Rhode Island is a state of neighborhoods.
People live in Edgewood, not Cranston; Rumford, not East Providence.
Years ago, when Providence was a vibrant banking center, people didn’t say they worked downtown. They told friends they worked in the Financial District.
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At the behest of Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, the General Assembly is soon to consider two bills that, if approved, would do significant, if not irreparable, damage to the state’s nonprofit institutions.
I AGREE with Mayor David Cicilline when he says that he has a fiscal and moral obligation to find creative solutions for Providence’s budget deficit that do not further burden those who already contribute significantly to the city’s financial well-being. Unfortunately, the mayor does not consider private colleges and their students among those who already bear their fair share of the fiscal burden. On this point we deeply disagree.
Providence officials are expected to unveil details of a plan next month to turn part of downtown into a hub for biotechnology and small start-up companies. WRNI education reporter Elisabeth Harrison looks at a shift at colleges and universities that may help strengthen the “knowledge economy” in Rhode Island.
This week on the Brief, Maggie Lange examines legislation, prompted by Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, that would call for the taxation of large non-profits - universities and hospitals across the state - to raise revenue in tough economic times. This comes after the Mayor’s proposed $300-a-year tax on students at private colleges and universities in Providence drew criticism from the city’s higher education institutions. How does Rhode Island feel about the measure?
In recent weeks, Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline has been promoting legislation that mandates hospitals, colleges and universities pay their “fair share” during this difficult economic time. He says taxing these nonprofit organizations is central to the viability of his city.
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If Mayor David Cicilline ’83 has his way, Providence will become the first city in America to tax private colleges for, of all things, enrolling students. At the mayor’s urging, the Rhode Island House of Representatives recently approved a bill that would let cities impose a $150-per-student fee on private colleges for each semester of the academic year. Another bill under consideration would remove Brown’s tax-exempt status and cost the University additional millions of dollars annually.
Infamously dismissed as “a smudge” on the road from New York to Cape Cod in the early ’80s, Rhode Island has evolved immeasurably over the past two decades. Its capital, Providence, now proudly - and justifiably - refers to itself as “the Renaissance City,” the attractive result of 25 years of forward thinking and $500 million in revitalization projects.
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