Providence Citizen Guides - City Council

The following citizen guides are meant to answer your questions about important city processes and procedures. Each topic is summarized for easy reading and comprehension.  New topics will be added as they are created.

Budget Process
Guide to Budget Process
City Budget Timeline

WPRI: 5 members of the Providence City Council refuse to support $40M bond plan

By Dan McGowan, WPRI.com Reporter
 Published: October 13, 2016, 11:26 pm  |  Updated: October 13, 2016, 11:35 pm

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Five members of the Providence City Council are calling for city residents to vote against a proposed $40-million infrastructure bond unless a “clean” spending plan is released within the next week...

The councilors’ statement came a week after Mayor Jorge Elorza threatened to veto a proposal from Council President Luis Aponte that would give individual councilors more of a say over how $20 million of the proceeds should be spent. Elorza called the proposal a “slush fund.”
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State Referendum: Question 1: STATE CONSTITUTIONAL APPROVAL - Tiverton Casino

Approval of an act authorizing state-operated casino gaming at “Twin River-Tiverton” in the Town of Tiverton
 Section 22 of Article VI of the Constitution

Pro: Yes on the Tiverton Casino

Con: No Tiverton Casino!
         Save Tiverton
         No Casino RI
         R.I. Progressive Democrats


Pros and Cons for the Tiverton Casino - What Each Side Says
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
GoLocalProv News Team

Five Big Issues Being Debated About the Tiverton Casino
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
GoLocalProv Business Team

Rhody Votes '16: Tiverton Residents Consider Twin River Casino Proposal
By JOHN BENDER • NOV 2, 2016
Rhode Island Public Radio

EDITORIAL: Question #1, Expansion of Gambling is a Business Decision
Sunday, November 06, 2016
EDITORIAL GoLocalProv


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State Referendum: Question 2: AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE - Ethics Commission

Restoration of ethics commission jurisdiction over General Assembly members
 Section 8 of Article III and Section 5 of Article VI of the Constitution

Approval of Question 2 would restore ethics panel oversight of R.I. Assembly
By Alisha A. Pina
Journal State House Bureau
Posted Sep 25, 2016 at 11:41 PM 
Updated Sep 25, 2016 at 11:41 PM

Pro: Yes on 2 - Coalition for Ethics Reform

Con: ACLU of Rhode Island Position Paper on Question 2, the Ethics Commission Constitutional Amendment

From the Commissioner's Memo to Friends of Education 9/28/2016

RI-CAN issues annual report on R.I. education

For your information, RI-CAN has issued its annual report, The State of R.I. Public Education, which contains information on student demographics, the teaching corps, K-12 achievement, postsecondary education, finances, and other aspects of public education in Rhode Island.

Education Week Research Center issues report on teachers' perspectives

The Education Week Research Center has issued a report, Mindset in the Classroom: A National Study of K-12 Teachers. The report is based on a survey that was designed to examine teachers' perspectives, professional development and training, and classroom practices.

State Referendum: Question 6: GREEN ECONOMY BONDS – $35,000,000

For environmental and recreational purposes, to be allocated as follows:
 (a) Historic State Park Development Program $4,000,000
 (b) State Land Acquisition Program $4,000,000
 (c) State Bikeway Development Program $10,000,000
 (d) Brownfield Remediation and Economic Development $5,000,000
 (e) Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program $3,000,000
 (f) Local Recreation Development Matching Grant Program $5,000,000
 (g) Local Land Acquisition Matching Grant Program $4,000,000

For information in support of The Green Economy Bond:
http://www.yeson6ri.com/

Green space could sprout in R.I. cities
Green Economy Bond would clean up brownfields, create bike paths, parks  
  By Alex Kuffner Journal Staff Writer

Information against: RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity

WPRI: Here are the lowest-scoring bridges in the state

By Tim White
Published: September 22, 2016, 9:55 pm  |  Updated: September 23, 2016, 4:59 pm

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — There are 18 bridges across Rhode Island that have a lower “sufficiency rating” than the Huntington Avenue Viaduct Bridge, which state officials have declared needs urgent and immediate repairs, a Target 12 review of state transportation data found...

Target 12 requested the sufficiency rating of all bridges statewide and found there were 19 spans – including the Huntington – that scored a 19 or below...

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