from the Templeton Town website, as of Today, this is the same post on Thursday, the day of the meeting. (Training on the open meeting law and posting of agendas perhaps?)

Information for Meeting of Cemetery & Parks Commission
Thursday June 14, 2018 6:30 PM EDT

Town:	Templeton, MA
Board:	Cemetery & Parks Commission
Time:	Thursday June 14, 2018 6:30 PM EDT
Location:	Council on Aging 16 Senior Dr., Baldwinville
Agenda:	Not Yet Available
Scheduled By:	the automatic scheduling system
Posted At:	May 11, 2018 6 AM EDT
Last Modified:	May 11, 2018 6 AM EDT
Minutes:	Minutes are not on record with the Town Clerk's office

Email conveying a message to the Selectmen.

Carter;
As promised, I am emailing the results of the financial transfer request from you, via the board of selectmen in the amount of $15,000.00 from Insurance and Benefits to highway department funds of supplies and purchase of service.
The transfer was approved in the amount of $13,000.00, per transfer policy. Reason (s) for the difference in what was requested ($15,000.00) and what was approved ($13,000.00) was a lack of clarity with regards of accounting of additional $2,000.00. Advisory could not find nor verify any fund named or listed as "miscellaneous" and this lack of specificity along with there still being funds available (from information provided) in the supplies and purchase of service accounts under highway department.
The completed paperwork will be dropped off to Town Hall first thing on Monday, June 18, 2018 as soon as the office is open. Be aware that Advisory has scheduled a meeting for Wednesday, June 20, 2018 and intends to schedule meetings on Thursday, July 5, 2018 and Thursday, July 12, 2018 in case there is a need for additional transfer requests. In the future, Advisory suggests that a representative of the select board and or the department attend the Advisory Committee meeting in order to answer any questions or to clarify any issues. This would help in making the process efficient and more timely. Perhaps at a future date, select board and Advisory can meet jointly and discuss the process, perhaps discovering that our goals are more alike than different.


regards;
Jeff Bennett
Chairman, Advisory Committee

The above email was sent to the Town Administrator and also to all five selectmen, lets see if this makes it to Selectmen Fortes" face book page?

Five new members and so far, similar observations as with previous members. Same concerns and questions about the same subjects; so who should perhaps be looking in the mirror?

A financial transfer came before the Advisory Committee for $15,000.00, from Insurance and Benefits to highway department supplies and Purchase of Services. Accounting for what the funds were needed was 1 item: miscellaneous - $2,000.00. The committee could not find any fund listed as miscellaneous to put money in so the committee approved $13,000.00 instead.

It does not appear that "slush fund" building will be looked at favorably by this new Advisory Committee. The selectmen tried to get 4 members to resign previously, presumably to get new people on the committee: be careful what you wish for!

An email to Town Hall (not from Jeff Bennett)

Appears like Templeton residents are losing access to their government, at least the Board of Selectmen.

This current Board of Selectmen would probably not even have a public meeting if they were not required by law to do so.

Wow...................

I sat and watched the BOS meeting of June 11, 2018 and was, well, flabbergasted. 

I watched as the BOS read " is anyone taping us". I watched as Julie read "no comments other than during the "public comment" section.

Then we get to the meeting.

Their was more discussion regarding "rules for the meeting" than took place regarding the signing of a 4 year contract with Roselli. The Town Administrator recommends an auditor ( who is auditing his and his finance teams work) and the BOS doesn't even ask one question. This type of response makes me question the entire relationship between the BOS and TA. How can you not ask one question. The TA recommends a party to review his work and you just quickly without question vote a unanimous "Yes". Just another example of the financial team being left to regulate themselves. Look for the last  report from the Treasurer or Accountant on the TA weekly report, I believe its in February and something like "taxes due". We have nothing but financial issues in Templeton but yet nobody seems to be paying attention

 Next I watched you deal with the request for Lord Rd and North Main. The agenda states a $100,000.00 transfer request. The TA comes with paperwork requesting $110,000.00. Then the TA talks about the request. He mentions a 10% contingency. 

Looking at the numbers it goes more like this............

$96,100 actual cost of services requested plus an additional 14.5% contingency or slush fund at that point. It may not seem like much, but the sloppy addition, math, statements could be taken as misrepresentation by the Administration but the BOS doesn't even notice. The TA asked for $4,300 of slop and no questions at all from the over site of the Town. Did anyone even notice?

I am really pleased you were able to wrap it all up in 28 minutes. It was a very efficient lack of over site. Maybe a review of this meeting will give Ms. Richard her answer as to why nobody notifies the BOS regarding department issues. It might be because they wonder.......WHY?

MEMORANDUM – OFFICE OF THE TOWN ADMINISTRATOR

TO: Board of Selectmen
FROM: Carter Terenzini, Town Administrator
RE: Administrator’s Weekly Report
DATE: June 7, 2018
CC: All Departments

Important Notice to All Departments 

Job Openings:                         Laborer/Truck Driver (DPW)
                                                Fire Fighter/EMT-P R

Reports on surplus item due by June 14 to highway@templeton1.org

5. b. Given our decentralized structure, we found out we had an additional intern after the presentations of early May. This is to acknowledge their contribution to our organization. 

