for your reading pleasure, a past Gardner news article and pay attention to what John Columbus said:

Markel Stays Another Year
Templeton town administrator extended
Tara Vocino
Reporter

TEMPLETON Selectmen have voted to keep interim Town Administrator Robert Markel on for another year.

His term will be extended from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017.

“I’m certainly pleased to continue for another year,” Markel said. “I knew that the contract expired on June 30. They asked me, ‘What are you doing next year?’”

Markel said he’d only stay if they all wanted him to. Selectmen voted unanimously.

Board of Selectmen Chairman John Columbus said Markel works well with him and the other board members. “In a lot of ways, we think alike,” Columbus said.

“He works well with the board.” Columbus said Markel will bring expertise by helping him to find his successor.

“We’re conducting a search, and he agreed to be a part of that,” Columbus said.

On Markel’s arrival, Templeton had serious budget issues that he had to remedy.

Markel said he accomplished a balanced budget surplus in fiscal 2015, a balanced budget for fiscal 2016, and his second review leads to a balanced budget for fiscal 2017.

During his term so far, he also restored nearly all services that he had to cut in fiscal 2014.

Town Administrator represents the selectmen, works for them and what he does, the selectmen are responsible for.

posted by Jeff Bennett

I would like to thank Jeanne Comee Evans for her post about the budget, selectmen and things in general with regards to the Town and finance. I hope many people read her post and get mad enough to show up and demand changes, demand that selectmen work for the town and not just one or a couple issues and to be truthful. In the Gardner News article, there was a mention of a tax rate of 22 dollars per thousand by 2020 which is less than 4 years away. So think about this, right now 0ne dollar per thousand raises about $556,000.00 and the police station addition is advertised to cost about one million and the school is advertised to cost you about 24 million over 28 years with a loan payment per year at about 1,300,000.00. The exact numbers we can discuss later. Just take those numbers and do some simple math. Take the $16.47 tax rate from right now and then figure what amount is needed to raise one million 300 thousand dollars, close to 19 dollars per thousand for just the school, take into account increases (expected) for retirement, health insurance, school assessment for two districts, Monty Tech and NRHS and other things. Keep in mind that one million 300 thousand is based off an interest rate of 3.5%. An increase to just 4% increases the pay back cost which affects the tax rate. So what will is cost to build the school/ No one can say exactly, it is all an estimate until it is finished and that is fine, because if you get what you want, the costs do not really matter, as long as that is said up front! no sales pitch, no magic math, no if you take this and move it over there and add this and change that, etc, etc. No, this is what it will cost on today's numbers from your taxes and this can go up and we cannot tell you exactly what that will be right now, do you wish to do this? Yes or no. All I can say is to look at Ashburham, they built a 30 million plus dollar school and their tax rate jumped 4 dollars per thousand and when asked why, the answer was most of it is because of the new school. Anyone can look that up and I encourage you to do so. I hope the tax rate only goes up $1.74 per thousand, but I expect it to go higher and I expect people will be mad and not really because of the increase, but because they will have been lied to again.

posted by Jeff Bennett

If you have read the Gardner News article from Thursday, August 4, 2016, you might be mad.

I think it is probably time for some town residents, not me or the usual same ones who regularly attend meetings of selectmen, but some others who may watch on tv but generally do not go and I think they should ask to speak and ask each one of the selectmen, on camera, did you know or were you aware of these raises? Were you aware of the issues with regards to new growth and motor vehicle excise tax? And no, that budget did not have to be put in front of the voters, you are allowed by law to recess Town meeting so things could be "fixed" or adjusted. There are at least two emails that show selectmen did not want town department heads meeting with Advisory Committee and the other shows selectmen knew or were told that the day before Town meeting, an individual was making changes to the document that selectmen had already approved to present to town meeting. Remember it was John Columbus who was chairman of the select board until the May election and he is the one who said "we (selectmen) do not need the DOR, inspector general, the attorney general or anyone else because we are doing what needs to be done, we are solving issues" I hope some people are finally mad enough to attend and ask some direct questions to all as in each and everyone of them and demand an answer

your selectmen at work:
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Diane Haley Brooks <seldhaleybrooks@templeton1.org>
Date: Wed, Aug 3, 2016 at 9:45 PM
Subject: Re: TAC request for agenda item
To: "Templeton, MA Advisory Board" <templetonadvisoryboard@gmail.com>, Selectman Caplis <selectmen.caplis@templeton1.org>

Hello John and Wil

Being on vacation and also not being at the meeting and wishing to catch up, I would request this be put on a later agenda. I saw the email that there were possible errors and I feel our Board should discuss this first among ourselves.

Thank you.

Diane Haley Brooks, Realtor

that is a selectmen response to this:

Visit my website! TuesdaysInTempleton.com

> On Aug 3, 2016, at 9:27 PM, Templeton, MA Advisory Board <templetonadvisoryboard@gmail.com> wrote:>
> John,
> The Advisory Committee was wonder if the BOS would add 2 agenda items for Mondays BOS meeting,
> 1. Discussion on scheduling the fall Special Town meeting and setting the date of the STM
> 2 Discuss a schedule for when the next joint meeting of the BOS and TAC will meet to go over the amended budget presented on July 21th.
> If you do add these items and would like TAC to attend then please feel free to schedule us for the discussion.
> Thank you for considering these items
> Wil

Perhaps someone wishes to get their stories straight. It is tow simple items, a town meeting date and schedule of more joint meetings between selectmen and advisory committee, what could be the problem?

posted by Jeff Bennett