Good evening, and welcome to this special council meeting on Wednesday, April 15th.

And a very special welcome to all of our guests tonight.

Council President Miller, present.

Councillor Davidson.

Present.

Majority Leader Espinal.

Present.

Senior Deputy Majority Leader Gonçalves.

Present.

Councilwoman Graves.

Present.

Present.

Councilwoman Peterson.

Present.

Council President Pro Tempore Pichardo.

Present.

Councilor Royus.

Present.

Councilwoman Ryan.

Present.

Present.

Councilman Taylor.

Present.

Councilwoman Ana Vargas is absent.

Councilman Oscar Vargas.

Present.

You have fourteen present and one absent.

You have a quorum.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

This evening, the invitation will be led by Councilwoman Althea Graves.

If everyone will please rise.

Pointing us in the right direction.

We just need you to keep on showing us the way.

And sometimes we may stray off the path.

But we know that you are there to help us.

So keep us in your grace.

Keep blessing us so that we can continue to be the light that you want us to be.

And with you, all things are possible.

And with all this, I will continue to glorify your name.

And we know that there along with the Lord, there's Satan.

And we only have one message for him.

Satan, we're gonna tear your kingdom down.

Amen.

Thank you, Councillor.

And uh tonight the Pledge of Allegiance will be led by Councilwoman Jill Davidson.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Madam Clerk, item one, please.

Madam President.

Majority Leader.

Motion to weigh the reader of item one and two.

Second, Madam President.

We have a motion and a second.

Any discussion?

All in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

Any abstentions?

The motion passes.

Please note one and two as received.

So noted.

I would now like to ask the council to stand at ease and invite uh Pro Tem Pichardo and Council Harris, Ryan, Davidson, to uh please go and escort Mayor Smiley to the chamber.

Thank you.

Counselors, we are back in session.

Well, good evening, everyone.

Madam Council President, honorable members of the City Council, State Senators and Representatives, Department Directors, Community Partners, fellow neighbors of our great city of Providence.

I'm happy to be here with you this evening to present my proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

As we enter my fourth year in office, I'm proud of all that we've accomplished as a community.

Less than four years ago, I pledged to prioritize the everyday needs of our neighbors, from streamlining and modernizing city services to building new housing, dramatically elevating public safety, to simply ensuring that the day-to-day services that you expect from City Hall are done right the first time.

And to all of the law enforcement agencies from across Rhode Island who showed up to help when we needed them, thank you.

To the city staff, nonprofit and community leaders that have helped with the recovery in the months since thank you.

And I want to especially recognize the first responders who arrived on scene within minutes.

Some of you are here with us today.

Your bravery and selflessness saved lives, and we will forever be in your debt.

Can you please stand so that we can recognize you for your service?

The weight of this tragedy and the path to recovery has not been carried out by law enforcement alone.

Despite living in a moment where sometimes the divides among us feel great, and despite the mounting challenges that we face every day, our neighbors stepped up.

Local restaurants donated food, neighbors shared information and resources with one another, and our city came together.

The unity and compassion of this community played an instrumental role in the weeks and months since we had that tragedy and have started the healing process.

And then when sadly tragedy hit again just next door in Pawtucket, our neighbors came together again to show support and lend a hand in their recovery.

And so I say from the bottom of my heart to every one of our neighbors, thank you.

You have helped us heal and you helped us get through it.

The rising challenges that our communities are facing every day were at the top of mind as we developed next year's budget.

We're in the middle of an affordability crisis.

It's impacting every aspect of our way of life here in Providence.

While our neighbors need relief to stay in their homes and afford basic essentials, irresponsible decision making at the federal level has made the cost of everyday things only go up.

The budget for delivering services that our neighbors rely on has not been immune from those same rising costs.

Like cities across the country, Providence is grappling with a largely fixed budget and increasing inflation.

And after a winter with record-breaking snowfall, the largest blizzard in Rhode Island's history, we knew that we would have to make tough choices to balance the city's budget.

Absent ARPA funding and with a reduction in federal grant support, we minimized operating costs, reduced spending, learned to do more with less in order to avoid further financial strain on our neighbors.

Because of those difficult decisions, I am proud to announce that the budget I am proposing tonight does not raise taxes, nor does it increase any fines.

Closing the budget gap in a year with historic inflation, high interest rates, and aging infrastructure without increasing the cost of living doesn't happen by accident.

It took examining the budgets of every department to find ways to cut back without reducing investments in the services that our neighbors rely on, trash pickup, road repair, and all the services that are so important.

