Warwick City Council

Preview: October 19th City Council Meeting

Hi neighbors,

The City Council meets on Monday, October 19 at 6:30 PM at Warwick City Hall. This is our last meeting of the month, so there will be a public comment period. Here are the items I think are most worth your attention.

1. Vacant property tax: now limited to commercial properties (PCO-8-26 Sub A)
The amended version of the proposed vacant property tax has been filed, and the biggest change is that it would no longer apply to homes. It would cover only commercial buildings left vacant for a full year, plus vacant lots that are littered with trash and clearly abandoned. The rate stays at $10 per $100 of assessed value (10% a year), starting in 2027. Unpaid tax would become a lien that must be paid before the property can be sold. Buyers who take on a vacant property with an approved, funded redevelopment plan would be exempt. The goal is to push owners of long-vacant commercial buildings to fix them up, lease them or sell them, rather than let them sit and drag down the neighborhood.

2. A proposed Financial Oversight Commission (PCO-3-26)
This ordinance would create an 11-member advisory commission to monitor and forecast the City’s revenues, expenses and debt, and to advise on efficiency and capital spending. Members would include:

• the City and School finance directors
• several Council and School Committee chairs
• six residents with financial or business backgrounds

It would meet quarterly and report to the Council before the budget hearings.

I support more oversight of the City’s finances, but I have questions about whether this is the most effective way to get it. Much of this work is already the job of the Council’s Finance Committee. Adding a parallel body risks duplicating that effort rather than strengthening it. It’s also a real challenge to fill volunteer boards like this and keep them engaged. I’d like to be sure any new commission produces meaningful results, not just more meetings. I’ll be listening closely to the discussion.

3. Apponaug apartments and Willow Street (PCO-27-26 and PCO-28-26)
The zone change for the apartment building at 3033 Post Road, on the north side of the Apponaug Circulator, comes up for final approval after receiving preliminary approval in September. A related request would give portions of Willow Street to the developer, Long Range, LLC. The City would keep a permanent easement for utilities, and the developer would pay the appraised value of the land.

4. Appointments and bids
The Council will consider these appointments, which come through the Intergovernmental & Appointments Committee that I chair:

• Tara Booth as City Clerk
• two appointments to the Sewer Board of Review

The bid package (PCR-114-26) totals about $147,000. It covers fire hose testing, snowplow blades, dive masks for underwater rescue, firefighting helmets and other routine items. It also includes small increases to three existing contracts: emergency vehicle lighting, police uniforms and overhead door repairs.

The Council will also take a final vote on the River Street overnight parking ordinance and consider stop signs in other parts of the city.

Clearing up some misconceptions about the new high schools
I’ve heard concerns that the new Pilgrim and Toll Gate High Schools won’t have athletic fields, and that they’re losing a gym. Neither is the case. According to the School Building Committee, here’s what’s included and what isn’t.

Indoor facilities:
Today’s schools each have two smaller gyms. The new schools will each have one larger, collegiate-sized 3-court gym that can hold the entire student body, with 800 fixed seats. Each school will also have:

• an indoor walking track
• an exercise/aerobics studio
• a weight and cardio room
• a wrestling room
• team and individual locker rooms, a trainer’s room, coaching offices and referee spaces

Students will have more space for physical education and athletics, not less.

Outdoor facilities:
Each school will have a stadium with a turf field, a competition-level track, dedicated space for field events, and a grass practice field. The new buildings are going up on part of the existing field areas, so the new fields will be built after the old school buildings come down.

A priority, but not yet funded:

• Baseball and softball fields at both schools. These remain a high priority but cost more than the current budget allows.
• A concessions building with public restrooms at Toll Gate. Plumbing code requires restrooms if the ball fields go in, so the two are linked.
• Perimeter fencing at Pilgrim.

Not currently being advanced: tennis court refurbishment, a Toll Gate greenhouse, an early-childhood playground at Pilgrim, and facade upgrades at the Career and Technical Center.

Another option on the table: Mayor Picozzi has presented the Committee on Recreation with a proposal for a centralized baseball and softball complex at Mickey Stephens. The cost would likely exceed $20 million and would need a mix of state and federal funding, bonding, and possibly a public-private partnership. Some residents would prefer that each high school have its own home field on campus, and there’s real value in that. Whichever direction we go, these are major investments, and we need to weigh the full cost carefully and make a fiscally prudent decision.

The district says the cost of the unfunded ball fields can’t be pinned down yet. Furniture and equipment purchases are still ahead, and contingency funds need to be held until construction is further along.

Toll Gate construction is estimated to be substantially complete on October 28, 2027.

You can see more at https://warwickhighschoolprojects.com/

As always, if you have questions or thoughts on any of these, reply to this email or give me a call. I’d rather hear from you before the vote than after.

Thanks,
Vinny Gebhart
Ward 9 City Councilman