The Town Council approves a $90.8 million budget for Fiscal 2025, one that represents more of a focus than ever before on every dollar while continuing to move the community forward.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Matt Sheley at (401) 842-6543 or msheley@middletownri.com
FISCAL 2025 BUDGET APPROVED
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (MAY 29, 2024) – The Town of Middletown has a budget for Fiscal 2025, one that continues to move the community forward without overburdening median taxpayers.
Following the second public hearing in Town Hall on the close to $90.8 million figure, the Town Council voted to approved the budget, which represents a 4.7 percent increase from the current $86.7 million budget.
Unable to find common ground on the Fiscal 2025 tax rates, those are expected to be discussed and voted on at a June 17 council meeting.
The current proposal before the council sets the Middletown residential tax rate at $8.65 per $1,000 of assessed value compared to $11.25 per $1,000 for nonresidents. The tax rate for commercial property owners is expected at $12.98 per $1,000 of assessed value.
Council President Paul M. Rodrigues said every budget season was difficult, now more so than ever before because of tighter resources. He reminded everyone in attendance that whenever a decision was made, it was based on available resources and what’s best for all.
“The main thing is to get it right. That’s what we strive for every time…” Rodrigues said. “We make decisions based on what’s best for the whole town.”
Coming into the public hearing, the drumbeat message from Town Administrator Shawn J. Brown has been that “every dollar matters.”
Unlike the budget process last year that ran well into the summer, Brown said he wanted to try to restore as much normalcy as possible to help make everything more predictable for taxpayers.
This was especially true, he said, with about $4.2 million in new debt coming onto the town’s sheets for open space, a new middle-high school and related work.
Towards that end, Brown announced early that town department heads could expect to receive no more than 2.5 percent increases in their budget, with the schools in line for no more than 4 percent.
Throughout, those numbers held firm and didn’t stray far — if at all — from original projections. Part of the reason for that, Brown said, was to smooth any concerns about the impact of Revaluation 2024 on property owners.
To see Brown’s presentation, visit https://www.middletownri.com/DocumentCenter/View/12753/FY-25-Budget-Second-Public-Hearing-Presentation online.
“We put a lot of work into this budget and making sure everything was 100 percent,” Brown said. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again that people just want some predictability with this process and that’s what we’re trying to deliver here.”
Fiscal 2025 Budget Item | Result |
1. Sewer Rate | $18.05 per 1,000 gallons of usage, an 86-cent increase |
2. Estimated Sewer Usage | 42,452 gallons, a decrease of more than 2,800 gallons |
3. Pay-As-You-Throw User Fee | $180 for the year, a $20 increase |
4. Pay-As-You-Throw Bag Fee | No change |
5. Seasonal Beach Passes | Resident: $90 | Nonresident: $180 |
6. Daily Beach Parking Fee | $25 Weekdays | $35 Weekends & Holidays |
7. Middletown Police Capital Work On The Police Station | $244,000 for HVAC work to the police station to replace outdated systems |
8. Grant For Eight New Firefighters Sunsetting | $525,586 designated in budget to cover loss of federal funding to pay for additional firefighters |
9. Middletown Prevention Coalition | $85,000 reduction in funding with the goal of the MPC becoming grant supported |
10. Capital Improvements | $6.4 million set aside for capital projects across the community, with $4.2 million of that funding going to the new middle-high school and related work |
Coming into Wednesday’s second public hearing, the School Committee and council were firmly on the same page in terms of funding.
While education and town officials agreed they’d love to allocate more to every classroom, the realities facing Middletown — particularly in light of the school bond — such a move wasn’t possible this year.
Incoming Superintendent William Niemeyer has pledged to work closely with town leaders to see where more opportunities for collaboration might be possible.
Since the town and schools merged day-to-day financial operations last year under the oversight of Finance Director Marc Tanguay, the school have been running about a $1 million fund balance. Currently, the town’s finance arm signs off on all School Department purchasing and spending.
During his presentation, Brown expressed thanks to everyone involved in the process from the Town Council and School Committee to Superintendent Rosemarie Kraeger, incoming Superintendent William Niemeyer and school Business Manager Lori Miller.
“I’d like to thank the staff, particularly (Finance Director) Marc (Tanguay), (Director of Shared Financial Services) Raquel (Pellerin) and (Deputy Finance Director) Patrick (Guthlein),” Brown said. “Not only are we providing accurate data, but moving our accounting processes forward.”
Document Link: https://mdl.town/FY25-Budget-Approved