Observations this week: Westminster Town Administrator tenders resignation after 19 years, time to retire. There is one local town looking for a T/A - Manager.

The seems to be a little upheaval going on in Ashburnham; the town did not get paperwork in on time so free cash did not get certified and used in time so it rolls on to next year. There were some financial items apparently not filed on time. I am willing to bet that the person (town administrator) gets the blame and perhaps that is the real reason for the dust up, who knows. Ashburnham tax recap was filed on time, but no free cash could be an issue, especially if selectmen had plans for it or there was a "dependency" for it. Whatever the reason, this makes for a good case, in my opinion, for moving some biscuits from this pile, over to that pile, in order to keep what Templeton has in place. I do not think it a good time to start at zero.

On the other more important front, remember the August 21 joint meeting. If you do not show up, someone will vote for you and you lose your say.

Update: Things that are not getting done?

Burned out houses in Templeton, MA

165 North Main Street - current on property taxes: $234.90 paid.

21 Sawyer Street is in tax title, with back taxes of $2,331.54

10 Pleasant Street, Baldwinville - tax title with back taxes of $32,489.37

To begin with, it takes about $500.00 to get process started; legal and land court.

Then, if the town becomes owner of burned out property, what then? What if lead or asbestos is found before demolition is started, what is the cost of that. It is not as simple of taking property because of back taxes (as well as it should be) and in my opinion, unless you are paying your neighbors property taxes, why should you have any say in how they maintain their property; either we are a free society or we are not. So, are we a free country or not?

There could be a surprise down the road regarding 10 Pleasant Street, Baldwinville (christmas present perhaps?)

This information was gained from Town Hall, by way of the deputy assessor and I hope this shows that things are being done and looked at, considered and discussed. Remember, this is government and it moves slow, if at all (sometimes a good thing).

Also, these are some of the reasons why your tax dollars fund tax title, so there is money available to do these things, as they are not free and they do not just happen.

There a couple of other properties that were in the beginning of tax taking who up and paid their taxes, another part of the process.

Part of what can happen if the Board of Health becomes involved:
from the State sanitary code.

Hearing

Owners and/or occupants are entitled to file a written petition for a hearing before the local board of health if:

a. they have been served an order pursuant to any regulation in Chapter II of the Sanitary Code by the board of health. Their petition must be filed within seven days after the day the order was served.

b. they believe that the board of health or any inspector has failed to follow the provisions of Chapter II by neglecting to conduct an investigation as requested, to issue a report on the inspection, to cite violations claimed to exist, to certify that a violation may endanger or materially impair the health or safety and well-being of the occupants or to issue an order as required by Regulation 410.850.

The petition must be filed within 30 days of the initial request for an inspection. [410.850]
Affected parties, owners and occupants shall be informed of the hearing and of their right to inspect the files of the board of health. [410.851]

The hearing must begin within 30 days of the date the order was served and, in certain instances, must begin within less than 30 days. [410.852]

Within seven days after the hearing has concluded, the board of health shall inform the petitioner in writing whether the board has decided to sustain, modify or withdraw the order. [410.854]

Appeal

The final decision of the board of health may be appealed to the appropriate Massachusetts court. [410.860]

Looking at the weekly Town Administrator report from last week;

Police - nothing to report
Fire Department - nothing to report

Apparently, not much going on in Town.

Regarding the three burned out homes, spoke with the Health Agent back in June, one home in Baldwinville, the homeowner apparently did not have insurance, one home on Sawyer Street is apparently owned by 2 people, who are not together anymore, so this is a bit complicated on getting 2 parties to settle, short of going to court I suppose. The other one is again, been burned out for a while.

Thinking those three things through, Town takes home owners to court (costs money) they are instructed by court to fix, tear down, etc. parties inform court they do not have insurance, cannot afford to do it, etc., does tabman recommend the Town spend money on those properties. What is tabman's solution? So, the Templeton Health agent seems to be aware of the issues and trying to come up with a solution, as far as I know.

One thing that has happened is the big rock that was on the common near Historical building is gone.

TAB MAN9:51 PM

burned out houses left for five years no action from the BOH
DPW not doing their job per the VSO these are just some of the things not getting done Don't look for any more because you will find so many things not getting done you will wonder why you pay taxes But yet we have our accountant going to Hubbardston 10 hours a week and getting paid 7,500 more and the her assistant now at full time and paid benefits and the BOS let us staying the agreement with Hubbardston. OH yes lets give the MGMT fellow a 37.9% pay increase for his lack of experience all this and we are cutting the police and fire. Great job BOS and TA

The above is a comment posted to this blog. The part that caught my eye was the 37.9% pay increase for the management (MGMT) fellow. I quickly broke out the budget documentation books for fiscal year 2019 and fiscal year 2020. I looked under the board of selectmen section / personnel, as that is where the salaries for the selectmen office are listed.

