Funding available for local rec projects
CCA chimes in on Charlestown proposed budget
By Will Collette
Under this budget, Charlestown’s tax rate is projected to
increase from the current $5.78 per $1000 in assessed property value to $5.93.
That’s an increase of 2.6%. Hopefully, this will be offset for permanent
residents by a planned
Homestead tax break if – fingers crossed – we get General Assembly approval
and can swiftly pass a town ordinance. That might be overly optimistic, though.
Even at $5.93, Charlestown’s tax rate since the Charlestown
Residents United won control of the Council continues to be lower
than it was during any time in the past 50 years. Your actual tax is the
tax rate times the assessed value of your property. Those assessments are also
at an all-time high.
The all-day financial referendum will be held from 8 a.m. to
8 p.m. on Monday, June 2, at Town Hall. Mail Ballot Applications are available
on request at (401) 364-1200 or by e-mailing Town Clerk Amy Weinreich at arweinreich@charlestownri.gov.
They kvetched a little about plans to create a new home for
the Parks and Recreation Department in Ninigret Park. What a concept! At its
April 14 meeting, the Town Council set aside $75,000 as a contingency to pay
for any needed design or engineering work. One plan is to convert the existing gatehouse
into office space. If that is impractical (i.e. if repair work is too
expensive), Plan B is to build a new building.
That plus improvements to existing facilities in the Park
bother the CCA. Frankly, anything in the Park bothers the CCA who have fought
against any and all projects, except of course, “Faith’s
Folly,” their over-budget asphalt abomination of a bike path. If anyone
other than CCA founding member Faith Labossiere had proposed laying down that
much asphalt anywhere in town, CCA Leader and Planning Commissar Ruth Platner
would light her hair on fire.
The CCA groused a little at the Town Council’s refusal to
continue small grants to the Charlestown Land Trust and Community 2000. Both
organizations are currently well-funded and well-endowed.
According to the Charlestown
Land Trust’s most recent federal IRS-990 filing, they hold more than $2.76
million in assets, although I believe the true value is far higher, given that
their acreage includes lots of prime property. The Land Trust has long and deep
ties to the CCA.
More relevant to whether the town should contribute to them
is another fact included in their IRS filing. The CLT only spends about 65% of
what it raises. They reported an income of ~$80,000 but only spent ~$52,000.
Community
2000, a scholarship fund, reports similar data in its IRS filing. It has an
endowment of $2.3 million. They only spend 60% of what they raise. In their
most recent tax filing, they raised ~$228,000 but spent only ~$137,000.
While I have no quarrel with the mission of either of these
two organizations, I think their own tax data show they don’t need Charlestown
taxpayer money.
But here’s the kicker: The CCA makes the claim that “The
Council also eliminated funds designated for the Charlestown Land Trust
($1,500) and for Community 2000 ($1,000).”
In fact, there was NO MONEY designated to be removed. Like
so many of the CCA’s fiscal complaints, this is imaginary. While this is small
potatoes compared to the CCA’s many other fiscal gaffs, it shows that the CCA just
doesn’t seem to learn that you can’t make this shit up and get away with it.
The CCA’s sharpest critique was aimed at the Town Council’s
decision to fund this year’s budget increase from the town’s bloated
unrestricted fund balance.
The CCA concedes that even after taking out this year’s
budget increases, the unrestricted fund balance still meets the minimum levels (23-33%)
they themselves forced on the town. Their complaint: if the town continues to
tap the fund balance in the future, this might reduce the fund balance below
their comfort level.
They also think the current Town Council doesn’t have
adequate plans for future capital projects.
Again with the irony. Since at least 2012, the town Capital
Improvement Plan (CIP) has been a CCA obsession, especially when their former
President Deputy Dan Slattery served on the Town Council. I wrote about that
obsession in detail HERE.
Deputy Dan Slattery
If you don’t want to read it, here are the Cliff Notes: State
law and the Town Charter both mandate municipalities to have five-year capital
improvement plans. For some reason in 2012, Deputy Dan wasn’t satisfied with
the result and tried to make this a big deal even though CCA leader and
Planning Commissar Ruth Platner denied the Planning Commission had no role to
play. Her Planning posse only dealt with birds and bushes, not buildings and
bridges.
After Deputy Dan left, the CCA seemed to lose all interest
in the capital improvement plan. If anything, they seemed to see it as an
impediment to spending money on shady land deals or any of a number of other
crackpot schemes they came up with, often on the spur of the moment.
Prime among them is the 2019
CCA-controlled Council decision to spend a $3 million surplus on a a
“community center” in Ninigret Park. This scheme came out of the blue with no
plan, design or actual budget for a new building that no one either asked for
or wanted. It wasn’t in the approved Ninigret Park Master Plan nor the existing
town Capital Improvement Plan. For good reason, taxpayers
voted it down.
The CCA makes no mention of the September 2024 Rhode
Island Auditor General’s report that shows in hard numbers that the new CRU
controlled Town Council has cleaned up the fiscal mess left behind by the CCA.
