Justin. Thank you for this graphic. This is exactly why we have voted for the minimum increase. Just a few other points of note. Back in the 90's Tiverton was touted as a great place to retire. Some folks agreed and moved here. Just in (no pun intended) time to see the town decide to build three new schools at the same time. So these folks who lived abroad came here to pay for Tiverton Schools. It never dawned on anyone that the schools could be purchased in phases so as not to burden the town all at once (for 30 years). Other buildings go in disrepair while we are all flabbergasted by the ever-increasing "needs" of the town. It would be interesting to see projections of the graphic considering school loan payoffs, any imaginary income from the casiNO, etc...
You mention "pensions" I think this is one major issue of concern. We see towns across the state going bankrupt over pensions. Had we stuck with an increase closer to the graphic, it might have been sustainable. But we didn't. Something's got to give. I would suggest looking into phasing in matching IRA contributions for new employees of the town. In the short term it costs more to match their contribution (to a point) but long run we aren't locked into 100's of thousands for a person who worked 20 and bails to Florida. Also, if someone decides the job isn't for them, they can leave and take the vested portion with them.
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