What I found - personnel total for fiscal year 2019: $168,750.00

What I found - personnel total for fiscal year 2020 - $170,000.00

At the time this information was presented, selectmen had not added their "salary" yet:

$500.00 per selectmen = $2,500.00, so the $2,500.00 must be added to the $170,000.00, which in no way shows a 37.9% increase in funding.

What might explain the above statement is while the "pile of money" did not increase, the amount going to the management fellow may have increased.

Perhaps the question should be, what would the advisory committee think is the appropriate amount of money to pay for someone to apply for, work / learn the job of Town Administrator and to stick around for a while. This is not a question of hiring experienced T/A, this concerns the current situation, how much is right? 

Recall there was a "big to do" from one member of advisory committee concerning a 75% increase in EMD budget; from $1,000.00 per year to $1,750.00 and then it was learned that EMD has brought in about $60,000.00 in grants over the course of the last 10 years or so.

Again, I see no 37.9% in appropriation, only, perhaps, in distribution of a town meeting appropriated amount and I think there is a difference.

So the Templeton fire chief says the fire department office will be closed on some days in reaction to possible cuts in town budget, he will be in the ambulance as a responder to calls. Okay, say the chief rides the ambulance with a patient, to the hospital; checking in, doing paper work etc, there is a large fire in Templeton, how will the chief respond to that?

What about the billing, why is the fire chief doing billing, I mean the sewer commissioners were told the Town has a Town Collector so all Town collections should be done there, why not have ambulance billing done there as well, if you are going to bill additionally for a town service.

I looked at Ashburnham, MA, costing of accountant services: $85,040.00 and then at Templeton costing of accountant services: $193,470.00 ($28,000.00 for audit expense included)

Can the case be made for Templeton to do business in a different way resulting in better use of tax dollars?

If Templeton officials are truly interested in getting more out of taxpayer dollars, perhaps Templeton should be looking at moving it's dispatch service to a scenario like the Town of Hubbardston has done. There are many things that could be done to provide same services, free up dollars for education and road repair; leaders just need to be willing to take those issues on. Again, put away heart strings, friends, family, etc; it really comes down to the bottom line / $$$

(from July 2018)
Town of Warren to join Rutland dispatch center

HUBBARDSTON — Town officials have ap­­proved the Rutland Reg­ional Emergency Com­munication Center’s plan to add the town of Warren to the center, which will save Hubbard­ston thousands of dollars.

Currently, the Com­munication Center serves Barre, Oakham, Rutland and Hubbardston.

However, it will expand to include Warren starting in January, which will save Hubbardston roughly $18,000 a year. Currently, the town spends $134,241 on dispatch, but after the savings begin the town will spend $116,502.

“There are no known drawbacks to adding Warren,” Director of Communications Michael Moriarty said. “There won’t be any change in service to any of the towns, and Hubbardston will have the same service.”

In order to address the additional calls, the Communication Center is hiring additional dispatchers in order to assure no change in service with the addition of Warren.

“We are happy to be realizing long-term savings due to the addition of Warren into RECC,” Board of Selectmen Chairman Dan Galante said. “We feel as though we vetted it thoroughly and asked all of the necessary questions to make sure the citizens of Hubbardston are unaffected by this merger.”

Hubbardston was the last town to approve Warren into the center.

With Warren added, the current capacity of the facility will be maxed out, but the center is still looking at options to allow future expansions that could save the towns even more money.

“We are looking at new locations to continue to grow,” Moriarty said. “The building next door to us actually, if we move into that
we will be able to hold even more towns.”

With each town that is added to the center, there will be more overall savings for the towns already participating.

The Communications Center has also found additional savings in switching to Swift 911, swapping out Code Red, for recorded mass emergency calls. Swift 911 offers the same townwide calling services that CodeRed does, for about $7,000 less to the cost of each town using the center.

With Swift 911, the town is able to make wide-ranging calls for a number of scenarios, notably emergencies like floods or serious crime, but Swift 911 will also allow people to sign up for specific call lists, so they can be notified about non-emergencies like town meetings as well.

Special Town Meeting - Phillipston:

See the articles that relate to Templeton (entire warrant can be found on Phillipston town website.)


Greetings: In the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, you are hereby directed to notify and warn the inhabitants of the Town of Phillipston qualified to vote in elections and town affairs to meet at the Phillipston Memorial School, 20 The Common, Phillipston, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, July 31, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. to act on the following articles:


Article 1. TO AMEND THE NARRAGANSETT REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT AGREEMENT To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to petition the Narragansett Regional School District to amend the Narragansett Regional School District Agreement by deleting the current Section XII, Assignment of Pupils, and replacing it with the following:

SECTION XII ASSIGNMENT OF PUPILS Students in kindergarten through grade five (5) shall attend schools in their respective towns of residence, except as hereinafter provided. The School Committee may determine by a majority vote of the entire Committee to assign kindergarten through grade five (5) students to schools in a town other than their respective town of residence under the following circumstances: (1) in the event of an emergency which prevents use of a building in whole or part; or (2) a student requires specialized education or accommodation for a disability that cannot be provided by the school in the student’s town of residence and the parent or guardian of the student approves of the assignment.

