1.    Roll Call

Sonia Grace, City Clerk, conducted the roll call. Present were Councilman Bob Ferri, Councilman Hugo Figueroa, Councilwoman Carlene Fonseca, Councilwoman Maria Rivera, and Councilman Franklin Solano. Councilman Jonathon Acosta and Councilman Thomas Lazieh were absent. Quorum was present.

2.   Pledge of Allegiance

Councilman Ferri led the reciting of the pledge of allegiance.

3.   Budget Address by Mayor James A. Diossa

Dear President Ferri and honorable members of the City Council,

Journalist Herb Caen once wrote, “A city is not gauged by its length and width, but by the broadness of its vision and the height of its dreams.”

If we apply these words to Central Falls, then we can all agree that this is truly one of America’s greatest cities. We, the people of Central Falls, have overcome adversity. We have beaten the odds. And we have prevailed, thanks to the broadness of our vision and the heights of our dreams.

It is with this thought in mind that I present, for your consideration, my proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. This budget is more than a financial document. It is more than a spreadsheet laying out my policy priorities for the next twelve months. It is a testament to our resilience and hard work, and a blueprint for the city’s long-term sustainability and success.

This budget continues the vision and dreams that, together, we embraced when I was elected to the position of Mayor, the greatest honor of my life. As I look back at the road we have traveled together to get to this point, it’s easy to forget how difficult and dark the past has been. For years and years, prior city leaders kicked the can down the road, refusing to make difficult decisions, refusing to fully fund the city’s pension obligations, choosing instead to make the politically expedient decisions.

Eventually, somebody would have to pay the bill for all that spending and poor management. That somebody turned out to be you and I, the Central Falls taxpayers. And so, a little more than a century after its incorporation, our great city of Central Falls was nearly destroyed, crippled by debt and weakened by a legacy of mismanagement. The future seemed bleak. Promises made to former employees were broken. We were bankrupt. 

Yet we prevailed. We came together, made painful sacrifices, and put the city back on its feet. This is a testament to you and to your collective vision and dreams.

Today, I can say without any doubt, that Central Falls is stronger, cleaner, greener and a more resilient city than it was a year ago and even a decade ago. Our city has made incredible progress in the areas of fiscal stability, economic development, public safety, city services and quality of life.  Yes - we are living up to our motto, the city with a bright future! You should feel very proud of this, as you have all played a critical role in our comeback.

Our future is brighter because we have continued on a path of fiscal stability and long-term sustainability.  Our city pension fund will be out of “critical” status by 2027 – just nine years from now. This is because we have chosen to make the full Annual Required Contribution to our pension plan – and often more than that - because no one wins when you cut corners and kick the can down the road. We were also one of the first cities in Rhode Island to start funding our future health care costs and, in this budget, we propose to continue funding our other post-employment benefit trust at $100k.

Another important aspect of fiscal stability is an ample rainy day fund.  In the proposal before you, we have set aside 11% of the total budget towards our rainy day fund - currently two million dollars! I am very proud of this, and you should be, too. The city has not had a rainy day fund in many years. Why is this important?  Because the next time the economy starts raining on Central Falls beyond our control, we don’t want to ever be underwater again.  I want to make sure that whoever is sitting in the Mayor’s office can navigate any future crisis without hurting our taxpayers.

Finally, on the fiscal front, we are seeing more car tax revenue from the state as the car tax exemption has been expanded to two thousand dollars.  For Central Falls residents, this means something very important:  more and more of you will stop receiving a car tax bill!   And, if you are still receiving a car tax bill, your tax will be substantially reduced!

Planning and economic development are the engines that will propel Central Falls into the future. Our train station is literally right around the corner and I must thank our director Peter Friedrichs and his team for the work of ensuring that this project stays on “track” in collaboration with the city of Pawtucket. We are also ahead of the curve in partnering with Pawtucket to create a train station district that will usher in significant development, private investments and good paying jobs for our residents. You can take a look by visiting the website for our now named “Conant Thread District” at www.ConantThread.com.

Further north on Dexter Street, I am thrilled to welcome the opening of a Rhode Island College location at the former Dexter Credit Union site. This project will be a workforce development hub that will create job and education opportunities for residents of Central Falls and residents from around the Blackstone Valley.

Also, on the northern side of our city, the “Central Falls Landing” is finally breaking ground this coming June and it will solidify our growth by adding value to a building on the beautiful Blackstone River.

Central Falls businesses continue to be our priority.  Our departments are focused on having a business-friendly atmosphere and cutting red tape wherever possible.  This is why, at a recent ribbon cutting on a $2 million-dollar investment at Packaging and More, it was noted how great it was to work with a city government that cares.

Our façade program continues to uplift our business to make their business more attractive, whether it is a new awning at Stanley’s or the full remodeling of the façade of the stores diagonal from city hall. And, we are working hard on a plan to give Broad Street the same makeover that Dexter Street recently received – road repaving, sidewalk resurfacing and a family-friendly business district.

Nuisance properties continue to decline in our city thanks to the work of the city solicitor and the law department.  When we started the nuisance task force, nearly 100 nuisance properties were a blight on our neighborhoods.  Now, 45 of those have been removed.  Just look at 606 Dexter Street: a big property in poor condition and a constant problem for our police.  We were able to demolish the eyesore and are now working on a plan to redevelop site.  And look at 63 Fletcher Street.  One of our worst nuisance properties has been turned into a brand-new house that a homeowner will be cutting the ribbon on in few short months. 

Because of these investments and our teamwork mentality, Central Falls looks different, it feels different and the housing market is hot - people who could live anywhere else are choosing to call Central Falls home!

My budget proposal continues to fund the increased staffing for both Police and Fire that we have created after the bankruptcy.  The budget includes investment in training for our Police and Fire personnel, so that our first responders have the training and resources necessary to best serve our residents. We are also currently upgrading our public safety telecommunications infrastructure to ensure that they have reliable communications at all times, an essential component for our public safety. We are also continuing our investment in our domestic violence prevention plans – including our domestic violence task force – so that every woman and child can feel safe in their home in Central Falls.  I want to thank the brave women and men of our police and fire departments.  I want to thank you for your service and dedication to the people of Central Falls. I also would like to acknowledge the leadership of Colonel Mendonca and Chief Bradley for always prioritizing the residents of our city and their safety.

Our city is safer and we are also cleaner and greener.  Services to our residents continue be a priority. And, activities for our families continue to create memories and great sense of community pride.

Central Falls is looking great thanks to our investments in new roads, new sidewalks, and new city parks.  Our city is also looking great thanks to the hard work of our DPW team under the leadership of director Elaine Partridge.  Residents, please take note: beginning in June and for the rest of the summer, we will be making sure that our street sweeper also operates on Saturdays.

Like the flowers along Dexter and Broad, even the smallest details can reflect the respect and care that a city demonstrates towards its residents and small businesses. We care and we want that to be reflected from the flowers all the way up to the quality of our infrastructure. That is why we are updating our road and sidewalk condition assessment; so that we have a plan to address any deficiencies before I leave office in January 2021.

Yet a great community doesn’t just offer good infrastructure. The same journalist that I started my speech with also said that, “a city is a state – [a state] of mind, of taste, of opportunity.” And that is why it’s important for our city to provide opportunities for residents to enjoy and celebrate life, stay active and feel pride in our city.

Our proposed budget for parks and recreation includes a modest increase in events and senior services. We want to make sure that our families can enjoy city events year-round. And, in the coming weeks, I will roll out a plan for senior programming offered in partnership with Progreso Latino.

In the coming weeks, I will also be proposing a bond referendum for city voters to consider this November.  This bond referendum will propose improvements to our roads and our sidewalks. It will also propose rebuilding and reopening our community center.  Two years ago, I created a Commission to explore various options for re-opening the Ralph J. Holden Community Center because its closing left a hole in our city and in our hearts.  Now that we have several options and now that the City is in a fiscal position to issue a bond, I will call on the voters to approve this bond for our city’s future. 

This budget will continue to fund the historic car show and movies in the park.  We are also proposing Zumba classes at Governor Almond Park, a summer basketball league, and celebrations to bring the community together. I would like to recognize and thank our Parks and Recreation Director and his assistant, Rob and Tracey, for the amazing programming that they put forward for our residents.

We have also prioritized the health care of our residents. This is why I established the Office on Health led by Dr. Michael Fine. Whether it’s access to primary care or dealing with opioid abuse, a mayor must always take health into consideration when making a decision that impacts our entire community. We want a healthy city, healthy students, and healthy workers. Take a moment and check out the construction of the new neighborhood health station behind the Notre Dame Hospital. This is big deal for our city’s health care future: this station will have the capacity to serve 90% of our residents, whether for primary care, mental care, physical care, and urgent care.

And I must give kudos again to our city fund developer, Derek Collamati. Derek has been working with us since I took office 5 years ago. Thanks to his hard work, we have been able to bring over 6 million dollars of grants and philanthropic dollars for projects and programs to our city! Derek is a great example of the commitment that our team demonstrates day in and day out, ensuring that everything that we do meets and exceeds your expectations.

Even though I could go on and on, highlighting the different projects we are working on – for example, a project to bring public Wi-Fi to our city parks and business districts - I want to conclude by thanking the taxpayers of Central Falls for their commitment to our city. It has been a long, difficult road. Thank you for supporting and believing in the broadness of our vision and the height of our dreams. Gracias por todo.

It is for the taxpayers that I submit, for your consideration, a budget proposal with no tax increase. 

I respectfully urge your consideration and passage of this important city budget.

4.   Annual Operating Budget Ordinance-General Fund - Introduction (Ferri)

Introduced

5.   An Ordinance Pertaining to the Salaries of Department Heads and Others in Unclassified Service - Introduction (Ferri)

Introduced

6.   An Ordinance Amending the Wage Schedule Generally-Introduction (Ferri)

Introduced

7.   The Capital Program and Capital Budget Ordinance-  Introduction (Ferri)

Introduced

8.   Adjournment

Motion to adjourn was made by Councilman Solano, seconded by Councilman Figueroa. Meeting adjourned at 7:27pm.

Sonia Grace

City Clerk

Approved June 11, 2018