SMITHFIELD – The Smithfield Town Council voted Tuesday to approve “Town Aided Funds” to WellOne Primary Medical and Dental Care and other organizations providing services to local residents, but not without some controversy and a few sarcastic comments.
Republicans Rachel Toppi and Michael Iannotti said that while they recognize the good work done by the organizations, the town should not be handing out money to outside organizations based on its current financial situation.
The votes for the expenditures were 3-2, with Toppi and Iannotti opposed, opposition Council President John Tassoni described as a “disgrace” and later called the contents of the meeting “another dog and pony show.” God forbid, he said, that anyone on the stage or audience is ever in the same position as some of the people being helped.
Toppi said she strongly believes handing money to outside organizations, especially “those raking millions” and paying executives large salaries, is not appropriate.
The councilwoman said the payouts were tabled previously because representatives from the organizations weren’t there to answer questions, and when she asked Town Manager Bob Seltzer last week to have them present, that request was denied and they weren’t invited to the Sept. 15 meeting.
Even if there is a standard set of questions each organization answers, said Toppi, councilors have the right to do their due diligence and ask their own questions. She said there’s zero oversight for how the money is spent.
Toppi said she sees the Smith-Appleby House or All Lit Up Christmas Parade as different because they’re Smithfield organizations, with local volunteers and services that benefit everyone. They also don’t take in millions of dollars, she said, and need the money for various items.
Iannotti said he agreed, explaining that he sees the organizations as worthy, but he thought when the switched to a new system of applications, there would be objective standards to apply in making the determination. With no standards, Iannotti said, he sees this as a matter of the town donating taxpayers’ money based on personal favorite charities, which is not an appropriate use.
Further, he said, the town has its own public service offerings, including the Department of Human Services, Food Bank, and Police and Fire Departments in need of local funding, and the priority has to be on funding for the town’s own organizations that help people.
Councilor Tom Winfield noted that WellOne took over the old Smithfield Health Exchange and has treated 578 Smithfield people with photos IDs for health, mental health, and dental needs. It is federally regulated, he said, and if Toppi and Iannotti had taken the time to put in a call, they would have learned this information. He said this is a service no longer available in town because WellOne took it over, and there is nothing nefarious about it. WellOne is just trying to get some compensation for this valuable service, in this case $12,000, he said, provided to town residents.
Winfield then said Iannotti voted to defund the town parade, which Iannotti and Toppi denied as “totally inaccurate.”
Resident Tom Hodgkins said representatives from organizations seeking money are typically excited to go to their town meetings to make their case, which makes him wonder if the funding is critical in this case. He said yes, there is a need, but who is going to pay for the gaps in medical coverage? It shouldn’t be the municipality’s responsibility, particularly with Smithfield’s ongoing financial concerns and attempts to change the senior tax freeze. The town can’t keep funding “exploding budgets” with spending residents can’t afford, he added.
Winfield said this council isn’t doing anything to the senior tax freeze.
Tassoni said elected leaders have an obligation to everyone in the town, pointing to the huge increase in need that saw the number of families going to the food bank shoot up from 20 to 200. A lot of people are set to lose their healthcare on October. 1, he said, and if the town didn’t have WellOne and other services, where would they go? Voting no on this is a disgrace, he said.
“I deal with it all day long,” Tassoni said of the rising needs.
Hodgkins then responded that it’s not about whether the services are valuable, but about who should be paying for them. Tassoni retorted by asking him if he’s really worried about $12,500 to make sure more than 500 people are taken care of.
When Tassoni said Hodgkins should offer an alternative proposal, Hodgkins responded that the town should start a charitable fund through tax bills allowing people who can afford it to contribute their own money to the cause, rather than making it compulsory for everyone. Tassoni responded that that’s actually a great idea, and others agreed.
Councilor Angelica Bovis said she also appreciated Hodgkins offering a solution, saying they often hear complaining with no ideas. She said she challenges everyone to work for a better process going forward.
Bovis said the town’s application is excellent and answered her questioned. She said she called the applicants, “unlike some others on this stage,” and got the information she needed. This is the first time the town has employed this process, Bovis said, she she envisions it being tailored going forward.
The 578 residents served by WellOne made 2,087 combined visits for health services, she added, so that’s about $20 per resident for the three visits made on average per person. While it looks like a big number, when you break down who is being helped and the direct impact to Smithfield, she’s comfortable with it. She said the town has the responsibility to take care of its residents, citing “scary statistics” of late. Many seem to think Smithfield is a wealthy community without the issues seen elsewhere, said Bovis, and that’s just not true.
She also pointed to statistics from Sojourner House where 29 people were helped by the organization aiding people impacted by domestic violence and 13 of those required housing.
“To me, that’s a big deal,” Bovis said.
Iannotti said yes, the services should be provided, but the town also provides them, and there’s only so much money to go around. As Toppi said, he declared, he doesn’t think these organizations are about to go out of business, and Smithfield needs to get control of its budget and think carefully about where dollars are going. Sending money elsewhere means there’s less of it for town organizations, he said.
Tassoni responded that thousands of people are about to lose their healthcare, and Smithfield needs to make sure they’re not left behind. This isn’t a lot of money, he said.
Ian McLean, of the Budget and Financial Review Board, said he and his wife donate to causes as a personal decision, after getting help himself earlier in life, and that’s how it should be, not mandated by the government. Smithfield is in a budget crisis and is trending above $1 million over budget this year, he said.
Tassoni asked him where he would be if he hadn’t gotten that help. McLean responded that such organizations should be supported, but not right now at a cost to taxpayers. The town doesn’t have to fund these challenge this month, he said, but can wait until early next year to see where things are.
Prior to the 3-2 vote for the expenditures, Bovis got clarification that the money is earmarked for the purpose of helping Smithfield residents, and was told yes. Iannotti responded that he assumes the money goes straight into the organizations’ general fund.
In addition to the money for WellOne Primary Medical and Dental Care, $2,500 was approved for the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, $10,000 to the Smithfield Historical Society, and $2,500 to the Sojourner House.
On Sept. 27, the town will host a food drive to help those in need. Organized by Tassoni and Winfield, it will be held at Anderson Winfield Funeral Home, 2 Church St. in Smithfield, and run from 9 a.m. to noon.
Items collected will be donated to the Smithfield Human Services food bank. Items needed include canned food, pasta and sauce, soup, cereal, and oatmeal.
Come by for the Cider and Spice Doughnut truck while dropping off donations.
The food bank is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 10 a.m. to noon by appointment. Drop-off hours run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Smithfield Senior Center, or during regular hours at the food pantry.
Regularly needed items include proteins, canned vegetables, fruits, peanut butter, pasta, rice, personal hygiene items, laundry detergent, toilet paper, and paper towels. Also accepted are monetary donations for perishable foods.
