Monday, January 2, 2017
Massachusetts Department of Revenue Division of Local Services:
Proposition 2½ Ballot Questions Requirements and Procedures
2. Other Information Override and capital expenditure exclusion questions must also include the total amount of additional taxing authority being requested and the fiscal year in which it will be used. This information is not included in debt exclusion questions. Any additional information about the requested amount, the services and programs to be funded by the requested amount, and the impact the vote will have on those services cannot be included in the question or on the ballot. That type of information should be provided in the course of a balanced, comprehensive, public information effort. Public information efforts undertaken by local officials must be consistent with election and campaign finance laws. See Sections III-F and G below.
please be advised, there is a small difference if the warrant article and ballot question is presented as a debt exclusion or capital expenditure exclusion.
posted by Jeff Bennett
What you voted on at the special town meeting of November 9, 2015 concerning the police station. Note the borrowing is through the treasurer under the direction of the selectmen. No time table voted on so does this allow selectmen and treasurer to borrow for one year, two years or threes years? Since it does not specify a time limit.
ARTICLE 2 DEBT AUTHORIZATION: POLICE STATION UPGRADE
To see if the Town of Templeton will vote to appropriate, borrow or transfer from available funds, a sum of money to be expended under direction of the Selectmen to pay costs of designing, constructing and equipping a 4,000 square foot addition to and remodeling of the Templeton Police Station, located at 33 South Road, and for the payment of all other costs incidental and related thereto; or take any other action relative thereto.
Submitted by the Board of Selectmen
On a motion duly made and seconded the Town voted to appropriate the sum of Nine Hundred Seventy-Five Thousand Dollars ($975,000) to pay costs of designing, constructing and equipping a 4,000 square foot addition to and remodeling of the Templeton Police Station, located at 33 South Road, and for the payment of all other costs incidental and related thereto; said sum to be expended under the direction of the Selectmen; and to meet this appropriation the Treasurer, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen, is authorized to borrow said sum under M.G.L. 44, Section 7, or pursuant to any other enabling authority; provided, however, that no sum shall be borrowed or expended hereunder unless the Town shall have voted to exempt the amounts required for the payment of interest and principal on said borrowing from the limitations on taxes by M.G.L. 59, Section 21C (also known as Proposition 2 ½).
Passed Unanimously/November 9th @ 8:33
NOTE: The town voted, no one else.
special town election on December 8, 2015
ARTICLE 2 DEBT AUTHORIZATION: POLICE STATION UPGRADE
To see if the Town of Templeton will vote to appropriate, borrow or transfer from available funds, a sum of money to be expended under direction of the Selectmen to pay costs of designing, constructing and equipping a 4,000 square foot addition to and remodeling of the Templeton Police Station, located at 33 South Road, and for the payment of all other costs incidental and related thereto; or take any other action relative thereto.
Submitted by the Board of Selectmen
On a motion duly made and seconded the Town voted to appropriate the sum of Nine Hundred Seventy-Five Thousand Dollars ($975,000) to pay costs of designing, constructing and equipping a 4,000 square foot addition to and remodeling of the Templeton Police Station, located at 33 South Road, and for the payment of all other costs incidental and related thereto; said sum to be expended under the direction of the Selectmen; and to meet this appropriation the Treasurer, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen, is authorized to borrow said sum under M.G.L. 44, Section 7, or pursuant to any other enabling authority; provided, however, that no sum shall be borrowed or expended hereunder unless the Town shall have voted to exempt the amounts required for the payment of interest and principal on said borrowing from the limitations on taxes by M.G.L. 59, Section 21C (also known as Proposition 2 ½).
Passed Unanimously/November 9th @ 8:33
NOTE: The town voted, no one else.
special town election on December 8, 2015
Question 2. Shall the Town of Templeton be allowed to
exempt from the provisions of proposition two and one-half, so-called, the
amounts required to pay for the bonds issued in order to pay costs of
designing, constructing, and equipping a 4,000 square foot addition to and
remodeling of the Templeton Police Station, located at 33 South Road,
Templeton, Massachusetts, including the payment of all costs incidental or
related thereto?
YES___________ NO____________
from "A primer on prop 2 1/2 by the DOR:
What is a Debt Exclusion? What is a Capital Outlay Expenditure Exclusion?
Proposition 21
⁄2 allows a community to raise funds for certain purposes above the amount of its levy limit or levy ceiling.
Acommunity can assess taxes in excess of its levy limit or levy ceiling for the payment of certain capital projects
and for the payment of specified debt service costs. An exclusion for the purpose of raising funds for debt service
costs is referred to as a debt exclusion, and an exclusion for the purpose of raising funds for capital project costs
is referred to as a capital outlay expenditure exclusion. Both exclusions require voter approval with very limited
exceptions. These exceptions are explained on page 12.