In the months leading up to this proposal, I talked to constituents in every neighborhood.

I listened to what services were working.

I asked honestly, where were we falling short?

From increased support for small businesses to financial relief for parents with young children, every neighbor's concerns were unique.

But the message I heard loud and clear from every corner of Providence was that our neighbors needed financial relief.

At the heart of our affordability crisis is a shortage of housing that makes renting or owning a home increasingly difficult.

And for far too many of our families, a temporary financial setback can lead to eviction or displacement from their homes.

They need support now so that a medical emergency, job loss, or simply the overwhelming cost of utilities, does not leave them without the means to stay in their homes.

That's why in this budget, I am proposing an investment in a rent relief program that will provide immediate relief for individuals in crisis.

By offering our neighbors in crisis emergency grants of up to $3,000, we are working to break the cycle of displacement and bridge the gap to long-term housing stability.

And at a time, at the same time, we are investing in no cost eviction defense and tenant education, so that individuals facing emergencies receive the short-term relief that they need along with support.

But short-term relief is not enough.

The cost of rent is too high, and we know that it will not meaningfully lower until we address the underlying cause of this crisis, which is the housing shortage.

Providence needs to build more housing.

To give our neighbors the housing relief that they deserve, we set out to take bold action to tackle this crisis head on.

We put in the work to speed up development, collaborated across levels of government, brought together both public and private partners, and as a result, Providence is already on track to exceed the state's housing goal, and we are building more homes per capita than larger cities like Boston and New York.

We streamlined the review process for housing development, adopted zoning changes to allow for greater density, and we're making a direct investment in affordable housing production right here in the city.

Since taking office, over 2,000 new housing units have been built in the city, and we're opening more every month.

And to better protect the well-being of our tenants, I am proposing two new code enforcement positions in this budget, which will hold landlords accountable and ensure that all of our neighbors live in clean, safe homes.

From the groundbreaking at the Omni Newark Building last week that will bring in over 50 new homes to our city to the soon-to-be-opened Flynn Building in South Providence, we are making meaningful progress.

Once a vacant blighted school, thanks to our investment, in just a few weeks, the Flynn will be home to nearly 200 Providence families.

And to continue that progress, I am putting a $25 million housing proposal on the ballot this year.

Our neighbors need affordable housing options, and to help us build more in every neighborhood, we need you to vote yes in November on this bond.

Solving this crisis is complex, and we know that there is no single solution that will provide relief overnight.

But housing security is the foundation for community well-being, and that's why we are treating this crisis with urgency.

There is more work to be done for sure, but we are making tremendous progress.

Now more than ever, it is incumbent on local leaders to step up and take action when decisions that are made in Washington put at risk the health and safety of our families here at home.

In November, when the federal government failed to take action to protect SNAP benefits, threatening food security for thousands, 16,000 of which are children, the city stepped up, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, and for the first time activated our emergency food plan.

We doubled the number of meals at our recreation centers, established a central hub for Providence-based food resources, and provided transportation for seniors in need of food.

Then we directly contributed funds to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.

When the federal government ramped up its reckless immigration actions in our neighborhoods, stoking fear and anxiety, we took action.

We signed an executive order that reinforced our commitment to invest in 24-7 emergency legal immigration support.

And with that executive order, we reaffirmed our commitment to protecting and serving all of our neighbors, regardless of immigration status.

In Providence, all are welcome.

And in January, as we watched ICE operations continue to stir unlawful chaos across the country, we stepped in again, signed an executive order prohibiting immigration enforcement on city property, because as your mayor, I will do everything in my power to protect our neighbors from the reckless actions of this administration.

And I'm not alone.

In Providence, we don't do this work alone.

Local grassroots advocates and nonprofit organizations have stepped up to provide donations, legal expertise, and immigration support to all that need it, proving once again why Providence is so special.

To the nonprofit leaders who have joined us today, your efforts to protect our neighbors and to keep our community together deserves our thanks.

Can you please stand so we can give you a round of applause?

Keeping our communities safe begins with ensuring that our public safety teams and their partners have the staffing, resources, and training needed to ensure that all those who live, work, and visit our city feel safe.

With this budget, we are fully staffing our police force with officers that represent the diversity of our neighborhoods.

And in just three years, we have graduated three new police academies, matching the total number of academies of the previous eight years combined.

We're putting in the investments to modernize our approach to safety.

