Charlestown taxpayers deserve this tax break

Time for action is now

By Will Collette

On Tuesday night, Charlestown’s Town Council begins the process that will hopefully lead to a tax break for those of us who make Charlestown our home with a 6 PM “workshop” on granting year-round homeowners a “Homestead Tax Exemption.”

Long opposed by the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA) who were defeated in Town Council races in 2022 and 2024, the new Council majority, all aligned with Charlestown Residents United (CRU), resurrected this issue. 

Under Council President Deb Carney’s leadership, they won General Assembly approval to enact an ordinance that would provide up to a 10% tax break on the assessments of permanent residents.

Our state Representative Tina Spears (D) and Senator Victoria Gu (D) pushed our bill through to final passage.

The legislation allows Charlestown to implement this tax credit anytime after December 31. Starting now could allow the process to go forward in time to apply to the fiscal year starting July 1, 2026.

Town Tax Assessor Ken Swain and his crew put together a detailed analysis of the costs, benefits and precedents for setting up the tax credit program. Despite being full of numbers, their analysis is remarkably clear. You should check it out.

Fifteen Rhode Island municipalities have a homestead tax credit program on their books, not the 13 erroneously reported by the CCA. These include our coastal cousins in North and South Kingstown, Narragansett, Newport, Middletown and East Greenwich.

To understand how a homestead tax credit works, let’s review how the town calculates YOUR annual property tax bill, delivered every July, starting with the assessed value of your home.

The last revaluation year was 2023 where we learned that Charlestown property values skyrocketed due to the crazy prices being paid by non-residents for waterfront properties. Each of us got new tax assessments that were – as I expressed at the time – shockingly high.

The enormous jump in property assessments led to a dramatic decline in the second factor that determines your property tax bottom line: the tax RATE. The 2023 rate went from $8.17 per $1000 in property value down to $5.74. It has since creeped up to $5.93.

When the dust settled, most Charlestown residents paid pretty much the same bottom line as the year before. My tax bill went up slightly.

Now, as we begin the homestead tax credit process, the Charlestown Citizens Alliance once again seems focused on their singular obsession with the tax RATE:

Source: Charlestown Tax Assessor

“The estimated loss of tax revenue from the reduction in assessment value is $1,272,604.98. This will require an increase in the current tax rate of 29.94 cents. The current rate would then go from $5.93 per $1,000 of assessed value to $6.25… Charlestown currently has one of the lowest tax rates in the state. It is unknown what the long-term impact will be of raising taxes on vacation homes and businesses.”

Why the CCA continues to harp on the rate baffles me. During their ten years in power, the tax rate ranged from $7.44 in 2009 when they came in, to $8.17 when they went out, peaking in 2016 at $10.21. 

Swain’s working estimate of $6.25 as the rate after the tax credits are applied is far less than at any time during the CCA’s reign. If you judge how effective the CCA was solely by the tax rate, then the CCA are total losers.

Again, to truly judge a tax measure, you must look at both the rate AND the valuation. Only then can you grasp the bottom line. Fortunately, Ken Swain and his team give us some vital information.

These average tax savings INCLUDE the anticipated 30 cent tax rate increase meaning these are bottom-line savings. I confirmed this with Ken.

Who will benefit?

The General Assembly gave Charlestown broad authority but in its simplest form, all property-owning permanent residents qualify to get up to 10% knocked off their assessment.

Swain estimates the total tax savings of $1,272,604.98 for eligible permanent residents which will be recouped by a 30-cent rate hike paid by all property owners. 

There is a total of 3,338 potentially qualifying Charlestown households, depending on how the ordinance is written. An ordinance could set limitations on what types of property qualify.

The single largest bloc are 2,952 single-family residences. Of those, 2,571 are valued at under $1 million and 381 are assessed at $1 million or more, sometimes lots more.

The single largest group of single-family homes are the 1,279 assessed at between $250,000 and $500,000. On average, they stand to net an average tax break of $130.

If the final ordinance stays at 10% per assessed value, people with high-end homes will get bigger tax breaks. I’m sure there will be a lot said about that. Personally, I would favor setting a $1 million cap on the tax break, but I can live with the proposed numbers.

