Why you must be ever vigilant.
Since there has now been updated valuations, as in property values are valued higher now in Templeton, $1.00 per thousand will raise $597,000.00. Close enough to say 600 thousand, so $2.00 per thousand will raise 1.2 million dollars. Still, that is above the $1.74 per thousand you were told at town meeting back on November 9, 2015. That has been my biggest concern/complaint with much of Templeton's finances, lack of truth and clarity. For those who were at annual Town meeting back in 2013, the ambulance receipts account does not and will not completely pay for the ambulance service. Things like more full time employees salaries and benefit packages will have to come from taxation, period. Dispatch cost Templeton taxpayers more than 37 thousand dollars per year. Another lie from a past chief of police. With new prisoner cells in the Templeton police station, taxpayers will now be on the hook to house, keep track of, feed and take to hospital anyone locked up for a period of time, especially over say a weekend. There needs to be a meeting, a survey, questionnaire, something, to get feed back from residents on what services they want and what they are willing to pay for them. Do we wish to keep the senior center? There are selectmen who think that may need to go. Do you think Templeton should be in the ambulance business? Would you still be for it if Templeton could get a contract thru a private company and receive 100 thousand per year just for letting them provide that service to Templeton. Would you be in favor of raising Phillipston share of dispatch to at least 90 thousand per year? Would you be in favor of taking on a third town for dispatch service? Some thing (s0 have to give or residents will have to support an override, as a raise in taxes just to cover those costs for services. We need to determine what services residents need and want and what they are willing to pay for them.
posted by Jeff Bennett
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
from special Town meeting, November 9, 2015, 24 million was NOT voted, 47 million was/is the dollar figure passed. Interest only, according to debt calculator on DLS website for this amount at 3.5% is 14 million dollars. Yup, it costs money to borrow money and "they" do not always wish you to see it, which is why there is an item for the October 20, 2016 STM to separate principle and interest on Templeton long term debt!
This is not for / against, it is merely information for you to know before you vote!
On a motion duly made and seconded the Town voted to appropriate the amount of Forty-Seven Million, Five Hundred Sixty-Three Thousand, One Hundred Eighty-Four Dollars ($47,563,184) for the purpose of paying the costs of designing, constructing, originally equipping and furnishing a new Templeton Elementary School located at 17 South Road, Templeton MA, including the payment of all costs incidental or related thereto (the “Project"), which school facility shall have an anticipated useful life as an educational facility for the instruction of school children of at least 50 years, and for which the Town, through Narragansett Regional School District, may be eligible for a grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority ("MSBA"), said amount to be expended under the direction of the Templeton Elementary School Building Committee; and to meet this appropriation, the Treasurer, with the approval of the Selectmen, is authorized to borrow said amount under M.G.L. Chapter 44, or pursuant to any other enabling authority; The Town acknowledges that MSBA's grant program is a non-entitlement, discretionary program based on need, as determined by the MSBA, and any Project costs the Town incurs in excess of any grant approved by and received from the MSBA, through the Narragansett Regional School District, shall be the sole responsibility of the Town; provided further that any grant that the Town, through the Narragansett regional School District, may receive from the MSBA for the Project shall not exceed the lesser of: (1) Sixty-Two and Eighty-Four Hundredths Percent (62.84%) of eligible, approved Project costs, as determined by the MSBA, or (2) the total maximum grant amount determined by the MSBA; provided that any appropriation here under shall be subject to and contingent upon an affirmative vote of the Town to exempt the amounts required for the payment of interest and principal on said borrowing from the limitations on taxes imposed by M.G.L. 59, section 21C “Proposition 2 ½”; and that the amount of borrowing authorized pursuant to this vote shall be reduce by any grant amount set forth in the Project Funding Agreement that may be executed between the Narragansett Regional School District and the MSBA.
Passed by 2/3/November 9th @ 8:14
A motion was duly made and seconded to reconsider Article 1. Defeated/November 9th @ 8:16
posted by Jeff Bennett
This is not for / against, it is merely information for you to know before you vote!
On a motion duly made and seconded the Town voted to appropriate the amount of Forty-Seven Million, Five Hundred Sixty-Three Thousand, One Hundred Eighty-Four Dollars ($47,563,184) for the purpose of paying the costs of designing, constructing, originally equipping and furnishing a new Templeton Elementary School located at 17 South Road, Templeton MA, including the payment of all costs incidental or related thereto (the “Project"), which school facility shall have an anticipated useful life as an educational facility for the instruction of school children of at least 50 years, and for which the Town, through Narragansett Regional School District, may be eligible for a grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority ("MSBA"), said amount to be expended under the direction of the Templeton Elementary School Building Committee; and to meet this appropriation, the Treasurer, with the approval of the Selectmen, is authorized to borrow said amount under M.G.L. Chapter 44, or pursuant to any other enabling authority; The Town acknowledges that MSBA's grant program is a non-entitlement, discretionary program based on need, as determined by the MSBA, and any Project costs the Town incurs in excess of any grant approved by and received from the MSBA, through the Narragansett Regional School District, shall be the sole responsibility of the Town; provided further that any grant that the Town, through the Narragansett regional School District, may receive from the MSBA for the Project shall not exceed the lesser of: (1) Sixty-Two and Eighty-Four Hundredths Percent (62.84%) of eligible, approved Project costs, as determined by the MSBA, or (2) the total maximum grant amount determined by the MSBA; provided that any appropriation here under shall be subject to and contingent upon an affirmative vote of the Town to exempt the amounts required for the payment of interest and principal on said borrowing from the limitations on taxes imposed by M.G.L. 59, section 21C “Proposition 2 ½”; and that the amount of borrowing authorized pursuant to this vote shall be reduce by any grant amount set forth in the Project Funding Agreement that may be executed between the Narragansett Regional School District and the MSBA.
Passed by 2/3/November 9th @ 8:14
A motion was duly made and seconded to reconsider Article 1. Defeated/November 9th @ 8:16
posted by Jeff Bennett
What is EQV? - from the MA department of revenue website:
The determination of an estimate of the full and fair cash value (FFCV) of all property in the Commonwealth as of a certain taxable date. EQVs have historically been used as a variable in distributing some state aid accounts and for determining county assessments and other costs. The Commissioner of Revenue, in accordance with MGL Ch. 58 §10C, is charged with the responsibility of biannually determining an equalized valuation for each city and town in the Commonwealth.
Through a statistical analysis, the levels of assessment were determined for each of the major classes of property and then the estimated full and fair cash value was derived. To this was added a projected new construction value developed through a review of the past four years' new growth and the Urban Redevelopment Corporation numbers (MGL, Ch.121A). The resulting final figures for your municipality appear on the Form LA-19 appearing in the list below.
from the Ma division of local service website, on a document dated July 20, 2016, the proposed equalized valuation for Templeton, Ma is $590,377,600.00. You can find this and past tax recap documents on the website DLS under the gateway icon to the right of the page. You can go back a number of years and see what the estimated then actual new growth and vehicle excise tax for Templeton. You do not have to take my word or the selectmen's word for it, you can go see and print it out if you wish. You can "trust but verify" on your own now. I encourage you to do so.
posted by Jeff Bennett
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