Lawmakers getting ready to take more money from your pocket

The Rhode Island League of Cities and Cities is a municipal membership group that serves because the unified voice of native authorities in Rhode Island.

Are costs excessive sufficient for you today?  Properly prepare, as a result of the Basic Meeting is contemplating pricey laws that may solely make issues worse.  

It’s arduous to consider, however the Meeting is contemplating making “evergreen” contracts out there for much more municipal staff, benefiting particular pursuits on the expense of taxpayers all through the state. These pricey payments would tie the arms of municipalities, forcing them to soak up contract prices, whereas municipal staff are incentivized to keep away from negotiating on the bargaining desk. In the meantime, Rhode Island’s municipal leaders have been preventing for his or her constituents and stay against this pointless and expensive laws. 

Expiration dates on municipal worker contracts are vital to uphold as a result of they permit and encourage each events to come back collectively in good religion to resolve points via renegotiation. Evergreen contract provisions undo all that.  They take away incentives for workers to make crucial modifications relating to health-care prices, working circumstances or wages.  Inevitably, these perpetual contracts would place limits on municipal leaders’ talents to impose crucial fiscal constraint and management the price of native authorities.

Municipal leaders in Rhode Island proceed to work to make authorities extra environment friendly by providing higher companies and stretching taxpayer {dollars} additional. We’re making progress by implementing trendy know-how, in search of extra environment friendly staffing ranges and utilizing finest practices. Evergreen contracts undermine these efforts by defending outdated contracts and shifting prices on to taxpayers. 

The state Senate lately handed these fiscally irresponsible payments that reward particular pursuits and push prices on taxpayers who’re already struggling to make ends meet. We strongly urge the Home to not do the identical. Evergreen contracts violate the idea of native management.  In truth, there’s even an energetic lawsuit proper now towards an evergreen contract legislation handed in 2019.

Rhode Islanders are already below excessive monetary stress. We urge the Home of Representatives to not make issues worse and drive up prices by passing laws that solely serves particular pursuits. 

The Rhode Island League of Cities and Cities, alongside municipal leaders, will proceed to oppose the pricey, pointless evergreen contracts payments which can have dangerous penalties for native authorities and Rhode Island property taxpayers for years to come back.