LEGISLATURE ENACTS FINAL FISCAL 2019 CLOSEOUT BUDGET WITH FUNDING FOR MANY MUNICIPAL ACCOUNTS Lawmakers Strike Compromise to Meet Comptroller’s Deadline Final Version Includes Supp. Funding for Municipal & School Programs $20M in Additional Chapter 90 Funding $23.9M for Water Infrastructure, Including $14.85M for PFAS $5M More for Charter School Mitigation Payments Additional Funds for Reg. Sch. Trans, SPED Circuit Breaker After weeks of negotiations, House and Senate leaders reached agreement on a supplemental budget bill to close the books on the state’s fiscal 2019 budget. Acting in response to a deadline set by the state Comptroller, the bill emerged late in the evening on Wednesday, Dec. 11, and was enacted by lawmakers shortly after midnight this morning via a voice vote. Fiscal 2019 tax collections ran approximately $1.1 billion ahead of projections, and after accounting for increased spending in other mid-year budget bills, the year-end surplus was estimated at about $870 million. The final closeout bill, H. 4246, shifts $587 million to the state’s stabilization account (also referred to as the “rainy day” fund), a much larger savings number than any of the previous budget versions. The remaining supplemental appropriations are therefore significantly smaller across the board than the closeout budgets passed by the House and Senate in October. While the final appropriations are smaller for most programs, passage of the bill is good news, since none of this funding would have materialized otherwise, with the Comptroller sweeping all of the funds into the state’s rainy day fund instead. Key Municipal Capital Programs in the Legislature’s Final FY19 Closeout Bill $20 million for grants to cities and towns for the construction and improvement of municipal ways as a supplement to the Chapter 90 program. (While this additional Chapter 90 appropriation is certainly appreciated, this is lower than the $60 million originally passed in the separate House and Senate bills, or the $40 million filed by the Governor last fall.) $10.65 million transferred to the Clean Water Trust to assist in the remediation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in local water systems. $9.05 million transferred to the Clean Water Trust to help finance improvements to local water systems via the State Revolving Fund. $4.2 million to help cities and towns test for local drinking water contamination related to PFAS. Key Municipal & School Aid Funding in the Final FY19 Closeout Bill $5 million for charter school reimbursements to school districts, bringing the final fiscal 2019 appropriation up to $95 million. $2.5 million for student transportation in regional school districts, which would bring state funding a bit closer to the full funding mark in fiscal 2019. The bill appropriates $5.188 million to the account, and sets aside $2.6 million of this for use in funding the fiscal 2020 appropriation. $2 million for the special education circuit breaker program, to bring fiscal 2019 to full funding for the state’s share of this important program. $2 million for student transportation reimbursements for homeless students under the federal McKinney-Vento Act. $1.17 million for the Municipal Regionalization Reserve to help cities and towns develop best practices in vital areas, such as cybersecurity. The final budget bill also requires early voting in the Presidential Primary, with $625K available to fund a portion of the costs and $1.5M to increase voter awareness, and also sets September 1 as the date of the State Primary Election. The MMA will be advocating for full reimbursement of the expense of new early voting requirements. As is customary, the budget bill includes a number of earmarks for local programs. Please click here for a link to H. 4246 (https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/H4246), to review the status of any local projects or appropriations you have been tracking.

Inter-Municipal Agreement – Dispatch

Provider = Town of Templeton, MA; a corporate body politic, acting through its board of selectmen (the provider)

End User = Phillipston

Whereas there shall be an advisory board, made up of police chiefs, fire/ems chief and emd director. It shall be chaired by the police chief of the provider and meet at least quarterly.

The board shall review and comment on:

Uniform operating procedures, policies, rules, and regulations that govern the development and operations of the TRECC. (Templeton regional emergency communications center)

Proposed annual and supplemental budgets of trecc.

Proposed application for and uses of potential grants.

If a dispute arises among the members of the advisory board with respect to the advice it is to render to the provider . . . . . . so, has this advisory board met as required? Has a report been created and if so, who has received it, as I have not seen or received one to date. If this board has not met, why not? Is this going to be another agreement that is not followed? We must do better.

Inter-Municipal Agreement – Accounting Services to Town of Hubbardston

Provider = Town of Templeton

End User = Town of Hubbardston

Fee Schedule as voted by Templeton Board of Selectmen

Hubbardston pays Templeton per fiscal year:

FY 2020 - $37,000.00

FY2021 - $41,000.00

FY2022 - $45,000.00

Cost to Templeton taxpayers for this agreement:

Salaries for Accounting Office increase from $90,000.00 to $127,470.00

(FY2020 budget book page 58 & 58A)

Accountant salary increases by $7,500.00 – from $70,190.00 to $77,690.00

Asst. Accountant salary increases from $20,346.00 to $49,780.00

Asst. accountant goes from 19.5 hours to 38 hours, now benefits.

Additional $25,000.00, for a total increase of $61,934.00, off set by the

$37,000.00 = net cost to Templeton of $24,934.00 so Hubbardston can have their accounting services done for $37,000.00. Why can’t Templeton get a “deal” like this? Why can’t Templeton get its accounting services for $37,000.00?

This is not a reflection on Templeton employees, rather it is an example of the need for Templeton to look at doing business in a different way. We enter agreements like this while we go without proper police protection, highway goes under staffed and fire/EMS is juggling for service, even after an override for that service. Then we say we cannot afford to fully fund schools.

A quick check of some "facts"; this budget season may prove to be interesting.

Scout Hall Re-Use Committee

Looked for meeting postings, last meeting posted was June 12, 2019

Agenda has general discussion and action on painting quotes.

Minutes on town website (which shows created on December 10, 2019)

Is just a copy of agenda, also, the agenda for a May 1, 2019 meeting lists general discussion and action: painter bids. Again, minutes on town website for this meeting is just a copy of agenda, (also created on December 10, 2019) the minutes do not meet the minimum requirements of the Open Meeting Law:

Public bodies are required to create and maintain accurate minutes of all meetings, including executive sessions. The minutes, which must be created and approved in a timely manner, must include:

• the date, time and place of the meeting;

• the members present or absent;

• the decisions made and actions taken, including a record of all votes;

• a summary of the discussions on each subject;

• a list of all documents and exhibits used at the meeting; and

• the name of any member who participated in the meeting remotely. While the minutes must include a summary of the discussions on each subject, a transcript is not required.

With $50,000.00 appropriated from CPC funds at the special Town Meeting in November, 2019, I have to wonder how and when that figure was arrived at – discussion and vote, who was present.

See CPC minutes for September 12, 2019:

Note: “existing balance of previous CPC funded project (see latest expenditure report, ATM 2016 balance listed at $11,140.74, so where / what is referenced concerning existing $5,000.00 balance? Where or when did that happen?

This is an example of how easy it is for things not to be done correctly, for the OML to be violated, unintentional or not and how important it is to keep track of taxpayer monies and funding. This shows why I thought the board of selectmen should have oversight of this project, as I believe TCTV was to be involved in the end result. An important thing as we move along with Town business.

I believe this deems attention and corrective action to stay in line with OML, DOR reporting, accounting of CPC funds and just conducting business in open and transparent fashion.