PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza has proposed a nearly $717 million city budget that includes reductions in residential and commercial property tax rates.
The budget proposal represents a $20 million increase in spending from last year.
The Elorza administration says most property owners would see their tax bills increase due to recent property re-evaluations that found the average property values grew between 7 percent and 10 percent.
The plan calls for increasing the car tax exemption from $1000 to $2,000 and allocates money for 60 police recruits 80 firefighter recruits.
The proposal also dedicates millions for firefighter overtime.
The mayor’s office will present its proposal to the City Council Finance Committee next week.