Parents may request attendance in any of the Member Town schools through the so-called “school choice” program, subject to approval of the Superintendent.

or act in relation thereto

Article 4. TO PETITION THE GENERAL COURT FOR SPECIAL LEGISLATION PROVIDING FOR RECALL OF ELECTED MEMBERS OF THE NARRAGANSETT REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT COMMITTEE

To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Selectboard to petition the General Court for a special act providing for the recall of elected members of the Narragansett Regional School District School Committee, which act shall be prepared by the Selectboard and shall include but not be limited to the following: an affidavit to be signed under the penalty of perjury, setting forth the grounds for recall, to be signed by no less than 50 voters of each member town; a petition form including the grounds for recall as set forth in the affidavit, and listing the names of the first five voters who signed the affidavit from each member town, to be signed by no less than 10% of the voters in the district, with no more than 7.5% of such signatures to be from one member town, and which act authorizes the holding of a district election, to be paid for by the district, at which the question of recall and the election of a successor shall be acted upon; and further that a person who resigns following the submission of a recall petition, or who is recalled from office, shall be ineligible to be appointed to a position with the regional school district for a period of one year; provided, however, that the General Court may make clerical or editorial changes of form only to the bill, unless the Selectboard approve amendments to the bill before enactment by the General Court; and, provided further that the Selectboard is hereby authorized to approve amendments which shall be within the scope of the general public objectives of this petition;
or act in relation thereto

Article 5. TO DIRECT THE SELECTBOARD TO OBTAIN AN AGREEMENT FROM TEMPLETON REGARDING PHILLIPSTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

To see if the Town will direct the Selectboard to obtain the following as a signed agreement from the Selectboard of Templeton: “The Town of Templeton swears that it will not seek or accept monetary payments from the Town of Phillipston to help pay for their new elementary school should Phillipston students be assigned there.” And the Town further directs that no Phillipston students shall be allowed to attend the new elementary school in Templeton unless this agreement is signed by all Templeton selectmen and notarized;

or act in relation thereto

BOSTON — Thousands of students in Massachusetts move between public school districts every year, taking millions of dollars in state education funding with them.

Critics say the system is flawed, and they are pushing to change how the money is allocated.

Under inter-district school choice, parents have the option of enrolling their children in a community other than their hometown. While public school districts can decide whether to accept out-of-district students — about 40 percent don’t participate — they cannot hold back students who want to move elsewhere.

Since the program was rolled out nearly three decades ago, the number of students moving around has grown to more than 17,000, according to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Tom Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, said school choice is a mixed bag.

“For receiving districts, it works pretty well,” he said. “But the problem is that low-performing districts that are losing students end up losing money that they can ill afford to lose.”

In some cases, however, districts that lose students through school choice end up making money.

The reason is, under the school choice program, districts still receive state education aid for students who’ve left. While those districts must pay students’ tuition at their new schools, the state caps the fee at $5,000 per student per year.

One proposal, filed by Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, calls for increasing the tuition cap to $6,500 per student.

School choice advocates like the Pioneer Institute, a Boston-based think tank, say raising the cap will create a fairer system.

Last year, Pioneer released a report noting the cap hasn’t kept pace with inflation, or overall education spending.

“The increases should be high enough to incentivize more high-performing districts to accept non-residents,” the report’s authors wrote. “But there needs to be a balance between those amounts and the need to maintain fiscal stability in the sending districts.”

Pioneer has also recommended raising an overall cap on the program, now set at 2 percent of statewide public school enrollment.

The Pioneer report noted school choice has become a “budget tool” for some high-performing districts that actively recruit students from economically challenged areas.

“School committees actively seek non-residents not just to fund special programs, but to balance their budgets,” the report’s authors noted.

Losses and gains

Under the current design, districts can gain or lose significant money from their budgets due to school choice.

Gloucester, for example, expects to lose more than $2 million in state funding due to 297 students leaving in the current school year, according to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. In the meantime, the district will only will bring in $292,301 from 42 pupils coming from other communities.

Lawrence schools stand to lose $424,955 from 62 students moving to other districts, but hasn’t received students this year from the program.

Same goes for Methuen, which expects to lose 42 students this year with $342,907 in funding that will follow them to other communities.

Some districts, like Peabody and Rockport, are gaining state education funding from the school choice program.

Peabody expects to receive $640,213 from 113 students coming from other communities, while losing $330,377 to 49 students opting out.

Rockport is receiving 250 students this year, which will bring more than $1.7 million in funding, and losing 34 at a cost of $257,914.

A recent state report looking at the impact of school choice on rural districts was also critical of its effects, concluding that it has “created a situation where districts are competing with one another over an ever diminishing population of students.”

Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for The Salem News newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhi.com

Study Finds MA Inter-District School Choice Program a Success, but Should Be Updated

May 15, 2018by Editorial Staff

Policy makers should raise tuition rate, cap on program enrollment

BOSTON – With little fanfare or controversy, Massachusetts’ inter-district school choice program has allowed students to access better schools and spurred competition between districts, but the 27-year-old choice law should be updated to ensure the program’s continuing success, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute.

Download "Inter-district Choice in Massachusetts"

“By providing a way for school districts to fill empty seats and allowing them to have sufficient enrollment to sustain niche programs, inter-district choice is a vehicle for delivering better and more efficient K-12 public education,” said Jamie Gass, director of Pioneer’s Center for School Reform.

In Inter-district School Choice in Massachusetts, author Roger Hatch writes that districts choosing to accept choice students receive $5,000 plus any additional special education costs from the sending district.  When the special education increment and the Commonwealth’s two virtual schools (which are funded through the choice program and have an annual tuition rate of $6,700) are included, the average tuition was $6,123 in fiscal year 2017.

The choice program has grown steadily, from less than 1,000 students in FY 1992 to over 16,000 in FY 2017.  Admission is by lottery if districts are over-subscribed.

Inter-district choice enrollment is capped at 2 percent of statewide public school enrollment and currently accounts for 1.71 percent of overall enrollment. If the program continues to grow at its current pace, it will bump up against the cap in the next four-to-six years.

A Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) analysis of 2014 MCAS scores found that, on average, choice students outperform resident students in the accepting district.

Inter-district choice is most popular in rural areas and on Cape Cod.  Choice students account for half the enrollment in Petersham public schools and over 40 percent in Richmond and Provincetown.

Because students are counted in the sending district’s state funding allotment, known as Chapter 70, certain school districts realize an overall funding increase even when they lose students to another school district.  In these 70 districts that receive the bulk of their education funding from the Commonwealth, the $5,000 choice tuition is less than their per-pupil allotment.

Noting that the tuition payment has never gone up in the program’s 27-year history and that state and local budgets have more than doubled during that time, Hatch recommends that the $5,000 payment should rise and that policy makers should reach agreement about the increments and pace of the increase.

“We need to strike a balance that incentivizes high-performing school districts to accept school choice students but maintains the fiscal stability of sending districts,” Roger Hatch said.

He also recommends raising the cap on program enrollment, which is set at 2 percent of statewide public school enrollment.

No regulations have ever been promulgated for the inter-district choice program.  Hatch calls on DESE to establish regulations once the law is updated to provide guidance for districts that administer the program and parents and students who are weighing their choice options.

About the Author

Roger Hatch spent a long career working for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the areas of school and municipal finance. For 20 years he was the Administrator of School Finance at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.  In addition to supervising the school choice program, the office works with the Governor’s staff, the legislature, advocacy groups, local officials and the general public, to develop, calculate, and explain the Chapter 70 state aid formula.

Selectmen cannot deny the numbers nor the official record of Town Meeting:

Annual Town Meeting of May 2018.
Article 21 - On a motion duly made and seconded the Town voted to appropriate the sum of Eight Million,
Two Hundred Twenty Thousand, Two Hundred Ninety Eight Dollars and no cents ($8,220,298.00) for the operations of General Government for Fiscal Year 2019, and to meet said
appropriation with a transfer of Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars and No Cents ($250,000.00) from the Ambulance receipts reserved for appropriation, anticipated receipts, and
the balance from taxation.

Article 24 - To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Four Hundred Seventy
Thousand Two Hundred Forty Six Dollars and No Cents, ($470,246.00), subject to the successful passage of a Proposition 2 ½ Over-Ride, so-called, for supplemental appropriations to the FY 2019 Operating Budget for the following departments:
Fire/EMS $290,740
Police $23,000
Insurance & Benefits $133,890
Highway $15,000
Snow & Ice $7,616
Or take any other action related thereto.
Submitted by the Board of Selectmen
Majority Vote Required

added together, the articles = $8,690,544.00.

Annual Town Meeting May 2019.
Article 26 - FY 2019 GENERAL FUND OPERATING (OPEX) BUDGET
To see if the Town will vote to appropriate the sum of Nine Million Six Hundred Ninety Thousand Two Hundred Seventy Four Dollars and no cents ($9,690,274.00) for the operations of
General Government for Fiscal Year 2020, and to meet said appropriation with a transfer of Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars and No Cents ($250,000.00) from the Ambulance receipts reserved for appropriation, anticipated receipts, and the balance from taxation.
Or take any other action related thereto.
Submitted by the Board of Selectmen
Majority Vote Required

$9,690,274.00 - $8,690,544.00 = $990,730.00.

That $990,730.00 is the increase in FY2020 over FY2019 of the general operating budget of Templeton and those numbers come form the selectmen.

