Hey Templeton, Pizza is on you!

From: townadministrator [mailto:townadministrator@templeton1.org]
Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2017 11:58 AM
To: 'PhillipstonSelectmen'sOffice'; 'Susan Varney'; 'Highway Department'; library@phillipston-ma.gov; 'Karen Perkins'; 'Jacqueline Prime'; 'Building Department'; 'Phillipston Board of Health'; cemetery@phillipston-ma.gov; 'Town Treasurer'; 'Town Accountant'; 'Tax Collector'; 'Assessors'; 'Town Clerk'; 'Police Department'; fire@phillipston-ma.gov;secretary@phillipston-ma.gov; 'Planning Board'; 'Conservation Commission'; 'Glen Whitney'; 'Heather Brissette'; 'Admin Asst'; 'Kevin Flynn'; 'Mark Miville'; 'Paula Haley'; 'Reg Haughton'; 'Selectwoman Long'; 'Thomas Specht'; 'Tim Haley';admin@townoforange.org; lorrleno@yahoo.com; towncoord@crocker.com; hilltop2@gis.net; warwick_ma@lycos.com;selectmen.caplis@templeton1.org; hubbadmin@juno.com; 'Brian Nason'; 'Kim Pratt'; 'Kristin Stanley'; 'Margaret Hughes'; 'Tony Wagner'; 'Gordon Tallman'; 'Joanna Telepciak'; 'Matt Pearson'; 'Bonnie House'; 'Karen Perkins'; 'Keven Flynn'; 'Rich Valcourt '; 'Rose Frizzell'; 'Bernard Malouin'; 'Gordon Robertson'; 'Nancy & Sterling Whiting'; 'Vernet Lussier '; 'Wayne Richard'; 'Thomas Brouillet'; 'John Telepciak'; 'Dymek, Terry'; 'Heather Budrewicz';mnartowicz@townofrutland.org; ssuhoski@townofathol.org; admin@hubbardstonma.us; stevenboudreau391@gmail.com;townadministrator@town.princeton.ma.us; kmurphy@westminster-ma.gov; KHickey@townofwinchendon.com;mward@clintonma.gov; hlemieux@lunenburgonline.com
Cc: Holly Young
Subject: Local Ch. 30B Training

Local Chapter 30B Training

Trainers from the Massachusetts Inspector General’s Office will be in Templeton

                9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

                Wednesday, March 8, 2017

                Templeton Town Hall

                160 Patriots Road

Templeton, MA

They will provide a 4 hour mini session on bidding basics and surplus.  This is a great overview for people who have not taken the full course(s) and a way to learn about recent changes in statute.

THERE IS NO COST TO YOUR TOWN.

Please let us know the names, job title and department of any of your staff or committees you would like to attend by 12 Noon on March 6, 2017 so we may have enough presentation material available.  (Max of 50 attendees)

Many Thanks

Carter Terenzini

Interim Town Administrator

Town of Templeton

160 Patriots Road

East Templeton, MA 01438

(978) 894-2753

posted by Jeff Bennett

Does anyone consider the purchase of a truck a capital investment? Should that be considered a capital expense? So did the purchase of a highway truck by way of using the "charge card" of snow & ice deficit spending violate the process. That is after all, borrowed money that has to be paid for somehow. Funny how this process works, or is it a lack of a process that is the problem?


Just for clarity sake, the above is really a 2 part question rather than a statement.

posted by Jeff Bennett

While some play word games, Advisory Committee is trying to find answers to why Templeton always seems to be in financial hardship.

From: "townadministrator" <townadministrator@templeton1.org>

Subject: RE: Revenue projections

Date: January 26, 2017 at 11:29:20 AM EST

To: "'Paul Grubb'" <grubbp@comcast.net>

Thanks for your kind thoughts - I am doing better and back at it:

I distinguish between baseline tax levy, the tax levy voted to be excluded from the normal and ordinary baselines, and new growth.   I suspect that the numbers you are looking at do not use such distinctions but blend it all together.  Given that exclusion tax levy income is directly tied to your outstanding debt - some of which remains yet to be floated - I generally do not project that until I am closer to Town Meeting.  If you had cleaner accounting and better systems I could actually do so now but...  We are where we are.  Also, given that they are "wash numbers" (i.e. income matches expense) it does not have any impact upon the bottom line.

That bottom line to bottom line expense for FY ;19 is also intended to try to line everything up apples to apples.

If you think it is something else give me a shout and we can look at it.  

Many Thanks

Carter Terenzini
Interim Town Administrator
Town of Templeton
160 Patriots Road
East Templeton, MA 01438
(978) 894-2753

-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Grubb [grubbp@comcast.net] 
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2017 11:09 AM
To: townadministrator <townadministrator@templeton1.org>
Cc: Wilfred Spring <185wilberdr@gmail.com>
Subject: Revenue projections

Hi Carter

I hope you are feeling better.  The cold bug has taken its toll on quite a few of us.

Please could you explain the source of your January 12 revenue estimate, specifically for the actual property tax receipts?  I have attached a worksheet that I’ve been working on which shows significant variances between your projections and mine.  The largest variance comes from the actual collected amounts of property tax revenue.

