https://www.templetonma.gov/home/news/financial-management-review-update-march-2021 

The above link will take you to the last financial review of Templeton, performed by the MA Department of Revenue at the request of the select board. The first financial review of Templeton was done back in 2009 at the request of the board of selectmen.

Why ask for a review and then ignore it or many parts of it?

Why ask for a second or undated review if you do not intend to follow it ?

Why have a financial management policy and yet ignore some of it?

 Templeton town meeting May 2023.

article 5 - Amend town bylaws, revolving funds, community services revolving fund.

1. Asks to change name of revolving fund from community services to Parks & Recreation fund.

2. Asks to change who is authorized to spend from this fund, from community services director to director of public service / chair of parks & recreation or one commissioner voted annually.

#2 is the bad part and should not be approved in my opinion. The Parks and Recreation commission have powers per state law, as to parks and there should not be people from other departments having the ability to spend from a revolving fund. This is where money collected through activities of Parks and Recreation and they should be the ones who have authority to expend from fund, as they are a multi member body and as such, before funds are expended, it should be by vote.

Please look at other revolving funds that pertain to a multi member board or commission:

Recycling revolving - authorized to expend = board of health

Burial and improvement revolving fund - authorized to expend =cemetery commission.

If the DPW director (now director of public service) is not authorized to expend from burial & improvement, then he should not be able to expend from parks & rec revolving fund.

 Templeton May 2023 town meeting.

article 4 - sewer department fy2023 budget supplement.

Sewer commissioners ask town meeting to vote to move $40,000.00 from retained earnings (enterprise fund "free cash") to increase or add to the current fiscal year budget.

If you have town sewer, you should be asking why this is needed. If you do not have town sewer, you should ask why this is needed, as this is a department of the Town. This is another example of operating on one time money, which the MA department of revenue has told the town they should not be doing.