not saying go through it, mayor, right?

But Dan did hopefully take care of it.

I'll give you an update.

It's Dan Borges.

Right.

Reached out to DOT today.

Right.

The directive to Dan was if they don't take care of this by tomorrow, we're going down there with DOT DPW will go down there and disable that that light one way or the other because it's ridiculous.

The light is causing a lot of problems.

So we are handling it.

Just like uh our new streets and our roads are owned by City of East Providence soon to come.

We'll see.

We'll see how that goes.

Yes.

We'll see how much money it costs.

Motion to adjourn.

Motion by council vice president, seconded by councilman Fogerty.

All in favor.

Aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

The ayes have.

Thank you all.

Thank you.