Ask not what your selectmen and employees can do for you, ask them if they know what they are doing?

Advisory Committee members,

A request for Debt Exclusion information that we wanted from the Treasurer / Collector as you recall was done June 27. It seems that we have selectmen stating that the Accountant will get us this information. This indicates to me that there is a problem in the town Finance office. The Treasurer is clearly responsible for all DEBT. Why are we being told that the accountant will get us this information? I thought you should all know what was sent to us from our selectmen. I also find it unacceptable to get a response from a Real Estate office for Official Town business. To say it has only been a few weeks since our request is not true. It has been 6 1/2 weeks and we have been patient.
This request was for information on 5 debt exclusions which our Treasurer should have been easily able to provide us. It is the job of the Treasurer not the Accountant. As you can see I am quite upset with this type of response. I
e-mailed the TA to see if he could check why this is taking so long since my e-mail over 2 weeks ago to the Treasurer had no response for the second request after waiting over a month, How long do we have to wait to get a response so we don't get accused of being impatient?

Wil

Good day all
The accountant will assist and I know it's been a few weeks but a lot is going on just be patient we will get it done. Don't forget the account has day to day operations that need to get done throw in vacations, surgery, death in distant family, a new TA getting caught up to speed ect
As you can see we have limited staff and all department heads have to prioritize the week and day to day operations for the BoS and the TA to track all your request is it possible to go through the BoS office this way we and the TA have visibility of the request and we can track and monitor for our end of year report.

Respectfully
John Caplis

On Aug 11, 2016, at 5:31 PM, Diane Haley Brooks <seldhaleybrooks@templeton1.org> wrote:

I believe that we are in transition again with a new TA, The paperwork for the budget, audit, daily tasks, vacations and Kelli just had surgery and she is working on all the paperwork for the meetings.

We have limited manpower as Carter has stated to the BOS and in meetings. I am sure Kelli is working on this.

Please can we have some patience as she works through all the challenges we have.

My thoughts. Thanks!!

Diane Haley Brooks, Realtor

From: "MA Advisory Board Templeton" <templetonadvisoryboard@gmail.com>
To: "Kelli Pontbriand" <accountant@templeton1.org>
Cc: "Diane Haley Brooks" <seldhaleybrooks@templeton1.org>, "Nodrog here" <GordonGMoore@yahoo.com>, "Wilfred Spring" <185wilberdr@gmail.com>, "Kate Fulton" <fultonkate@hotmail.com>, "Jeff Bennett" <jpb01468@comcast.net>, "Beverly Bartolomeo" <bartsfarm@comcast.net>, "Julie Farrell" <jfarrell59@gmail.com>, "Selectman Caplis" <selectmen.caplis@templeton1.org>, "Doug Morrison, Selectmen" <seldmorrison@templeton1.org>, "John Columbus, Selectmen" <seljcolumbus@templeton1.org>, "Julie Richard, Selectwoman" <seljrichard@templeton1.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2016 2:43:35 PM
Subject: Re: End of year Budget to Actual for FY16

Kelli,

What is the status of the end of year Budget VS Actual report for FY16 which the Advisory Committee asked for 2 weeks ago? We would still like that report before our meeting next week.

Wil

On Thu, Jul 28, 2016 at 3:38 PM, Selectman Caplis <selectmen.caplis@templeton1.org> wrote:
Kelli
Thank you, you are doing well please let the BoS have a look prior.

Thank you
John Caplis

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 28, 2016, at 3:10 PM, Kelli Pontbriand <accountant@templeton1.org> wrote:

I was waiting on the last of the Revenue…and I think Kate got it all entered today…so you will have it on Monday…I want to just go over it one more time before I send it out.

Kelli Pontbriand

From: Templeton, MA Advisory Board [mailto:templetonadvisoryboard@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 28, 2016 2:57 PM
To: accountant@templeton1.org
Cc: Nodrog here; Wilfred Spring; Kate Fulton; Jeff Bennett; Beverly Bartolomeo; Julie Farrell; Selectman Caplis"Doug Morrison, Selectmen" <seldmorrison@templeton1.org>,

"John Columbus, Selectmen" <seljcolumbus@templeton1.org>,
"Julie Richard, Selectwoman" <seljrichard@templeton1.org>
Subject: End of year Budget to Actual for FY16

Kelli,

Last week I asked if the the Advisory Committee would be able to get the End of Year Budget to Actual for FY16. It was indicated that it would be ready this week. Will it be available this week? The Committee is meeting next Wednesday and it will be necessary for us to receive it by then in order to help us with reviewing the BOS proposed budget changes for FY17.

