The Coming Storm
Local unfunded employee benefits have started a debate which has opened up Cape Cod’s townspeople’s eyes as to what is quickly approaching. According to the Cape Cod Times (2-13-11) the 2008 estimate for my town is 63.4 million, which the Chairwoman of the Board of Selectman said “It’s a huge thing hanging over Provincetown’s head.”
So will all the towns continue to kick the can down the road and hold taxpayers hostage over the next couple of years? Or will citizens call for a reasonable plan in their next town meeting? This may call for adopting a statue that automatically places retirees on Medicare as their primary health insurer provider. Counter proposals have been offered which cost taxpayers less but may require workers to contribute to their healthplans. Provincetown pays 80% of the worker’s premiums (highest on Cape), while other towns contribute 50-75%. Bottom line is that the issue must be addressed before it is too late. The least of all decisions needs to be a plan to set aside money in advance.
All of us have been struggling lately with high food and gas prices and here most private workers are seasonally employed. We have great respect for the 45 town workers but we also hope that can hear our voice too. This is not about”us” vs “them, it’s about the future of Provincetown.