So people, feelings on being asked for a 3-million-dollar override - increase in real estate taxes?

Using rounded numbers, every $1 increase in the tax rate adds roughly $1.1m in revenue. Adding $3 to the tax rate would add an additional $3.3m to the overall annual budget.

As an example of what this means, if a property was valued at $400k, the $3 increase would result in a $1,200 increase in that property's annual tax bill ($300 per quarterly billing).

Remember also that for the first year of an override , the additional money has to go to the stated purpose, then in following years, those extra dollars just get added to the pile on the table and can go towards anything. Roads in Templeton are much the same in other towns, terrible and even when paved, the important parts are left undone, drainage, water main, sidewalks, etc.

Planned timeline for Saturday meeting of Templeton Select Board on budget presentation.

8:00 AM: Development Services, Laurie Witta

8:30 AM: Public Works/Snow & Ice, Bob Szocik

9:15 AM: Fire/EMS/Ambulance, Chief Dave Dickie

10:00 AM: Emergency Management, Rich Curtis

10:30 AM: Sewer Department, Jeff Aldrich

11:00 AM: Parks & Recreation, Ken McClure

11:30 AM: Town Clerk, Carol Harris

Noon: Lunch Break

12:45 PM: Senior Services, Jackie Prime

1:15 PM: Library, Jackie Prime

1:45 PM: Veterans Department, Michelle Durkee

2:00 PM: Cable Department, Steve Castle

2:30 PM: Assessing, Justice Graves

3:00 PM: Treasurer/Collector/Debt, Cheryl Richardson

3:30 PM: Accounting, Amber Dupell

4:00 PM: Advisory Committee, Jackie Macomber

4:10 PM: Select Board/IT/Insurance, James Ryan

4:40 PM: General Discussion

5:00 PM: Planned Adjournmen

 How much revenue has Montachusett TV brought to Templeton?

An enterprise fund is supposed to function or pay for itself off of generated revenue. So, if revenue is around 100 thousand dollars per year, that should be the budget you live with!

 Time for Templeton to look at having a Town Charter, which is basically a legal document that outlines how the town will be run, who is elected and who is appointed and by whom, town charter generally creates a town manager position who is overseen by selectmen. Town charter results in a more centralized form of governance / efficient.

Also, senior tax work off amount should be set at the maximum amount allowed by statute, according to a policy adopted by the selectmen, again, following statute, in collaboration with council on aging. Seniors deserve that.

 So the MA govna has put forth numbers.

Templeton total state aid; $fiscal year 2027 @ $2,136,462.00, which is $47,246.00 more than last year (fiscal year 2026)

Fiscal year begins July 1 and ends June 30, so we are now in fiscal year 2026. Fiscal year 2027 begins July 1, 2026, ends June 30, 2027.

NRSD chapter 70 state aid is @ $13,915,038.00, which is $195,942.00 more than last year.

transportation is @ $733,082.00, which is $126,575.00 more than last year.

These numbers will probably change some, but will probably not cover the actual cost increase of many things, because after cuts to state aid back in 2008, those dollars have never been replaced, so state aid is still behind what it should be at.

These are some of the dollars used for next town budget.

 Dear Members of the NRSD Community,

I am writing to sincerely thank the voters who participated in the recent special town elections and voted to approve the MSBA roofing project for the Narragansett Regional Middle School and High School.

This vote represents an important investment in the safety, longevity, and stewardship of our school facilities. The approval allows the District to move forward with critical roof replacements while leveraging significant reimbursement through the Massachusetts School Building Authority, ensuring that the work is completed responsibly and cost-effectively for our communities.

The Middle and High School buildings serve thousands of students, staff, families, and community members each year. Maintaining these facilities is not only about addressing current needs, but also about protecting our schools for future generations and avoiding more costly repairs down the road.

I recognize that decisions of this nature are never taken lightly, and I am grateful to our residents for taking the time to learn about the project and participate in the process. Your engagement and support reflect a shared commitment to our students and to the long-term health of the Narragansett Regional

School District.

On behalf of our students, staff, and School Committee, thank you for your confidence and for your

support of our schools.

With appreciation,

Dr. Chris Casavant

Superintendent of Schools

 Beginning January 1, 2026 thru June 30, 2026, there are 65 meetings of public bodies on Templeton meeting calendar.