Data key: left column is assessed value ranges. Middle column are average estimated tax credits and right column is the number of properties in each price range.

Charlestown has come a long way since December 2011 when the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA) and a mob of its wealthy non-resident political backers stomped the first effort toward a homestead tax credit to death.

Claiming it would be unfair and socialistic, and that it would foment class war and force the CCA’s benefactors to leave, it was clear that full-time residents would never see any tax relief as long as the CCA controlled town government.

This time around, the CCA’s opposition is more muted, focused on the tax rate, the tax rate, the tax rate and not the substance.

The Taylor Swift Tax rates

Plus, the CCA no longer controls new town government. Remember that when you vote in December's special election.

The state of Rhode Island recognized the impact of wealthy folks paying huge sums for coastal properties by just enacting the “Taylor Swift Tax.” That imposes a substantial tax levy as shown in this table:

They can afford it. Because non-residents have come to dominant Rhode Island’s housing market, especially in South County, the prices of real estate have climbed to the point where you can’t buy unless you’re wealthy.

Johnny Sheil of Mott & Chace Sotheby’s International said in an interview on GoLocalLIVE. “Right now, we have 16 deals pending and I would say it is 50% [out-of-state buyers.]”… "I would say [that] other 50% — the out-of-staters — many of them are just trying to find a second home, maybe an investment property of some sort, just to kind of park some money in.”

Patch reported similar findings:

"Roughly one in four residential sales involved buyers from other states in 2024, and those buyers accounted for an outsized share of high-end transactions," the institute said, identifying out-of-towners as the purchasers in about 42% of sales exceeding $1 million.

"That external demand has amplified already-tight supply, pushed up median prices and rents, and concentrated competitive bidding in coastal towns, Providence-area neighborhoods and desirable suburbs," the institute said, noting those weren't the only areas affected, as "external demand is concentrated in the upper tiers but meaningfully present across the market."

That final point about how non-resident home-buying is spread across the market is borne out by Charlestown home sales. While virtually every million-dollar plus residence has been bought by non-residents, so have homes in other price ranges.

One final note about Charlestown real estate data is that just about every recent seller got more than their home’s assessed value not just the mega-million properties. In 2013, I scoffed at the high assessments that came out of the town revaluation, expressing my doubt that anyone other than shoreline mansion owners would be able to sell at their assessed value.

I was wrong, though in a way I was also right. Every recent record of sale I searched, regardless of price, showed the sales price was higher than assessed value. Who knows how long the bubble will last, but for now, it’s a sellers’ market.

General Assembly gives Charlestown authorization to create a Homestead Tax break

Goes to Governor for signature

By Will Collette

Thank you to our State Rep. Tina Spears (D) for getting H6247 passed in the House and Sen. Victoria Gu (D) for shepherding it through the Senate. And thank you, Council President Deb Carney for getting the ball rolling. All the bill needs now is the Governor’s signature and there’s no doubt he will sign it.

This bill gives the Charlestown Town Council the authority to craft an ordinance so those of us who make Charlestown our home can get a break on our property taxes in what’s called a “Homestead Exemption.” The legislation allows the town to exempt up to 10% of your assessed value.

For a house assessed at $500,000, that would knock the assessment down by $50,000. At the anticipated July 1 tax rate of $5.93, that would save around $300.

Many coastal communities offer permanent residents this tax break because we pay year-round for an infrastructure that can accommodate absentee landowners and other summer people.

Summer people also take their toll on our nerves through increased traffic, trash and noise. Other than their taxes, they contribute little to Charlestown’s economy other than the occasional meal at our few local restaurants and grocery shopping at Rippy’s and the Mini-Super.

Out of state landowners have been buying up Charlestown beach properties at unheard prices. Most recently, 18 Ninigret Avenue just sold for $5.5 million to a buyer who lives on Park Avenue in Manhattan. They paid more than $2.2 million above the home’s assessed value of $3,292,600.

So far this year, almost a dozen posh homes have sold to non-residents all at premium prices well over their assessed value. While none match the $2.2 million premium paid for 18 Ninigret Avenue, all but two of the other high-rollers paid more than $350,000 above assessed value. In second place after Ninigret Avenue are the Massachusetts buyers of 14 Highland Road who paid $718,900 above assessed value.

