Budget Hearings Draw Small Crowd

A relatively small showing appeared for Monday night’s budget hearings, despite the tough economic times and a proposed four percent increase to town property taxes. Both the municipal and school hearings finished in half the time appropriated, with both wrapping up in approximately 40 minutes.

Many residents who spoke praised the North Kingstown Town Council and Town Manager for s. There is no word yet on how the town plans to offset the approximately $800,000 the town would have saved had the two cuts remained.

The two moves were not enough to quell frustrations as residents call for measures to make North Kingstown more cost efficient.

“There are 21 houses on the street I live on,” said resident Richard August. “All of the property taxes that are collected at those 21 houses is not enough to cover one firefighter’s compensation package.”

Another area of concern was the state of Post Road and attracting business to the town.

“It hurts my feeling when I get on Post Road and see all the for sale signs and for lease signs,” said Don McKendall. “Why can’t North Kingstown incentivize people to come here?”

For School Committeeman Joe Thompson, getting taxes down could be aided by cutting the school department's budget.

"The people of this town are crying out for a tax reduction of two percent," said Thompson during public comment. "When you give [the school department] a bigger budget each year, you just enable their spending ways. You have to stop enabling them and start motivating them."

Concerns arose regarding the cost and quality of education in North Kingstown. A few pointed to the which the Rhode Island Department of Education said showed “no significant growth” in North Kingstown schools.

“I’m paying a premium for average education,” said Mike McGovern.

Jim McGwin, president of the North Kingstown Taxpayers’ Organization, spoke on multiple issues including state testing results along with other areas he felt the school could budget more wisely. The recently adopted bid to spend $36,000 to study IT consolidation for the town and school departments was particularly troublesome, according to McGwin.

“We are wasting money,” he said. “We are not making our employees work together. Our kids are suffering and our taxpayers are suffering. We have champagne and caviar taste on a deficit budget.”

McGwin also pointed to the Jamestown tuition issue and the closed Wickford and Davisville Elementary schools as areas of savings.

“We are trying to find every way we can to save taxpayers’ dollars,” said School Committee Chair Richard Welch. “I’ve been listening very closely tonight and some of the things said do not hold water."

The Town Council will meet again next week on Monday at 7 p.m. while the School Committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Apr. 26.