Weekly Report: 

I met with our Financial Advisor and our Finance Team to begin the compilation of our several bond offerings for the Police ($2.475M) and Schools ($12M+/-). We look to have these on your agenda for 07/11. You will see in August a renewal of the Sewer Pump Station Ban. The Finance team and I met with Counsel on our 130+/- Tax Title properties looking to move about 13 to Land Court (after we have an initial file search for any potential hazardous waste issues by Police, Fire, BoH, and DPW). We will begin our initial batch of 10+/- lands of low value for submission to DOR for certification which is a far speedier – and less costly – approach than going through Land Court. We had a conference call with the MRPC and environmental scientist relative to procuring funding for added research on the 20+ American Tissue properties. Our goal is to clear more lands than added each year by the time of the fall tax-title process to – slowly but manageably – reduce the list. We had a telcon with the Conway School of Design to secure their design services ($1k+/-) for the old Town Offices site in Baldwinville to try to move this project forward. We met with our tax mapping firm to look at various upgrades we want to make for better document management and making those documents available to the public. I had several conversations with Laurel View residents over the “Red List” letter they got about needed repairs before we can continue plowing this private rod. I’ve arranged a full neighborhood meeting for 06/18 here at Town Hall.

Since these residents already pay real estate taxes and since public money can be spent on private roads for improvement, why not, in the name of public safety, lay out a plan and make this road a public way. If this is not done, what happens if those so called needed repairs do not happen and there is a fire or a medical emergency; would that mean the town resources woulld not respond? A precedent has already been set; if the town now refuses to plow this road and there is a fire with medical emergencies, would this put the Town at legal risk? 

The people who live there will be paying for the recent tax increase for services but now the selectmen are going to deny them those services? Time for town management to accept that Laurel View residents were given a "bill of goods" and do right by them. Accept the road as is and put in for CDBG grant money and what ever other resources that can be gained and do the road, sidewalks, drainage, etc., over and be done with it. They are town residents, they pay taxes and they should receive something for their dollars. It is time for taxpayer money to go for something other than employee raises.  

from the Association of Town Finance Committee handbook.


True zero-based budgeting, in which all programs are reviewed annually and budgets are built from the bottom up, often does not work very well in the municipal arena. Many programs are mandated by state or federal law or by the realities of everyday life. However, it does make sense to review each department’s mission and resources every few years. Finance committees, town managers, employees and citizens should work together and re-examine priorities, think about whether and how missions can be redefined and how resources can be reallocated to better meet a town’s changing needs. This kind of planning, while more difficult in the short term, pays off in the long run if only by keeping the budget process from devolving into a series of ad hoc reactions to year-by year changes in the town’s financial picture.

from the Town website, under Town Administrator: FY 2019 budget presentation:

My Premises –
Zero Based Budget: From the Ground Up; –

 Reflected on our review of work-flow & structure to date;

No payroll checks?  Vacation?  What about the assistants?

The assistant to the Town Administrator was in the office of the board of selectmen.
What about the assistant Town Accountant? I thought that was one reason for having assistants, so the work can be done when the lead person is out. Perhaps the policy that covers this situation should be looked at for the answers.

I hope all Town employees attend the next selectmen meeting and under public comments, these questions are asked and they get answers. From some conversations I have had from residents, things are not much better in the Treasurer / Collectors office. I hope the elected sewer commissioners stand their ground and keep control of those enterprise funds. It sometimes seems there is nothing more than a big ponzi scheme going on with regards to Templeton finance. Time for some management costing to be done? An outside payroll service does not seem like such a bad idea right now.

Maybe it is time for a tax underride? Since there is 20 million dollars being spent on a regional lockup facility, to include drug rehab and medical services, is there a need for any small town to have their own jail cells, that come with all those requirements such as additional personnel to watch the prisoners, transport to hospital for any medical problem, real or possible, feeding them, etc.

Of course, the people just voted for a tax increase, just re-elected a selectmen so they must be happy with the government they have. Maybe time to just sit back, smell the coffee and have a good laugh. Now, about them pot holes and beetles in all the trees out there?

On page 65 in the spending plan book for FY2018, (Treasurer/Collector) there is an item listed as Harpers payroll for $12,190.00. Presumably, that is to cover cost of processing Town payroll.

On page 47 in the spending plan book for FY 2019, (Town Accountant) there is an item listed as Harpers Payroll for $12,190.00. Again, presumably to cover cost of processing payroll.

Looking through the Town Administrators reports for the year (weekly) almost every one of them contain the same thing: Finance team - Town Accountant and Treasurer/Collector; nothing to report.


Probably won't hear much about this at a selectmen meeting because the Town Administrator will handle it and he is not covered by the open meeting law. Things like employee evaluations are not done at selectmen meetings, where people who pay the bills and salaries, can hear about qualifications and quality of work completed by the employees they pay for. Taxpayers should be able to hear this information.

No fluoride, no smart meter, no trump conspiracies, just some information:

Wednesday, May 30, 2018, selectmen held a meeting and financial transfer was on agenda.

So two transfer requests were signed and forwarded to Advisory Committee for action.

 

One transfer was from benefits to snow & ice deficit in the amount of $25,000.00.

That transfer was approved.

Second transfer request was for $15,000.00 from benefits to highway department:

That transfer was not approved.

purchase of services - $9,000.00

supplies -                    $6,000.00

problem / issue: memo showing the breakdown of what the funds were needed for;

MS-4 / storm water report @ $2,000.00

arborist / diseased trees      @ $2,150.00

Equipment services            @ $2,850.00  (cylinder rebuild & body repair)

So, those total $7,000.00 which leads to the question: did the requester mean to ask for $7,000.00?

Did the requester make an error in the summary and really need $9,000.00/

Since the Town Administrator and accountant are both out on vacation and no one in selectmen office answered the question and it seems as if the selectmen do not read what they vote or sign or discuss, the chairman signed it and forward it to Advisory and no one came to the meeting to answer the question (s)

Tin foil is in aisle 6