These folks seem to have money to burn.

Here’s the complete list of $1 million+ Charlestown sales in 2025 from our Tax Assessor’s office. Note that Starett Road is a duplicate entry:

Eight buyers live in Massachusetts and Connecticut (4 each). New York, New Jersey and Florida each had one.

During the years the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA) ruled Charlestown, they stifled any notion of giving local homeowners any tax break that would come at the expense of non-resident landowners.

The issue crested in December 2011 and ended in what I dubbed “The Riot of the Rich.” Town Hall was packed with rich non-residents, CCA devotees, right-wing nuts like Jim Mageau and Harry Staley and a few sadly misinformed locals who denounced the Charlestown Democratic Committee proposal for a Homestead Tax Credit as the opening salvo in a class war.

It was unfair to the wealthy, they said, and claimed that raising their taxes would drive them to move out, make them boycott local businesses and not give to local charities. They said all this with a straight face.

Since absentee landowners provide a substantial portion of the CCA’s election fund, there was no way the CCA leadership would support the idea. They stomped the homestead credit to death for the duration of their reign.

Then the CCA was finally beaten by Charlestown Residents United (CRU) in 2022 and in 2024 when an all-CRU Town Council slate was elected. That made it safe to talk about issues banned by the CCA.

The Council is currently chaired by Deb Carney (D) who was one of the few brave voices to speak out for the homestead credit in 2011. It was after her Council resolution that state Representative Tina Spears (D) introduced a bill modelled on the recently passed South Kingstown legislation.

Here’s the official timeline for the bill’s quick passage:

House Bill No. 6247

BY Tina Spears

ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES (Grants the town council of the town of Charlestown the authority to enact a homestead exemption ordinance.)

04/23/2025 Introduced, referred to House Municipal Government & Housing

04/25/2025 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (05/01/2025)

05/01/2025 Committee recommended measure be held for further study

06/06/2025 Scheduled for consideration (06/10/2025)

06/10/2025 Committee recommends passage

06/13/2025 Placed on House Calendar (06/16/2025)

06/16/2025 House read and passed

06/16/2025 Placed on the Senate Consent Calendar (06/18/2025)

06/18/2025 Senate passed in concurrence

06/18/2025 Transmitted to Governor

Once McKee signs, the action shifts back to the Town Council who must craft and present a new ordinance for public hearing. They will need to decide whether to do it (and I hope they will) and if so, at what percentage of assessed value. If they act quickly, we could have an ordinance in place when the legislation kicks in on December 31, plenty of time for applying the exemption to next year's tax bills.

The legislation details what properties are eligible.

Here’s the text of the bill:

AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES

Introduced By: Representative Tina L. Spears

Date Introduced: April 23, 2025

Referred To: House Municipal Government & Housing

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

SECTION 1. Chapter 44-5 of the General Laws entitled "Levy and Assessment of Local Taxes" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

44-5-89. Charlestown homestead exemption.

(a) The town council of the town of Charlestown is authorized to annually fix the amount, if any, of a homestead exemption, with respect to assessed value, from local taxation on taxable real property used for residential purposes or mixed purposes, defined as a combination of residential and commercial uses, in the town of Charlestown, and to grant homestead exemptions to the owner, or owners, of residential real estate, or combination residential and commercial real estate, in an amount not to exceed ten percent (10%) of the assessed value. The exemption shall apply to property used exclusively for residential purposes, and improved with a dwelling containing less than five (5) units, or real property used for a combination of residential and commercial uses. When real property is used for mixed purposes, the percentage of the assessed value shall be a prorated amount. The prorated amount shall be the percentage of square feet of the parcel used for residential purposes, multiplied by the percentage of the homestead exemption. In order to determine compliance with the homestead exemption as outlined in this section, the town council shall provide, by resolution or ordinance, rules and regulations governing eligibility for the exemption established by this section.

(b) In the event property granted an exemption under this section is sold or transferred during the year for which the exemption is claimed, the town council of the town of Charlestown, 19 1 upon approval of the town council, may provide for a proration of the homestead exemption in 2 3 4 cases where title to property passes from those not entitled to claim an exemption to those who are entitled to claim an exemption.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on December 31, 2025.