How could a selectman tell a town resident, with a straight face, that there is not an increase of 1 million dollars in Town operating costs?

So, the selectmen put forward an increase in Town costs of almost one million, then the school district followed suit with an almost one million increase; what the hell did anyone think would happen? As a member of the Advisory Committee at annual town meeting on May 2019, the committee comments stated just that; Town Meeting know that there is a one million dollar increase in Templeton operating costs for FY2020 but at least one selectmen denied it.

Again, this information is all on the record

Looking at costs of operating a Town and a School district may require doing "business" in a different way

Templeton dispatch costs may require some research and a history lesson.

Annual Town Report of 2011, page 89 shows Templeton receiving an E911 grant of $119,204.00 and on page 90, it shows dispatch total payroll of $221,161.00 with $19,179.00 turned back in to town (as unspent).

Then on page 168, it shows Town meeting appropriation for communication commission wages of $222,995.00. Back on page 18, there is a report of communication commission and no mention of that wage figure of $222,995.00, but I believe back then, that was dispatch wages.

Now if the total payroll for dispatch was $221,161.00 and town gets a grant of $119,204.00 (Phillipston paying about $57,000.00 back then) why does town meeting have to appropriate $222,995.00? If it only costs taxpayers $37,000.00, why is only $19,179.00 turned back to the town as unspent?

Forgive me, but I lost track of which cup the pea is under.

This is some of the system I walked into when elected to the board of selectmen back in 2011. So, perhaps first question is, does the money Phillipston pays to Templeton really go directly to dispatch, or it is just general revenue to the town?

There are rules and guidelines for E911 grant funds. Have those rules been strictly followed over the years?

The breakdown of the dispatch budget does not show the E911 grant money being used as part of dispatch payroll, so how does one make the point that dispatch only costs Templetom $37,000.00?

The goal of the proposal was an effort to save Templeton tax dollars while having dispatch available. The feasibility study showed potential savings to Templeton at $89,000.00. The only real way to know or realize the outcome is to do it and that did not happen. Think of this, Phillipston is scheduled to pay $65,000.00 for the same dispatch service that Templeton gets, except they do not pay retirement costs, health insurance costs nor do they cover costs of the building improvement, but you do as a Templeton resident. If it works for Phillipston, why would it not work for Templeton?

Some more history:
2007 Annual Town report, page 83 - police department:

Dispatcher: July 18, 2006, board of selectmen voted the day to day operations of dispatch center and jurisdiction to the chief of police. Former control of the dispatch center and dispatcher fell under communication board.

In that same annual town report, there is a listing of all town employees with their salaries, (pages 97-99) why is that absent from the annual town report these days? How can people who pay the bills check on what they are told, that Templeton salaries / wages are on the low side? If you question what I post, for instance, how or where can you check on that? Is there something to hide? It would be the accounting of public money after all.

Making changes when the final numbers are not yet known.
From Massachusetts Division of Local Services.



Since a final FY2020 state budget has yet to be approved, local officials need to be aware that the July local aid distributions will be based on the amounts appearing on the cherry sheet proposals under the Governor's budget proposal.  Therefore, the Chapter 70, Charter Tuition Reimbursements and State-owned Land receipt programs will be impacted.  On the assessment side, the charter tuition assessment will be impacted.

To determine an estimate of the amount to be paid in July, you can review the cherry sheet proposals by clicking here.  Use the estimate appearing under the heading “FY2020 Governor's Proposal” (see example below).

Staff from the Data Analytics and Resources Bureau are available to answer any questions you may have regarding the upcoming July distribution. Please contact them at (617) 626-2384 or databank@dor.state.ma.us.

By GREG VINE

For the Athol Daily News

Published: 7/14/2019 9:45:07 PM

PHILLIPSTON – An article on the July 31 special town meeting warrant calls for changes in the Narragansett Regional School District agreement between the towns of Phillipston and Templeton. The most significant change would require that all children in kindergarten through grade five attend school in the community in which they reside. The district school committee would be able, by a simple majority vote, to assign students from one community to a school in the other member town in the event of an emergency that leads to the complete or partial shutdown of their home school. Students could also be reassigned if they require specialized educational services or physical accommodations unavailable in their community.

In addition, parents could ask that their child be sent to an out-of-town school, but such a move would require the approval of the superintendent.

Dr. Maureen Marshall, acting Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association Regional Schools, met with parents and members of the Selectboard at their meeting Wednesday night.

Marshall said she was told by board Chair Kim Pratt that some parents were actually hoping to pull Phillipston Memorial Elementary School out of the district agreement.

“Withdrawing pre-K to five is one option,” she said, “which would leave you regionalized – grades six through 12 – in the Narragansett School District, but functioning on your own as the school district which would be known, I guess, as Phillipston Public Schools.”