Thank you in advance for providing the BvA for FY16

Wil

posted by Jeff Bennett

While Robert Markel was Town Administrator, Templeton hired a new police chief, long time Templeton employee Mike Bennett, Templeton appointed new Treasurer/Collector - long time Templeton employee Kate Meyers, new Council on Aging director - long time Templeton employee Dianna Morrison, Health Agent, former Templeton employee from the Templeton Board of Health, new accountant who by her own admission, is still learning the job while being paid over 65 thousand per year, a new building inspector not formerly employed by Templeton. What all of this shows is majority of "new" department heads were already here and were not attracted by any new policies or pay. Apparently they like working for Templeton and/or, they like having a job with good benefits. Perhaps in his letter to the editor, Robert Markel was trying to show he did a job for which he was paid 1000 dollars per week (part time). He is the same person who touted that Templeton had $750,000.00 in certified free cash coming, until after the school vote, then we suddenly have a deficit of 850 thousand to one million dollars. Was that by design?



posted by Jeff Bennett

There is/was a picture on face book of Robert Markel and John Columbus at what looks like some kind of a club, perhaps Columbus can inform us all what kind of kool aid they serve there.

From today's Gardner News:

"The town has a capable and competent staff in the financial office. The chaos in record-keeping and accounting of 2013 and 2014 has ended, and the selectmen and town administrator now have reliable financial information for making their decisions"   
Does that include the fiscal year 2017 budget (so called)?  You know, the one we are suppose to have a special town meeting to amend.

"It has been a long and tedious process to reconstruct financial records for 2013 and 2014, and it is now apparent that there was a budget deficit in 2013, which exceeds the $505,000 deficit in 2014. This will compromise the town’s free cash certification by the Department of Revenue; nevertheless, financial records are now in order, and a professional auditing firm will begin their work in January. "

Would that mean that the selectmen can now instruct the town accountant and town treasurer to produce their reports for fiscal year 2015, the ones required by law?

What the hell free cash is being talked about? Would that be the funds John Columbus talked about using to fund some things and when a town resident opined that is how the financial trouble begins, Columbus proceeded to throw that resident from the selectmen meeting. John Columbus was the chairman of the select board then and during which time this 2017 paper was prepared, the one we now have to fix! 


posted by Jeff Bennett

Templeton new growth:

Looking back through some Templeton annual Town reports, I found these numbers;
From the report of Templeton Assessors -

2010 shows new growth of   $58,417.00
2011 shows new growth of   $87,149.00
2012 shows new growth of   $34,386.00
2013 shows new growth of   $33,592.00
2014 shows new growth of   $50,761.22
2015 new growth of              $69,582.00  (from 2017 revenue document)
2016 new growth of              $94,321.00  (from 2017 revenue document)

Average for this time frame  $61,172.00

Please do the math and check that out and ask yourself this: Why would someone with a PH D use a figure of $80,000.00 for a new growth figure in a 2017 budget (so called) document and to use that number to state you have a balanced budget. What fact did that individual, Robert Markel, have or use to come to that conclusion?   The Gardner News, Wednesday, August 10, 2016, Robert Markel, PH D writes that Templeton has a balanced budget for 2017 and he further writes that there were balanced budgets in fiscal 2015 and 2016 while he was Town Administrator. So why, may I ask, are we faced with another special town meeting to fix, amend, adjust, whatever, the 2017 budget, (so called) and one item is to restate estimated new growth and motor vehicle excise tax? Those two items were some of the changes proposed at a meeting back in July. Who knows what the selectmen will propose in the end.