Charlestown residents may soon see a major property tax savings

Town Council asks legislators to seek General Assembly approval for a Homestead Exemption

By Will Collette

Thank you to our CRU Charlestown Town Council
members. Looking forward to quick action to enact a
town ordinance.

In many Rhode Island municipalities, lots of property is owned by non-residents. This is especially true in coastal communities like Charlestown where waterfront properties are often bought by wealthy non-residents for far more than the tax assessed value of those properties.

Charlestown’s summertime population jumps from around 8,000 to almost 30,000. The influx of non-residents requires the town to maintain an infrastructure that supports three times the number of full-time residents. We need roads, facilities, town staff and public safety investments to support all those extra people. The town even organizes volunteers to pick up trash from around their homes and along the roadways.

Our neighboring towns address these burdens by offering a Homestead tax break to permanent residents that, in many municipalities, takes the form of a reduction in the tax assessment. Most recently, South Kingstown got General Assembly approval for a new ordinance that would reduce the tax assessment of full-time residents by up to 10%.

On April 14, the Charlestown Town Council, comprised entirely of Charlestown Residents United (CRU) members, voted to seek General Assembly approval for similar homestead exemption similar to South Kingstown. It’s very likely the legislature will approve this request.

What does this mean to you?

In 2011, Charlestown Town Democrats proposed a flat $1000 homestead tax credit, an idea that was obviously ahead of its time, but were beaten down by the Charlestown Citizens Alliance. They organized what I dubbed “the riot of the rich,” mobilizing non -resident property owners to violently protest the concept.

The CCA and its absentee owner-benefactors argued a tax credit wasn’t fair (“class war” they said) that could motivate wealthy property owners to leave or to boycott local services and charities.

Those arguments were pretty lame back in 2011 and even more so today. Out-of-state owners are paying mega-bucks for Charlestown properties. If they decide they want to leave because their tax goes up by a few thousand, that’s fine since we seem to have a big pool of buyers ready to pay as much as a million or two more than assessed value.

And seriously, are these absentee homeowners going to mow their own lawns, fix their own plumbing, clean their own houses and swimming pools, or bring their groceries with them from Manhattan?

I'm sure non-residents grab a bite or two at local eateries, but I suspect their tastes run more to the cuisine at Ocean House, not Monahans.

As for donations, other than the CCA’s campaign fund, where else do donations from non-residents go? 

All told, the main contribution non-residents make to Charlestown’s economy is in the form of their property taxes. A Charlestown homestead exemption will simply increase their share to compensate the town for their out-sized impact on the town’s costs.

Depending on the final size of the exemption, i.e. what percentage, and the assessed value of your home, you will save on taxes and pass the cost of those savings onto to absentee landowners.

Only a tiny peep from the CCA

I was a bit surprised to see a relatively muted response from the Charlestown Citizens Alliance to the Town Council’s recent action compared to their 2011 freak-out.

Here’s how they describe the history of the fight over the homestead tax break:

Over the years, there have been proposals to enact a Homestead Exemption. These would have exempted a percentage of the assessed value of real property from taxation for certain taxpayers. One group of taxpayers would have received the exemption, but because the town would have needed to collect a given amount of revenue to provide services and support capital improvements, another group of taxpayers would have needed to pay the difference. None of these proposals has received support from the community in the past.

Notice no mention of the CCA’s leadership of the opposition to the homestead tax break since 2011. They are also cagey about saying the truth: the homestead tax break would benefit those of us who make Charlestown their home while non-resident property owners would, as the CCA puts it, “pay the difference.” Another important, but unmentioned, factor is how much the CCA counts on political donations from non-residents to fill their campaign coffers.

The CCA also claims there was no support for a homestead tax break from the community. Well, the CCA ensured there would be none by shutting down all discussion about this tax break for years after their political donors objected. Town voters rejected the CCA in the last two elections so the CCA’s claim is no longer valid.

Finally, the CCA blandly complains that “There seems to be a rush on the part of the Council to get this authority” but admit “it is late in this year’s legislative session.”

Even though it is late in the 2025 General Assembly session, Town Solicitor Peter Ruggiero told the Council on April 14 that there were ways to get action on legislation this year.

