East Providence Mayor Bob DaSilva has unveiled his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2027 (which runs from Nov. 1, 2026 to Oct. 31, 2027), amounting to $209,930,748.

In the broad picture, the budget represents a $4,830,687 (2.36%) overall increase over the $205.1 million budget for last fiscal year, and would require a tax levy increase of 3.5% to fund expenses — approaching but still below the annual state limit of 4%.

The budget also fully funds the requested 4% increase in local contributions to the school department (the maximum allowed annually), amounting to $61,871,436 in aid and representing $2.37 million above last year’s appropriation. The city’s total spend on the school department is proposed at $106,866,061 (amounting to 51% of the total budget).

DaSilva wrote in his introductory letter to the city council that, in addition to the 4% increase to help fund school salaries and operations, another large cost driver in the budget was an increase of $306,446 to continue paying off bonded debt service for (mostly) school construction projects. The mayor budgeted $18,094,629 for debt service in FY27, up from $17,788,183 in FY26.

Additionally, the city faces a $421,457 increase (6.74%) in healthcare costs for municipal employees; a $1.32 million (4.33%) increase for municipal salaries and contractual obligations; and a $196,558 (1.4%) increase in its annual recommended contribution (ARC) towards the fire and police pension funds — an expense that rang alarm bells last year, as this expense has now nearly doubled in the last decade. The city spent just over $7 million on its pensions funds in FY18; the FY27 budget puts aside just under $14 million.

“The primary factors of this budget increase is the school debt service, school department operations, healthcare, and local pension fund contributions,” DaSilva wrote. “Another factor causing the current budget increase is the continued impact of inflation and broader economic conditions, including the rising costs of fuel, electricity, materials, services, insurance, and other essential operating expenses have increased the cost of providing day-to-day municipal services.”

DaSilva said that the city leveraged $36 million in state, federal, and philanthropic grant dollars to lessen financial burden on taxpayers, and that an anticipated economic growth of $45 million in the coming months should create upwards of $850,000 in tax revenue to further lessen the burden.

“Despite the extraordinary budget pressures that the City is facing in the next fiscal year, including debt service and pensions contributions, the Administration was able to keep the tax levy increase to 3.5%,” DaSilva wrote.

Small capital budget

The FY27 budget proposes a relatively small amount of $1,084,667, at least compared to the roughly $4 million budgeted for capital projects in FY26.

Within that proposal is $750,000 for road paving, $250,000 for a city match to a $4.2 million federal grant for traffic signal improvements throughout the city, and $84,667 for the purchase of a police cruiser.
The East Providence City Council will hold its first budget hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at city hall.

Major increases/decreases

Below we isolated individual budgetary increases and decreases contained within East Providence Mayor Bob DaSilva’s proposed FY2027 budget, broken down by department and organized from highest overall increase/decrease to lowest.

BUDGET INCREASES

Police - $1,573,333 increase (8.6% over FY26 funding)
Fire - $477,388 increase (1.6% over FY26)
Highway Dept. - $352,018 increase (5.9% over FY26)
Recreation - $256,242 increase (34.8% over FY26)
Refuse disposal - $201,451 increase (5.3% over FY26)
Public buildings - $193,284 (11.8% over FY26)
Libraries - $130,537 increase (4.5% over FY26)
Assessment - $111,180 increase (17.9% over FY26)
Mayor’s office - $99,586 increase (20% over FY26) ***
Information technology - $84,383 increase (7.8% over FY26)
Senior services - $76,219 increase (13.3% over FY26)
Building inspection - $60,615 increase (5.5% over FY26)
Engineering - $58,901 increase (8.8% over FY26)
Carousel - $48,664 increase (26.4% over FY26)
Central garage - $47,357 increase (4.5% over FY26)
City clerk - $34,972 increase (3.8% over FY26)
Pierce Stadium - $21,250 increase (15.6% over FY26)
City council - $20,700 increase (12.2% over FY26)
Animal shelter - $16,808 increase (3.8% over FY26)
Streetlights - $13,500 increase (3.1% over FY26)
Legal - $12,804 increase (2.6% over FY26)
Office of Municipal Integrity - $10,738 increase (6.4% over FY26)
Human resources - $7,530 increase (0.9% over FY26)
Canvassing authority - $6,613 increase (2.1% over FY26)
Harbormaster - $3,000 increase (4.8% over FY26)
Director of Public Works - $1,058 increase (0.3% over FY26)

BUDGET DECREASES

Miscellaneous - $3,314,863 decrease (43.5% under FY26)
Planning - $117,236 decrease (13.7% under FY26)
Treasury - $87,734 decrease (17.2% under FY26)
Finance - $16,941 decrease (1.7% under FY26)
Central communications - $11,177 decrease (0.7% under FY26)

*** When asked about the 20% increase to the mayor's office budget, city communications director, Matt Paddock, said that this reflects the fact that the mayor's former chief of staff, Patricia Resende, did not utilize an employee healthcare plan. Andre Herrera, who was hired last year as Director of Policy & Constituent Services (a separate, new position within the office), opted to utilize a healthcare plan. The city also included budgtary funds to hire a new chief of staff, which Paddock said would come with a higher salary than Resende had been receiving to more accurately reflect the responsibilities of the position working for the fifth-largest municipality in the state.

Additionally, the mayor's position will see a $30,000 raise when the winning candidate takes office in January, which was  approved by the city council last year.  The mayor's salary, which is currently $90,000 per year, is the lowest of the six most populous cities in the state. At $120,000 it will be tied for third with Woonsocket (Providence is the highest-paid, Pawtucket is the second-highest).