Other spending notations:
$40,000.00 to fund merit and equity adjustments (pay increases - raises)
for non-union personnel and police collective bargaining agreement (union/labor contract)
As previously posted, all labor contracts are expenses of taxpayers/town residents and should always be considered when moving to say a full time EMS - fire fighter arrangement, as in include in the total cost of that service.
Another interesting proposal (one I agree with) is put catch basin cleaning out to private contract, which is listed at $13,000.00 per year. It was mentioned a new truck to do this job would cost the Town in the $200,000.00 range, so anyone is free to do the math. A point made when talking of this is the move would free up to 960 man hours, which is time that could be spent on say repairing pot holes and maintenance on equipment. Since the size of the highway crew is often mentioned as being to small for the size of the Town, cutting down on the number of tasks seems to make sense.
Making the door (s) to Town Hall ADA compliant and probably finally getting back to what was originally talked about when the building was made into a Town Hall. A new and different door would be able to be opened by hitting a button or device so the door (s) would open automatically for handicap accessibility, which is an important item.
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Some takeaways from last nights selectmen meeting;
It was stated there may need to be a plan B for the police station because of the 1.5 milion increase in bids.
There could be a Town Meeting warrant article to "clarify the advisory committee roe in commenting on the warrant" My thought on this is the selectmen wish to control the report of the Advisory Committee to Town Meeting. The way in which Advisory Committee is suppose to report to Town Meeting is already in Town by-laws, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
The selectmen wish to be able to stay on al the committees they are on because it seems like there is going to be a warrant article to alow selectmen to continue to serve on all ad-hoc committees.
There was also mention of a tax override to support ALS ambulance service. If you want a full time fire department and EMS service, you have to pay for it with more taxes.
In part, the ALS service has cost far more to put forth than what was presented to you. Even with the rate increases, there are simply not enough calls to raise the money needed to pay for it.
Seems there are an increase in calls paid for by medicaid and medicare.
The Templeton Municipal Light department is apparently going back to charging Templeton Municipal buildings for lights, as in , electricity. As I stated in a previous post, Templeton needs new light commissioners.
It also looks like selectmen will again try to combine library, veterans service, recreation/culture, cable and council on aging with one person to oversee all of those now separate departments.
The one police cruiser paid for by meals TAX, is now apparently moved to being used to pay for multiple vehicle leases; police cruiser, one-ton truck for DPW,
On the flip side, one time revenue from logging will not be used to support the spending plan, which was stated as a loss of $10,000.00 available to support an approximate 15 million dollar spending plan.
So, back to Advisory Committee, how do the selectmen think they can prevent residents from commenting or questioning Advisory Committee reports, recommendations etc.? Remember, there are seven residents on Advisory and last I checked, selectmen cannot tell residents what to ask, nor can the moderator. So, as a resident, my question (s) could be along these lines; Mr. Moderator, why are you limiting the comments on Advisory Committee? Is it because of the fact you are a Town employee, dependent on the selectmen for the department budget/spending plan that you work for? Has the moderator been told to toe the line? Could there be political collusion at work here? Nah, not in Templeton!
Everyone should pay attention to this spending plan presentation.
It was stated there may need to be a plan B for the police station because of the 1.5 milion increase in bids.
There could be a Town Meeting warrant article to "clarify the advisory committee roe in commenting on the warrant" My thought on this is the selectmen wish to control the report of the Advisory Committee to Town Meeting. The way in which Advisory Committee is suppose to report to Town Meeting is already in Town by-laws, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
The selectmen wish to be able to stay on al the committees they are on because it seems like there is going to be a warrant article to alow selectmen to continue to serve on all ad-hoc committees.
There was also mention of a tax override to support ALS ambulance service. If you want a full time fire department and EMS service, you have to pay for it with more taxes.
In part, the ALS service has cost far more to put forth than what was presented to you. Even with the rate increases, there are simply not enough calls to raise the money needed to pay for it.
Seems there are an increase in calls paid for by medicaid and medicare.
The Templeton Municipal Light department is apparently going back to charging Templeton Municipal buildings for lights, as in , electricity. As I stated in a previous post, Templeton needs new light commissioners.
It also looks like selectmen will again try to combine library, veterans service, recreation/culture, cable and council on aging with one person to oversee all of those now separate departments.
The one police cruiser paid for by meals TAX, is now apparently moved to being used to pay for multiple vehicle leases; police cruiser, one-ton truck for DPW,
On the flip side, one time revenue from logging will not be used to support the spending plan, which was stated as a loss of $10,000.00 available to support an approximate 15 million dollar spending plan.