Back in 2011, I supported a flat rate Homestead tax credit of $1000. I still like a flat rate because it would provide the greatest amount of tax relief to owners of lower priced homes. But I’m OK with a 10% exemption. 

Under the 10% plan, the higher your assessment, the bigger your assessment. That obviously favors high-end properties, unless the Council decides to cap the assessment subject to exemption, like $1 million just for the sake of argument. But everyone who makes Charlestown their home can benefit.

These are all questions to be addressed if the General Assembly authorizes Charlestown to proceed to craft an ordinance. That is a lengthier process and all the more reason to take this modest first step. That’s not rushing it – this tax break for Charlestown residents is 14 years overdue.

Monday Charlestown Town Council meeting will include long-overdue action to give residents a Homestead property tax credit

 

Fellow Charlestown Residents, The Charlestown Town Council will have their first regular meeting of the month on Monday, April 14 at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Hall Council Chambers. The agenda packet can be read here. There is also a link for watching the live stream of the meeting. Discussion and potential action about adoption of a Tentative 2025-2026 budget and any potential warrant Items for presentation at the Budget Public Hearing that will be held on May 5, 2025. Discussion and potential action about amending the fees for disposal of material at the Charlestown Residential Collection Center (CRCC). Discussion and potential action to request legislation from the General Assembly to allow Charlestown to enact a Homestead Exemption (details starting on page 435 of the agenda packet). Discussion and potential action regarding possibly moving the Charlestown Parks and Recreation Department from the Town Hall to Ninigret Park (details starting on page 458 of the agenda packet) I hope to see you there! There are some future meetings that may be of interest: Town Council Second Monthly Meeting, Monday, April 28, 2025, 7:00 p.m. at Charlestown Town Hall, Council Chambers Budget Public Hearing, Monday, May 5, 2025, 7:00 p.m. at Charlestown Town Hall, Council Chambers. Town Council Regular Meeting Monday, May 12, 2025, 7:00 p.m. at Charlestown Town Hall, Council Chambers With Thanks, Tim Quillen, Chair Charlestown Residents United Paid for by Charlestown Residents United P.O. Box 412 Charlestown, RI 02813 Visit our Website   Charlestown Residents United | PO Box 412 | Charlestown, RI 02813 US EDITOR'S NOTE: see previous article on the passage of Homestead exemption legislation for residents of South Kingstown.

South Kingstown residents are going to get a Homestead Tax Credit

Will Charlestown be next? First steps this Monday

The General Assembly has approved legislation (2025-H 5030, 2025-S 0044) introduced by Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee and Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski that grants the South Kingstown Town Council with the authority to enact a homestead exemption ordinance, similar to those that have already been adopted in several other communities in the state.

“South Kingstown’s housing market is pricing out our current and future homeowners.  Out-of-state buyers and corporations are driving up the cost of home ownership by buying up properties and turning them into rentals, and our residents are then being squeezed with rising home evaluations.  The year-round residents of South Kingstown have been asking for a homestead exemption for quite some time and this legislation will finally grant our hard-working year-round residents the tax relief that they deserve and that will help keep them in their homes,” said Representative McEntee (D-Dist. 33, South Kingstown, Narragansett).

South Kingstown homeowners a step away from getting a full homestead tax break

Will Charlestown be next? 

The House of Representatives passed legislation (2025-H 5030) introduced by Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee that grants the South Kingstown Town Council with the authority to enact a homestead exemption ordinance, similar to those that have already been adopted in several other communities in the state.

“South Kingstown’s housing market is pricing out our current and future homeowners.  Out-of-state buyers and corporations are driving up the cost of home ownership by buying up properties and turning them into rentals, and our residents are then being squeezed with rising home evaluations.  The year-round residents of South Kingstown have been asking for a homestead exemption for quite some time and this legislation will finally grant our hard-working year-round residents the tax relief that they deserve and that will help keep them in their homes,” said Representative McEntee.

The exemption would apply to home-owning taxpayers who actually reside at the taxable property. The bill would cap any exemption adopted by the Town Council at 10 percent. The council would be responsible for enacting any rules and regulations to govern the exemption.

The legislation, which was approved by the House on March 11, now heads to the Senate for consideration, where Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski (D-Dist. 37, South Kingstown) has introduced the bill (2025-S 0044).