“Now, this sounds simple on its face,” she continued. “No big deal. Well, it is a big deal, because then all of the administrative functions – special ed, all the management of all the programming, all the forms you need to fill out, reports you need to fill out – that’s all stuff the central office does. All the management of payroll, of your retirement benefits – all that is done at the regional level. You would have responsibility in your local community to do all of that.”

Marshall said the town would also be responsible for filling positions such as special education director and school nurses. In addition to picking up a number of employees, she said, the town would also have to provide their health insurance. At the same time, the town would have to navigate a course for changes in working conditions and benefits for people whose pay and benefits have already been collectively bargained.

“You would see resistance to leaving their bargaining unit and the protections they have,” she added.

“Withdrawing pre-K to five not only would require state intervention – working with the state on a huge change in your regional agreement – but it would also create a lot of additional cost for the community; including lawyers as you withdrew, and lawyers to negotiate new contracts with the collective bargaining unit.”

“If you were to even contemplate withdrawing completely and being a pre-K to 12 district,” Marshall cautioned, “I would say take all of what I said times two. That would be a huge responsibility for you. You don’t even have the buildings to house the population.”

“You could also seek to withdraw,” she said, “and seek to become involved with another regional school district or, say, with the Gardner public schools, or whatever.”

Marshall said, in her experience, most towns don’t pull completely out of a district agreement.

She also pointed out that, with declining population and, therefore, declining enrollment in public schools, the state is keen to see more – not less – regionalization.

“The smaller schools are getting smaller, and the state is pressuring us to do more regionalization,” she explained. “They would love to see Quabbin and Narragansett combine, I’m sure. There’s so much that could be saved by doing that. It would be a massive region, but it would be much more cost-effective, no doubt about it.”

Ultimately, said Marshall, any changes in a district agreement must be approved by the state Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education.

If Phillipston voters approve the proposed change in the district agreement on July 31, the question will have to then go before a town meeting in Templeton. It’s not known at the moment when Templeton would possibly take up the matter. In the meantime, the proposal will be sent to DESE in hopes of determining the state’s likely reaction to the change, should both communities approve the measure.

Once posted on Town of Templeton face book page I agree with:

Message from Town Administrator Bob Markel

The Department of Revenue has always discouraged the use of free cash to balance the budget. Bond rating agencies do the same, and the low bond rating for the Town reflects, in part, the lavish use of free cash to fund the operating budget. However, this is not illegal; it is simply unsound financial policy.

The amount of free cash available changes yearly, and it is not predictable. Free cash is considered one-time revenue, and the Department of Revenues recommends that it used to augment the Stabilization Fund (reserves) or for one-time purchases like capital items.

Audit firms do not do a thorough job of auditing the books (unfortunately). They come and test various areas of the town’s finances to see if there are problems, but some problems are not caught and can persist for years. They tell you up front that they cannot do a thorough audit for the relatively modest amount they charge. The DOR representative at today’s meeting called the standard municipal audit a “hit and run” audit.Still, some firms are more reputable and more competent than others. I cannot name names in this message, but there are several firms that I would never hire.

Recommendation: The Selectboard should create an Audit Committee of knowledgeable citizens who will have two responsibilities: 1) Bid the audit contract every three years, and hire an independent auditor; and 2) Receive the annual audit and do a public review of the findings and the management letter. Municipal auditors are typically hired by the Town Administrator, Town Accountant or Finance Director. This is an inherent conflict of interest since town officials who do the hiring are the ones whose work is being audited. Hiring and receiving the audit should be an arm’s length transaction from the Town’s financial team.

The Department of Revenue oversees 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. They accept data provided by the Town Accountant, the Treasurer/Collector and the Assessors. They often question the data, but they are not always able to verify if data submitted on the Tax Recap or Schedule A are accurate. The DOR does not have access to the town’s accounting system. For example, the DOR was in Templeton today to question whether the Town has properly reported debt obligations on the DE-1 section of Schedule A. Some debt is paid from general revenue within the town budget and some debt is paid through debt exclusion. There is a correct way to report these two types of debt on Schedule A. The DOR representatives checked to see if the Town reported the data correctly, but they are limited in their ability to verify the accuracy of the data.

The long term solution to Templeton’s financial problems is to hire a professional Town Administrator who will put in place a competent financial management team – Accountant, Treasurer, Collector and Assessors. The Selectmen and Advisory Board have the responsibly to oversee the T.A. and the financial team on their management of the Town’s finances. To complement the BoS and Advisory Board, the Audit Committee should retain a reputable accounting firm to conduct an annual audit with the results made public.

Bob Markel
Interim Town Administrator

UPDATED:   07/13/2019 08:48:04 AM EDT

LITTLETON — An employee used a town-issued credit card to make personal purchases for several years, police said in announcing an investigation on Friday.

In a statement, police said questions arose when the town Treasurer Steven Venuti found a suspicious charge on April 1 and requested a detailed statement of transactions. Several purchases were discovered to be questionable, police said.

