No one is hiding funds on my watch!, those are the words of Diane Brooks and are represented in a comment to a post I made on my blog. Read it then read the email from May 2016, four days before town meeting.
No one is hiding funds on my watch. I have poured over that budget and I already gave some ideas and suggestions on Monday AND previously. perhaps if budgets didn't seem like a mystery reveal and given to the BOS at the last minute it wouldn't be quite so daunting to go through. There is nothing I saw as overstated, but the "lump sum disallowed" has me quite concerned. There was only one member of the advisory committee there in Monday when I have asked and asked for us to have a joint meeting and then it's approved by the Chairman and where was the rest of the committee? We have work to do and I hope we all dig in and ensure the budget is correct, makes sense and is viable for the coming years.
From: Robert Markel <townadministrator@templeton1.org>
To: Brooks, Diane, Columbus, John, John Caplis <selectmen.caplis@templeton1.org>, Morrison, Doug, Richard, Julie
Date: May 12, 2016 at 11:20 AM
Subject: Advisory Committee Recommendations
The proposed operating budget for Fiscal 2017 with Advisory Committee recommendations is attached.
Their approach is based upon a reduction in expected revenue from New Growth. For Fiscal 2016, new growth brought in an additional $94,000. In the prior year, it was $69,000.
I estimated new growth producing an additional $80,000 in revenue for FY'17. Thought that this was a conservative estimate, below the current year, in an economy that is doing better. The Advisory Committee cut the expected new growth revenue to $50,000, and they reduce the Town Administrator salary to $52,000 from $80,000 and they reduce the line item for wage and salary adjustments from $35,000 to $12,000 while giving a raise to the Deputy Assessor, the only Town employee given a raise directly in the budget of the Advisory Committee.
Assessors are always ultra-conservative about estimating new growth. Have never encountered Assessors who do it differently. If our Assessors stand up at Town Meeting and support the lower number, the ATM will likely go along with Advisory Committee recommendations. Singling out their Deputy Assessor for a raise will likely increase the pressure on the Assessors to support the AC new growth figure.
The BoS and I have supported a higher salary for the Deputy Assessor during the past year. Her salary in FY'15 was $43K. She was given two increases in FY'16 that brought her salary to $54K, and she was given an additional $2K in t our FY'17 budget. Luanne is an excellent employee and she deserves a good salary. I question why a $12K increase over two fiscal years is inadequate. Is the AC attempting to influence the Assessors to support for their view of new growth?
I had $25,000 in the Selectmen's budget for raises for non-unionized employees. It was raised to $35,000 in case we need to increase the Fire Chief's salary during recruitment. The current Chief is paid $64K. I put $70K in the FY'17 budget and an additional $10K buried in the BoS budget in case we need it.
Also, the BoS has said that they want to recruit a permanent T.A. during Fiscal '17. Why reduce the T.A. salary in the budget when it will have to be raised back to $80K or beyond during recruitment?
Kelli said that Jeff Bennett prevailed upon the AC to raise the budget for Veterans Benefits to $95K. Not sure why. AC supports the revolving fund which will use state reimbursements to fund Veterans Benefits.
Rm
posted by Jeff Bennett
You got em JEFFY $10. There's 3 loafs of bread.
ReplyDelete$12K increase.
With only one of the raises i could purchase my own boots.
But in our case the town has passed us over for even small raises for many years and offer us the boots and glasses and uniforms to keep us here.
We work when the town needs us 24hrs and more at times. For many years it was with no pay increases. At least we have warm dry feed. That's more than some Korean War Veterans had.
Advisory should have paid for the fire engine pump not the highway funds.
David, you are right, the Fire Department should have come to us to get the pump fixed. Word is Carter told them not to and they listened. Now they need the $10,000. back into the highway budget so they are coming for a transfer from the reserve fund. Go figure ! You guys do work hard, and I know that more often than not you guys on the highway have gotten the short end of the stick. The only thing the Advisory Committee can do is advise. It is up to the people to listen. If Markel had questions last year about our recommendations, he could have asked us. In Diane's post, she said she was asking why the AC did not show up for a meeting ? I guess we were not asked, would be the answer to that. Bev.
ReplyDeleteI spoke of those things in Markel's budget last year at a meeting or two. This is just before the annual town meeting and some of the emails I never saw until after. Remember, I am the one who changed the appropriation request for the fire department as we would have been in the negative this year. Bob Markel was livid and told me I couldn't do it. My adjusted article passed so that wouldn't happen. Dealing with people that only give you 1/2 or none of the information in a timely and effective manner doesn't help matters now does it. Bev, I asked Julie and the TA and they said the meeting was posted. I was not happy that the AC wasn't consulted/requested for those funds that came out of highway. I am one Board member and we have to vote, it was never even brought before us. How about the Lump Sum Disallowed? No commentary on that? How about the budget request for the Veteran's account, no commentary on that? I have other ideas to bring up and I will do so.
ReplyDelete