PROVIDENCE – Mayor Jorge O. Elorza signed the fiscal year 2018 budget Tuesday, highlighting the city’s focus and investment in education and training, public safety, and investment in neighborhoods for families and businesses.
This year’s combined city and school budget of $734 million represents a 2.4 percent increase over the fiscal 2017 budget of $717 million, and includes a $3.6 million increase in the city’s contribution to its public schools, the first increase in seven years.
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Funds allotted for the Providence Public School District total $378 million, making up 52 percent of the total FY 2018 budget. In FY 2017, the total public school budget was $364 million.
The city has allocated $1 million to fund the One Providence for Youth summer jobs program, which aims to increase youth employment by 40 percent. Another $1 million will support citywide summer learning programs as well as $1 million for new Chromebooks, 3-D printers and other equipment to improve students’ access to technology.
Public safety is budgeted for $157 million in FY 2018, 21.4 percent of the total operating budget, and includes funding for 40 police academy candidates and approximately 150 fire department academies.
The Providence Police Department will also receive $200,000 for specializing training and technology under the Community Safety Act, also called the Providence Community-Police Relations Act, a controversial ordinance passed by the City Council on June 1 to improve community-police relations and police accountability.
“This budget represents a collective vision for ‘One Providence’ that is helping to create a city of opportunity,” said Elorza in a release. “Not only are we holding the line on taxes, we are making a historic increase in our investment to schools, providing additional support to marginalized groups, bolstering our public safety personnel, and strategically undertaking infrastructure improvements in our neighborhoods.”
Providence expects to draw $267 million in revenue through property taxes in FY 2018, unchanged from the previous year. Excise taxes are expected to increase slightly, however, to $32.5 million from $30.8 million in FY 2017.
Kaylen Auer is a reporter for PBN.
