Town Meeting Times, which if one reads the Templeton Town By-Laws, is the guide or procedure book for Town Meetings. Page 54, the reading of the articles: this speaks to the point that some towns have adopted the practice of omitting the reading of articles, either with the consent of the meeting or by tradition. Town Meeting times states if the reading of the articles is to be omitted, the warrant should be printed and in the hands of or available to every voter. A voters guide is not the warrant. It is going to take the will of Town Meeting to get things back on track so everyone has enough information in hand so as to make an informed decision.

Today, Templeton Town website shows no job openings at present time. Perhaps someone from Town Hall reads these postings. Point is, when someone is hired for a position offered on the Town web site, why is the website not updated? What other things happen in Town Hall that are not updated regularly so you can depend on some information anyways?

What is needed is a policy to guide Town Hall on how to do these things and then, all would be well.

Kent Songer<sewsup@yahoo.com>

7:31 AM

To  Selectmen John Caplis,    Cameron R. Fortes,    Doug Morrison,    Selectwoman Diane Haley Brooks,    Selectwoman Julie Richard,    Holly Young   Copy  Mark Moschetti,    Bobby,    Tom Jeleniewski,    Carol Osborne,    Judy Leigh Arnobit,    Tom Harrington,    Mark Thompson  

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Dear Board of Selectmen:

I write to offer some words of caution.

We have a conference call scheduled for Tuesday at 1:30 to begin the work of closing out the BAN on the Pleasant St. pump station project.  I received an email from Town Counsel that he has been notified that his necessary participation in this process must be scheduled through the town administrator's office.  As you know the TA is part time and this week he won't be in the office until Thursday.  I have copied Holly on this email, but I will tell you here that the closing will require a lot of work on an almost constant basis, and it is my opinion that the process will be hindered and delayed by requiring town counsel to receive approval from the part time town administrator.

I have directed everyone to copy the TA with all correspondence.

If there are complications and/or delays in closing the BAN and securing the grant and permanent financing from USDA because of this, the responsibility will be with the Board of Selectmen and the town administrator.

Regards,

Kent

Perhaps the Templeton selectmen require a policy to look at the Templeton Town website weekly so they can ensure the information is correct and up to date.
Right now, that website shows Templeton is looking for a management fellow, an assistant Town accountant, assistant treasurer and a DPW  Superintendent, along with a highway driver/laborer.

Another issue, after receiving the latest Town expenditure report, I notice that one Eric Pollitt is on the mailing list. He left Templeton employment back in July 2018 and here it is October 2018.  How can anyone be expected to trust any information on the Town website?

Once again, at a Town meeting, Templeton resident Steve Drury brought up information that the Town may be owed around $300,000.00 from person or persons violating Town by-laws. So far, Templeton selectmen seem uninterested in acting.  Instead, those same selectmen are interested in increasing Taxpayer legal costs by ignoring Town Meeting vote; failing to ensure or in this case, instruct employees to process non-union raises for sewer department employees.

One other issue is the failure of Town employee, Treasurer/Collector failing to follow Town by-laws in providing information requested by the Templeton Advisory Committee.

For a group that talks alot about policies and procedures, these selectmen seem to have a hard time following long established policies and mandates put in place by the very people who put the selectmen in place; the voters/residents of the Town.

That is my opinion on some Templeton matters / issues. It is also my opinion that Templeton chairman of the board of selectmen is long on talk and short on walk. John Caplis shows often he was in the military and anyone who has been in knows that when orders come down, you follow them, whether you agree or not. Well, Town Meeting gave selectmen some orders, when will they be obeyed? Perhaps selectmen feel no one cares when only 50 or so people show up for Town Meeting, which means we the people, hold some responsibility for this lax effort on the part of selectmen. Time for residents to stand up for themselves.

We will have a presentation on the study of our roadways and the establishment of a Pavement Management System on the BoS Agenda for 10/24.  I think most folks will find it shock (how poor the roadways are when viewed through the eyes of a professional) and awe (when what we need to be spending is viewed through the eyes of a taxpayer. 


Templeton residents: When given the information on just how bad the roads are in Templeton, this will equate to shock and awe! Actually, I see how bad the goat path I live on is as I drive on it every day.

So, what will it take to get all roads in Templeton to be smooth and even? Money and lots of it, also it will require time. Where will the money come from? Look in your wallet or your bank statement or for some, check your phone. If we began to plan right now, it would be about two years before any comprehensive work could begin and it would probably be 10 years for the work and money spent to show value. Yes, there is chapter 90 funds (gas tax) and complete streets as well as CDBG funds, and maybe even green community grants;  well maintained, even roads require less time to plow and equate to less fuel spent on time to make roads safe for travel. Even some tree management might be required to open the roadways and allow the sun to warm the roads. Perhaps the selectmen have a policy to cover these subjects?

If you live on a private way, you shot yourself in the foot last night by voting down the private road (s) articles.
Bottom line is the roads will not fix themselves and it costs money and that money will come from you. One cannot eat your cake and have too! 

John Caplis is fond of proclaiming that he is not a liar. He never lies.  Then why, when asked on more than one occasion, why the sewer department raises were not processed as voted at town meeting.  His answer was: "they were afraid that if sewer got their raises on July 1st before the other non union got theirs that others would complain"  Now he tells Sewer dept. that there would be no raises until the MCAD complaint was settled. Yet the MCAD complaint was made in part because of the raise issue.  So much for "honest John". I also do not remember Town Meeting vote being contingent on any other conditions such as performance reviews by our esteemed TA, which apparently WILL NOT happen, since the sewer employees do not report to Carter, they report to the independent elected Sewer Commissioners. You can go back and check Town Meeting votes beginning in 1994 and see identical votes creating a Sewer department enterprise fund and Water enterprise fund. Information is Light & Water non union employees got their raises on time. 

Process the sewer department raises and there would be no MCAD complaints, that would be following and honoring Town Meeting vote, that would be doing the right thing. 

Now, how about that tax increase override coming to fund the school district. Again, Templeton selectmen cried poor yet there were two tax increases in May and one proposed for this evening. A police cruiser and highway 1 ton being paid for by meals tax, tax increase for 4 EMS employees and proposed tax increase for dog licenses tonight.  There is always that "debt smoothing" item the selectmen talked about before and the new school is only costing you $1.74 per thousand. There is that $417,000.00 you are already paying and have been for over 20 years for the high school, so just keep that going and there is an extra 400K for the district, remember, it is all about the kids!

Next time you see your selectmen, ask them about that town meeting vote and sewer department raises being ignored. YOUR vote being ignored, again!

Selectman Diane Brooks states she wants to know how school choice money is spent. She wants an accounting of it. Well, I think if she wants to know about school spending, she should run for school committee. I think Templeton residents should have an accounting of how much each town employee earns but I do not see that in the annual report. Residents cannot see exactly how there money is being spent with an omnibus budget. How about selectmen give residents a clear, detailed report on those dollars first?

Begin by following the law, ask Town Meeting what kind of budget format do the people want and have a vote on it.

Give us a report on all Town employee earnings, including light & water and Sewer dept. Then explain why non union sewer dept. employees have not had their Town Meeting appropriated raises processed yet?