GilfordGrok

November 21, 2006

Gilford Board of Selectmen

Gilford, NH

To the Selectmen,

The Gilford Municipal Budget Committee wishes to inform the Board of its appreciation for its recent actions regarding town salaries. We know that a decision to eliminate the COLA raises in favor of a strict merit system is very significant. To fund it at the suggested level of 3.75% represents a tangible and substantial savings to the town’s taxpayers, which we as a committee applaud.

 

When studying the wages and benefits, the Budget Committee became concerned with both areas, the first of which has been addressed, as noted above. While a number of this committee’s members believe that certain changes to health benefits, such as employee contributions and co-payment amounts should be explored and considered, it is agreed that such steps should be looked at in the course of preparing next year’s budget.

 

The rationale behind waiting an additional year is to prevent dramatic changes affecting the town’s employees, who we all value and appreciate. Also, it might be possible to identify creative solutions to alleviate escalating benefit costs with very little employee impact at all.

Rather than recommending any further cuts in this area at the present time, we instead ask the Board of Selectmen to make the reduction of town employee health benefit costs a priority in next year’s process. Such studies and changes take time. We believe that working through another budget cycle will give the matter the proper amount it deserves.

 

Respectfully Submitted,

Gilford Municipal Budget Committee

Richard Hickok, Chair