July was another busy month for the City Council. During a lengthy special Council meeting on July 25, Councilors passed a resolution hiring a Providence law firm to take legal action against an agreement that allowed 10 downtown buildings controlled by Arnold “Buff” Chace and affiliates to pay significantly lower property taxes to the city in the amount of approximately $42.5 million over 30 years.
The 13 to 1 vote (1 councilor was absent) formalized the agreement between the council and the firm of Wistow, Sheehan, and Loveley. Councilors were briefed in executive session first by the City Solicitor on options for the city and then separately by the WSL firm on their findings and recommendations to legally act against the original 2021 consent judgment (Harrisburg Associates, LLC, et al. v. The City of Providence et al. PC-2020-04757).
“I’m looking forward to attempting to vacate the consent order,” said attorney Max Wistow. “The consent order is not only harmful to the city but completely unjustified and hurts Providence’s low-income residents.”
The city’s Internal Auditor, Gina Costa, initially highlighted concerns about the agreement in a December 2022 report.
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