Some information from past Templeton tax recapitulation sheets and fiscal year 2017 budget spread sheet from town meeting.
Fiscal Year estimate Fiscal Year actual differential
2012 - $788,000.00 $853,798.00 $65,798.00 above estimate
2013 - $821,000.00 $813,759.00 $ 7,241.00 under estimate
2014 - $888,779.00 $948,747.00 $59,968.00 above estimate
2015 - $942,000.00 $970,753.00 $28,753.00 above estimate
2016 - $980,000.00 to be determined to be determined
2017 - $1,110,00.00 to be determined to be determined
So, is an increase in motor vehicle excise tax receipts of $130,000.00 an unrealistic expectation?
posted by Jeff Bennett
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Templeton fiscal year schedule A versus fiscal 2017 spread sheet presented to Town Meeting:
If you go to the Templeton Town web site and find the 2017 operating budget document, and if you find and look at page 10 of the excel spread sheet, you can look at long term debt, under heading of debt service - long term.
look at the column titled FY 2015 and scroll down to debt service - long term.
What you will see is principle on long term debt - $1,287,024.00
What you will see is interest on long term debt - $ 0.00
On the Templeton schedule A, for fiscal 2015 is long term debt - $1,007,597.00
On Templeton schedule A, for fiscal 2015 is interest on long term debt $ 279,427.00
The total is the above figure of - $1,287,024.00
Perhaps not a big deal, but why not show the people who pay the bills, what exactly it is costing them to have this one million plus dollar debt on the books?
Would that be called transparency?
Would complete transparency be a good idea for a 47 million dollar project?
What would the total interest cost be on 24 million dollars over 28 years at 3.5%?
The above is not a lecture, it is information and a few questions for thought.
posted by Jeff Bennett
If you go to the Templeton Town web site and find the 2017 operating budget document, and if you find and look at page 10 of the excel spread sheet, you can look at long term debt, under heading of debt service - long term.
look at the column titled FY 2015 and scroll down to debt service - long term.
What you will see is principle on long term debt - $1,287,024.00
What you will see is interest on long term debt - $ 0.00
On the Templeton schedule A, for fiscal 2015 is long term debt - $1,007,597.00
On Templeton schedule A, for fiscal 2015 is interest on long term debt $ 279,427.00
The total is the above figure of - $1,287,024.00
Perhaps not a big deal, but why not show the people who pay the bills, what exactly it is costing them to have this one million plus dollar debt on the books?
Would that be called transparency?
Would complete transparency be a good idea for a 47 million dollar project?
What would the total interest cost be on 24 million dollars over 28 years at 3.5%?
The above is not a lecture, it is information and a few questions for thought.
posted by Jeff Bennett
John Columbus - Templeton Selectman Sorry Kevin, I'm not complaining. The Town has an $800,000 deficit from FY 2013. we had to spend an additional $100,000 to clean up the mess. Those responsible won't acknowledge their culpability and have the gall to lecture the current board on finances. They even denigrate Bob Markel, the person most responsible for getting the Town back on track. We are solving issues, they are not.
What happened to the $750,000.00 certified free cash that we were told was coming? The supposed funds John Columbus talked about using for some expense a little prior to the May 2016 elections. He, as chairman, threw a person out of a meeting of selectmen, after that individual commented that was not a good thing to consider.
I think the above caption/instagram photo may say it all, with regards to John Columbus, but I think if checks some facts, he would see that on the Templeton Town meeting warrant for May 15,16,21,23 2012, which includes the budget for fiscal 2013, he will find a familiar name, Columbus. Members of the select board at that time were Robert Columbus, Chris Stewart, Patrick Mullins, Virginia Wilder and Jeff Bennett. Those were the selectmen from the recall election in February to the election in May of 2012. I also can say that if John checked or if he had attended, I told people at a meeting in the KIVA, the fall of 2013 that if they wanted to point a finger, if they wanted someone to blame, that would be me, Jeff Bennett, as I was the current Chairman of the Board of Selectmen. I did not hear John Columbus say much at a meeting on July 21, 2016, at the KIVA, where discussion focused mostly on budget issues for fiscal 2017. If you check, you will find John Columbus was the chairman of the Board of Selectmen for the time of January 1, 2016 until the first meeting of the BOS after the May election of 2016. So to John Columbus, will you be stating your culpability in the current budget mess? Or will you continue to denigrate those who are trying to advise you on a course that perhaps will stop this from happening again as we move forward. I believe it is important enough that it deserves the effort to try to instill the changes needed to get a budget process in place that demonstrates Fact, Law, and Transparency. (Thank You Jeff) John may take some things as lecturing, but it is advice based on experience, outside information and looking at how other communities successfully get a town meeting warrant and budget spread sheet out to the voters at least three weeks prior to Town Meeting. I would like to see Templeton do the same. When we have a person changing something that the selectmen have already voted on, the day before town meeting, I think someone could use a lecture. Remember John, you were the Chairman of the select board while that budget was put together, so take responsibility for it. In a sense, listen to what you wrote on your face book page.
