Special Committee on Ways and Means | Regular Meeting | May 19th, 2026 | 5:30pm

The Providence City Council's Special Committee on Ways and Means held a regular meeting on May 19, 2026, focusing extensively on departmental budgets and procurement activities for fiscal year 2027. Key discussions included the Planning and Development Department's budget reduction and staffing challenges, with plans to fill six vacant positions despite defunding one. The Department of Inspections and Standards presented a budget increase of 10%, highlighting contracts such as a competitively bid $200,000 annual contract with Lombardo's Law for title searches and a sole source contract for boarding services anticipated to reach $200,000. The department is also undertaking a phased document scanning initiative budgeted at $250,000. The Office of Economic Development reported a 4% budget increase, with allocations for professional services, grants, and contracts exceeding $50,000, including youth job programs awarded through an RFP process. The meeting also addressed policy and operational issues affecting procurement, such as salary reviews, minority and women-owned business participation in city contracts, and coordination with state-level certification processes. Motions to enter budget items into the record and to continue agenda items were passed unanimously.