Last summer we launched the Real-Time Crime Center, a centralized hub of technology that gives our officers the real-time tools and technology they need to provide faster, more coordinated responses in every neighborhood.

We have brought violent crime to the lowest level in 30 years, the lowest level since 1990.

And we're not slowing down.

Last year we removed a record number of illegal guns off of our streets.

And this year, we are on track to outpace that record.

We're cracking down on excessive sound violations that disturb the local quality of life.

And since the creation of our community response team, Providence's ATV problem, which had long been a menace to the safety and peace of mind of our neighbors, is nearly non-existent.

In less than three years as well, we've modernized our fire department, digitizing records, and expanding our fleet of state-of-the-art rescues for the first time in a decade to increase the capacity to meet the rising need for medical transports.

And though we're doing everything in our power to ensure that a tragedy like the Brown University shooting never happens again, through this budget, we are investing in the modern equipment that our first responders need so that our officers, firefighters, EMTs have the specialty equipment that they need to keep us and them safe.

Now I know that quality of life goes beyond just feeling safe.

When I ran for office, I heard loud and clear from families in every neighborhood that they wanted to see the day-to-day services that they received from their city done right.

We listened.

We have structured our priorities around building a city hall that more effectively meets the needs of our neighbors.

From the creation of an in-person city service hub that addresses our most requested services to bringing government into the modern era by revamping websites and digitizing permits, city services in Providence have never been more effective.

We brought in special equipment to dredge rivers and prevent flooding.

We invested in new asphalt machines to better fill potholes.

In the past year, we have fixed 11 miles of roads, completed over 650 sidewalks, and filled over 5,000 potholes in every corner of this city.

Through neighborhood meetings and 311 reports, we have heard directly from our neighbors that when utility companies work on our roads, they often do so without notice and without properly repairing the damage that they've caused.

In this budget, I am proposing two new positions to hold utility companies accountable so that when repairs are needed, our neighbors are informed, and our roads are fixed properly.

And just last month, we launched the first ever citywide replacement of trash and recycling carts, improving the recycling rates and further elevating our local quality of life.

From the creation of our innovative Urban Wood Depot in South Providence to the climate resiliency improvements at India Point Park, we've invested over 14 million dollars in parks and green space renovations in 2025.

We completed 20 major projects in our parks in the last year alone.

And we are adapting to a changing climate so that when our crews are so that our crews are ready for whatever nature throws our way.

Two years ago, with the support of this council, we made the responsible decision to invest in a new fleet of heavy-duty snowplows.

In just a couple of weeks, those plows will finally be arriving.

And in preparation for the year ahead, in this budget, I've expanded our investment in snow and storm recovery so that when inclement weather strikes, it will not come as an unexpected expense for our taxpayers.

And while the federal government is rolling back investments in critical climate programs, my administration is making innovative investments in climate resiliency.

In Providence, we are already feeling the urgency of the climate crisis.

With 13 flash floods since I took office.

Schools closed in September for the first time in our history because of high heat and the largest blizzard in our state's history, the time to act is clearly now.

And in the absence of federal leadership, we are making the necessary investments to mitigate the impacts of a rapidly changing climate and curb our reliance on fossil fuels, because neighbors and local businesses should not have to bear the cost of another catastrophic weather event.

Two years ago, along with this council, Providence led by example.

We signed legislation committing to make all city-owned buildings completely carbon neutral by 2040.

And just last week, I announced that for the first time in Providence's history, we are establishing a dedicated funding source to invest in renewable energy and decarbonization.

From new solar panels to upgraded infrastructure, the Green Revolving Fund is an innovative new initiative that will ensure we have the means to invest in energy efficiency improvements throughout Providence.

We are paving the way for a healthier, more sustainable future for generations to come.

And when it comes to our youngest generation, improving education outcomes has been one of my administration's top priorities.

That's why we're expanding after-school opportunities, building modern state-of-the-art school facilities, and engaging with our community to learn exactly what our teachers and students need.

We have broken ground on new school facilities at Ace Messer, Mount Pleasant, Lima Stewart, work is underway at Mary Fogarty and Robert F.

Kennedy.

We're investing in thoughtful infrastructure improvements to elevate student outcomes, and we will soon be cutting the ribbon on the city's first pre-K8 campus built from the ground up at Spasiano.

Last year, we witnessed the federal administration once again wreak havoc by defunding education programs across the country.

So for the first time, I gathered together mayors from across New England for the first ever New England convening on universal pre-kindergarten.

