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TEMPLETON — The Board of Selectmen and officials from the Sewer Department will be discussing the option of moving bill collection from the sewer department to town hall at a meeting this Wednesday.
Currently the bills are collected in the Sewer Department itself, but ideally the town would like to see that money collected by the town’s treasurer in town hall. Officials have looked at this plan since about 2009 when the Department of Revenue and different auditors recommended the change. The idea is that it would save employee time and it would save the Sewer Department money, while being more efficient since the rest of the towns billing is done through town hall. While the Sewer Department has voiced their support for that plan, they have wanted to hold off on letting the town handle their billing until the town had their own finances in order.
“We are not against collections being in town hall,” Sewer Chairman Mark Moschetti said. “The 2009 DOR report said it, various audits said it. ... In 2009 when the DOR said that, I said in open meeting we agree but until the town got their books in order we would continue doing it how we are doing it, and they agreed then too.”
This past year, Selectman Diane Haley-Brooks, who was not immediately available for comment, has pushed for more studies to be done on taking over sewer’s collection, and how that would be done. Earlier this month, Town Administrator Carter Terenzini gave his report recommending the change to the Sewer Department.
“It should save them thousands of dollars and hundred plus man hours,” selectmen Chairman John Caplis said. “We aren’t trying to hurt them in any way, they have this perception we want their money. We don’t want their money. The sewer funds are for them, not the town, and we are strict on that.”
Caplis also claims that town bylaws suggest that all collection and handling with money should be done by the accountant and treasurer.
“If you look at all the things the DOR said, it’s opinion, it’s suggested, it’s not a law,” Moschetti said. “My take is that the bylaw says all collections owed to the town are to be handled by the treasurer/collector, but I think it’s different. .... We are an enterprise, I am not sure if that affects us, but we aren’t against that anyways. We want to work together on how it will be done. We have to figure out how it will work we are not in the same place.”
Moschetti reiterates they are not against the plan, but want to work with the Board about how it will be executed.
“We have to figure out how they will inform us of what bills have been paid and what not,” Moschetti said. “We aren’t against this; we just have to figure out how it will work.”
The Sewer Department will have their official opinions aired out at the meeting before the town moves forward or abandons the plan.
“A lot of the questions we have and they have will be answered at the meeting Wednesday,” Caplis said.
