Swampscott town counsel to look at pension reform

SWAMPSCOTT – Selectman Barry Greenfield hasn?t given up on pension reform in Swampscott.On Wednesday, selectmen gave the go-ahead on Greenfield?s idea for town counsel to research Local Mandate Law, which includes a Proposition 2? tax initiative that would allow the town to petition for the state auditor?s office to determine if any state mandate imposes direct costs on the town of Swampscott – such as the state?s pension system.Greenfield said he suspects that the pension system in Swampscott is an unfunded mandate, meaning the state is requiring the town to fund its own pension system.?The state negotiated with the unions a specific type of pension, but localities didn?t, yet we?re the ones who have to pay for it,” said Greenfield. “If the state wants the pension system they should be funding it, not us.”Greenfield compared town municipality jobs, whose pensions are paid for by the town, to that of the teacher?s union, whose pensions are paid for by the state.Greenfield said down the line, the town could have options in getting the state to pay for the pensions. While the pensions would still come out of taxpayer money, Swampscott could have less of a burden of debt.While some residents and others like Jim Snow, president of the firefighter union, were concerned that the town would be spending extra tax dollars for the legal expenses for counsel?s two hours of research, Town Administrator Thomas Younger assured all that the funds already came out of town counsel?s retainer.Selectman Matt Strauss said he was not in support of the town seeking pension reform on its own. “I think a better course of action would probably be to lobby our legislators,” said Strauss. Strauss was not on the board during the board?s attempt for a home rule petition to gain the rights to its own pension negotiations.Greenfield told Strauss that “lots of cities and towns” in the commonwealth had success in overturning their own mandates.Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].