That discovery prompted a larger investigation involving Littleton police and the Middlesex District Attorney's Office.

The police statement did not disclose the total amount embezzled. One official with close knowledge of the investigation told The Sun the amount could exceed $500,000.

The statement comes one day after The Sun filed a public-records request for correspondence among town officials and the Board of Selectmen over the past 60 days involving town finances.

"Due to the seriousness of this investigation and the allegations behind it, the Town has, to this point, been unable to comment publicly on this matter," the press release states.

Town Administrator Nina Nazarian could not provide further comment regarding the investigation Friday afternoon.

The statement did not mention the name of the employee, whom it said died recently.

Littleton's former finance director, Bonnie-Mae Fleck left the town in March for a similar position in Carlisle. Fleck, from Leominster, died on July 3 at age 49.

In a separate statement, Carlisle Selectmen Chairwoman Kate Reid and Carlisle Police Chief John Fisher said the town opened an investigation into that town's finances after learning a former employee, recently employed in Littleton, was under investigation for activities there.

The town's auditing firm has not uncovered any improprieties, and is conducting a full audit, Reid and Fisher said in the statement.

Littleton selectman are expected on Monday night to appoint Cheryl Herrick-Stella, Swampscott's town accountant, as the town's next Director of Finance and Budget, according to the Board of Selectmen agenda.

You can trust the selectmen; really you can, however, check the numbers: On the revenue sheet handed out at the recent Advisory Committee meeting, it shows Police Station Fund:

Police Station - $6,450,000.00
Police station interest - $10,501.54
BAN Premium - $72,655.55

The interest and BAN premium make sense, BUT, $6,450,000.00?? I swear it was like 2.5 million project. Could this be artificial intelligence taking over? Russian collusion? Hubbardston better get a good count on their nickels and dimes.

The police Station at $6.450,000.00 number comes off the same document with the error regarding general fund revenue; perhaps this is a trend.

Voters: Please be aware that there should be a letter on a table which will be located in a manner that voters will pass by on their way to check in for the upcoming special town meeting. I ask you to take one and sign it, upon that action, they will be collected and forwarded to the governor and legislature. In the mean time, if you wish to also craft your own letter, message to legislature, governor, by all means, do so. Please show up to vote. Thank You!

Attended the Advisory Committee meeting last night and 2 take aways during discussion on financial transfer:

An expenditure report shows one fund, Information Technology shows a current negative balance: $97,000.00 appropriated and $101,476.07 spent. A question might be, is that deficit spending? Is that correct procedure in this instance? The second item was when revenue was talked about - Department of Revenue approved budget for general fund of $16,307,959.94 and actual received revenue is shown as $16,864,942.75 and the revenue shows a remaining balance of $307,993.59. When I do the fourth grade math, that is $16,864,942.75 minus $16,307,959.94, the answer I get is $556,982.81. That is a difference of $185,187.22.

The pre-town meeting had the largest audience in attendance in some time, which was good to see. It is a meeting worth watching.

The Narragansett Regional School District Committee

Listed as Committee members:

Melanie Murphy . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Secretary / UFCW
Libby Pittman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PMS/NDEA
Jessica LeClerc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BES /NDEA
Becky Jillson . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . .  TC / NDEA
Heidi Aukstikalnis . . . . . . . . . . . . . MS / NDEA
Darlene Dickson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Para / UFCW
Cindy LeBlanc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Custodian / UFCW
McKenzie Lyons . . . . . . . . . .  . . . .Resident / Templeton
Jeffrey Marques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Resident / Phillipston
John Telepciak . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . Phillipton Selectmen
Julie Richard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Templeton Selectmen
Kim Pratt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Phillipston Finance Committee
Jeff Bennett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Templeton Advisory Committee
Kevin Flynn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Phillipston Administrative assistant
Carter Terenzini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Templeton Town Administrator
Vikki Chartier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  .School Committee / Phillipston
Rae-Ann Trifilo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . School Committee / Templeton
Chris Casavant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . District Superintendent

This was not a spook committee, it was not a sub committee, rather it was an advisory committee with an intended purpose of making recommendations to the school committee.

It was stated in a document from the NRSD school committee, which Daniel Sanden is listed as a member. Within the letter, it asks if you are interested in serving on it, please respond to the school committee no later than December 11, 2017.

The letter also states the committee will initially meet monthly and may increase in frequency as we draw closer to the opening of the new school.

I will state it was not a very structured entity, more of a very informal gathering to look at how things might evolve with the new school, including funding, staffing, student population, etc. There were many thoughts and ideas tossed about and then the ones that had a general consensus of being acceptable or probably considered by the school committee were listed and grouped together.

It might have been better if all the people who signed up / volunteered would have actually showed up for most or all of the meetings, but that did not happen. Templeton selectmen for example, had to have a second volunteer to serve after the original person never showed up. In the end, only a few were present for all of the meetings In theory, it was a good idea, in practice, not so much.

