Is this a possible reason that all boards and committees are not aware of things and how discussion is avoided on important items?

One would think with an administrative assistant and assistant to the town administrator, who got a very nice raise in pay this past year, these scheduling conflicts would not happen, but this is Templeton.

MA Advisory Board Templeton

To  Tom Jeleniewski  Copy  Mark  and 15 others

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Tom,

This is to let you know i have passed along your e-mail to the Advisory Committee members when it was received. The invitation will be an agenda item at our meeting this Wednesday !/4/2017.  If you or your commissioners wish to attend our meeting and be part of our discussion please let me know. The Town Administrator at the BOS meeting on 12/28/2016 stated that he is planning on scheduling a joint meeting on 1/10/2017 with the Sewage Commissioners. This is the same night as the planning board has scheduled a meeting to all boards and committees as well as towns people to attend and have their inputs to the master plan.  I would think the BOS would be going to that meeting as it has long term effect on the town and that your meeting with them could take place the next day. 1/11/2017

regards

Wil Spring

emails are public information.

posted by Jeff bennett

Why does it always have to be a "cat fight?" Why can't it be a dog fight?

Again, friends are getting in the way of doing business. My question is this, why was the figure $1,110,000.00 used in the revenue column for the spread sheet presented at town meeting, which was used to show a balanced budget, but them the figure of $1,000,000.00 was inserted on the tax recap sheet sent to the DOR? We are told there is a $200,000.00 short fall in the so called budget. Take the $110,000.00 and add the difference between the $80,000.00 used on the spread sheet for new growth and the number inserted on the tax recap sheet which I believe was amended to $69,000.00. That is a shortfall of $11,000.00, so now we have $121,000.00 right out of the gate. What is the reason for those changes? Why did the selectmen not consider what the advisory committee put forward? Better question is why does town meeting, the town's people, not want to go line by line when it comes to the spending of their money? It seems the people do not care until it looks like something may be wrong.

The people did not wish to go line by line on the expense spread sheet, well you got what you wanted. You wanted a new school, now pay the tax bill and smile. You want ambulance service provided by the town, now pay for it and smile. You keep reelecting the same light commissioners so enjoy your water bills, you got what you wanted. If you do not like what you get, then go fight for something different. Advice: before you go fight, learn the rules and bring them with you!

posted by Jeff Bennett

Paul DeRensis

To  jpb01468@comcast.net 

I haven't seen any of this

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 17, 2016, at 6:02 AM, jpb01468@comcast.net wrote:

Paul, I am wondering if these articles have been forwarded to you? Hope to see you at the special Town Meeting. Jeff Bennett From: "Robert Markel" <townadministrator@templeton1.org> To: "Mark Barrieau" <mbarrieau@verizon.net>, "Bev Bartolomeo" <bartsfarm@comcast.net>, "Katharine Fulton" <fult…

<March 21, 2016 STM Warrant w. Motions.docx>

 pderensis@aol.com

To  jpb01468@comcast.net 

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Jeff:

 

I asked the town administrator about the special town meeting warrant, and he advises that Bond Counsel assisted with the borrowing articles, that he is trying to save money so he felt it unnecessary to have two counsel review the same issues, that there is a procedure in place in the town such that requests for counsel are to be presented to the Town Administrator for approval before any work i undertaken, etc. etc.. However, he did invite me to attend the special town meeting on Monday night.

 

Hope all is well with you

 

Best regards,

 

Paul

 

In a message dated 3/17/2016 8:09:49 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, jpb01468@comcast.net writes:

I am concerned about the legalities of the first article giving a department authority to borrow on behalf of Town. Regards; Jeff Sent from my iPhone On Mar 17, 2016, at 8:04 AM, Paul DeRensis <pderensis@aol.com> wrote: I haven't seen any of this Sent from my iPhone On Mar 17, 2016, at 6:02 AM,…

posted by Jeff Bennett

Massachusetts general law, chapter 39 - section 10:


The selectmen shall insert in the warrant for the annual meeting all subjects the insertion of which shall be requested of them in writing by ten or more registered voters of the town and in the warrant for every special town meeting all subjects the insertion of which shall be requested of them in writing by one hundred registered voters or by ten per cent of the total number of registered voters of the town whichever number is the lesser. The selectmen shall call a special town meeting upon request in writing, of two hundred registered voters or of twenty per cent of the total number of registered voters of the town, whichever number is the lesser; such meeting to be held not later than forty-five days after the receipt of such request, and shall insert in the warrant therefor all subjects the insertion of which shall be requested by said petition. No action shall be valid unless the subject matter thereof is contained in the warrant. Two or more distinct town meetings for distinct purposes may be called by the same warrant.


Do not blame the lawyer if the wording on a petition is incorrect or illegal. It is the responsibility of the petitioners to ensure what they want or ask for is correct and legal.


Why can’t the Town write citizen petition articles and motions?

