Michael Riley: The Municipal Pension Study Commission Is A Failure
Tuesday, February 04, 2014
Michael G. Riley, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER™
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Rhode Island's cities and towns are in worse shape than ever, thanks to the governor's Municipal Pension Study Commission.
Governor Chafee’s
Municipal Pension Study Commission has failed. Reflecting the incrementalist behavior of our governor, this committee has asked the bare minimum of cities and towns, let slide various deadlines, and acted more like a cheerleader than disciplinarian. We are most emphatically in crisis, and this issue of local pension and OPEB debt hangs like the Sword of Damocles over all municipal spending and funding decisions in this state.
Even after reform on the state pension system, the state of Rhode Island has crawled from the second-worst funded state to 11th. The state has now barely lifted its head above the “critical status” threshold of 60% funded. But cities and towns are a different story. The municipal commission laughably gives 20 years for the cities to reach this level of funding and the cities indicate they are very unlikely to do even that.
Providence is the second-worst funded city in the United States, according to a recent Moody’s study. Recent reforms (adjusted to Moody’s standards) show that Providence is even worse than Taveras famously declared a “Category 5 Hurricane”, it is now the worst in the country with a funded ratio of 21%. Including the adjustments that have been warned for years by Moody’s and will be implemented in ratings next year, Providence has understated its UAAL by over $600 million dollars. This estimate was given by Providence officials in the midst of “crisis negotiations” and after several commissions were formed. Providence has, if anything, proven it can do no more on its own and a Budget Commission should be appointed.
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My study (see above chart) shows that per household debt in Providence including OPEB is now $59,837, quite different from the cute little signs held up on recently on a news channel's “What’s Your Number?” exposé. This frighteningly large debt figure is not plucked from thin air. The figure is based on Moody’s multiple guidance as has been delivered to Providence city officials and its actuary. The town council and Mayor Taveras chose to ignore these guidelines and instead have chosen to overstate assets and understate liabilities by over $600 million. Sadly, this is after difficult negotiations and changes that were spurred by the Pension Study Commission. Similar understatement exists in several other cities across Rhode Island, but Providence is by far the guiltiest of misrepresentation, especially in light of claims that negotiations have saved the city.
The Commission was formed to focus on cities and towns. The state pension reform was purely the effort of Treasurer Gina Raimondo. Governor Chafee—who ultimately oversees Revenue Director Rosemary Booth Gallogly— has little or no understanding of the issue. Until Treasurer Raimondo appeared on the scene, he had never even expressed concern over pension and OPEB issues. If anything, he has a history of being part of the problem. Chafee had hoped to claim some political turf and help cities by including municipal reform in RIRSA. That failed, and this commission was formed.
Who are the stakeholders at the table in Rhode Island’s pension Crisis? The first goal of the Municipal Pension Study Commission is nearly complete…after 2 years. Cities and towns have now produced actuarial reports and in most cases, Funding Improvement Plans (FIP). This 2-year process cost Rhode Island taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. Cities should have had these figures by law many years ago, but the warnings of a toothless Auditor General went unheeded for over a decade. As a result of the now-verified crisis, very few changes have actually taken place. West Warwick has done nothing (and supposedly meets in secret) and Coventry, Johnston, Pawtucket, Cranston, Newport, Warwick, and Woonsocket all have solvency-threatening issues to be explored. This commission, like the many commissions before it, is vulnerable to being used as a tactic to delay action. How many commissions have been formed on this “crisis”? By my count, over a dozen commissions have been formed in Rhode Island, all recommending changes that never took place. The solvency and financial condition continues to deteriorate.
Where is the taxpayer representative?
The current commission is composed of Chafee appointees Paul Doughty, Jean Bouchard, Steven St. Pierre, Joseph Polisena, Jamestown Administrator Bruce Keiser, Gordon Fox and Paiva Weed’s respective selections of Antonio Pires and J. Michael Lenihan, and their joint selection of Angel Taveras. Rounding out the 14-member panel are Director Rosemary Booth Gallogly, Auditor General Dennis Hoyle, Chaffee assistant Richard Licht, Treasurer Gina Raimondo, Mayor Alan Fung as President RI League of Cities and Towns, and finally John Simmons of RIPEC.