The additional amount for the payment of debt service is added to the levy limit or levy ceiling for the life of the debt
only. The additional amount for the payment of the capital project cost is added to the levy limit or levy ceiling only
for the year in which the project is being undertaken. Unlike overrides, exclusions do not become part of the base
upon which the levy limit is calculated for future years.
Reimbursements such as state reimbursements for school building construction are subtracted from the amount
of the exclusion.
A capital outlay expenditure exclusion or debt exclusion is effective even in the rare case when the exclusion
would bring the community’s levy above its levy ceiling.
Both of these exclusions require a two-thirds vote of the community’s selectmen, or town or city council (with the
mayor’s approval if required by law) in order to be presented to the voters. A majority vote of approval by the electorate
is required for both types of exclusion.
Questions presented to exclude a debt obligation must state the purpose or purposes for which the monies from
the debt issue will be used. Questions presented to exclude a capital outlay expenditure exclusion must state the
amounts and purposes of the expenditures.
posted by Jeff Bennett
Is this a possible reason that all boards and committees are not aware of things and how discussion is avoided on important items?
One would think with an administrative assistant and assistant to the town administrator, who got a very nice raise in pay this past year, these scheduling conflicts would not happen, but this is Templeton.
One would think with an administrative assistant and assistant to the town administrator, who got a very nice raise in pay this past year, these scheduling conflicts would not happen, but this is Templeton.
Tom,
This is to let you know i have passed along your e-mail to the Advisory Committee members when it was received. The invitation will be an agenda item at our meeting this Wednesday !/4/2017. If you or your commissioners wish to attend our meeting and be part of our discussion please let me know. The Town Administrator at the BOS meeting on 12/28/2016 stated that he is planning on scheduling a joint meeting on 1/10/2017 with the Sewage Commissioners. This is the same night as the planning board has scheduled a meeting to all boards and committees as well as towns people to attend and have their inputs to the master plan. I would think the BOS would be going to that meeting as it has long term effect on the town and that your meeting with them could take place the next day. 1/11/2017
regards
Wil Spring
emails are public information.
posted by Jeff bennett
Why does it always have to be a "cat fight?" Why can't it be a dog fight?
Again, friends are getting in the way of doing business. My question is this, why was the figure $1,110,000.00 used in the revenue column for the spread sheet presented at town meeting, which was used to show a balanced budget, but them the figure of $1,000,000.00 was inserted on the tax recap sheet sent to the DOR? We are told there is a $200,000.00 short fall in the so called budget. Take the $110,000.00 and add the difference between the $80,000.00 used on the spread sheet for new growth and the number inserted on the tax recap sheet which I believe was amended to $69,000.00. That is a shortfall of $11,000.00, so now we have $121,000.00 right out of the gate. What is the reason for those changes? Why did the selectmen not consider what the advisory committee put forward? Better question is why does town meeting, the town's people, not want to go line by line when it comes to the spending of their money? It seems the people do not care until it looks like something may be wrong.
The people did not wish to go line by line on the expense spread sheet, well you got what you wanted. You wanted a new school, now pay the tax bill and smile. You want ambulance service provided by the town, now pay for it and smile. You keep reelecting the same light commissioners so enjoy your water bills, you got what you wanted. If you do not like what you get, then go fight for something different. Advice: before you go fight, learn the rules and bring them with you!
posted by Jeff Bennett
Again, friends are getting in the way of doing business. My question is this, why was the figure $1,110,000.00 used in the revenue column for the spread sheet presented at town meeting, which was used to show a balanced budget, but them the figure of $1,000,000.00 was inserted on the tax recap sheet sent to the DOR? We are told there is a $200,000.00 short fall in the so called budget. Take the $110,000.00 and add the difference between the $80,000.00 used on the spread sheet for new growth and the number inserted on the tax recap sheet which I believe was amended to $69,000.00. That is a shortfall of $11,000.00, so now we have $121,000.00 right out of the gate. What is the reason for those changes? Why did the selectmen not consider what the advisory committee put forward? Better question is why does town meeting, the town's people, not want to go line by line when it comes to the spending of their money? It seems the people do not care until it looks like something may be wrong.
The people did not wish to go line by line on the expense spread sheet, well you got what you wanted. You wanted a new school, now pay the tax bill and smile. You want ambulance service provided by the town, now pay for it and smile. You keep reelecting the same light commissioners so enjoy your water bills, you got what you wanted. If you do not like what you get, then go fight for something different. Advice: before you go fight, learn the rules and bring them with you!
posted by Jeff Bennett
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