There is/was a picture on face book of Robert Markel and John Columbus at what looks like some kind of a club, perhaps Columbus can inform us all what kind of kool aid they serve there.
From today's Gardner News:
"The town has a capable and competent staff in the financial office. The chaos in record-keeping and accounting of 2013 and 2014 has ended, and the selectmen and town administrator now have reliable financial information for making their decisions"
Does that include the fiscal year 2017 budget (so called)? You know, the one we are suppose to have a special town meeting to amend.
"It has been a long and tedious process to reconstruct financial records for 2013 and 2014, and it is now apparent that there was a budget deficit in 2013, which exceeds the $505,000 deficit in 2014. This will compromise the town’s free cash certification by the Department of Revenue; nevertheless, financial records are now in order, and a professional auditing firm will begin their work in January. "
Would that mean that the selectmen can now instruct the town accountant and town treasurer to produce their reports for fiscal year 2015, the ones required by law?
What the hell free cash is being talked about? Would that be the funds John Columbus talked about using to fund some things and when a town resident opined that is how the financial trouble begins, Columbus proceeded to throw that resident from the selectmen meeting. John Columbus was the chairman of the select board then and during which time this 2017 paper was prepared, the one we now have to fix!
posted by Jeff Bennett
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Templeton new growth:
Looking back through some Templeton annual Town reports, I found these numbers;
From the report of Templeton Assessors -
2010 shows new growth of $58,417.00
2011 shows new growth of $87,149.00
2012 shows new growth of $34,386.00
2013 shows new growth of $33,592.00
2014 shows new growth of $50,761.22
2015 new growth of $69,582.00 (from 2017 revenue document)
2016 new growth of $94,321.00 (from 2017 revenue document)
Average for this time frame $61,172.00
Please do the math and check that out and ask yourself this: Why would someone with a PH D use a figure of $80,000.00 for a new growth figure in a 2017 budget (so called) document and to use that number to state you have a balanced budget. What fact did that individual, Robert Markel, have or use to come to that conclusion? The Gardner News, Wednesday, August 10, 2016, Robert Markel, PH D writes that Templeton has a balanced budget for 2017 and he further writes that there were balanced budgets in fiscal 2015 and 2016 while he was Town Administrator. So why, may I ask, are we faced with another special town meeting to fix, amend, adjust, whatever, the 2017 budget, (so called) and one item is to restate estimated new growth and motor vehicle excise tax? Those two items were some of the changes proposed at a meeting back in July. Who knows what the selectmen will propose in the end.
posted by Jeff Bennett
Looking back through some Templeton annual Town reports, I found these numbers;
From the report of Templeton Assessors -
2010 shows new growth of $58,417.00
2011 shows new growth of $87,149.00
2012 shows new growth of $34,386.00
2013 shows new growth of $33,592.00
2014 shows new growth of $50,761.22
2015 new growth of $69,582.00 (from 2017 revenue document)
2016 new growth of $94,321.00 (from 2017 revenue document)
Average for this time frame $61,172.00
Please do the math and check that out and ask yourself this: Why would someone with a PH D use a figure of $80,000.00 for a new growth figure in a 2017 budget (so called) document and to use that number to state you have a balanced budget. What fact did that individual, Robert Markel, have or use to come to that conclusion? The Gardner News, Wednesday, August 10, 2016, Robert Markel, PH D writes that Templeton has a balanced budget for 2017 and he further writes that there were balanced budgets in fiscal 2015 and 2016 while he was Town Administrator. So why, may I ask, are we faced with another special town meeting to fix, amend, adjust, whatever, the 2017 budget, (so called) and one item is to restate estimated new growth and motor vehicle excise tax? Those two items were some of the changes proposed at a meeting back in July. Who knows what the selectmen will propose in the end.
posted by Jeff Bennett
To any selectmen who has a face book page or other social media outlet, I will read your pages and I will accept things that check out for use on a blog. Anything that may reflect on town business, is fair game. It is the world we have now. If anyone thinks that employers, news media, corporations, employment search firms, the government, the military etc, do not mine these things for information, well I have some ocean front property in Phillipston for you. If you want to put words somewhere and you want no one else to look at them, start an "old fashioned" diary. However, if you feel inclined to post "unable to sleep because I am so pissed", well expect someone may read that and post it in other places.