Congratulations to Charlestown’s new Town Council

You can do great things, Part 1

By Will Collette

This is the first of a two-part series. Part 2 will run tomorrow night.

For the second straight election, Charlestown voters rejected the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA) and voted continued confidence in the leadership from Charlestown Residents United (CRU). This time voters picked an all-CRU slate led by newly sworn in Council President Deb Carney and Vice-President Rippy Serra. For the first time since 2008, there is no one from the CCA on the Town Council.

They held their first business meeting tonight (Dec. 9) of the new term.

The CCA’s traditional power base on the Planning Commission is no longer filled with commissioners who snap “jawohl” to every command from CCA leader and Planning Commissar Ruth Platner. In addition to newly elected CRU-endorsed Glenn Babcock, CCA stalwart Lisa St. Goddard who was just re-elected but now just resigned and will be replaced by the CRU-controlled Town Council.

CRU-endorsed Patricia Stamps is already on the Planning Commission. With the addition of Glenn Babcock and whoever is picked to replace Lisa St. Goddard, the cracks in Platner’s platform of obstructionism are becoming evident.

So Charlestown has a substantially changed power structure led by an all CRU Council. Can we hope to see some action on issues that have long been dismissed by the CCA?

Charlestown’s Town Council has a broad array of powers it can use to make change. It can pass ordinances. It can repeal ordinances. It can issue resolutions. It can direct town staff to make administrative changes. It can make recommendations to our General Assembly representatives for legislation that would help the town.

I’m particularly interested in fair taxation and believe tax reform in town is long-overdue to address these issues:

Property tax relief for volunteer firefighters.

We should not only show them our gratitude but provide incentives for recruitment and retention. This would require General Assembly approval. South Kingstown provides us with a recent example of what to do in legislation that Rep. Teresa Tanzi got passed last year.

Homestead (or Resident) Tax Credit.

First proposed by Charlestown Democrats in 2011 and crushed by the CCA on behalf of its non-resident political donors, a Homestead tax credit would give full-time residents tax relief to make up for the costs we bear to accommodate part-time residents and visitors.

Every summer, our population grows from 8,000 to 30,000. We have to maintain a year-round infrastructure to pay for that – police, roads, trash collection at public locations, strain on water, etc. We endure heavy traffic, poor drivers, increased litter

Most of Rhode Island’s coastal towns (e.g. Newport, North Kingstown, Narragansett) have had such a tax credit program for years. South Kingstown has one that is focused on seniors and is currently working on an expanded Homestead credit. It’s time for Charlestown to step up for those of us who make Charlestown our home.

In 2011, the CCA argued a homestead tax credit would piss off non-resident property owners so much that they either leave or stop using local businesses and services. They might even boycott local charities – as if they were big local givers anyway.

None of these arguments hold water. They're buying up big ticket properties in Charlestown often for DOUBLE the assessed value. A tax hike of a few thousand dollars isn’t going to phase some New York hedge fund manager who just paid $3 million for a beachfront house assessed at $1 million. 

Further, they're not going to mow their own grass, fix their own plumbing and bring their groceries with them from Manhattan. Besides, if these new Charlestown home buyers decide to actually live here, they'd get the Homestead Credit, too.

No more tax breaks for fake fire districts.

The Quonnie Central Beach Fire District's 28 acre rec center, was
assessed at $98,000. This is the photo the Charlestown Tax Assessor
posted in 2014, not the one being used today. 

Charlestown has two wealthy homeowner associations that operate as “fire districts” even though they have no trucks, equipment, fire houses or firefighters. Quonnie resident and CCA President Leo Mainelli’s fire extinguishers don’t count.

Shady Harbor Fire District pays ZERO property tax to Charlestown despite owning six prime pieces of coastal real estate. Their 19.26 acres total includes a private beach where public access is strictly forbidden, a dock, boat launch, three vacant lots on Meyerand Drive and a pumping station for private water, all worth millions. The Fire District pays nothing.

Central Quonnie FD is not tax-exempt, but its property tax assessments are insanely low. Central Quonnie owns 10 prime coastal properties totaling 38 acres with tennis courts, a sports field, private beach docks, boat launches and a beach club as well as a private water system plus five vacant lots on Surfside Ave. 

