I regularly see one comment on several blogs and hear the same at some meetings; "where will the money come from?"

Templeton has basically three sources of revenue, local real and personal property tax, state aid and local receipts, such as motor vehicle excise tax, inspection fees, dog license, etc. This is followed by possible grants from the state and federal government. That is pretty much where the money comes from - out of your pocket, one way or another.

The tax rate is arrived at by looking at the total amount of expenses that the voters approve at town meeting. That is where it is decided what is wanted and how much voters are willing to spend for those items. Naturally, the only way to have a say is to attend town meeting.

From the web site of division of local services, click on gateway to the right of the page.
Information submitted on November 16, 2016 at 1:55 P.M. by the deputy assessor.

Templeton 2017 levy ceiling equals $14,943,478.00 with a levy limit of $8,758,243.00.

followed is the levy limit of $8,758,243.00 plus debt exclusion (s) of $881,045.00 equals the maximum allowable levy limit to $9,639,288.00.

There is also a FY 2017 new growth figure of $69,092.00.

(at the bottom of the form is note: the information has not been approved and is subject to change)

That is what is available by way of real and personal property tax. If you look at the budget versus actual report of October 2016, it shows the levy before debt exclusion (s) add in as $8,769,022.00, now add in the $881,045.00 and you get $9,650,067.00. It does look like someone used a figure that did not match reality. Does that add up to a shortfall or another budget issue? I sure hope the treasurer / collector has their numbers right.

For the record, at the May 2016 annual town meeting, advisory committee proposed using a levy limit before debt exclusions of $8,739,022.00, a very conservative approach.

The following is from MA DOR "Levy limits; a primer on proposition 2 1/2"

What is a Levy? The property tax levy is the revenue a community can raise through real and personal property taxes.  The property tax levy is the largest source of revenue for most cities and towns.
What is a Levy Ceiling? What is a Levy Limit? Proposition 2 1 ⁄2 places constraints on the amount of the levy raised by a city or town and on how much the levy can be increased from year to year. A levy limit is a restriction on the amount of property taxes a community can levy. Proposition 2 1 ⁄2 established two types of levy limits: First, a community cannot levy more than 2.5 percent of the total full and fair cash value of all taxable real and personal property in the community. Second, a community’s levy is also constrained in that it can only increase by a certain amount from year to year, the levy limit. The levy limit will always be below, or at most, equal to the levy ceiling. The levy limit may not exceed the levy ceiling. Proposition 21 ⁄2 does provide communities with some flexibility. It is possible for a community to levy above its levy limit or its levy ceiling on a temporary basis, as well as to increase its levy limit on a permanent basis. These options are discussed in more detail in other sections of this primer. The concepts of levy ceiling and levy limit are illustrated in Figure 1. How is a Levy Ceiling Calculated? The levy ceiling is determined by calculating 2.5 percent of the total full and fair cash value of taxable real and personal property in the community: Full and Fair Cash Value x 2.5% = LEVY CEILING.

posted by Jeff Bennett