My source for this data is the Advanced Reconciliation Report that I received from the tax collector’s office.  I was attempting to identify the actual property tax revenue collected going back to 2012.  I added together 2 rows from the Advanced Reconciliation report to arrive at the total property tax amount collected; Supplemental Tax  & Tax. (Please see attached report with rows highlighted for FY2015.)

I want to be sure we are comparing apples to apples.  Is the Advanced Reconciliation Report not the correct source or am I interpreting it incorrectly?  Please let me know if I should follow up with someone else for this information.

posted by Jeff Bennett

https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ag8wbGi1Ag0zgXZJRnYZyYBoPcp2

the above link should take you to the 2nd quarter financial report that will show all of the numbers.


posted by Jeff Bennett

Not sure where everyone went to school but I learned to read and write at the Templeton Center school.

According to the Webster's unabridged dictionary of the English Language,
on page 1872,

Stipend: 1. periodic payment - 2. fixed or regular pay; salary

the same dictionary on page 1693;

Salary: a fixed compensation periodically paid to a person for regular work or services.

So, if anyone with any indication of education wishes to make a silly argument about words that seems to have the same meaning, by all means, go for it. Payment is payment and the spending of taxpayer dollars is the spending of taxpayer dollars, be it by way of the word stipend, salary of free boots, which are not really free, they come from someone's money/pocket, as in the taxpayer, so again, play the word games while the Advisory Committee tries to get a clear open transparent accounting of the taxpayers monies while others try to see how much they can take.

posted by Jeff Bennett

Looking for information and answers, I contacted "someone from Templeton Town hall and this is what I got for answers!

Holly,

I am wondering if you have the latest project budget versus actual document for the elementary school? If is available electronically, that would be cool. 

Regards,

Jeff Bennett

answer received;

Jeff:

I don’t have a specific project budget versus actual document, but I do have a rough copy spreadsheet with the amounts spent and reimbursements to the Town that was given to me when I started processing the reimbursements. I have not had the extra time to update it and enter all of the hard copies of payments and reimbursements that I have processed. I’m hoping to have some time to do that soon, but it may be a while-most likely after we get a Town Administrator and new assistant in place.

Holly A. Young

Holly A. Young,

Assistant to the Town Administrator

Good Day,

       Kate,

   I am wondering do you have the latest project budget versus actual for the Templeton new elementary school? If you do and it is available electronically, could you send that to me? If it is not, please advise me when i could pick up a paper copy.

respectfully;

Jeff Bennett

Hi Jeff,

I don’t not have any paperwork on the new school.  Maybe the selectmen’s office or the school.  If you are looking for general ledger information that would be Kelli.

Kate Myers

Town of Templeton

Treasurer/Collector

PH 978.894.2764

FAX 978.894.2790

posted by Jeff Bennett

Debt of the Town of Templeton.

Town debt for Templeton covers many things, school, water tank, sewer pump station, water mains and contracts. Labor contracts for a year or more equates to debt, or money owed or will be owed by the Town of Templeton. So when some complain or point out debt on some things, they should be reminded that they pushed for and represented those who wanted this and that and received it by way of a labor contract. Things such as free work boots, shirts, coats and eye glasses are all things promised in a contract that can be for three years. Templeton now has a promissory note that will be due each year for the length of the contract. Future revenue, no matter how big or small now has to be set aside to meet those promises and is not available for other things.

One example of debt by a contract is the agreement between the Town of Templeton and the Templeton highway & Sewer departments, on behalf of public employees local union 39.
The agreement is to run between July 1, 2016 thru June 30, 2019.

One of the items in the contract is a uniform & boot allowance;
Templeton taxpayers will provide each highway department employee 11 cotton uniforms. Templeton taxpayers will provide coats and uniforms at 100% of the costs to include cleaning and mending. Templeton taxpayers will purchase for each employee five (5) tee shirts to be worn in July & August; and to purchase the employee's choice of one insulated winter jacket per year or one pair of insulated coveralls per year for each employee. Templeton taxpayers will make available water-proof boots, gloves, rain gear and safety equipment. Each employee bears personal responsibility for said items, unless those items are torn or damaged in the line of duty, as in at work, the taxpayers shall replace them.

Boot allowance: the town (taxpayers) will reimburse each full time union employee an amount up to $250.00 per year for work boots. Effective July 1, 2018, the boot allowance will go up to $300.00 per year.

Templeton taxpayers will reimburse each full time union employee up to $165.00 for approved prescription safety eye glasses. 

The above is just one example of a contract that puts taxpayers on the hook for money, money that has to be put aside so the Town can pay for those items. This agreement has the Town making promises and now must have the money set aside to pay the promissory note, it is now legally owed.

Other contracts contributing to debt of Templeton;

Audit contracts fiscal year 2013 thru fiscal year 2017 / Roselli & associates

 UMass. - Collins institute contract for town administrator

Dispatch union contract July 1, 2015 thru June 30, 2018

Police union contract July 1, 2015 thru June 30, 2018

Police chief contract July 1, 2016 thru June 30, 2021

posted by Jeff Bennett