The article entitled “Austerity budget cuts spending” printed in the April 4, 2024 edition of the Cranston Herald incorrectly stated that Mayor Kenneth Hopkins intended to downsize the city workforce by 24 positions as part of the financial year 2025 budget proposal. There are no positions being cut as part of the FY 2025 budget proposal. During his speech to the city council, Hopkins made reference to downsizing of the city workforce by 24 positions which took place in FY 2023 as one of several measures taken to improve the city’s financial position. The relevant passage from Hopkins’ speech reads in full as follows:

“With diligence and careful management of tax dollars and city spending, my message tonight is in part very encouraging for our city, but my message is cautionary. At the same time next year we’ll require attention and scrutiny in how we do business to control our spending. We have made great strides in our financial status through difficult decisions, like eliminating 24 positions to downsize our workforce, and other cost cutting initiatives helped to reduce the size of our government. Our improved financial direction will be presented with serious challenges going forward. I present you this budget plan as an austerity budget that I consider pro-taxpayer but will require commitment and sacrifice in the execution and delivery of services. My department directors will see that I am asking once again for them to do more with less. There are essentially no new programs or increased discretionary spending included. All city department heads will be directed to manage their budgets while meeting my expected level of service to our tax payers, and to do so with the current staffing levels.”

Hopkins’ full address to City Council is available to watch on the City of Cranston’s Youtube channel: youtube.com/@cityofcranston in the Live section, in a video recording of the livestream titled “April 1, 2024, Special City Council, Claims, Safety Services & Licenses and Finance Meeting”. The quoted section begins at 17:38.