My opinion is this was another example when a process was put forward, many volunteered to take part, but then refused to take the time to do so. It is like democracy, people say they want it, they just do not wish to give up their free time to take part in the process.

What one community did:

FITCHBURG - Blindsided by the Gardner mayor’s decision last week to withhold funding for Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School, the school is checking into the legality of the move, the superintendent said.

Gardner Mayor Mark P. Hawke, who has been seeking an update since last winter of the school’s governing agreement with participating cities and towns, wrote to the Monty Tech School Committee chairman Jan. 3 that the budget planning timeline wasn’t being followed and “the city of Gardner will be escrowing any further payments until the school district comes into compliance with the district agreement.”

The 22-member school board voted not to discuss Mr. Hawke’s initial request for review of the regional agreement last February, and sent his subsequent request, made in October, to a policy subcommittee.

The October request from Mr. Hawke, in a letter that was also signed by Fitchburg Mayor Stephen DiNatale, said the school’s regional agreement is out of compliance with state law and needs updating. The last amendment to the document was 18 years ago, the letter said, and it is need of a “comprehensive review.”

The regional agreement, more than 50 years old, outlines obligations between the school district and the 18 cities and towns it serves. Monty Tech is the second largest regional vocational school in Massachusetts.

Mr. Hawke’s Jan. 3 letter to school board Chairman Brian J. Walker said Gardner and other member communities had not received a tentative operating and maintenance budget request from the school committee for the next fiscal year by Nov. 15 as required in the the regional agreement, which also calls for a budget to be adopted by Dec. 1. The school district was in violation of its contract with member communities, the letter said.

Superintendent Sheila M. Harrity said this week she was surprised by the Gardner mayor’s take on the budget process.

“It was on the docket for January,” Ms. Harrity said. “It was a bit of a surprise to hear that Mayor Hawke was withholding funds for the budget approved last year to run the school for this year because he’s looking for next year’s budget numbers. Withholding funds is brand new. I found out about it Thursday (Jan. 4).”

The school contends that state law supersedes language in the regional agreement, Ms. Harrity said, and Monty Tech is doing what it has done for 25 years and what all other school districts in the state do: provide budget requests to cities and towns in January after the governor releases his budget figures.

The School Committee has also received similar letters requesting a review of the regional agreement in the last few weeks from the Winchendon and Narragansett Regional school districts, Ms. Harrity said. So far, only Gardner is withholding payments to the school, she said, but Winchendon School Committee member Gregory S. Vine is requesting Winchendon selectmen follow suit.

“The subject of the (Winchendon) letter was not included on the agenda of the Monty Tech (full) school committee in either December or January,” Mr. Vine said. “Given the fact that these three communities (Fitchburg, Gardner and Winchendon) send the largest number of students to Monty Tech, I felt it was a slap in the face to our cities and towns that the topic was apparently being ignored.”

Mr. Vine said he would like to see the agreement reviewed for several reasons, including when the budget is provided to member towns and also to change the way students are selected from contributing school districts.

“At present, vocational schools are allowed to choose students based on five criteria, among them academic standing, discipline records and absenteeism,” he said. “This basically allows them to choose only the highest-performing students among applicants.”

He said he believes the process “leaves students behind,” who would benefit from a vocational program and state law prohibits member districts from offering vocational programs that mimic those at the vocational school they belong to.

However, Mr. Walker said the School Committee reviewed the admissions process a few years ago and allowed public input. No substantial changes were made, he said, and no one has come before the committee requesting another review of the admissions process since.

Mr. Walker said he disagrees that the School Committee ignored the issue of reviewing the regional agreement.

“The whole intent of the issue going before the policy subcommittee was for it to be a collaborative effort and for a level of transparency as we moved through the process,” Mr. Walker said. “It seemed like we were going in a good direction and we invited officials from the towns to our meeting next week (Jan. 16).

“Then, Mayor Hawke sends the letter out about withholding funds. It put a little something on the spirit of collaborating. It was almost out of nowhere. We’ve been keeping him informed with the process and it caught many of us off guard, for sure. It is frustrating and I hope we can work through this,” Mr. Walker continued.

Mr. Hawke said his decision to withhold payments has nothing to do with Monty Tech staff, students or the superintendent.

“The School Committee has refused to act in a judicious manner with regard to updating the outdated agreement,” Mr. Hawke said. “I have no idea what a thorough update and review of the regional agreement would produce. I do know it is a document that was written in a different day and age. It is so old that no one, including Monty Tech, actually has the first amendment.”

He said, “The issue is with the School Committee as a whole and their refusal to listen to the four largest sending communities’ wishes to update the regional agreement ... Currently, Monty Tech does not notify any of the communities of anything, which I find unfortunate and not within the guidance of the regional agreement. The cities and towns should have advanced notice of the budget and what it contains and provided the opportunity to have input.”