That is my opinion, and in no way reflects any thought or position of the Advisory Committee, of which I am a member.
posted by Jeff Bennett
What happened to the $750,000.00 certified free cash that we were told was coming? The supposed funds John Columbus talked about using for some expense a little prior to the May 2016 elections. He, as chairman, threw a person out of a meeting of selectmen, after that individual commented that was not a good thing to consider.
I think the above caption/instagram photo may say it all, with regards to John Columbus, but I think if checks some facts, he would see that on the Templeton Town meeting warrant for May 15,16,21,23 2012, which includes the budget for fiscal 2013, he will find a familiar name, Columbus. Members of the select board at that time were Robert Columbus, Chris Stewart, Patrick Mullins, Virginia Wilder and Jeff Bennett. Those were the selectmen from the recall election in February to the election in May of 2012. I also can say that if John checked or if he had attended, I told people at a meeting in the KIVA, the fall of 2013 that if they wanted to point a finger, if they wanted someone to blame, that would be me, Jeff Bennett, as I was the current Chairman of the Board of Selectmen. I did not hear John Columbus say much at a meeting on July 21, 2016, at the KIVA, where discussion focused mostly on budget issues for fiscal 2017. If you check, you will find John Columbus was the chairman of the Board of Selectmen for the time of January 1, 2016 until the first meeting of the BOS after the May election of 2016. So to John Columbus, will you be stating your culpability in the current budget mess? Or will you continue to denigrate those who are trying to advise you on a course that perhaps will stop this from happening again as we move forward. I believe it is important enough that it deserves the effort to try to instill the changes needed to get a budget process in place that demonstrates Fact, Law, and Transparency. (Thank You Jeff) John may take some things as lecturing, but it is advice based on experience, outside information and looking at how other communities successfully get a town meeting warrant and budget spread sheet out to the voters at least three weeks prior to Town Meeting. I would like to see Templeton do the same. When we have a person changing something that the selectmen have already voted on, the day before town meeting, I think someone could use a lecture. Remember John, you were the Chairman of the select board while that budget was put together, so take responsibility for it. In a sense, listen to what you wrote on your face book page.
That is my opinion, and in no way reflects any thought or position of the Advisory Committee, of which I am a member.
posted by Jeff Bennett
Saturday, July 30, 2016
The Town of Templeton's schedule A, for fiscal year 2015, which is normally suppose to be in by October, was approved by Deborah Wagner on June 28, 2016. This is a very important document for budgeting, along with the tax recapitulation sheet. Hopefully this schedule A will be available to the Advisory Committee upon request. This material along with the schedule A and tax recap sheet for fiscal 2016 will be very useful in preparing estimates for the next budget cycle, fiscal 2018. This process should begin in November. Hopefully there will be more cooperation on the part of the selectmen this year.
posted by Jeff Bennett
posted by Jeff Bennett
Friday, July 29, 2016
email trail of a record request from the Advisory Committee, no form, no forwarding to Holly, no check with the selectmen first. Apparently, residents are not on the list containing who can view records of spending of public funds. The below email also seems to show who has custody and knowledge of Town financial records, if only this much interest had taken place on the fiscal 2017 budget spread sheet.
Sent from my iPhone
posted by Jeff Bennett
Kelli
Thank you, you are doing well please let the BoS have a look prior.
Thank you
John Caplis
Sent from my iPhone
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 PontbriandAccountantTown of Templeton978-894-2765From: 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
Subject: End of year Budget to Actual for FY16Kelli,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 FY16Wil
posted by Jeff Bennett
Thursday, July 28, 2016
What you could get from a public records request from within the office of the Board of Selectmen.
The Request: There are no strict rules that govern the manner in which requests for public
information should be made. Requests may be made in person or in writing.