So, back to Advisory Committee, how do the selectmen think they can prevent residents from commenting or questioning Advisory Committee reports, recommendations etc.? Remember, there are seven residents on Advisory and last I checked, selectmen cannot tell residents what to ask, nor can the moderator. So, as a resident, my question (s) could be along these lines; Mr. Moderator, why are you limiting the comments on Advisory Committee? Is it because of the fact you are a Town employee, dependent on the selectmen for the department budget/spending plan that you work for? Has the moderator been told to toe the line? Could there be political collusion at work here? Nah, not in Templeton!
Everyone should pay attention to this spending plan presentation.
Monday, February 26, 2018
The intangibles that some bring to the table:
We are very pleased to let you know that Paul DeRensis was reappointed by Governor Charlie Baker on February 13, 2018 to a tenth term as a member of the Massachusetts Local Government Advisory Commission. Former Governor Deval Patrick had initially appointed Mr. DeRensis to this Commission. Mr. Baker first reappointed Mr. DeRensis in February, 2015, this is the fourth reappointment by Governor Baker. Lt. Governor Karyn Polito administered the oath of office on February 13, 2018.
Mr. DeRensis is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School and is admitted to practice in New York and Massachusetts and in various federal courts including the United States Supreme Court.
State law provides that responsibilities of Commissioners include the following
“1. to review and analyze proposed legislation and regulatory changes from the point of view of municipal government and present such point of view to the governor, his executive secretaries and to the general court;
2. to act as an independent advocate for the interests of local governments in their relations with state and federal governments;
3. to advise officials of the commonwealth and the federal government on the needs of local governments, assist in mobilizing state and federal resources to deal with problems of local governments, provide coordinating support to agencies responsible for administering federal, state and local programs, and promote legislative and administrative proposals reflecting the interests of local governments;
4. to establish, from time to time, study committees or task forces to consider issues pertaining to local government in detail and to
present the results of those considerations to the governor, the secretaries of his executive offices and to the general court;
5. to meet monthly with the governor and at such other times…;
6. to meet quarterly with the legislative leadership, and at such other times as may be necessary…”
And it goes round and round - an ironic post?
Current Town Counsel/lead attorney - Paul DeRensis
8 term selectmen from Sherborn, MA - Paul DeRensis
A law firm - Miyares and Harrington list the Town of Sherborn, MA multiple times, one attorney lists being a member of Sherborn conservation commission from 1990 - 1996.
Also listed are municipal clients, with one being Sherborn, MA (2005 - 2010) with a present town administrator of Blackstone and formerly of Sherborn as a contact person, presumably as a reference.
8 terms could mean service back in the 1990's which means Mr. DeRensis would have been a selectmen when both of the above mentioned parties were employed by Sherborn, MA and selectmen are the appointing authority.
Sometimes, RFPs make for interesting reading.
Current Town Counsel/lead attorney - Paul DeRensis
8 term selectmen from Sherborn, MA - Paul DeRensis
A law firm - Miyares and Harrington list the Town of Sherborn, MA multiple times, one attorney lists being a member of Sherborn conservation commission from 1990 - 1996.
Also listed are municipal clients, with one being Sherborn, MA (2005 - 2010) with a present town administrator of Blackstone and formerly of Sherborn as a contact person, presumably as a reference.
8 terms could mean service back in the 1990's which means Mr. DeRensis would have been a selectmen when both of the above mentioned parties were employed by Sherborn, MA and selectmen are the appointing authority.
Sometimes, RFPs make for interesting reading.
Sunday, February 25, 2018
I wonder how many tee shirts have been sold to support the scout hall project?
How many trees will be cut in back of the highway department?
Is there wet land back there? If so, was the conservation commission in on that project?
Looking at schedule A information on the DLS website for Templeton - fiscal year 2017, Templeton is one of many communities that is blank. Fiscal Year 2017 ended June 30, 2017.
Under expenses for FY 2016 showed total $13,165,009.00. Of that, $6,440,267.00 went to education.
General government- $ 857,614.00
Police - $ 767,052.00
Fire - $ 255,848.00
Other pubic safety - $ 342,999.00
Public works - $ 836,835.00
Human services - $ 295,013.00
Culture & Recreation $ 77,998.00
Fixed Costs - $1,910,260.00
Inter government
assessments - $ 0.00
Other expenditures - $ 104,514.00
Debt service - $1,276,609.00
How many trees will be cut in back of the highway department?
Is there wet land back there? If so, was the conservation commission in on that project?