Members of the selectmen, members from the planning board on the elementary school building committee yet not one of them asked about or spoke about these issues BEFORE the vote at town meeting? My opinion is that they were worried about the sales pitch not working. Reminds me of the housing boom. Don't worry your mortgage is 2 thousand a month and you only make 1500 a month, you can afford it. Case in point, I was at a meeting of the elementary school building committee and before a vote, I had a question, so I raised my hand and said "Mr. Chairman" and before I could ask, Stephen Hemming told the chair that he thought the committee should have the vote then take the question. What the hell kind of meeting is that. The kind where no boat rocking is wanted or allowed. Time to get the voting list for the town meeting of November 9, 2015 and for the ballot vote and see who was present, then listen to who is now speaking for or against. If their name is not on either list, well there is your answer, you did not bother to show up, you did not bother to accept the ticket bought and paid for. A couple of meetings back, there was discussion by the planning board on whether the conservation commission had anything to do with this, now! Why was all of this not asked BEFORE Town meeting vote, by the committee or members of planning board or conservation or selectmen? Now when people do have questions and are allowed to ask, some people now get "pissed off". Well, some may be mad that a planning board voted that way, but there are more people mad that you did not get the budget right, again, after you told them everything was/is fine. The sales pitch is unraveling faster than the Templeton 2017 so called budget.
posted by Jeff Bennett
Members of the selectmen, members from the planning board on the elementary school building committee yet not one of them asked about or spoke about these issues BEFORE the vote at town meeting? My opinion is that they were worried about the sales pitch not working. Reminds me of the housing boom. Don't worry your mortgage is 2 thousand a month and you only make 1500 a month, you can afford it. Case in point, I was at a meeting of the elementary school building committee and before a vote, I had a question, so I raised my hand and said "Mr. Chairman" and before I could ask, Stephen Hemming told the chair that he thought the committee should have the vote then take the question. What the hell kind of meeting is that. The kind where no boat rocking is wanted or allowed. Time to get the voting list for the town meeting of November 9, 2015 and for the ballot vote and see who was present, then listen to who is now speaking for or against. If their name is not on either list, well there is your answer, you did not bother to show up, you did not bother to accept the ticket bought and paid for. A couple of meetings back, there was discussion by the planning board on whether the conservation commission had anything to do with this, now! Why was all of this not asked BEFORE Town meeting vote, by the committee or members of planning board or conservation or selectmen? Now when people do have questions and are allowed to ask, some people now get "pissed off". Well, some may be mad that a planning board voted that way, but there are more people mad that you did not get the budget right, again, after you told them everything was/is fine. The sales pitch is unraveling faster than the Templeton 2017 so called budget.
posted by Jeff Bennett
Before anyone goes off the deep end about a news school, perhaps we should look at current finances and whether the town can really afford it before the Town goes in the hole for more. This is about the fiscal 2017 budget and what was put before town meeting, you know, the here and now. So far, there is not even a report from the Town Treasurer nor the Town Accountant in the annual Town report. Both are required by law! People voted at Town meeting to no addendum, so where is the new report? The town accountant stated she can't do a report for 2015 until all the audits are done. To that, I say bull#$$#@, there was work done in both the accountant and treasurer office, I mean I hope there was, being paid over 50 thousand dollars. People were paid, debts paid, town money invested, interest was paid or collected, bills were paid, money was borrowed, etc, etc. Work was done and it is a requirement of law that the work has to be recorded, so why do the selectmen not get to this now? Get the basics set first, before you go into debt for 24 million or whatever the final number will be. There has already been money spent on short term borrowing in 2017 and now the selectmen talk of using money from OPEB to cover overspending in the first month of the fiscal year. This is in the here and now. Remember the OPEB, it is required by law and it cannot be touched for other purposes. Perhaps that was just another lie from this board of selectmen. Perhaps in the world of politics, it is not a lie, but bad information or it was the best we can do with the information we had. Perhaps it is a few people in key positions who really do not know their jobs? Speaking from experience, that does not work out well and if you wait too long, hoping they will catch on, that does not work out well either. Before we get really deep into a 47 million dollar project, lets get basic things straight first. I believe that only makes sense. Time to show people what they really can do at town meeting, if they wish to!
posted by Jeff Bennett
posted by Jeff Bennett
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