from

 "A guide to financial management for town officials" book published by the division of local services.
WHAT ARE THE BASIC ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE?
 

The primary duties of a finance committee
are to advise and make recommendations
to town meeting on the budget and other
areas of finance. "Other areas of finance, would that be like debt and long range planning for capital items?"

In addition to its research and advisory role at town meeting, the committee can play a
vital role in the financial planning of the town. In some communities, the finance
committee develops long-range revenue and expenditure forecasts, which are very useful
in scheduling large capital acquisitions and identifying major changes in the operating
budget of the town.
What a concept, the finance committee or advisory committee looking at and being involved in financial planning and long range, as in future finance of the town and changes in the operation of the town that affects future financial (money from your taxes) changes, such as elimination of department heads and mergers, such as a police chief being in charge of the fire department. Perhaps some selectmen should read this booklet, it is free, well, it has already been paid for by you through your state tax payments so you do not have to pay for it again through your property tax dollars.

posted by jeff Bennett

C.S. 1-ER Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Revenue FY2017
	NOTICE TO ASSESSORS OF ESTIMATED RECEIPTS
	General Laws, Chapter 58, Section 25A
	Templeton
	A. EDUCATION:
	Distributions and Reimbursements:
	Chapter 70	8,256
	School Transportation	0
	Charter Tuition Reimbursement	0
	Smart Growth	0

	Offset Items – Reserve for Direct Expenditure:
	School Choice Receiving Tuition	0

	Sub-Total, All Education Items:	8,256

	B. GENERAL GOVERNMENT:
	Distributions and Reimbursements:
	Unrestricted General Government Aid	1,340,791
	Local Share of Racing Taxes	0
	Regional Public Libraries	0
	Urban Revitalization	0
	Veterans Benefits	120,318
	Exemp: VBS and Elderly	62,775
	State Owned Land	110,786

	Offset Item - Reserve for Direct Expenditure:
	Public Libraries	11,309

	Sub-Total, All General Government:	1,645,979

	C. TOTAL ESTIMATED RECEIPTS:	1,654,235

How is $1,340,791.00 going to cover a 1.4 million dollar loan payment? Seems a bit short, which seems to be a habit of this board of selectmen. Someone failed 4th grade math.

posted by Jeff bennett

from the facebook page of Diane Brooks;

"There were many informational meetings to explain the building and design of the new school and the location AND how the tax rate would be affected 
and how the taxpayer would feel the impact of their taxes being raised. I am not going to belabor that point as it's been gone over a year and 1/2. This project has taken much longer than expected as it has repeatedly attempted to be blocked. This is just one more way to try to stop it. We had a ballot vote and here are the results:
QUES. 1 - New Elementary School
Yes 806
No 597"

The following is from Jeff Bennett:

I do not think the people who voted for the school voted to be lied to.
I also believe the people deserved to hear everything, the good and the bad. I was at many of those meetings and the attendance was very poor most of the time. Some of those meetings, I was the only person there besides the committee, the person recording the meeting and sometimes a reporter. So some of the fault lies with the people for failing to be interested in a project of this size and cost - 47 million plus. This is debt on the Town, not the school and the tax rate will / would not be $1.74 per thousand as was advertised and none of the selectmen said otherwise. Why would they, after all they wanted the school at all costs, even putting the town in jeopardy of not having access to any potential state aid, which the town budget is dependent on, just so this school and this debt could be placed in the laps of the people. Their own paper work on school finance and tax rate increase used $1.74 per thousand as a "net increase" while showing the old debt vote in back in 1996 and supposedly paid off in 2016 then to 2019, except the plan was / is to keep that debt on the books for another 28 plus years. check the facts for yourself. The debt exclusion that people voted for in 1996 was going to stay in place for an another 28 years. Isn't that nice, you thought that money, about 50 cents, was coming off your tax bill, not so fast.
We want our new school so just keep paying your taxes, we are the superior board and we know best. We cannot add, but we know best!
That is my thoughts and opinion, so the selectmen can post this on their facebook pages and all their followers can read it and maybe ask some questions.


posted by Jeff Bennett