TCTV states it costs about $500.00 per meeting to show them, record them and get them on youtube. 65 meetings times $500.00 per = $32,500.00. What is not shown is the annual town meeting and advisory pretown meeting. TCTV states a town meeting costs $1,000.00 to show, so those 2 additional meetings = $1500.00, so we need $34,000.00 for the rest of the year.

TCTV has stated previous they record about 120 meetings per year at $500.00 per meeting; 120 meetings X $500.00 = $60,000.00 to record and broadcast 120 meetings of Templeton public bodies, plus 2 town meetings at $1,000.00 per, so in total TCTV figures show they need $62,000.00 to record and show 120 public body meetings plus 2 town meetings. Keep in mind, the fiscal year 2026 TCTV budget has $145,000.00 in personnel costs, and TCTV states they need more money, for what exactly? Oh yeah, doing all that extra commercial TV type stuff that has produced exactly zero dollars, and TCTV has already asked for an additional $22,000.00 at the last STM.

The total TCTV budget appropriation for fiscal year 2026 is $178,650.00. Want to know where money is for another police officer or a paramedic? Right in front of you, without an override.

 Prop 2 1/2 in a nut shell.

What is a Levy? The property tax levy is the revenue a community can raise through real and personal property taxes. We will refer to the property tax levy simply as the levy.

In Massachusetts, municipal revenues to support local spending for schools, public safety and other public services are raised through the property tax levy, state aid, local receipts and other sources.

The property tax levy is the largest source of revenue for most cities and towns.

What is a Levy Ceiling? What is a Levy Limit?

Proposition 21 ⁄2 places constraints on the amount of the levy raised by a city or town and on how much the levy can be increased from year to year.

A levy limit is a restriction on the amount of property taxes a community can levy. Proposition 21 ⁄2 established two types of levy limits: First, a community cannot levy more than 2.5 percent of the total full and fair cash value of all taxable real and personal property in the community. In this primer we will refer to the full and fair cash value limit as the levy ceiling.

Second, a community’s levy is also constrained in that it can only increase by a certain amount from year to year. We will refer to the maximum amount a community can levy in a given year as the levy limit. The levy limit will always be below, or at most, equal to the levy ceiling.

The levy limit may not exceed the levy ceiling. Proposition 21 ⁄2 does provide communities with some flexibility. It is possible for a community to levy above its levy limit or its levy ceiling on a temporary basis, as well as to increase its levy limit on a permanent basis. These options are discussed in more detail in other sections of this primer. The concepts of levy ceiling and levy limit are illustrated in Figure 1.

How is a Levy Ceiling Calculated? The levy ceiling is determined by calculating 2.5 percent of the total full and fair cash value of taxable real and personal property in the community:

Full and Fair Cash Value x 2.5% = LEVY CEILING

Full and Fair Cash Value = $100,000,000

$100,000,000 x 2.5% = $2,500,000

In this example, the levy ceiling is $2,500,000.

How is a Levy Limit Increased?

The levy limit is increased from year to year as long as it remains below the levy ceiling. Permanent increases in the levy limit result from the following:

Automatic 2.5 percent increase. Each year, a community’s levy limit automatically increases by 2.5 percent over the previous year’s levy limit. This does not require any action on the part of local officials; the Department of Revenue calculates this increase automatically.

New Growth. A community is able to increase its levy limit each year to reflect new growth in the tax base. Assessors are required to submit information on growth in the tax base for approval by the Department of Revenue as part of the tax rate setting process.

Overrides. A community can permanently increase its levy limit by successfully voting an override. The amount of the override becomes a permanent part of the levy limit base.

What is a Debt Exclusion? What is a Capital Outlay Expenditure Exclusion? Proposition 21 ⁄2 allows a community to raise funds for certain purposes above the amount of its levy limit or levy ceiling. Acommunity can assess taxes in excess of its levy limit or levy ceiling for the payment of certain capital projects and for the payment of specified debt service costs. An exclusion for the purpose of raising funds for debt service costs is referred to as a debt exclusion, and an exclusion for the purpose of raising funds for capital project costs is referred to as a capital outlay expenditure exclusion. Both exclusions require voter approval with very limited exceptions.

 An interesting thing seemingly lost on some; there was and economic committee first, then there was an EDIC, sort of, the process was not followed, which is the reason it is no more. It was not created in correct procedure, did really nothing and tctv is not about economic development, many ideas and presentations since at least 2022 and not one has resulted in any improvement in funding or money coming in, just an increase in dollars going out.

Numbers do not lie, the record of the dollars are there, budget versus actual are there.