Doing a spot comparison between similar properties, it appears that non-Quonnie property is assessed at dollar values eight times higher than Central Quonnie property.

These two fake fire districts, better understood as homeowner associations, own almost 60 prime shore acres and pay almost nothing in property tax. Given the locations, these properties could be assessed at as much as $100 million or close to $600,000 in tax underpayments. 

That means all of us Charlestown taxpayers are subsidizing these posh gated neighborhoods. That’s just wrong.

I recommend a Council resolution or directive to our Tax Assessor to tax these properties as if they were owned by any other homeowners’ association.

Tina and Victoria regularly team up to help pass bills

I also suggest the Charlestown Town Council asks our state legislators, especially Rep. Tina Spears and Senator Victoria Gu – both of whom have shown outstanding work in their first terms – to craft legislation to require that any organization bearing the title and holding the privileges of fire district must use most of its resources to actually fight fires.

Ending the fake fire districts’ tax breaks would offset the cost of a firefighter tax credit and a homestead tax credit.

These proposed tax initiatives would be a big step toward much fairer taxation in Charlestown without increasing Charlestown’s overall tax burden.

Tomorrow night, I will run “You can do great things, Part 2” with more ideas how our new town government can improve the lives of Charlestown residents.

Charlestown finances and taxes – Your choice on November 5

Do not let the crowd that messed up, lied and then covered up get back into office

By Will Collette

The CCA's 2024 campaign slogan

There are many reasons why Charlestown voters should reject the effort by the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA) to regain control of Charlestown. I hope to cover them all before election day.

But for starters, let’s talk about the biggie: Can you trust the CCA to manage your money?

In 2020, the CCA proved it can’t be trusted with taxpayer funds. The lead evidence was the “$3 million Oopsie.” This was a grave problem that the CCA called a “misallocation.” 

$3 million in town funds went walkabout, unnoticed by the CCA financial brain trust of ex-Town Administrator Mark Stankiewicz and ex-Budget Commission chair Richard Sartor for almost two years. The error was finally spotted by the town’s ex-auditor and duly reported.

This sparked panic within the CCA as they first tried to find a word other than “lost” to describe the screw-up. They settled on "misallocation." Their word, not mine.

Next, they searched for someone to blame since as we all know, the CCA is always right. They ended up scapegoating the auditors who found the problem. 

Then they tried to distract and minimize the problem using laughable analogies. Ruth Platner compared it to parking your car in the wrong place. Bonnie Van Slyke came up with some story about a ladder that I've never quite understood.

Finally they fell back on that old “Hey, how about that low tax rate?” tripe.

During all these machinations, they had their pet Town Administrator Stankiewicz use every trick in the book to avoid disclosing town financial records that would have brought some disinfecting sunshine to this issue. The CCA also blocked even a public discussion of the need for an outside financial review and instead let Sartor and Stanky review themselves.

Two years later, the CCA and especially their mouthpiece Council candidate Bonnita Van Slyke are now denying there was ever any problem, claiming their political opponents made it up. I wish I was that clever.

Van Slyke personally attacked me for even raising the issue, saying my reporting hurts the reputation of such a stellar personality as Stankiewicz.

The $3 million oopsie was and is a flashpoint in 10 years of CCA financial shenanigans. Before the “oopsie” went public, the worst abuses were questionable land deals promoted by Planning Commissar Ruth Platner who is now running for Council. Ruth never met a piece of undeveloped land she didn’t want to buy, regardless of price, using your money of course.

Time and again, she pushed deals where owners (often CCA affiliates like the Sachem Passage Association) would be paid far more than the land’s assessed values, often based on appraisals that relied on fictitious conditions. Stankiewicz helped by clamping down on the release of public records on these corrupt deals.

“But the tax rate!”

The CCA ran Charlestown from 2011 to 2023.
 Source: Charlestown Tax Assessor

To hear the CCA tell it, the only thing that matters to taxpayers is the property tax rate which they claimed was ultra-low, due to their genius. That, plus providing virtually no municipal services and relying on rising property values to buttress the tax base.

First, a few facts: under the CCA, the tax rate went up pretty consistently as the table to the right shows. 

