R.I. Gen. Laws § 44-5.1-1 — Purpose

(a) There are numerous vacant and abandoned properties throughout the cities and towns
of Rhode Island.
(b) The existence of vacant and abandoned properties within a city or town contributes
to the deterioration of its viable real estate.
(c) Vacant and abandoned properties sometimes place a greater demand on essential city
or town services such as police and fire protection than do occupied properties comparably
assessed for real estate tax purposes.
(d) The owners of vacant and abandoned properties do not always contribute a fair share
of the costs of providing the foregoing essential city or town services financed in
part by real estate tax revenues, which revenues are solely based on the assessed
value of properties.
(e) Some properties are deliberately left vacant by their owners in the hope that real
estate values will increase, thereby enabling the owners to sell these properties
at a substantial profit without making any of the required repairs or improvements
to the property.
(f) The nonutilization of property whether for profit speculation, tax benefit, or any
other purposes is the making use of that property and as such, is a privilege incident
to the ownership of the property.
(g) Owners of vacant properties must be encouraged to use the properties in a positive
manner to stop the spread of deterioration and to increase the stock of viable real
estate within a city or town.
(h) Owners of vacant and abandoned properties must be required, through a city’s or town’s
power to tax, to pay a fair share of the cost of providing certain essential city
or town services.