Written requests may be made by mail, facsimile or email.(10) A requester must
provide the records custodian with a reasonable description of the desired
information.(11) A records custodian is expected to use his or her superior
knowledge of the records in his or her custody to assist the requester in
obtaining the desired information.12
Hi Jeff:
Please fill out the attached form. This makes it easier for this office to keep track of all of the public records requests.
Thank you.
Holly A. Young
I am unsure of why or how you would interpret “I am forwarding this to Holly in the selectman office. Please note that all records requests need to be directed to the Selectman’s office.”
as a refusal of responding to your public records request. Per the M.G.L. and the Secretary of States office, “Anyone may request records directly from the records custodian”, which in the case of Templeton, is me, per my job description and designation by the Selectmen. I realize that the M.G.L. describes any person that has physical custody of the records as a Records Custodian. However, as ALL documents regardless of which office they are kept in, are the property of the Town of Templeton, the Selectmen’s Office is the preferred avenue for records requests to come through.
I am not sure, however, that you are aware that with the current M.G.L. still in place, “Such request may be delivered in hand to the office of the custodian or mailed via first class mail. A written request is not required but is recommended. An oral request made in person (not by telephone) is permitted.” I do not see anywhere in the law that states that requests received via email must be answered or that it is the correct manner to request records. Regardless, our offices have been very cooperative in getting the documents you have requested via email to you in a timely manner. However, I see no reason why you cannot cooperate with the Town and fill out a standard form and email that to me as the Records Custodian so I may respond to your request.
I will respond to your request within the legal time limit and you may consider my response as a response to the email you sent to the Town Accountant.
the following is from the public records guide, available online to anyone.
Attend the next meeting of the Advisory Committee and you may see who received a 15.85% raise recently (it could be someone in the office of the selectmen.
I also have copies of other public record requests by email that were provided to others (not me).
posted by Jeff Bennett
So much for the new transparency in Templeton, request a public record, a schedule A, that the Town Accountant is responsible for filling out and you get the check with the selectmen, or "I am forwarding to the selectmen and all public record requests must go through them" Fill out this form they say (personnel in BOS office) I decide what goes out, etc etc.
Below is what I got from the Secretary of the Commonwealth (Secretary of State)
Must my request be in writing and do I need to use a specific form?
A written request is not required but is recommended. An oral request made in person (not by telephone) is permitted. To appeal the records custodian’s response to the Supervisor, however, a request must be in writing. There is no specific form that must be used to request records, nor is there any language that must be included in such a request. A records custodian may provide a form, but cannot demand that the form be used.
The schedule A form (a detailed statement of revenues and expenditures) is prepared by the Town Accountant who is responsible for this (normally) and the selectmen have nothing to do with it, as far as filling it in or keeping it, it belongs in the finance office and it is filed to the DOR by a predetermined due date. State aid payments may by law be withheld if this is not done. So the person who is responsible for filling this out and is the keeper of these items (custodian) but is not allowed to release them? In my view, this is equal to refuse to provide them. I will see what the Secretary of State has to say about this and the filling out of a form. Again, so much for transparency here in Templeton. I am curious to see what an email to the DLS gets me.
As one saying goes, talk is cheap and good whiskey costs money.
As a quote attributed to Ronald Reagan states; "if you cannot make them see the light, make them feel the heat"
posted by Jeff Bennett
Below is what I got from the Secretary of the Commonwealth (Secretary of State)
Must my request be in writing and do I need to use a specific form?
A written request is not required but is recommended. An oral request made in person (not by telephone) is permitted. To appeal the records custodian’s response to the Supervisor, however, a request must be in writing. There is no specific form that must be used to request records, nor is there any language that must be included in such a request. A records custodian may provide a form, but cannot demand that the form be used.
The schedule A form (a detailed statement of revenues and expenditures) is prepared by the Town Accountant who is responsible for this (normally) and the selectmen have nothing to do with it, as far as filling it in or keeping it, it belongs in the finance office and it is filed to the DOR by a predetermined due date. State aid payments may by law be withheld if this is not done. So the person who is responsible for filling this out and is the keeper of these items (custodian) but is not allowed to release them? In my view, this is equal to refuse to provide them. I will see what the Secretary of State has to say about this and the filling out of a form. Again, so much for transparency here in Templeton. I am curious to see what an email to the DLS gets me.
As one saying goes, talk is cheap and good whiskey costs money.
As a quote attributed to Ronald Reagan states; "if you cannot make them see the light, make them feel the heat"
posted by Jeff Bennett
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