It is universally claimed that the stakeholders in this crisis include public employee beneficiaries, bondholders, and local property tax payers. However, this panel consists of Union representatives, bureaucrats, a government funded and dependent think tank, and politicians including the mayors of three critical-status towns. Are there no tax advocates that could—and should—have been appointed to this panel? Are taxpayers to believe that the same people who have ignored and compounded the debt on taxpayers are now going to save the taxpayer? This commission is nearing the end of its useful life, and demands a more forceful leader. Gallogly has been slow to react and complicit in the pending collapses of at least five pension plans. Taxpayers should start organizing now in West Warwick and Providence if they want to protect their interests. The clock is ticking.
Michael G. Riley is vice chair at Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity, and is managing member and founder of Coastal Management Group, LLC. Riley has 35 years of experience in the financial industry, having managed divisions of PaineWebber, LETCO, and TD Securities (TD Bank). He has been quoted in Barron’s, Wall Street Transcript, NY Post, and various other print media and also appeared on NBC news, Yahoo TV, and CNBC.
Related Slideshow: Rhode Island’s Most Unemployed Cities and Towns
Below are the unemployment rates for Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns from August 2013.
The statewide average for the month was 9.1% -- the third highest rate in the country.
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#39 Narragansett
Latest Unemployment Rate: 6.0
Labor Force: 9,244
Employed: 8,688
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 9.0 (January 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 5.6 (September 2012, June 2013)
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#37 (Tie) Jamestown
Latest Unemployment Rate: 6.5
Labor Force: 3,014
Employed: 2,818
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 9.5 (February 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 5.7 (June 2013)
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#37 (Tie) New Shoreham
Latest Unemployment Rate: 6.5
Labor Force: 1,507
Employed: 1,409
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 30.9 (February 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 5.0 (August 2011)
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#36 Barrington
Latest Unemployment Rate: 6.8
Labor Force: 8,211
Employed: 7,651
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 8.8 (August 2011)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 6.4 (April, May, July 2013)
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#35 Richmond
Latest Unemployment Rate: 6.9
Labor Force: 4,316
Employed: 4,018
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 8.5 (February 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 5.2 (May 2013)
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#34 Glocester
Latest Unemployment Rate: 7.2
Labor Force: 5,893
Employed: 5,470
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 10.7 (February 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 6.4 (June 2013)
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#33 North Kingstown
Latest Unemployment Rate: 7.3
Labor Force: 15,033
Employed: 13,939
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 10.5 (January, February 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 6.6 (June 2013)
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#32 Little Compton
Latest Unemployment Rate: 7.4
Labor Force: 1,904
Employed: 1,763
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 12.4 (January 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 6.9 (April 2013)
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#31 Middletown
Latest Unemployment Rate: 7.5
Labor Force: 7,917
Employed: 7,325
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 13.5 (January 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 7.1 (June 2013)
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#30 Portsmouth
Latest Unemployment Rate: 7.6
Labor Force: 9,362
Employed: 8,651
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 11.5 (January 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 6.6 (June 2013)
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#28 (Tie) Bristol
Latest Unemployment Rate: 8.0
Labor Force: 12,455
Employed: 11,457
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 10.6 (January 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 6.6 (June 2013)
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#28 (Tie) Westerly
Latest Unemployment Rate: 8.0
Labor Force: 11,917
Employed: 10,961
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 11.2 (February 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 6.8 (September 2012)
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#27 Smithfield
Latest Unemployment Rate: 8.3
Labor Force: 11,781
Employed: 10,799
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 10.4 (August 2011, February 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 5.7 (June 2013)
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#25 (Tie) Foster
Latest Unemployment Rate: 8.4
Labor Force: 2,701
Employed: 2,475
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 13.4 (February 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 7.9 (June 2012)
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#25 (Tie) N. Smithfield
Latest Unemployment Rate: 8.4
Labor Force: 3,014
Employed: 2,818
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 9.8 (August 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 7.4 (December 2012)
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#23 (Tie) Coventry
Latest Unemployment Rate: 8.6
Labor Force: 20,279
Employed: 18,537
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 11.1 (August 2011, February 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 7.1 (June 2013)
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#23 (Tie) Cumberland
Latest Unemployment Rate: 8.6
Labor Force: 19,055
Employed: 17,422
