To the Editor,

A new study indicates that Rhode Island is number three in the United State as a worst state for senior citizens to retire.

The study indicates, “Rhode Island’s cost of living is around 22% above the national average, with a sales tax of 7%.”

Anyone that does the weekly grocery shopping and pays the monthly bills understands the effect runaway inflation and poor tax policies have had on all of us. It’s a fact, disposable income has substantially diminished in Rhode Island and for Warwick seniors living in this state, it is even more difficult.

To make matters worse Warwick property taxes will soon explode and instead of our elected leaders sounding the alarm, they are hiding this fact and have done everything in their power to make the situation much worse.

New spending is at record levels. Instead of enacting conservative cost saving initiatives, city and school leaders have provided millions more in salary and benefits to employees and more paid holidays.

Consider this, $71 million in new tax dollars was allocated to the city budget in the last 20 years for all programs and services. City leaders approved a plan last year to use $68 million in new tax dollars to pay for free lifetime healthcare for retired city workers over the next seven years.

For Warwick taxpayers on Medicare, they pay their own premium. Contrast that to retired city workers who receive free lifetime healthcare that includes Blue Cross Blue Shield and a supplemental Medicare plan for husband & wife that covers 100% of their medical cost with no co-pays. This benefit alone costs Warwick taxpayers more than $12 million a year.

On top of all of that, over $400 million dollars in new school borrowing has been approved putting Warwick over its state mandated credit limit by over $200 million.

The five-year forecast created by the administration documenting some of the effects of this spending was kept secret to keep us in the dark. It was forced into the public light by vigilant taxpayers contacting the Boston Globe.

The report is predicting catastrophic tax increases very soon. On Wednesday Mayor Picozzi’s Finance Director Peder Schaefer presented the report before the Warwick City Council. The problem is that he spent minutes discussing it when hours were needed, and no council member or Warwick taxpayer was allowed to ask any questions.

As I have stated many times on this page, Warwick will soon be in the midst of a major fiscal crisis with city property taxes exploding and with state and national finances no better, by the time the full brunt of the fiscal storm hits this city, many citizens and small businesses will be forced to leave Warwick.

How else do you explain four of the nine council members with decades of years on the council jumping ship and not seeking reelection?

Warwick citizens will wail and grind their teeth asking, how did our elected leaders let this happen? There still is a chance to confront the problem now by enacting major fiscal reform to blunt some of the damage.

However, that will only occur if Warwick citizens educate themselves on the candidates running for mayor, city council and school committee and elect individuals who are willing to confront these problems by acknowledging they exist and provide us with solutions during their campaigns.

For more information on this crisis, join my “The Taxpayers’ Spin” Facebook page.

Robert Cushman

Former Warwick City Councilman