Residents Information

This economy and its uncertainty is the driving force for all our decisions at a town level right now. The burden should not be placed on the backs of the citizens, for poor spending strategies at the state level. We are striving to reduce spending and maintain services. Not an easy task with the economy in an upheaval.

We have sought out and received many grants, most of which did not require matching funds, so we can offset any costs that we had anticipated. We are currently working on several more grants to help our town.

Our Green Initiatives process is in full swing. We are committed to making North Smithfield a greener, safer community. We have a group of concerned citizens who are looking to partner with us to move forward ideas such as wind, increased recycling, and energy savings in our town and school buildings. They will also assisting creating an increased awareness of green lifestyle opportunities for all of us.

This year's challenge is facing us head on. We all know that unemployment is over 12% in our state. Keeping jobs is more important than ever, but everyone must be very clear about what this means and how to achieve collective goals. We must hold firm to reduce spending. Costs are escalating with little new revenue expected to be generated. The math is simple: no new revenue + increased costs = reduction in spending.

As a result of that reality, some of our town unions are at the table, working to protect their rights, as well as realistically embrace the true magnitude of a recession. We are working with negotiating teams, rolling up our sleeves and making tough choices.

I will keep you posted on all changes. Please check our Web site periodically to get information that may affect you and the town,