Comments made to the: North Kingstown Town Council 1-26-09
Budget Suggestions For 09-10 And Beyond
Town Manager Embury and his directors have, for the last few months been struggling with the directive from the council to prepare a budget with little or no impact to the taxpayers.
The national recession coupled with the years of fiscal mismanagement of the state budget by the Rhode Island House and Senate have left this state in a financial meltdown of their own making.
Years of over spending and the use of one time only moneys to cover up the problem have not been successful, nor were they the actions of people with financial wisdom.
The actions of the governor to clean up this irresponsible fiscal mess have been met with unwarranted criticism.
The fiscal state problems have been transferred to the Rhode Island communities at a time when they and the local taxpayers are least prepared or capable of handling this extra financial burden.
State aid is being reduced, many taxpayers are unemployed, some have lost their home to foreclosure, senior citizens have had their 401k investments reduced by 30%-40% and utility costs have risen to unprecedented highs.
During the years I have been a taxpayer and resident, our town employees have been compensated very generously by the taxpayers of North Kingstown.
There has never been an action to reduce or take away benefits bargained for ------ but now things are different-the taxpayers never bargained for a national recession and a Rhode Island unemployment rate of 10%.
Mr Embury and counter parts at the school administration have been looking at deductions in personnel and other items that could be reduced to manage the 09-10 budget.
This recession will get worse and will certainly make the 10-11 budget process a nightmare-- with service reductions unacceptable and a school program that may not be viable without tax increases.
The largest budget item for any town and school is salaries and benefits.
I think this is the time when our employees have a chance to “give back” to the citizens and taxpayers of North Kingstown who have been so generous to them over the years.
It is also a time to heed the call of President Obama “That it is a time for all to sacrifice.”
I am asking the town council and our union and non union employees consider forgoing their contracts for a period of time and have their salaries frozen .— This time period would be determined by the council and school committee.
This would give the town council and school committee time to fully consider the impact of the recession and insure that only redundant or unrequired personnel are reduced and that the services to the taxpayers and students are not affected.
Such actions by the town employees would be a message heard throughout the state and nation it would also send a message to the students throughout the state that “our employees were willing to help those that had been so generous to them over the years.
This would need to be coupled with a redoubled effort by the town council and by the school committee to aggressively consolidate” like “activities with all other communities that are like minded and insure that there are no redundant services rendered between school and town government.
I do realize that this is far from a perfect solution. However, it is only in “the theater of the absurd” that elected officials and town employees would ask those that are unemployed or have lost so much of their retirement savings to fund an increase in pay for those that are employed.
Dick Bee
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