PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity has expanded its open-government website, www.RIOpenGov.org, to host the work of its national task force on pension reform, as debate over municipal pensions heats up in Rhode Island.

The task force, which will focus on Cranston, conducts research and analysis related to the municipal pension crisis.

The website now includes Cranston and municipal-pension home pages, interactive pension data on locally run retirement plans for several Rhode Island communities and previously available state retiree records.

The Cranston home page includes analysis of how police and fire retirees receive higher pension benefits than their statewide peers, as well as details on holiday pay, according to the center.

Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee recently proposed a package of bills to aid struggling cities and towns, including allowing communities to suspend cost-of-living pension increases for retirees on independent municipal retirement plans. •