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6/14/2024
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Assembly approves bills for Newport
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Legislation enables higher cruise ship passenger fees, bond question for Newport city infrastructure
STATE HOUSE – The General Assembly has approved bills sponsored by Rep. Lauren H. Carson and Sen. Dawn Euer enabling Newport to raise its landing and boarding fees for cruise ships and to seek city voters’ approval in November for $98.5 million bond for infrastructure improvements. The bills, both of which are backed by the City Council, now head to the governor’s desk.
The bond bill (2024-H 8086, 2024-S 3092) authorizes the city to ask voters in November’s election to approve up to $98.5 million in general obligation bonds to finance numerous projects in the city’s Capital Improvement Plan, including, among others:
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$6.1 million for road and sidewalk improvements
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$12 million for Easton’s Beach, including demolition of the carousel and snack bar buildings, and the start of replenishment of eroded sand.
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$10 million to remove the soil stockpiled from the construction of the new Rogers High School construction project and the remediation of the Harrison Avenue landfill. The fill from the high school project was originally planned for use at the former landfill, but was deemed too silty.
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$3.75 million for the city’s share of the repairs to Cliff Walk.
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$20 million to replace the Perrotti Park bulkhead, replace the Harbormaster building and other park repairs
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$5.375 for Easton’s Ponds
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$1.375 million for stormwater and engineering for the North End
“Our city will benefit tremendously from the projects to be included in the bond proposal, particularly in terms of increasing the resilience of the infrastructure at some of the places that make Newport the very special place that it is,” said Representative Carson (D-Dist. 75, Newport).
The cruise ship fees bill (2024-S 3021A, 2024-H 8027A) authorizes the city to raise the landing and boarding fees it collects from cruise ships that stop by the city. Currently, the city collects $3 for each passenger when a ship lands, and again when it embarks from the city. The legislation enables the city to raise that fee to $10, for a total of $20 for each passenger when cruise ships visit. The fee has not been raised since 2014.
“Cruise ships bring many thousands of visitors into our city, but since they aren’t staying in our hotels, and many, if not most, aren’t dining in our restaurants, landing and docking fees are essentially the only direct avenue the city has to benefit financially when cruise ships visit. Especially at a time when we need to make substantial investments in some of the infrastructure that keeps our shoreline intact and enables cruise passengers to visit, the city should be able to bring these fees in line with those of similar destinations,” said Senator Euer (D-Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown).
During hearings for the bill, Newport Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong testified that the city plans to raise the fee gradually over the course of several years, beginning in 18 months, and that $10 would be competitive with other ports in the region.
He said the funds would be used to cover the debt service on the bond for infrastructure upgrades at Perrotti Park, which is where passengers from large cruise ships arrive in Newport.
According to Discover Newport, 62 large cruise vessels are scheduled to anchor and let passengers disembark at Perrotti Park in 2024. The schedule for the smaller vessels that dock at Fort Adams State Park has not yet been released. By Discover Newport’s count, 117,071 cruise passengers stopped in Newport last year.
For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923
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