But Taveras' spokesman, David Ortiz, says the city's flexibility is limited because of fixed costs for education, pensions, and other parts of the budget. He says slashing the budget further would cut deeper into city services because they'd follow earlier cuts by the administration.

"At the very least, it would mean shuttering libraries and community centers, cutting back on services drastically," Ortiz explains. "And at the same time, the cost of pensions will continue to rise every year if we don't address the root problem."

That root problem, Ortiz says, is an imbalance caused by Providence's pension system and the dollar amount of tax-exempt property in the city.

Taveras warned last week that Providence could face bankruptcy without pension concessions and greater contributions by tax-exempt hospitals and universities.

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