"Open Meetings Portal"

The City of Providence today launched its Open Meetings Portal - a single, public access point for public meeting information.

The site, http://openmeetings.providenceri.com, fulfills a recommendation of a special commission established to find ways the City can use technology to engage residents, and is the result of several months of collaboration between the City Clerk, City Council, and the administration of Mayor Angel Taveras.

ADVOCACY COMMITTEE - Help Wanted

Committee :  Derry Riding, Advocacy Chair 401-209-5091
    Susan Escherich 401-433-4896
    Joanne Devoe 401-247-3004
    Rosemary Forbes-Woodside 401-423-6440
    Jane Koster, LWVRI President 401-339-2351-3004

Subcommittees
1. monitor bills on line as they are introduced that are related to LWV positions
2. alert the advocacy committee which will  work with them to decide if/when we need to testify, write letters, etc. 
3. monitor committee hearings (wearing League Buttons) and report back to Advocacy Committee 
4. meet with their legislators to present League positions and discuss issues
More

We hope to have two or more people to work together on each subcommittee to share the work.  If you are interested, please contact Susan Escherich at 401-433-4896.

LWVRI Legislative Priorities for 2014

• Restoring the jurisdiction of the Ethics Committee over the legislature (partners: Common Cause, ACCESS RI)
• Improving voting procedures and policies (early voting, improved voting machines, eliminating master lever, voter id., etc. ) partner: Common Cause
• Supporting women’s health and reproductive rights.  Partner: RI Coalition for Reproductive Justice
• Promoting  gun safety
• Passing merit selection for magistrates so they are chosen like judges.  Partner: Common Cause
• Counting addresses of prisoners as where they lived when arrested to prevent skewing of populations in redistricting.  Partner: Common Cause
• Reforming redistricting commission makeup.   Partner: Common Cause
• Promoting public education funding that provides equality of opportunity through a system of taxation that is sufficient, equitable, flexible, equitable and coordinated among the different levels of government.

School Board nominating forum postponed

Event postponed to Thursday November 21.

For more information:
Joan

Phone 272-0422

e-mail joan.retsinas@gmail.com

Tax Policy

Reflections, from Sam Zurier, Ward 2 Councilman, at November 13 “Providence Conversation” of Providence League of Women Voters

History

In the more prosperous past, Providence had one tax rate. Only when economic straits tightened and the city needed more revenue, did it split rates: first, commercial from residential; next, within residential, rental from owner-occupied units. Today Providence has one of the highest tax rates for apartments in the state, possibly the country; for a time, the motor vehicle tax in Providence was the highest in the state.     More

THAYER STREET PLANNING STUDY

THAYER STREET PLANNING STUDY

Public Meeting #2

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

5:30 – 7:30 PM

Friedman Auditorium - Brown University Metcalf Research Complex (190 Thayer Street)

 

For more information

Public Forum on the R. I. Constitutional Convention

R. I. Constitutional Convention
Public Forum
Presented by
Operation Clean Government

When: Thursday, November 21, 2013, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Where: Old State House, 150 Benefit Street, Providence, R.I.

For more information: Operation Clean Government (OCG)