posted by Jeff Bennett

To any selectmen who has a face book page or other social media outlet, I will read your pages and I will accept things that check out for use on a blog. Anything that may reflect on town business, is fair game. It is the world we have now. If anyone thinks that employers, news media, corporations, employment search firms, the government, the military etc, do not mine these things for information, well I have some ocean front property in Phillipston for you. If you want to put words somewhere and you want no one else to look at them, start an "old fashioned" diary. However, if you feel inclined to post "unable to sleep because I am so pissed", well expect someone may read that and post it in other places.
Members of the selectmen, members from the planning board on the elementary school building committee yet not one of them asked about or spoke about these issues BEFORE the vote at town meeting? My opinion is that they were worried about the sales pitch not working. Reminds me of the housing boom. Don't worry your mortgage is 2 thousand a month and you only make 1500 a month, you can afford it. Case in point, I was at a meeting of the elementary school building committee and before a vote, I had a question, so I raised my hand and said "Mr. Chairman" and before I could ask, Stephen Hemming told the chair that he thought the committee should have the vote then take the question. What the hell kind of meeting is that. The kind where no boat rocking is wanted or allowed. Time to get the voting list for the town meeting of November 9, 2015 and for the ballot vote and see who was present, then listen to who is now speaking for or against. If their name is not on either list, well there is your answer, you did not bother to show up, you did not bother to accept the ticket bought and paid for. A couple of meetings back, there was discussion by the planning board on whether the conservation commission had anything to do with this, now! Why was all of this not asked BEFORE Town meeting vote, by the committee or members of planning board or conservation or selectmen? Now when people do have questions and are allowed to ask, some people now get "pissed off". Well, some may be mad that a planning board voted that way, but there are more people mad that you did not get the budget right, again, after you told them everything was/is fine. The sales pitch is unraveling faster than the Templeton 2017 so called budget.


posted by Jeff Bennett

Before anyone goes off the deep end about a news school, perhaps we should look at current finances and whether the town can really afford it before the Town goes in the hole for more. This is about the fiscal 2017 budget and what was put before town meeting, you know, the here and now. So far, there is not even a report from the Town Treasurer nor the Town Accountant in the annual Town report. Both are required by law! People voted at Town meeting to no addendum, so where is the new report? The town accountant stated she can't do a report for 2015 until all the audits are done. To that, I say bull#$$#@, there was work done in both the accountant and treasurer office, I mean I hope there was, being paid over 50 thousand dollars. People were paid, debts paid, town money invested, interest was paid or collected, bills were paid, money was borrowed, etc, etc. Work was done and it is a requirement of law that the work has to be recorded, so why do the selectmen not get to this now? Get the basics set first, before you go into debt for 24 million or whatever the final number will be. There has already been money spent on short term borrowing in 2017 and now the selectmen talk of using money from OPEB to cover overspending in the first month of the fiscal year. This is in the here and now. Remember the OPEB, it is required by law and it cannot be touched for other purposes. Perhaps that was just another lie from this board of selectmen. Perhaps in the world of politics, it is not a lie, but bad information or it was the best we can do with the information we had. Perhaps it is a few people in key positions who really do not know their jobs? Speaking from experience, that does not work out well and if you wait too long, hoping they will catch on, that does not work out well either. Before we get really deep into a 47 million dollar project, lets get basic things straight first. I believe that only makes sense. Time to show people what they really can do at town meeting, if they wish to!



posted by Jeff Bennett

Since the current selectmen seem incapable, unwilling and unable to come up with a workable plan, never mind a workable spending plan, perhaps it is time for town residents to do so at Town meeting. Require that a percentage of fiscal year spending go into town savings, as into the stabilization plan. Last night, selectmen spoke as if they are considering using money from the recent OPEB fund to subsidize the fiscal 2017 mess, Hey they are solving issues, just ask John Columbus. They also voted to appoint another interim town administrator. One possible problem is if they keep this one even four months, will there be enough money to hire a full time administrator? The biggest problem appears to be the so called balance budget that they sold town meeting is anything but and they seem unwilling to adjust the pay raises that range from 1 % up to 16%. They claim that this was necessary to bring some positions up to equal other area towns. I have to wonder if they have any idea of how this looks to taxpayers? With the selectmen now having to scramble to find money to cover these increases, I wonder if any of them actually looked at what they presented to town meeting before hand? I wonder if any thought was given to a 3 year step plan, as in what ever the base pay was before, beginning July 1 you will increase 5% of that number with the plan being another 5% increase for next year and the following year, while also being eligible for a yearly cost of living increase that should be based off of what ever increase people on SSN get, if any.But it seems this group wishes to continue to spend more than there is available. Can you say recall?


posted by Jeff Bennett