After the voters gave the CCA the boot in 2020, the tax rate has plummeted to its lowest level in decades, going from $8.17 when the CCA was booted to the current $5.78.

But the tax rate is only half the equation. What you actually pay in taxes is the tax rate multiplied by your property assessment. 

Assessments have skyrocketed due to shorefront purchases by rich New York and Connecticut folks who discovered Charlestown is way cheaper than the Hamptons.

Their multi-million-dollar purchases drove up property assessments generally to the point where Charlestown has become even more unaffordable and we all pay taxes based on property values that we are unlikely to ever appreciate when we eventually sell our homes. 

The most recent reassessment increased the taxable value of our home by 65% to a level I can't imagine in my wildest dreams ever getting should we sell. Unless you’ve got a shoreline property, your assessment probably does not reflect market reality.

Even Van Slyke found that out when she tried to sell her waterfront Arnolda estate for $3 million but ended up having to settle for $2 million.

An economy out of balance

This East Beach Road property was assessed at
$1,967,700 and just sold for $3.65 million.

The CCA left the current Council majority from Charlestown Residents United (CRU) a large and complicated mess to clean up.

Actions have consequences. The CCA’s decade of reliance on rich people buying beach property and tourists flocking in during the summer has skewed our economy. 

While those beachfront owners pay a large portion of town taxes, they plus tourists triple the town’s population during the summer.

We have to provide – and pay for – a town infrastructure needed to accommodate them. Other seaside towns have the same problem and have chosen to resolve this tax inequity through homestead tax credits. 

These credits cut the property taxes of permanent residents to offset the cost imposed by visitors and temporary residents. While Homestead credits are working well in Narragansett, South Kingstown, Newport and North Kingstown, the CCA adamantly opposed a Democratic proposal for a Charlestown Homestead Tax Credit.

The CCA also turned a blind eye to tax rip-offs by Charlestown’s two “fake” fire districts – Shady Harbor and Central Quonnie. Between them, these homeowner associations (HOAs) in disguise own hundreds of millions of dollars in prime beach property and pay little or no property taxes.

We are long past the time to strip the fire district designation from these associations that do not provide actual fire protection. It’s insulting to real fire fighters and a tax rip-off. While state legislation may be needed to completely resolve this embarrassment, Charlestown should immediately begin taxing their properties at real value.

They’ll sue of course. As The Public’s Radio South County Bureau Chief Alex Nunes has chronicled, fake fire districts from Bonnet Shores to Watch Hill file lawsuits anytime anybody challenges them on any issue. I believe this is a battle worth fighting and one I believe we can win.

We could easily fund a Homestead Tax Credit by making the fake fire districts pay their fair share of taxes.

We could also fund a special tax credit for fire fighters who nol only deserve our praise and thanks, but might also help alleviate the shortage of volunteers. Rep. Teresa Tanzi (D) got the General Assembly to pass legislation authorizing a fire fighter tax credit in South Kingstown.

Some other problems in the Charlestown economy

The real tax question is tax fairness, not the tax rate. Affluent Charlestown property owners can use fake fire districts and loopholes in conservation law to cut their taxes while the CCA blocks tax credits for working families.

Charlestown needs to diversify its economy and not simply rely on minimum and sub-minimum wage jobs servicing tourists and part-time residents. The people needed to provide those services can’t afford to live in Charlestown. The CCA has made it even harder by making Charlestown the only mainland Rhode Island town without RIPTA service.

Contrary to CCA claims, Charlestown does not need an overly large budget surplus. Paying cash for capital investments, including the CCA’s shady land deals, just jacks up taxes.

For years, the CCA has known about mis-zoning – properties undeservedly designated for uses that lower taxes. Planning Commissar Ruth Platner promised to fix this problem in 2012. Twelve years later and she hasn’t done it. Yet she wants you to elect her to the Town Council.

Choose wisely in November. The CCA candidates are no longer simply listed as "independents" (as if they ever were). Most CCA candidates are co-mingled with the CRU slate as either Democrats or Republicans although none of them carry town party endorsements. 

Watch your mailboxes for campaign flyers. If you want to prevent a return financial mismanagement, DON'T vote for the CCA candidates and instead cast your votes for the CRU slate.