Sunday, July 31, 2016

Some information from past Templeton tax recapitulation sheets and fiscal year 2017 budget spread sheet from town meeting.

Fiscal Year estimate                        Fiscal Year actual                       differential

2012 - $788,000.00                         $853,798.00                                $65,798.00 above estimate

2013 - $821,000.00                         $813,759.00                                 $ 7,241.00 under estimate

2014 - $888,779.00                         $948,747.00                                 $59,968.00 above estimate

2015 - $942,000.00                         $970,753.00                                 $28,753.00 above estimate

2016 - $980,000.00                         to be determined                           to be determined

2017 - $1,110,00.00                        to be determined                           to be determined

So, is an increase in motor vehicle excise tax receipts of $130,000.00  an unrealistic expectation?



posted by Jeff Bennett

Templeton fiscal year schedule A versus fiscal 2017 spread sheet presented to Town Meeting:


If you go to the Templeton Town web site and find the 2017 operating budget document, and if you find and look at page 10 of the excel spread sheet, you can look at long term debt, under heading of debt service - long term.

look at the column titled FY 2015 and scroll down to debt service - long term.
What you will see is principle on long term debt - $1,287,024.00
What you will see is interest on long term debt    - $              0.00

On the Templeton schedule A, for fiscal 2015 is long term debt -            $1,007,597.00
On Templeton schedule A, for fiscal 2015 is interest on long term debt   $  279,427.00
The total is the above figure of -                                                           $1,287,024.00    


Perhaps not a big deal, but why not show the people who pay the bills, what exactly it is costing them to have this one million plus dollar debt on the books?

Would that be called transparency?

Would complete transparency be a good idea for a 47 million dollar project?

What would the total interest cost be on 24 million dollars over 28 years at 3.5%?

The above is not a lecture, it is information and a few questions for thought.



posted by Jeff Bennett
                                                                  
John Columbus - Templeton Selectman Sorry Kevin, I'm not complaining. The Town has an $800,000 deficit from FY 2013. we had to spend an additional $100,000 to clean up the mess. Those responsible won't acknowledge their culpability and have the gall to lecture the current board on finances. They even denigrate Bob Markel, the person most responsible for getting the Town back on track. We are solving issues, they are not.

What happened to the $750,000.00 certified free cash that we were told was coming? The supposed funds John Columbus talked about using for some expense a little prior to the May 2016 elections. He, as chairman, threw a person out of a meeting of selectmen, after that individual commented that was not a good thing to consider.







I think the above caption/instagram photo may say it all, with regards to John Columbus, but I think if checks some facts, he would see that on the Templeton Town meeting warrant for May 15,16,21,23 2012, which includes the budget for fiscal 2013, he will find a familiar name, Columbus. Members of the select board at that time were Robert Columbus, Chris Stewart, Patrick Mullins, Virginia Wilder and Jeff Bennett. Those were the selectmen from the recall election in February to the election in May of 2012. I also can say that if John checked or if he had attended, I told people at a meeting in the KIVA, the fall of 2013 that if they wanted to point a finger, if they wanted someone to blame, that would be me, Jeff Bennett, as I was the current Chairman of the Board of Selectmen. I did not hear John Columbus say much at a meeting on July 21, 2016, at the KIVA, where discussion focused mostly on budget issues for fiscal 2017. If you check, you will find John Columbus was the chairman of the Board of Selectmen for the time of January 1, 2016 until the first meeting of the BOS after the May election of 2016. So to John Columbus, will you be stating your culpability in the current budget mess? Or will you continue to denigrate those who are trying to advise you on a course that perhaps will stop this from happening again as we move forward. I believe it is important enough that it deserves the effort to try to instill the changes needed to get a budget process in place that demonstrates Fact, Law, and Transparency. (Thank You Jeff) John may take some things as lecturing, but it is advice based on experience, outside information and looking at how other communities successfully get a town meeting warrant and budget spread sheet out to the voters at least three weeks prior to Town Meeting. I would like to see Templeton do the same. When we have a person changing something that the selectmen have already voted on, the day before town meeting, I think someone could use a lecture. Remember John,  you were the Chairman of the select board while that budget was put together, so take responsibility for it. In a sense, listen to what you wrote on your face book page.

That is my opinion, and in no way reflects any thought or position of the Advisory Committee, of which I am a member.


posted by Jeff Bennett