On Thursday evening, Providence City Council approved an agreement for Brown University Health — previously Lifespan — to pay $1.5 million in lieu of taxes to the city, an agreement commonly abbreviated as PILOT. The motion passed 12-2.
The council also voted on the first passage of its Comprehensive Plan, a ten-year roadmap for the city, on a margin of 11-2 with two voters absent.The City Council will vote on the Comprehensive Plan for second passage on Nov. 21.
The PILOT agreement
Brown Health will start its PILOT payment program in fiscal year 2025. The agreement expires in three years, at which time Brown Health will propose a new agreement.
In exchange for the payments, Providence will extend the hospital sub-district occupied by Brown Health’s Rhode Island Hospital and approve its construction of a road nearby, The Herald previously reported.
The agreement follows last year’s PILOT agreement between the city and four local nonprofit universities — Brown, Johnson and Wales, Providence College and the Rhode Island School of Design.
Councilor Sue AnderBois (Ward 3) said that she sees this agreement as “a down payment for future negotiations.” Although most nonprofit institutions are exempt from paying taxes to the city, “there is still a duty to contribute,” she added.
While feeling “frustrated and disappointed” with the payment’s amount, “we are not in a position to say no as a city,” Council President Rachel Miller (Ward 13) said. She added that if the city were to reject the proposal, it would receive no financial contributions since there would be no further negotiations.
Councilor Miguel Sanchez (Ward 6) encouraged other councilors to place more pressure on Brown Health and other nonprofit institutions to secure greater contributions in future agreements.
First passage of Comprehensive Plan
Councilor James Taylor (Ward 8), who voted against the plan on Thursday, argued that not enough hearings were held to gather community input after the City Council proposed amendments to the plan.
He said that more research should have been completed for the gas station amendment, which prohibits the development of new gas stations “except by special use permit if the targeted land is unsuitable for residential development,” The Herald previously reported.
In Taylor’s opinion, a lack of gas stations will decrease competition, thus driving up prices. But Sanchez believes that the amendment will not impact gas prices.
Several councilors said that although the Comprehensive Plan is “not perfect,” neither is any one policy.
“I think this is an incredibly strong plan. I think it addresses a lot of the major concerns we have as a city,” AnderBois said. “We’re not going to get 100% of everything we want.”
“We have visionary ideas in our city’s policies,”said Councillor Shelley Peterson (Ward 14), adding that she believes the plan “invigorated our fight for equality, for justice, for a better future.” .
“These (are) real opportunities for all of us, for all of our communities,” she said.
Avani Ghosh is a Metro editor covering politics and justice and community and activism. She is a junior from Ohio studying Health and Human Biology and International and Public Affairs. She is an avid earl grey enthusiast and can be found making tea in her free time.
