Retiree Benefit Issue Looms for Fall Town Meeting
The topic was a major point of concern at Monday night's Board of Selectmen meeting as an article on the Fall Town Meeting warrant hopes to address the issue by investing with the State Retirees' Benefits Trust Fund.
Chelmsford’s Town Meeting representatives will gather in five weeks for the 2012 Fall Town Meeting, and it appears that benefits for municipal retirees will be a key issue on the Town Meeting warrant if Monday night was any indication.
Article 3 on the warrant, which focuses on the “Other Post Employment Benefits” or (OPEB) Liability Trust Fund, and would authorize the town to invest in the State Retirees' Benefits Trust Fund took up the majority Town Manager Paul Cohen’s overview on the warrant, which included issues such as the acquisition of land next to Sunny Meadow Farm and asking the legislature to extend the career of Fire Chief Curran.
Cohen told the board that investing into the state fund would help provide a greater return on investment due to its size and a full-time investment management board that the town would not be able to provide on its own.
OPEB, which consists of life insurance and health insurance benefits for retired municipal employees who worked full time more than 10 years in Chelmsford, but not pension obligations.
According to presentation from Town Finance Director John Sousa, OPEB’s impact on Chelmsford’s municipal budget could double ten years from now, and was a major issue of concern during the town’s recent bond rating assessment by Standard and Poor’s.
Currently funded on a pay-as-you-go basis, Sousa’s presentation indicated that 525 active and 723 retired Chelmsford town employees meet OPEB eligibility requirements, with the number of retirees projected to increase in the future.
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John Doe
3:00 pm on Wednesday, September 12, 2012
It's not enough that they get to build office space on public parks, they get high-end health care plans too!
And who are the ones pushing it? The ones who will RECEIVE it of course...talk about the fox guarding the hen house!
Fred Oleary
3:56 pm on Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Wow, 525 active employees? Where do we get the list? That sounds like a lot.
Ed Turner
2:33 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
I heard no complaints or concerns last night at the towns open meeting held at the Chelmsford Performing Arts Center. So why complain here? I think it is a shame the Town Manager opens the door for the public to voice there issues and only one complaint was heard. Mine. I was there last night. Did I feel I accomplished anything from my concerns. No. As a matter of fact I left at the end of that meeting feeling the usual condensations occurred from above such as Mr Cohen feeling my communication was or must have been mistaken. I really do not know how clearer a citizen of the town and tax payer can make a request for a hard copy of the Towns Bylaws be communicated wrongly at any level. Because each town have there own bylaws usually you must live in that town to get them for free as a tax payer. Of course the State levels General laws and bylaws do require payments. But to be told time and time again no one has the time to print them and will not make an date even to get them is absurd and a civil right infringement. Less the fact the I had brought the concern that at the State level pertaining to Greenhouse Growing Shelters or Structures are considered "Group U" buildings and need not require footing as opposed to Chelmsfords Building Codes. Any one knowing anything about "Portable Grow Structures" no matter how large knows this.
Ed Turner
2:33 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
First most are constructed of Hooped Steel Fencing type material which already are heavy and would not need to be tied or anchored to the ground and are moved around every so often or every few years. Chelmsford’s Building Department feels they need 4 foot cement footings once they reach a certain size. Well it is not that way if you want to have to set cement footings upon every move on your land and little known is the chemical and caustic leaching's cement today places into and around the soil area of which they reside. They are not like foundations of today's homes where they are sealed with rubber or tar before being back filled. Should I have made known my concerns. Yes, I grow exclusively non-hybrid seed edibles and practice organic growing because I do not want chemicals in my body, nor do most people seeking good healthy foods. But again our town Officials took only fond my views just to make jest by the only towns concerned citizen by making sarcasm with joking that because no other concerns or issues by the towns people were brought to them this night by saying. I guess the town is happy and agrees with how we are doing things of 33,000 living in town only one citizen had any issues.
Ed Turner
2:33 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Well, Mr Chairmen of the Board of Selectmen. One thing has not changed in your Official capacity. The public being ridiculed by it's Officials and the result being why bother unless it is on my doorstep any issues with the town. I myself felt that even the snide remarks gotten from the Building department upon requesting the Building Code Bylaws " I giveth the permits, I taketh them away" type threat was doubted by the board who assumed the po0sition they'd never once had a complaint such as this about Bylaws being refused of a citizen in this town. This went with me like hey just call me a liar, you just did in that reply. So why, Why would the public be quick to show face in a public assembly to speak with it's towns Officials. I can at least conclude this. The Art Center revitalized build is very nice. I hope more uses do come of it like maybe even a monthly ballroom dance night or something where tickets are sold to help keep and pay for the improvements.