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 10.4 (August 2011, July 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 7.4 (June 2013)
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#20 (Tie) Newport
Latest Unemployment Rate: 8.7
Labor Force: 12,885
Employed: 11,763
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 14.1 (January 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 7.2 (September 2012)
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#20 (Tie) Warwick
Latest Unemployment Rate: 8.7
Labor Force: 46,308
Employed: 42,297
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 9.5 (February 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 10.4 (August 2011)
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#20 (Tie) West Greenwich
Latest Unemployment Rate: 8.7
Labor Force: 3,678
Employed: 3,359
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 11.7 (February 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 6.6 (June 2013)
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#19 East Greenwich
Latest Unemployment Rate: 8.9
Labor Force: 6,784
Employed: 6,178
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 11.0 (February 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 7.5 (June 2013)
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#15 (Tie) Charlestown
Latest Unemployment Rate: 9.0
Labor Force: 4,506
Employed: 4,099
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 14.2 (January 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 7.1 (June 2013)
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#15 (Tie) Lincoln
Latest Unemployment Rate: 9.0
Labor Force: 11,781
Employed: 10,717
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 10.4 (February 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 7.9 (November 2012, June 2013)
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#15 (Tie) South Kingstown
Latest Unemployment Rate: 9.0
Labor Force: 16,455
Employed: 14,982
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 10.6 (January 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 7.8 (September 2012)
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#15 (Tie) Warren
Latest Unemployment Rate: 9.0
Labor Force: 5,908
Employed: 5,377
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 12.0 (February 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 7.6 (June 2013)
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#14 Exeter
Latest Unemployment Rate: 9.2
Labor Force: 3,865
Employed: 3,509
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 11.7 (March 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 7.6 (September 2011)
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#13 Tiverton
Latest Unemployment Rate: 9.3
Labor Force: 8,882
Employed: 8,058
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 12.0 (January, February 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 7.4 (June 2013)
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#10 (Tie) Cranston
Latest Unemployment Rate: 9.5
Labor Force: 41,657
Employed: 37,682
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 11.3 (July 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 8.8 (April 2013)
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#10 (Tie) East Providence
Latest Unemployment Rate: 9.5
Labor Force: 24,677
Employed: 22,339
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 12.6 (January, February 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 8.7 (June 2013)
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#10 (Tie) West Warwick
Latest Unemployment Rate: 9.5
Labor Force: 16,240
Employed: 14,693
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 12.9 (February 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 8.4 (June 2013)
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#8 (Tie) Hopkinton
Latest Unemployment Rate: 9.8
Labor Force: 4,888
Employed: 4,411
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 11.2 (February 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 6.6 (June 2012)
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#8 (Tie) North Providence
Latest Unemployment Rate: 9.8
Labor Force: 18,130
Employed: 16,347
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 11.3 (August 2011)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 8.5 (April 2013)
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#7 Burrillville
Latest Unemployment Rate: 10.0
Labor Force: 9,526
Employed: 8,570
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 11.6 (February 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 8.0 (June 2013)
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#6 Scituate
Latest Unemployment Rate: 10.4
Labor Force: 6,166
Employed: 5,527
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 11.2 (July 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 8.4 (June 2013)
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#5 Johnston
Latest Unemployment Rate: 10.5
Labor Force: 15,645
Employed: 14,004
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 12.9 (February 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 9.2 (June 2013)
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#4 Pawtucket
Latest Unemployment Rate: 11.1
Labor Force: 36,412
Employed: 32,378
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 13.7 (July 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 10.2 (June 2013)
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#3 Woonsocket
Latest Unemployment Rate: 11.2
Labor Force: 20,730
Employed: 18,409
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 13.6 (January 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 10.7 (June 2013)
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#2 Providence
Latest Unemployment Rate: 11.5
Labor Force: 80,605
Employed: 71,362
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 14.3 (August 2011)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 10.4 (May 2013)
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#1 Central Falls
Latest Unemployment Rate: 12.1
Labor Force: 8,348
Employed: 7,341
Highest Rate in Last Two Years: 15.3 (January, February 2012)
Lowest Rate in Last Two Years: 11.4 (April 2013)
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