Together, we shared best practices for educating our youngest learners and collectively urge the Trump administration to better support education at all levels.

And while we have more work to do, I am proud that through our efforts, we have been able to reach an important milestone.

Providence, Rhode Island is the only city in Rhode Island that has reached universal access for pre-K, which means that we have a seat for every child who wants it, which was a promise I made three years ago.

We are now setting up our students for success and dramatically lowering the cost of living for families in Providence.

And most importantly, for our families and students, we are doing everything in our power to bring the Providence public schools back to local control to give our students the education they deserve.

From supporting systems that elevate student success to collaborating with our partners on the school board and to developing a comprehensive plan to reintegrate the district back into local management.

Let me say loud and clear, we are ready.

When we invest in early education and build facilities that better meets the needs of our community, our students succeed.

And we're already starting to see some of that progress.

With us here tonight is an example of one of those success stories.

Last year, I was so proud it was such a fun day to celebrate Bailey Elementary School's outstanding blue ribbon recognition.

Here tonight is Alicia Jones, principal of Bailey Elementary.

Can you please stand so we can recognize you?

In a year that has too often felt heavy and divisive.

We're also investing on the pe in the people in places that bring us together.

As the creative capital, we are committed to supporting artists and investing in initiatives and programs that make our city vibrant and resilient.

Over the summer, when Providence's iconic waterfire faced economic turmoil, the city stepped in to purchase the Waterfire Arts Center and save this iconic part of Providence's identity.

This unique art installation has made our city a global destination, and ensuring its long-term vitality is critical to protecting Providence's vibrant arts community.

And tonight, I am proposing the investment in a new cultural festivals fund to support and ensure the future of the creative celebrations that reflect and celebrate our diverse cultural backgrounds.

These festivals, they strengthen our community, bolster local businesses, and bring neighbors of all backgrounds together to celebrate what we love most about Providence.

And at a time when diversity and equity and inclusion programs are under attack by the federal administration, in Providence, we are investing in and celebrating the diversity of our community and ensuring that the future of festivals like the Dominican Festival can go on for decades to come.

I'm also proposing an increased investment in Providence's communities libraries.

Gathering spaces like the South Providence Library and all of our libraries provide our neighbors of all ages, regardless of income, with safe, equitable access to books, technology, career workshops, or simply moments to come together with their community.

This was a difficult year for many of our families.

Turmoil at the federal level has spiked inflation, stirred division, and left too many of our neighbors disillusioned with government as a force for positive change.

I've seen first hand the anxiety and fear that's instilled in our neighbors from the increased hate, violence, and chaos coming from Washington, across the country, and especially online.

But as your mayor, I want to assure you that Providence is and will remain a safe and welcoming community for all those who choose to live, work, or visit our great city.

Through this budget, we are proving that when the federal government lets us down, neighbors can look to local government to drive meaningful progress, deliver critical services, and protect families.

We are laying the groundwork for a better tomorrow.

And despite our challenges, we are tackling the issues that our families care most about head on.

We're making child care more affordable, building a record number of new affordable homes, modernizing city services, and supporting a public safety system that has made Providence the safest and has been in three decades.

And in a moment where the world too often feels heavy and divided, we're investing in what brings us together.

Because together, we are building a safer, more resilient, more united Providence.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor Smiley.

Okay.

Uh yeah, Madam Clerk, please note uh that Councilman Vargas is here.

So noted.

I'm a budget.

Madam President.

Majority Leader.

Why should the suspend Rule sixteen B or the rules of the City Council?

I appreciate it.

Hold on one moment, Majority Leader.

I appreciate that the main event is over, but we've got a small amount of business to do.

If you could exit uh quietly, thank you.

Majority Leader.

Why should you suspend room sixty B of the rules of the City Council in order to take a matter in that appearance on the print docket?

Second, Madam President.

We have a motion and a second.

Any discussion on that motion?

All in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

Any abstentions?

The motion passes.

Madam Clerk, item four.

Madam President.

Majority leader.

Why should the way the reader of item four through ten and laid on the table?

Second, madam president.

We have a motion and a second.

Any discussion on that motion?

All in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

Any abstentions?

The motion passes.

Madam Clerk, please lay items four through ten on the table.

So noted.

Madam President.

Majority leader.

Being that does no further business in the calendar, motion to adjourn.

Second, Madam President.

Any discussion?

All in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed or any abstentions?

The motion passes.

I will see you tomorrow.

Thank you.