EAST PROVIDENCE — The City Council held the second in a series of workshop sessions Thursday, Sept. 24, reviewing the $169,051,000 Fiscal Year 2020-21 budget submitted by the administration of Mayor Bob DaSilva.

Reviews
Last Thursday night, the council briefly took up the requested outlay of $265,352 for the Canvassing Department. That figure down is slightly from $270,103, though it does include a modest jump to $35,000 in part-time pay due to being an election year. Part-time costs last fiscal year were $15,000.

The council conducted a bit more lengthy discussion on the proposed budget for the Department of Public works, an allocation in FY20-21 of $12,421,413 up from $12,164,334.

In his opening remarks, DPW Director Steve Coutu told the council of his department’s request next year, “This is what we need to run the operation. It’s very encompassing. We do a lot for the city.”

On how he approaches the budget process annually, he added, “I’m going in with what I think I really need. I’m not looking for anything extra.”

As was explained by the mayor two nights earlier at the council’s initial workshop, much of the roughly $280,000 increase sought for DPW is to meet contractual obligations negotiated with employees.

Broken down by division, the department’s presumed expenditures for FY20-21 are as follows:
Director’s office, $290,476 up from $278,471; Building Inspection, $905,185 up from from $845,719; Engineering, $730,470 up from $724,042; Highway and Parks, $4,705,526 down from $4,840,880; Streetlights,
$600,000, no change; Refuse Disposal, $3,063,912 up from $2,854,969; Public Buildings, $1,283,976 up from $1,201,715; and Central Garage, $841,869 up from $818,538.

Of note, in the budget for the Refuse Disposal, the increase represents the anticipated cost of the contract the city renegotiated with MTG-MEGA Disposal, LLC originally in the spring of 2018 and which was amended earlier this year as East Providence transitioned to its new automated rubbish collection system.

Next workshop
The council’s third and last scheduled workshop on the FY20-21 budget is slated for Thursday night, Oct. 1, at City Hall in the council chamber at 6:30 p.m. The forum can also be accessed online by visiting https://clerkshq.com/EastProvidence-ri.

The complete draft FY2020-21 budget can be viewed at https://stories.opengov.com/eastprovidenceri/published/iNesDQzug