https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ag8wbGi1Ag0zgXIvvAu2OAeKrYwB

the above link should open the Town of Templeton's resonse to the secretary of the commonwealth concerning a public records request. I will now request a copy of this ruling by the supreme judicial court of MA.

This board of selectmen talk a good game about being transparent and open but with another familiar name on the board along with the chair apparently being the intern of another former select board member and light manager, there seems little chance of either transparency and/or honesty in Templeton town government. That is my opinion.

posted by Jeff Bennett

From: Tom Jeleniewski [mailto:tom200is@juno.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 27, 2016 8:18 PM
To: townadministrator@templeton1.org; rdennis5870@comcast.net; sewsup@yahoo.com; m129@comcast.net
Cc: templetonwwtp@verizon.net
Subject: RE: Joint meeting

All;

I just discovered that my iphone SMTP server was not configured properly. So mail that I thought was sent from my phone had been sitting in my "outbox". I have pushed all that mail out just now.  Anyone who thought I was ignoring them, I apologize. Some mail I just sent may no longer be relevant. But the following post IS relevant if you did not receive it the first time.

Carter:

I am getting quite weary of all this email beating around the bush!  When I sat down with you and Kent in your office you made some helpful budget suggestions for which we thanked you. You also clearly stated that you had no intention of using sewer department enterprise funds to help balance the town budget.  This board intends to hold you to that.  So why is our sewer Supt. coming unglued over the budget? If this issue is not solved soon to our satisfaction, we will feel obliged to take further action which could include legal and media involvement.  The sewer department has always been solvent and we expect it to stay that way.

The following question to you has a binary answer:

Is it your intention to raid the sewer enterprise fund to help balance the town budget?

YES        or      NO

Respectfully,

Tom Jeleniewski

Sewer Commission

---------- Original Message ----------
From: "townadministrator" <townadministrator@templeton1.org>
To: "'Kent Songer'" <sewsup@yahoo.com>,        "'Carter Terenzini'" <carter.terenzini@gmail.com>
Cc: "'Carol Osborne'" <templetonwwtp@verizon.net>,        "'Bobby'" <rdennis5870@comcast.net>,        "'Tom Jeleniewski'" <tom200is@juno.com>, "'Mark'" <m129@comcast.net>
Subject: RE: Joint meeting
Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2016 11:56:23 -0500

I believe the discussion would be most productive if it wasn’t rushed by a crush of other business so that people are able to feel somewhat relaxed and with adequate time.    Can you kindly confirm your commissioners might be available for those nites/times and I’ll work with those when I raise this subject tomorrow evening? 

Many Thanks

Carter Terenzini

Interim Town Administrator

posted by Jeff Bennett

Massachusetts General Law, chapter 39:

Section 15: Moderators; powers and duties

Section 15. The moderator shall preside and regulate the proceedings, decide all questions of order, and make public declaration of all votes, and may administer in open meeting the oath of office to any town officer chosen thereat. If a vote so declared is immediately questioned by seven or more voters, he shall verify it by polling the voters or by dividing the meeting unless the town has by a previous order or by-law provided another method. If a two thirds, four fifths or nine tenths vote of a town meeting is required by statute, the count shall be taken, and the vote shall be recorded in the records by the clerk; provided, however, that a town may decide by by-law or vote not to take a count and record the vote if a two-thirds vote of a town meeting is required by statute; and provided, further, that if the vote is unanimous, a count need not be taken, and the clerk shall record the vote as unanimous.

A town may pass by-laws, subject to this section, for the regulation of the proceedings at town meetings. Such by-laws shall be approved and published in the manner prescribed by section thirty-two of chapter forty.

In any town having a representative town meeting form of government the town meeting members shall not use the secret ballot when voting in the exercise of the corporate powers of said town or on any motion unless two thirds of the town meeting members present and voting thereon vote that a secret ballot be used.

Towns

Most towns (well over 200) operate with an Open Town Meeting where any voter is permitted to attend and vote on legislative matters: budgets, bylaws, zoning, etc. Fewer than 50 towns operate with a Representative Town Meeting where voters vote for representatives to attend town meeting. These representative legislative bodies vary from less than 100 to more than 300. Towns of less than 12,000 may not have a city form of government and towns of less than 6,000 must have an open town meeting. The executive authority in towns is held by elected boards of selectmen together with an appointed chief administrative officer called a Town Manager or Town Administrator.

 

The 2/3 vote is when a town has a representative town meeting rather than an open town meeting. There is a difference and we need to know and remember the difference.

posted by Jeff Bennett