Looking at schedule A information on the DLS website for Templeton - fiscal year 2017, Templeton is one of many communities that is blank. Fiscal Year 2017 ended June 30, 2017.
Under expenses for FY 2016 showed total $13,165,009.00. Of that, $6,440,267.00 went to education.
General government- $ 857,614.00
Police - $ 767,052.00
Fire - $ 255,848.00
Other pubic safety - $ 342,999.00
Public works - $ 836,835.00
Human services - $ 295,013.00
Culture & Recreation $ 77,998.00
Fixed Costs - $1,910,260.00
Inter government
assessments - $ 0.00
Other expenditures - $ 104,514.00
Debt service - $1,276,609.00
Saturday, February 24, 2018
So, the Town needs to change it's election date so there is no dissension on the stage with regards to the budget. Why then, does this board of selectmen think it has to change Town Counsel before the election? Why not discuss any changes after the election? After all, anyone elected to the select board will have to work with the Town Counsel and would it not make sense for all five to have a say in this most important subject? If Town Counsel is to be called upon to defend your position (s), shouldn't you have a say in who Town Counsel is to be? If it needs to be that way for the budget, why not legal counsel as well?
Perhaps Towns people should be aware that no one from the board of selectmen's office talked to present Town Counsel about a change. No one from the board of selectmen's office told present Town Counsel about the issuance of a RFP, they never received an acknowledgement that they responded to the RFP, no one from the board of selectmen's office asked any questions about their response, no references were ever checked, no screening committee ever contacted them (was there a screening committee?), present Town Counsel is unsure if the BOS even knows that they re applied. It is even possible the application from present Town Counsel was tossed into the trash. (my opinion)
Just another reason, in my opinion, why it is hard to trust the current board of selectmen on anything.
Perhaps Towns people should be aware that no one from the board of selectmen's office talked to present Town Counsel about a change. No one from the board of selectmen's office told present Town Counsel about the issuance of a RFP, they never received an acknowledgement that they responded to the RFP, no one from the board of selectmen's office asked any questions about their response, no references were ever checked, no screening committee ever contacted them (was there a screening committee?), present Town Counsel is unsure if the BOS even knows that they re applied. It is even possible the application from present Town Counsel was tossed into the trash. (my opinion)
Just another reason, in my opinion, why it is hard to trust the current board of selectmen on anything.
So, does Templeton have a full time Town Administrator, a part time Town Administrator or an interim Town Administrator?
I seem to recall the Templeton board of selectmen voting to make Carter Terenzini the Town Administrator. I seem to recall an article in the Gardner News of that item. So here is the point of this post; do the Templeton selectmen know what they vote on? Do they read and understand it/ Do they remember what they vote and act on?
In a written, posted and published request for proposals for legal services (Town Counsel), the selectmen include in that posting; any questions concerning this invitation should be directed to Carter Terenzini, interim Town Administrator. However, in the first paragraph of the RFP, it had submit responses to Mr. Carter Terenzini, Town Administrator. Perhaps it is a lack of proof reading, but what ever the reason, this is a reflection on the selectmen and the continuation of a lack of consistency with regards to policies, procedures and every day business of the selectmen. (in my opinion) Perhaps that is one of the reasons for a lack of participation of the citizens of Templeton when it comes to the board of selectmen and their meetings?
This RFP was, according to the document, advertised in the Gardner News on December 19, 2017, on COMMBUYS on December 14, 2017 and Goods & Services bulletin on December 25, 2017.
I seem to recall the Templeton board of selectmen voting to make Carter Terenzini the Town Administrator. I seem to recall an article in the Gardner News of that item. So here is the point of this post; do the Templeton selectmen know what they vote on? Do they read and understand it/ Do they remember what they vote and act on?
In a written, posted and published request for proposals for legal services (Town Counsel), the selectmen include in that posting; any questions concerning this invitation should be directed to Carter Terenzini, interim Town Administrator. However, in the first paragraph of the RFP, it had submit responses to Mr. Carter Terenzini, Town Administrator. Perhaps it is a lack of proof reading, but what ever the reason, this is a reflection on the selectmen and the continuation of a lack of consistency with regards to policies, procedures and every day business of the selectmen. (in my opinion) Perhaps that is one of the reasons for a lack of participation of the citizens of Templeton when it comes to the board of selectmen and their meetings?
This RFP was, according to the document, advertised in the Gardner News on December 19, 2017, on COMMBUYS on December 14, 2017 and Goods & Services bulletin on December 25, 2017.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)