Notice to residents: The demolition on 10 Pleasant Street in the Baldwinville center area will begin on Monday, May 8th and should be completed by Friday, May 12th. Please take precautions as needed in that area, especially keeping children and pets away from the area for their safety. The proper precautions will be taken including a sign board to notify residents and a code red will be going out.

THANK YOU to the residents who backed my amendment proposal to a town meeting article on increasing town demolition fund. This is finally happening because of your votes. Remember, a majority of the select board and the town administrator were not in favor of this, they put town employees ahead of town residents. Remember that!

 Perhaps time to use face book and blog for some straight talk and planning. If a public body and/or administration does not want to follow policy, bylaws and do the right thing, then town meeting should give it a try and always remember, town meeting has the power of the purse.

Town reports - they are required by state law, exactly when they are published and available to town residents is pretty much left up to the town. While Templeton does have bylaws on this subject, perhaps time for town meeting to change them. Remember, a fiscal year ends on June 30, so if good records are kept, the material required to be in the annual town report should be available soon after June 30, no reason to have to wait until January of the next year to collect it and certainly no reason residents should have to wait until April to get a copy.

Current bylaw: All officers, boards, standing committees, and special committees of the Town having charge of the expenditure of Town money shall annually report thereon in writing in such manner as to give the citizens a fair and full understanding of the objects and methods of such expenditures, referring, however, to the report of the Town Accountant for statements in detail of receipts and payments, and may make therein such recommendations as they deem proper. Such reports shall be submitted to the Select Board (Board) for inclusion in the Annual Town Report on or before the 31st day of January of each year.

Maybe change that January 31st date to a September or October date and have town reports to residents first week in January. That way when the new fiscal year budget is being discussed and presented, residents would have previous years report to use as comparison of what was done the previous year. Perhaps also a content provision in the bylaw so departments are required to report certain items, after all, these reports are intended to help residents and contrary to what was stated on recent evaluation of the town administrator, the residents, rather than town employees are the real heroes, in my opinion, anyways.