At tonight's Advisory Committee meeting, Dave Smart stated the town's screening plant was repaired in the middle of the winter because it is used to screen the frozen crust from the sand pile, so it can go into the sanders because most of the sanders do not have screens on them.
I know of no other town that does that and the idea sounds bizarre. Peel off the crust and set it aside, when the weather warms, the sand will crumble and be, well sand again. It seems it is to easy to just "charge it" and use the snow & ice deficit to pay for it. Sometime ago, I commented on this subject and Dave came back with a comment about how he was looking forward to my idea or reason for the screen plant being repaired out of snow & Ice. Well, turns out Dave gave the reason himself. So there you have an example of mismanagement of the snow & Ice deficit spending mechanism.
posted by Jeff Bennett
This again begs. Do we buy screens for the trucks or screen the sand twice, unnecessarily burden thee screen plant, added labor each year?
ReplyDeleteBob M., for clarity, sanders are rectangle boxes in a V shape and on top, there is generally a steel I beam down the middle with several rectangle screens or grates that help to keep out things like pieces of wood, large stones, pieces of asphalt etc., while a screening plant basically sifts the sand, removing rocks and whatever size stones you wish removed etc. You can google brand names such as Highway, Swenson, Henderson and you should be able to get a picture of what I tried to describe above. Screens or grates on top of a sander/spreader are designed to keep objects out of the box. Screens or grates on a sander generally consist of some angle iron and small diameter steel round stock arranged to create about 2 inch squares and they are arranged in 4 or 6 sections, kind of like a number of doors or hatches that can be lift in a hinge type fashion so you can actually get inside the sander box. Really pretty simple if you ever see the top of a sander body. Hope that helps. One thing is for sure, the already screened/sifted sand does not have to be rescreened in the winter, just take the crusted pieces and set them aside for later.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the explanation. Re screening just seems like alot of man hours wasted and wear and tear on machine for no or little reason.
DeleteTempleton highway is not normal they do things different than any other highway dept !! Good or bad they are so far ahead of the game ??��������
ReplyDeleteWe do the best we can with what we have left.
ReplyDeleteTo listen to the babble from Jeffy is a bit of a joke.
The knowledge he has must be from a book or a highway dept. fully funded or let me think a STATE facility with a pot of your gold to spend.
Yes the sanders have lost the screens and even with them on the chunks that get mixed with the sand are also in the salt bins.
So when we receive a load of salt some chunks are in with it as the pile it comes from also get a crust on top.
I guess until you work at a certain facility it could be hard to understand what really goes on there. Jeffy can do a quick drive by and know everything about it.
That's a gift! So i guess Jeffy is the gifted one.
Good job last night working the school budget.
I guess the point of the 400k used from the E+D fund was not anyones question.WHY NOT.
That makes the budget next year a 400K markup!
Not one question about the E+D use.
Time for a over ride for the school it looks like.
i heard we had a crybaby selectmen at TAC meeting and had to have their hand held by a TAC member. Was so upset that TAC did not agree with with the budget
ReplyDeleteOh my, that is why our member left the room ! It is better to know now than on the ATM floor that we do have a problem, again ! So why plan on spending money we do not collect, or iffy money that may or not be real, so things look good, but in reality is just as bad as last year. Does anyone really want the people that work for us to be constantly on edge, wondering when we will close town hall again ? How do we get ahead if we do not have the self control to save a dime ? Will there be cuts ? Yes, more likely . The reality is we do not have the income to float this boat we have built ! Bend it fold it, I do not care what you do but this is reality. Don't the Selectmen think the people would really rather have a stable government, than one built on crossed fingers, and a wing and a prayer ? It takes guts to stop the distructive path we have been on for way to many years ! I am truly sorry things are not different, but they will not get better until we work together to make it happen. Bev.
DeleteOne last thing ! Carter has no skin in this game . He will be gone when his plan hits the skids ! I have an investment in this town, and so do you. Our new member Paul, is a very smart man. He has worked a lot of hours trying to figure out what is wrong, and he has figured it out ! Now all we have to figure out how to get people to see the forrest through the trees.
DeleteA crybaby selectman? Hmmmm. It's frustrating and I apologized. I was there. Where was some of the other members? Hmmmm again. Let's not reinvent the wheel. It would have been nice to know the TAC had issues with revenue before this weeks Meeting and last night. Mr. Moore stayed after the meeting to apologize, no one else has ever extended me that courtesy but I have done it publicly and in person and email. It wasn't because I didn't agree, it's the 11th hour. Why do we even have a DOR if you can change the levy limit? Has anyone called Deb Wagner? Just curious. I have tried and tried this year and the Chairman of the BOS said no to a joint meeting in the beginning. I begged in email and at meetings and Carter made it happen. I said I didn't want to happen again what happened the last two years and yet here we are. I know it's frustrating for you all as well. But I am tired of being your target. Please ask the other selectman what they are doing with their budget books.
DeleteAnd he has figured it out?
ReplyDeleteDo we get to share in the big conclusion before it's to late to matter?
Funny how we can have the issue all figured in a short time.
Makes one wonder what the hell has been going on over the years.
Makes one wonder why the hell it has been allowed so long.
The biggest issue is lack of involvement in the process by the people in town.
They show up and vote in what they want time and time again.
We put all our eggs in the one basket and call it schooling.
