Templeton FY 2019 audit management letter: Capital

So, Templeton has a capital plannning committee and a capital by-law, that said, what did the audit state about Town Capital assets?

Management letter (email sent to get it on town website) page 7 of 8 pages.
#9.) Capital Assets (update from previous year)
". . . . during FY2019, town converted it's inefficient excel based tracking system for fixed assets to fixed asset software customized for financial statement reporting. The new reporting system allows the Town to track and monitor fixed assets much more efficiently. Per our review of the reports that were generated, we observed that the listing has many assets, particularly vehicles, that are most likely no longer in service.
In the future, when fixed assets are sold, traded in, or junked, this information should be reported to the town accountant immediately.

How or why was the town told by former selectmen / administrator of how great everything was/is and how we are headed in the right direction when we could not even identify what we owned? As part of the first audits, why was a complete inventory not done? How could it be stated the town has a good capital plan when no one can really state what we own and do not own?
Me thinks another case of hoodwinking by former members of board of selectmen just to get bond rating to go into debt for a school, (my opinion based on looking at many things)

What government controlled health care really looks like - if you have a choice, keep your private health insurance.


By Doneen Durling
Reporter

Posted at 6:00 AM

GARDNER — Veterans in the area are being contacted and informed that they must choose another physician because the doctor currently treating them is no longer on the list of approved Veterans Administration (VA) providers. Some are being told Heywood Hospital is no longer accepting those under VA care, which has been proven untrue.

Heywood Hospital is in fact accepting veterans under VA care.

Maija Sumner wrote that her husband was under the care of Dr. Kalyan Kalava, a specialist contracted with Heywood Hospital. She was contacted and told she must find another physician because Heywood was no longer accepting VA patients.

“My spouse is a disabled veteran with a traumatic brain injury,” she wrote in a letter to The Gardner News. “The providers, which are contracted with the VA, can offer no relief or intervention for my spouse. It leaves veterans and their loved ones to do the legwork and research to find adequate care. In my spouse’s case, I do this for him as he is not able to advocate for himself. We have beat our heads against the wall to find a provider that will put forth the effort needed to come up with a plan that will help my spouse be able to maintain some sort of quality in his life.”

After doing research, the Sumners finally found a provider at Heywood but were contacted by the doctor’s office recently to inform them the care was no longer available.

“After constant pressure and fight, I was able to get the VA to agree to cover his procedures and care at Heywood. Today I received a call from Heywood notifying me that the hospital has decided to no longer accept the VA insurance within their institution. This is an absolute disgrace to those who have served their country and need care,” said Sumner. “How can we let our service members fall between the cracks further and further?”

Dawn M. Casavant, vice president of development and chief philanthropy officer at Heywood Healthcare, was surprised to hear that a patient had been given the information that Heywood Hospital is not accepting VA patients.

“We do take all the VA insurances,” she said.

Casavant clarified that Dr. Kalava is an independent physician who contracts his services to the hospital and is not employed with the hospital. She further explained that sometimes, when patient care is complicated, the VA will limit what is covered in other places, controlling the cost.

Casavant said that in 2017, Heywood Healthcare was excited to be providing for VA health care because so many veterans were forced to travel far to receive care. Heywood announced its partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs through the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act (VACAA) of 2014 provider agreement. The hospital called it a long-term solution to provide increased access to veterans in need of health care services while controlling costs.

Casavant advised that anyone associated with the VA receiving a call telling them they must seek a new provider should contact https://www.heywood.org/patients-and-visitors/patient-financial-services/patient-financial-services and receive help and advocacy in their search.

Casavant said that veterans in need of medical care should not have to go through seeking alternate care in the middle of treatment. She explained that the rules are different for the multiple insurances that are accepted at Heywood, and there are constant changes creating more paperwork and a need to constantly stay informed.

She said, “I think the devil is in the details, and we must figure out how the system could be tightened up so we don’t have veterans falling through the cracks. Know that the hospital is certainly sympathetic and would like to work to figure out how to strengthen the system. We don’t want any veterans falling through the cracks. We are here to serve our community.”

Calls to a representative of the VA who could speak to the press and to Dr. Kalava have not yet been returned to provide further insight into the changes happening at the VA and the reasons some doctors may not have been placed on the VA-approved list.

Templeton Capital Planning / Committee by-law:

I would think by the dollar amounts and time stated, this would include all road, building, sidewalk, drainage projects, they are infrastructure and one of the most important part of the operation of the town.

§ 9-8Duties and authority.

A. 

To facilitate the reasonable acquisition and replacement of capital items (defined as assets and projects with a useful life of five or more years and a cost of more than $10,000, but including items with an individual cost of less than $10,000 when purchased in bulk at a cost of more than $10,000), the Committee shall have the following duties and responsibilities:

(1) 

Annually collect all proposed capital improvements for the coming six years from all departments, on forms designed for that purpose.

(2) 

Consider all requests and the relative need and impact of these requests on the Town's financial position.

(3) 

Establish and annually update a five-year Capital Improvement Plan, based on this information.

