The city’s annual budget process is getting underway this month, with the Newport City Council set to hold a series of special budget workshops beginning later this month.
The sessions will take place in the second-floor council chamber at Newport City Hall beginning at 5:30 p.m. and are open to the public. All workshops will also be streamed live and available on-demand on the city’s Community TV page at CityofNewport.com/TV.
The first workshop is scheduled for Monday, March 30, and will focus on the proposed public safety budget, including proposed spending plans for the police, fire and harbors departments.
While not part of the formal budget workshop series, the utilities department will host a separate public meeting on April 1 to explore alternative funding options for the city’s stormwater operations, including the potential creation of a stormwater utility.
On Tuesday, April 7, the council will take up a general budget overview covering projected general fund revenues, capital projects, personnel changes and civic support, along with reports from the city manager’s office and the departments of human resources, communications, finance, canvassing and the city clerk’s office.
Thursday, April 9 will mark the first of two workshops focused on resilience and sustainability, featuring proposed budgets for the public services, planning and IT departments.
The following week, the council will hold a special joint session with the school committee on Wednesday, April 15 to discuss the proposed school budget. A second resilience-related workshop is scheduled for Thursday, April 16 to review the utilities department budget.
Residents unable to attend in person can watch all sessions live or on-demand at CityofNewport.com/TV. A copy of the proposed budget will be posted online in advance of the workshops. Past budgets and the current proposed capital improvement plan are available at CityofNewport.com/Finance.