November 9, 2005
Contact: Sue Baker - 738-2000
For Immediate Release
WARWICK – Mayor Scott Avedisian announced today a number of changes that he will ask the Charter Review Committee to recommend in its final report.
Avedisian reiterated two school-related proposals that he has recently announced: consideration of granting the School Committee its own taxing authority to make its members accountable for the money that must be raised to support the schools, or changing the School Committee from an elected body to an appointed one. Starting with the end of members’ terms in 2010, the Mayor would appoint qualified electors of the city to serve as members, with the advice and consent of the City Council.
Avedisian said he would also recommend that that committee discuss adding non-voting student members to the School Committee’s permanent makeup.
The mayor said he would also ask the committee to recommend revision of section 6-12, which regulates the awarding of bids for purchases and contracts. Current language requires that the city go out to bid for anything in excess of $1,000 and that the City Council approve any contracts costing more than $2,500. The current guidelines are outdated, given the increasing cost of products and services, Avedisian said. Accordingly, he will recommend that the language be changed to allow the Purchasing Agent to award all purchases and contracts in excess of $5,000 but less than $10,000, with City Council approval necessary for any bid for a contract costing more than $10,000.
Avedisian is also recommending that the committee consider language changes that would make the Tax Assessor’s position classified exempt, in order to give it standing equal to that of the Tax Collector’s position. Doing so would potentially help to expand the pool of qualified applicants in the future.
Other suggestions include language changes to modernize the City Charter; for example, it refers to Warwick as a town, not a city; gives the Board of Public Safety the authority over police property, pay of officers, purchase of supplies and repair of property; does not include the police and fire departments among other departments; refers to deposits of licensing fees once each month, instead of the current practice of daily deposits with the Treasurer’s Office; and refers to the licensing powers and appointment of constables and the appointment of steamboat and railroad police. (Supbart A; Article VIII; Subpart B “Related Acts; Ch. 1, Board of Public Safety)
He will also advise a change in Article 8-17 to abolish the Sewer Board of Assessment Review. As residents can still appeal to the Sewer Authority directly (Related Acts, 2-12), elimination of the board would make the assessment process far more efficient while maintaining fairness for Warwick citizens. Additionally, he will recommend the abolition of reference to a city water supply board, consisting of water commissioners. As there has not been a board in place in decades, and its powers are now vested in the director of the Department of Public Works and/or Water Division chief, the language is out of date.
Avedisian said the recommendations come, in part, after discussions with various city department directors and that more suggestions may also be forthcoming in the weeks ahead.