An opportunity for Templeton Advisory Committee to return to it's "Glory Days."

Another example from a report to Town Meeting from an Advisory Committee, again, a town with a town administrator.

The recommended operating budget (article 5) for FY2022 is $23,662,176. This is an increase of $633,807

(2.8%) over the FY2021 operating budget. The increase is due to several factors which include:

• An increase of $147,000 in “Schools” is due mainly to an increase in the town’s portion of the Monty Tech Assessment due primarily to an increase of thirteen (13) additional Westminster students

attending the school.

• An increase of $76,655 in “Retirement and Pensions”, a 7.8% increase over last year, due to an increase in the Actuarial Accrued Liability.

• A net increase of $161,690 in “Fire”/”Ambulance” which is a 4.9% increase over FY21, due to the promotion of two privates to Lieutenant and increased call volume. A portion of this expense will be offset by Ambulance receipts (Refer to article 5).

• An increase of $77,592 in “Police/Dispatch”, which is a 3.6% increase over FY21; this net increase is due to contractual salary increases as well as an increase for the creation of a new full time School Resource Officer position. The majority of the new full time position cost was offset by planned overtime expense which would have been incurred absent the new position.

Also included in this town's advisory committee report is an explanation of the effect on tax rate with every increase of 100 thousand spent.

This is just another example of an advisory committee doing it's job. Templeton town meeting gives advisory committee two opportunities to speak to town meeting which would allow advisory to do some thing for the town residents besides bitch about the selectmen and administrator. First, advisory could do something really constructive and bring a well written informative report to town meeting, explaining some of the warrant articles, especially ones involving dollar figures. Second opportunity is to bring a report of the committee, under the consent agenda, perhaps inform town meeting what they have looked at regarding town budget, process, procedures, state school funding, etc. Taking this approach could get people to follow and want to be part of the advisory committee. It could most certainly help out those who attend town meeting and after all, that is their true mission, according to their own handbook put out by the association of town finance committees.