Town Meeting and the Advisory Committee.

from the Association of Town Finance Committees handbook, which there is a link to on Templeton webpage under advisory committee.

With in that handbook is stated "Without finance committee independent review, the town meeting would be at a severe handicap in voting on financial matters when all of the recommendations are coming from one source.

Within that handbook, it also states: This does not mean the finance committee should

have an adversarial relationship with the select board

or town administrator. In fact, the finance committee

should develop a good working relationship with both.

At the end of the day, the job of the advisory committee is to look at the town budget and all other articles that relate to money and to give Town Meeting reasons to vote in favor of or reasons to vote no or even to pass on an article (s). To me, this requires more than yes or no and as our town bylaws state, it shall be in writing, a report to town meeting. Yes or no in a document prepared by town administrator, who does the work for the selectmen is not a report nor does it appear independent. Fiscal year 24 advisory budget shows $760.00 for office supplies, surely enough money to cover cost of producing a written report as directed by town meeting per town bylaws. Until that is done several years in a row, no pay for you!