We have let our town be taken over by the few we elect and without any change we won't have much in a short time.
To answer your question Bev it's "Burn it down"
We just have to watch out for the mud after.
The state would be the burn.
The new tax rate will be the mud.
Suddenly this year we've been doing the tax levy all wrong? That makes no sense. Every other community does the levy that way. I wonder what's been going on all these years? The use of free cash AND the L&W payments to keep the tax rate low? That wasn't good fiscal management and I believe Julie stated at many many meetings that she didn't approve of doing that but it happened. In the end the legislative body makes the decisions. Since it was brought up at last nights meeting, the $505,000 was a major error in numbers that were not verified when the AC was doing the budget yet only Mr. Bennett took responsibility for that, he wasn't the cause except for lack of oversight. This board has had some lack of oversight as well. It is easy to arm chair quarterback isn't it? It's hard sitting in these seats and all that participate I give you kudos because to be constantly and consistently criticized is not good for your heart, soul or health. Working together means being more upfront with issues and on top of things, of which I have not always been AND I have admitted that. I try my best just like the rest. I believe the best in people until you prove otherwise and even then. If you're not happy with your elected officials that have "taken over" your town, recall them. Don't vote them in or get more people to stand up and run for the open seats. I see so much negative here and other places and its more than disheartening. Anonymous, you still don't have the nerve to show yourself? Yet you call names as usual? That's not really playing fair now is it? I asked several people over the last year to consider running this election and you know what the response was? No way! I'm not going to be chastised and criticized and written about and so on an so forth. It shouldn't be that way should it? If you all didn't care about this community you wouldn't serve. Why am I not extended the same respect I give you. Last night was just the straw that broke the camels back I guess I don't believe I was rude, I am emotional and if having passion and care for our employees and the town are something I should not have then I don't even think I should do the job. I have worked hard on this budget and I have ideas of mine just like you do yours. I was truly hoping the process would be different and here we are again... the same. Not your fault. It's ours as far as I am concerned with not wanting to have the communication jointly in the first place. I will only apologize for last evening for my tone if it sounded condescending or harsh, I will never apologize for how I feel, what my stance is on an issue I feel strongly about or coming to the table with ideas. Just like you shouldn't. I truly truly hope we don't have a fiasco like last years town meeting as it can be completely avoided in my opinion. Thanks for reading.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the way ahead of everybody Templeton highway should have suggested spending chapter 90 money on a good dry salt shed before those funds were spent on an un-needed excavator. Personally, I have had a trailer load of salt merely under a tarp in a parking lot, I have had sand/salt in a "bin" made up of tarps and 4' X 4' concrete blocks. I have had sand/salt in an open bin and deal with the crust as above. Never had a screening plant to take care of that problem. We will see soon enough if the big change made at the highway department makes any difference. As for knowing about the screening plant or the small and possibly leaking salt storage area, all one needs to do is attend meetings where department heads and or employees come in and discuss things such as needing more snow & ice funds to repair a screening unit. No magic, just pay attention to money spent and who says what at open meetings.
ReplyDeleteNow, to follow Dave's logic, he would have to go work at the light & water department before commenting on them any further. Secondly, if Dave feels so strongly about an override, go to a selectmen meeting and tell them they should put an override question on the town meeting warrant. Perhaps you should have put a citizen's petition in for an override. Last, you sat at the Advisory meeting and so you could have asked about the use of E&D funds for the school budget. E7D funds are surplus funds - one time funds, similar to what is referred to as "free cash" and I believe most agree that the use of one time funds to hold up a budget is not sound financial planning, but it is their budget and what will happen next year? I do not know, but with a year to plan for it, I think the Town should plan for a substantial increase in it's school assessment but that is just my thought. So Dave, if you think the town needs an override, go tell the selectmen this Monday evening. Don't write it here, go tell them like I did in 2013. Don't go to the selectmen meeting and sit silent, stand up and tell your bosses that they need to put an override on the warrant.
ReplyDeleteThe school has used their E&D funds every single year that I have been on the Board to help balance their budget. I will call the Central Office and ask for a breakdown of that account.
ReplyDeleteThe school has used their E&D funds every single year that I have been on the Board to help balance their budget. I will call the Central Office and ask for a breakdown of that account.
ReplyDeleteWith all the brilliance we have running the BOS and the AC now they need not my help but when i get asked questions i give the best answer i can.
ReplyDeleteEven knowing you will do what you do to the answers i give.
It's all you got!
Others like Diane know what i mean.
So Jeffy you posted information above about the road project paid for with light dept funds and the records show no information about it.
Could it be for the repairs to roads after water main repairs.
I think that would be mixing of funds for sure and illegal.
So what do your boys have for a project they claimed to have paid for?
????
Dave, perhaps you should have run for selectmen this year. and you gave no real answers to anything. The information comes from the FY2018 budget book that is on the Templeton Town website for anyone to check. I simply put it here as a single item. As for "my boys" I only have one "boy" he is a six month old Rottweiler, but maybe I will ask him for you. You should go to the selectmen meeting and ask your boss's for the information as to what road project TMLP paid for, it is the selectmen budget and book and hopefully one of them checked out the information provided them. I just showed the information the selectmen printed.
ReplyDeleteHe wasn't the cause except for lack of oversight. This board has had some lack of oversight as well. Another year of the Bennett lack of oversight.
ReplyDeleteGreat!