Town Council Public Hearing on FY2024-2025 Budget - April 3, 2024
Town Council Public Hearing on FY2024-2025 Budget
The Town Council held a public hearing on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, at 6:30 PM to hear public comment on the preliminary adopted budget for fiscal year 2024-2025. The hearing was split into two parts: the municipal budget (starting at 6:30 PM) and the school fund budget (starting at 7:00 PM). Town Manager Ralph Mollis presented the municipal budget, and Superintendent Dr. Duva presented the school budget. No votes were taken; the Council will consider final adoption on April 29, 2024.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Ricky Thompson (194 Plain Road) expressed appreciation for the proposed zero tax increase. He asked about the health care premium offset plan and how the budget could increase by approximately $3 million without a tax increase. Town Manager Mollis explained that the increase is funded through higher investment earnings, departmental revenue, growth in PILOT payments, and a 2.6% increase in the town budget, which is below revenue growth.
- Mary Wabuk addressed the school budget portion, advocating for an extension of the state school construction housing aid bonus incentive deadline from June 30, 2024, to a later date. She noted that Senate Leader Pearson supports an extension but Speaker Shekarchi does not, and urged the Town Council and School Committee to contact Senator Valverde and Representative Craven to push for an extension.
Discussion Items
- Municipal Budget Presentation (Town Manager Ralph Mollis): The total FY2025 budget is $122,264,500. The school department ($74.6 million) comprises 61% of the total, public safety 19%, public works and utilities 6%, debt service 4%, and general government 10%. Most department budgets are level-funded or have modest increases except for Board of Canvassers (37% increase due to election cycle), technology (cyber security investments), recreation (14.5% increase due to minimum wage and field improvements), and civic contributions (350th anniversary funding). Tax rates will remain unchanged at $14.34 residential (effective $13.62 with homestead exemption), $16.28 commercial, and $17.85 tangible. The town has a $20 million total surplus ($14.7 million unrestricted) and a AA+ bond rating. Revenue sources: 70% from property taxes, 5.6% from PILOTs (Quonset Business Park), 17% state aid/motor vehicle reimbursement, 7% departmental revenue and investments. Challenges include health insurance premiums rising 6.5% (budgeted 5%), Local 1033 negotiations likely exceeding the 3% reserve, and future revaluation pressure. The town budget is up 2.6% overall.
- School Budget Presentation (Superintendent Dr. Duva): The school department's proposed operating budget for FY2025 is $79 million, a $3 million (4.5%) increase over FY2024. The district projects 3,662 students (64 fewer than current). Key cost drivers: contractual obligations (3% for support staff, 2% for teachers and administration), health insurance increase, transportation costs (statewide agreements), and the need to absorb positions previously funded by ESSER grants (3 elementary interventionists, 1 middle school interventionist, 2 social workers, 0.5 multilingual learner teacher, 0.5 middle school counselor, 1 special education teacher, 0.5 shared clerk, 1 Title IX coordinator). The school committee is requesting $61,629,000 in town appropriation (a 3.48% increase). There is a $56,154 discrepancy in state aid due to restricted MLL categorical funding that cannot offset operating costs. The school's fund balance shows $991,663 available unassigned after commitments.
- School Construction Incentive Discussion: Council President Mancini noted he has lobbied for extending the state school construction bonus incentive deadline (the “Mancini bill”) but acknowledged that even if passed, North Kingstown may not be ready to take advantage unless further amended, as Senator Valverde suggested. The Town Council and School Committee expressed support for continued advocacy.
Key Outcomes
- The public hearing closed without any formal action. The Town Council will hold a meeting on April 29, 2024, to adopt the final FY2024-2025 budget.
Meeting Transcript
Yeah, we can shut it. That's good. Yeah, you can put it right here. That's that's like more than that's all I was trying to say about that. All right, I'll see if they want to be up there over there. It's up to you. Oh, okay. I'll check our headline. Yeah, right. Oh well. So I keep trying to edit all uh the other people about like most of my uh person, they all live over in the feedback. Yeah. Hello. That way you can have to figure it out. Ralph, where are we sitting? We're sitting here. Okay. I want to know how you act in general. Okay. So talking about going for that type of year. Yeah, we could like you know, like how it's just like a lot of backwards like messed up and so make the phone. Yeah, that's like a big thing. Good evening, everybody. Let's call this meeting to order for Wednesday, April third, twenty twenty-four. Notice of this meeting has been posted on the Secretary of State's website. I'd ask everybody to join me for a salute to the flag. Thank you. Um a couple opening comments. First of all, President Pro Tem, Dr. Kim Page, she couldn't be here tonight. She said she is going to watch this meeting on video afterwards. And in addition, if anyone has any comments to her or the rest of the council relative to tonight's agenda, certainly for them to all of us. Really, the purpose tonight of this meeting is to have a public hearing and hear from the public on the preliminary adopted budget for fiscal year 2024-2025 that this town council unanimously adopted. Having said that, you know, now is the time for the we want to hear from the public. We really won't be making too many comments, if any. Tonight we'll hear from the public regarding the municipal budget at 630. And then we'll set up, bring the school committee up here, and hear from the public on the school budget starting at 7. Uh both the town manager and the superintendent will make brief presentations before public comment. And then if anyone wants to speak, uh they are certainly welcome to do so. We will uh take that consideration and then uh hopefully we will uh we're gonna have a meeting on the 29th of this month. At that meeting, uh we will hopefully adopt the budget uh pursuant to applicable applicable provisions of our town charter. If anyone has a questions on the process and or um the budgets, please uh you know we welcome them. Um with that said, uh Madam Clerk, did I cover all the bases? No, okay. With that said, uh Town Manager Ralph Mollis, please thanks. Good evening, everyone. In accordance with our town charter, tonight we are holding the public hearing on the fiscal year 2024-2025 budget. The school department budget hearing will follow this at 7 o'clock as the council president had mentioned. The budget process began on March 4th when publicly I presented my budget to the town council. This was followed by two very productive council work sessions with each of the department heads on the evening of March 11th and all day on March 12th, when the council then adopted the preliminary budget.
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