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Providence Mayor Smiley Threatens Budget Cuts

Mayor Brett Smiley warned the city could significant budget cuts if forced to pour millions into school funding.
Nina Sparling / The Public's Radio
Mayor Brett Smiley warned the city could significant budget cuts if forced to pour millions into school funding.

The city is waiting on a Superior Court judgment that could require it to kick in additional millions in school funding

Libraries. Parks. Summer programming for kids. The latest phase of the legal battle between city and state over funding the Providence School Department could mean significant reductions in these and other essential city services, Mayor Brett Smiley announced at a press conference on Tuesday.

“We’re going to have no choice but to have harmful, harmful cuts,” Smiley said. “(They) are going to impact the very same children and families that the school department says that they’re trying to help.”

City employees could face a furlough, Smiley said. New hires and discretionary spending are already on pause. Tax increases are on the table, Smiley warned.

This story was reported by The Public's Radio. You can read the entire story here.

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