Richmond Voters Reject Budget

By Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA

June 4th 2025

RICHMOND – By a margin of just 18 votes, Richmond residents have rejected the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget. With 779 ballots cast at Tuesday’s referendum, 380 were in favor of the budget and 398 were opposed. There was one under vote.

Voter turnout was very light: 11.8% of Richmond’s 6,570 voters cast their ballots.

Reached Wednesday, Town Council President Samantha Wilcox said,

“With such a low turnout, you never really know which way it’s going to go.”

Wilcox also noted, however, that the turnout was still higher than in previous years, when the town held Financial Town Meetings.

“We had more voters than we had at the Financial Town Meetings that usually have 30 to 50 people show up,” she said. “It’s definitely a positive step in the right direction, but, I think, 88% percent of the people in town did not vote.”

For those residents who were involved in the process, the budget was contentious. Town Council members described the spending plan as responsible, keeping the tax rate at the current level while allocating funds to repairing the town’s deteriorating roads and providing 3% salary increases to town employees. The budget also would have consolidated the town’s recreation and human services department and hiring a grant writer under contract.

The Opposition

Without a tax increase to fight, budget opponents nevertheless framed the proposed plan as the town spending more than the town would take in.

A mailer sent by the Forgotten Taxpayers political action committee described spending as “out of control” and “propelled by Town Administrator Karen Pinch.” The group also took exception to salary increases, the hiring of a grant writer and a proposed consolidation that would have changed the human services position from part-time to full-time.

Jeffrey Dinsmore, the only Republican on the Town Council, was praised in the flier for opposing the budget when the rest of the council supported it. Dinsmore, who was quoted the flier as prioritizing road improvements over staff raises, was called out by several residents on social media

for the salary increases he has received in his position at the Department of Public Works in Westerly.

What Happens Now?

The Town Council will decide on the next steps. The discussion might take place at the next regular council meeting on July 17, or, if that meeting’s agenda is found to be too busy to include a budget discussion, there might be a special council meeting.

“We’ll have to revise the budget and depending on how we revise the budget, we may go to another referendum or not. It’s outlined in our charter,” Wilcox said.

Wilcox said she could not comment on which changes might be made to the budget until the entire council meets.

“We have to cut something,” she said. “I’m just cautious to say we’re going to cut roads or we’re going to cut raises or we’re going to cut anything, because it’s not my decision.

… We could wait until the regularly scheduled meeting. That’s a possibility, but if that meeting already has a lot of agenda items on it, it may make sense to do a special meeting. So, I asked town staff their staff their thoughts. I don’t know how much people have put on the agenda.”

The current budget, Wilcox explained, will remain in effect until a new budget is approved.

“According to the charter, if we don’t have an approved budget by the new Fiscal Year, [July 1] then the town will just continue with the current budget until a budget is approved,” she said.