5Q: Daniel Beardsley

 / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
/ PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

1 How did cities and towns fare in the 2016 General Assembly session?

On the positive side, an additional $2 million was added, compared to the governor’s original proposal, to the Distressed Communities Program, and another $62 million in state education aid is going to our school districts. Also, in recognition of municipal concerns, a one-year delay in the statewide permit fee schedule was passed, as was legislation dealing with renewable energy issues, particularly the taxation of renewable energy facilities.

2 What remains on the table that is most pressing?

The Rhode Island law which provides for court appeals of municipal public-safety employee accidental disability claims must again be amended. A 2011 amendment made it clear that a police officer or firefighter’s injured-on-duty payments were to cease upon a workers’ compensation court decision, either awarding or denying the disability pension. Unfortunately, the public-safety lobby got that same law amended again in 2013, and it is now very unclear whether the IOD payments do indeed cease if an accidental disability appeal is denied by the court.

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3 The excise tax for cars remains a thorn for many cities. Do you foresee any changes?

I’m not optimistic that a solution will be found soon. The only viable solution to get rid of this most hated tax will require … a major commitment by the state to reimburse communities for their losses in excise tax revenue.

4 How realistic is municipal consolidation, or at least of services like water or fire protection?

In every proposed scenario I’ve seen to consolidate school districts or regionalize public-safety dispatching, just two recent examples, both the salaries and the fringe benefits of teachers and the dispatchers are leveled up to the highest common denominator rather than downward. Creating larger service-delivery systems doesn’t reduce costs, it increases them. The league membership doesn’t oppose either the regionalization or consolidation of municipal services, as long as those changes … are supported by a majority of taxpayers.

5 You are retiring soon. Thoughts on 40-plus years on the job?

Lobbying, to me, is an occupation that I’m proud to say I enjoy doing. I simply hope that my efforts over these past 42 years have made our communities a better place. •

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