The contradictions and hypocritical comments from the CCA
are par for the course, but I still wonder why they chose to make them. They
had to know they would be fact-checked.
The saving is entirely due to a drop in the number of
students going to Chariho from Charlestown. Why doesn’t the CCA take credit for
this? After all, the drop in students is due to the relentless
15-year campaign by the CCA and its founder and leader Ruth Platner to drive
families with kids out of Charlestown while ensuring that new families don’t
come in.
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Upcoming Town Council Meetings - Mar 27, 29
From Charlestown Residents United
From left to right: Susan Cooper (CCA), Rippy Serra (vice-president), Deb Carney (president), Grace Klinger, Steve Stokes
We have three, yes THREE, Town Council meetings coming up on Monday, March 27, and Wednesday, March 29. Here is your preview.
Monday's meeting will start at 7 pm in the town hall council chambers as usual. The agenda and backup materials can be seen here.
Here are some notable topics from the agenda:
On Wednesday, March 29, there will be two Council meetings:
The first Wednesday meeting will start at 6 pm and will be held jointly with the Planning Commission to discuss Commercial and Village Design Standards. This is an outcome of the February 27 Council meeting here there was some concern about how the bid process was handled and how the work would be done, reported here. The agenda packet has details including the detailed minutes of that section of the February 27 meeting.
The second Wednesday meeting will start at 7 pm and will be devoted to discussion of a report on Operational and Organizational Assessment of the Town’s financial processes and internal controls by consulting firm Clifton Larson Allen LLP. The agenda packet includes the report.
As usual public attendance in person in town hall is allowed for these meetings. They will be offered as a live stream to view through WebEx as described in the agenda. People watching online will not be able to comment or ask questions. The video of the sessions should be available for viewing on the morning after each meeting, on the meetings page. It will be down the page in the Past Meetings section.
Failed March 13 attempt to “flood the zone” sparks slander from CCA leadership
By Will Collette
One such attempt was
made – and failed – at the March 13 Town
Council meeting where the CCA attempted to “flood the zone” with a large number
of their stalwarts trying to get onto key town commissions and committees.
Such long-time CCA hardcore players
as Bonnita Van Slyke, Mikey Chambers, Ron Areglado, Pete Mahoney and Dick
Sartor made bids for seats on the Charter Revision Committee, Ordinance
Revision Ad Hoc Committee, Town Administrator Search Ad Hoc Committee and Parks
& Recreation Commission.
None were approved
although several applicants with CCA ties, such as veterinarian Dr. Lew Johnson
did win appointment.
Fortunately, there was a large field of experienced and thoughtful non-CCA candidates to fill the ranks of these important town bodies. You can see the full list of people who applied, who was chosen and who was not by CLICKING HERE.
I also encourage you to read their
applications and career highlights by CLICKING HERE.
You really should take a
close look because the CCA has decided to use their failed blitz as “evidence” that
the “Town Council Puts Developers In Charge,” according to the headline in
their blog.
Only
one appointee, Tim Stasiunas, is an active developer. Evelyn Smith, who
was appointed to the Charter Revision Committee, was a developer decades ago. However,
Evelyn has put in more than 20 years on the town’s Affordable Housing
Commission. Evelyn does own an inactive sand pit.
According to the CCA,
any person who owns a business is suspect, as are all attorneys (except the
CCA’s last remaining Council member Susan Cooper of course). By the way, contrary to CCA's claim, Cooper voted to approve Evelyn Smith's appointment.
For some inscrutable reason, about half of the CCA’s screed rehashes their own tragic handling of the COPAR Quarry crisis, re-writing history by casting themselves as the heroes rather than chumps.
Maybe Charlestown can get money to expand Faith’sFolly
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| In
Charlestown, you can bike on "Faith's Folly,"
a 1.3 mile stretch of asphalt installed in Ninigret Park at the insistence of Faith LaBossiere. This project was sold to the CCA-controlled Town Council at a cost of $7,000 but ended up costing $267,000 PLUS interest. Doncha love the smell of fresh asphalt in the morning? Smells like PATRONAGE! |
Funding provided through the 2021 Beach, Clean Water and Green
Bond – which Rhode Island voters approved by a margin of almost 80 percent last
March – is capitalizing the grants.
Since the inception of DEM's community recreation grant program
in 1988, 541 grants have been awarded and more than $85 million invested in
improvements in all 39 Rhode Island communities. Recreation development grants require
a 20 percent community match. Applicants can apply for either small grants for
grant funding up to $100,000 or large grants for grant funding up to $400,000.
Recreation acquisition grants require a 50 percent match and are capped at $400,000. Applicants are encouraged to review the grant instructions available at www.dem.ri.gov/plangrants. Scoring criteria is established by the State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP).
Well-planned, well-described projects in urban, distressed, and
environmental justice areas will score particularly well. As part of a larger
network of recreational opportunities in the state, municipal facilities play
an important role in beautifying communities, supporting public health,
strengthening climate resilience, and promoting a cleaner environment.
A virtual pre-application workshop is scheduled in October.
Details below:
