Will Newport's $98.5 million bond go to voters in November? How the House of Reps. voted.
Newport’s proposed $98.5 million bond for infrastructure improvements cleared a hurdle Tuesday, with the House of Representatives’ passage of legislation to put the bond question before voters in November.
The bill (2024-H 8086), sponsored by Rep. Lauren H. Carson now goes to the Senate.
“Our city will benefit tremendously from the projects to be included in the bond proposal, particularly in terms of increasing the resilience of the infrastructure at some of the places that make Newport the special place that it is,” Carson said in a statement.
The legislation authorizes the city to ask voters in November’s election to approve up to $98.5 million in general obligation bonds to finance eight projects in the city’s Capital Improvement Plan.
What the bond will fund
$47 million for a new location for the cramped City Yard and Utilities Offices, some of which has been displaced by the new Pell Bridge ramps.
$5 million for the renovation or demolition of the vacant, city-owned James L. Maher Center on Hillside Avenue.
$12 for Easton’s Beach, including demolition of the carousel and snack bar buildings, and the start of replenishment of eroded sand.
$10 million to remove the soil stockpiled from the construction of the new Rogers High School construction project and the remediation of the Harrison Avenue landfill. The fill from the high school project was originally planned for use at the former landfill, but was deemed too silty.
$5 million to replace the Harbormaster building at Perrotti Park, and add public restrooms.
$2.5 million as the city’s match for a grant from the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank to repair the seawall and make other improvements at King Park to prevent flooding.
$5 million for the city’s share of the repairs to Cliff Walk.
$12 million to replace the Perrotti Park bulkhead.
Why Newport officials say the money is needed
Acting City Manager Laura Sitrin said in February during a presentation on infrastructure and construction projects needed across Newport that city administration believes the work should be funded and worked on over the next five years as a part of the city’s Capital Improvement Plan. However, the amount of work the city needs to do is outpacing the city’s ability to fund it.
The CIP is usually funded through a variety of funding sources, including a transfer from the city’s General Fund, which is paid for through municipal taxes. This year, the amount of money Sitrin projected needed to be pulled from the city’s General Fund is $8.8 million, nearly double the amount from the previous year.
Not included in that $8.8 million figure is the list of eight projects the city is hoping to fund through the bond resolution. Sitrin has said that if the bond is approved it would not obligate the city to issue the entire amount at once, and instead, the city would issue the bonds as the money is needed.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: $98.5 million bond request for Newport projects approved by RI House