While the Town in certain instances can give advice on matters, it is generally not considered appropriate for the Town to write citizen petition articles or motions. Citizen petition articles are the citizens right to petition government. Sometimes they may involve matters which the local government leadership does not support or feel are appropriate. Therefore, to have the Town involve itself too directly in such petitions by writing the article or motion would potentially cause too much intermingling of the government into the citizens’ affairs. This is especially so if there was to be a challenge or dispute over the citizens’ article or motion. In appropriate cases, suggestions can be made.

posted by Jeff Bennett

https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ag8wbGi1Ag0zgXIvvAu2OAeKrYwB

the above link should open the Town of Templeton's resonse to the secretary of the commonwealth concerning a public records request. I will now request a copy of this ruling by the supreme judicial court of MA.

This board of selectmen talk a good game about being transparent and open but with another familiar name on the board along with the chair apparently being the intern of another former select board member and light manager, there seems little chance of either transparency and/or honesty in Templeton town government. That is my opinion.

posted by Jeff Bennett

From: Tom Jeleniewski [mailto:tom200is@juno.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 27, 2016 8:18 PM
To: townadministrator@templeton1.org; rdennis5870@comcast.net; sewsup@yahoo.com; m129@comcast.net
Cc: templetonwwtp@verizon.net
Subject: RE: Joint meeting

All;

I just discovered that my iphone SMTP server was not configured properly. So mail that I thought was sent from my phone had been sitting in my "outbox". I have pushed all that mail out just now.  Anyone who thought I was ignoring them, I apologize. Some mail I just sent may no longer be relevant. But the following post IS relevant if you did not receive it the first time.

Carter:

I am getting quite weary of all this email beating around the bush!  When I sat down with you and Kent in your office you made some helpful budget suggestions for which we thanked you. You also clearly stated that you had no intention of using sewer department enterprise funds to help balance the town budget.  This board intends to hold you to that.  So why is our sewer Supt. coming unglued over the budget? If this issue is not solved soon to our satisfaction, we will feel obliged to take further action which could include legal and media involvement.  The sewer department has always been solvent and we expect it to stay that way.

The following question to you has a binary answer:

Is it your intention to raid the sewer enterprise fund to help balance the town budget?

YES        or      NO

Respectfully,

Tom Jeleniewski

Sewer Commission

---------- Original Message ----------
From: "townadministrator" <townadministrator@templeton1.org>
To: "'Kent Songer'" <sewsup@yahoo.com>,        "'Carter Terenzini'" <carter.terenzini@gmail.com>
Cc: "'Carol Osborne'" <templetonwwtp@verizon.net>,        "'Bobby'" <rdennis5870@comcast.net>,        "'Tom Jeleniewski'" <tom200is@juno.com>, "'Mark'" <m129@comcast.net>
Subject: RE: Joint meeting
Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2016 11:56:23 -0500

I believe the discussion would be most productive if it wasn’t rushed by a crush of other business so that people are able to feel somewhat relaxed and with adequate time.    Can you kindly confirm your commissioners might be available for those nites/times and I’ll work with those when I raise this subject tomorrow evening? 

Many Thanks

Carter Terenzini

Interim Town Administrator

posted by Jeff Bennett

Massachusetts General Law, chapter 39:

Section 15: Moderators; powers and duties

Section 15. The moderator shall preside and regulate the proceedings, decide all questions of order, and make public declaration of all votes, and may administer in open meeting the oath of office to any town officer chosen thereat. If a vote so declared is immediately questioned by seven or more voters, he shall verify it by polling the voters or by dividing the meeting unless the town has by a previous order or by-law provided another method. If a two thirds, four fifths or nine tenths vote of a town meeting is required by statute, the count shall be taken, and the vote shall be recorded in the records by the clerk; provided, however, that a town may decide by by-law or vote not to take a count and record the vote if a two-thirds vote of a town meeting is required by statute; and provided, further, that if the vote is unanimous, a count need not be taken, and the clerk shall record the vote as unanimous.

A town may pass by-laws, subject to this section, for the regulation of the proceedings at town meetings. Such by-laws shall be approved and published in the manner prescribed by section thirty-two of chapter forty.

In any town having a representative town meeting form of government the town meeting members shall not use the secret ballot when voting in the exercise of the corporate powers of said town or on any motion unless two thirds of the town meeting members present and voting thereon vote that a secret ballot be used.

Towns

Most towns (well over 200) operate with an Open Town Meeting where any voter is permitted to attend and vote on legislative matters: budgets, bylaws, zoning, etc. Fewer than 50 towns operate with a Representative Town Meeting where voters vote for representatives to attend town meeting. These representative legislative bodies vary from less than 100 to more than 300. Towns of less than 12,000 may not have a city form of government and towns of less than 6,000 must have an open town meeting. The executive authority in towns is held by elected boards of selectmen together with an appointed chief administrative officer called a Town Manager or Town Administrator.

 

The 2/3 vote is when a town has a representative town meeting rather than an open town meeting. There is a difference and we need to know and remember the difference.

posted by Jeff Bennett