(4) 

Annually prepare a report prioritizing capital needs for the coming fiscal year, and recommend a Capital Improvement Budget for that fiscal year.

(5) 

Submit this annual report, and its recommendations for purchases or improvements, to the Board for its consideration and approval as part of the annual budget planning process by January 1 of each year. A copy of said report shall also be filed with the Town Clerk and Advisory Committee.

B. 

It is the intent of this bylaw that all capital improvements, without regard to the source of funding, requested by a Town department or board shall be considered in the Committee's report before presentation to the Town for appropriation. If a requesting department shall not, for an unforeseen reason, have submitted its request for funding of a capital expenditure of the Committee during its annual review cycle, and such a request cannot, in its opinion, await the next annual review cycle, the department shall promptly submit the request to the Committee for consideration. In such an event, the Committee shall meet expeditiously to consider the matter and file a supplemental report as set forth above before any vote for appropriation takes place on the omitted request

Assessor: Received notification from DOR DLS for the setting of the tax rate. The rate for FY20 is $16.83, 41 cents lower than last year’s rate of $17.24. However, Real Estate values are up this year 8% to 20%. Much of the week was spent transferring files into the billing program, assessing light, sewer & trash liens, Title V and Sewer Betterments and yearly exemptions. The commitments and invoicing were done, and the files were sent to the Tax Collector to export out to the billing company. An additional motor vehicle billing was sent out from the RMV for the final one of 2019. With the new updated system at RMV this was sent as a test run for billing before the major billing the end of January. The commitment was done, bills were printed and given to the Tax Collector to mail out Tuesday. A reminder to residents, if you have not filed for your real estate exemptions, you still may, however, once approved the credit will go towards your 4th quarter tax bill. Form ABC’s (for non-profits), Income & Expense Reports and Forms of Lists are ready to be mailed out for the January 1 date. Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and happy, healthy New Year!

Facebook © 2019

Town of Hubbardston
July 26, 2018 ·
Town of Warren to join Rutland dispatch center

HUBBARDSTON — Town officials have ap­­proved the Rutland Reg­ional Emergency Com­munication Center’s plan to add the town of Warren to the center, which will save Hubbard­ston thousands of dollars.

Currently, the Com­munication Center serves Barre, Oakham, Rutland and Hubbardston.

However, it will expand to include Warren starting in January, which will save Hubbardston roughly $18,000 a year. Currently, the town spends $134,241 on dispatch, but after the savings begin the town will spend $116,502.

“There are no known drawbacks to adding Warren,” Director of Communications Michael Moriarty said. “There won’t be any change in service to any of the towns, and Hubbardston will have the same service.”

In order to address the additional calls, the Communication Center is hiring additional dispatchers in order to assure no change in service with the addition of Warren.

“We are happy to be realizing long-term savings due to the addition of Warren into RECC,” Board of Selectmen Chairman Dan Galante said. “We feel as though we vetted it thoroughly and asked all of the necessary questions to make sure the citizens of Hubbardston are unaffected by this merger.”

Hubbardston was the last town to approve Warren into the center.

With Warren added, the current capacity of the facility will be maxed out, but the center is still looking at options to allow future expansions that could save the towns even more money.

“We are looking at new locations to continue to grow,” Moriarty said. “The building next door to us actually, if we move into that
we will be able to hold even more towns.”

With each town that is added to the center, there will be more overall savings for the towns already participating.

The Communications Center has also found additional savings in switching to Swift 911, swapping out Code Red, for recorded mass emergency calls. Swift 911 offers the same townwide calling services that CodeRed does, for about $7,000 less to the cost of each town using the center.

With Swift 911, the town is able to make wide-ranging calls for a number of scenarios, notably emergencies like floods or serious crime, but Swift 911 will also allow people to sign up for specific call lists, so they can be notified about non-emergencies like town meetings as well.

I would think that an F.B.I. academy graduate would know or could figure out it is more important to have police officers available, as in the realistic total number required for true safety of all (police and residents) rather than try to maintain the old guard of two departments when in fact one could be moved or reworked for the betterment of the the Town as a whole. Again, it all comes down to funding and looking at one of the objectives of prop 2 1/2: better, more efficient government. When is that going to happen?

Templeton special town election, June 11, 2007, voters approve an override of $735,700.00 to fund the operating budget of Narragansett school district.

Templeton special town election, October 15, 2013, voters approve an override of $620,000.00, of which $550,459.00, went to funding the Narragansett school district budget.

What will happen in 2020; override, another 1/12 budget, possible more town cuts? Another roller coaster financial year and some of that can be traced back to May, 2019, when the select board voted to spend over 60 thousand dollars of your tax money so Hubbardston could get their accounting service done for 37 thousand dollars (the amount Hubbardston is paying Templeton this year) One reason given for this is to hopefully entice Hubbardston to move their dispatch service to Templeton from Rutland. Would that be a bribe like move??

Time to stop all the bullshit, face reality and selectmen need to do what is best for Templeton and yes, that means from a financial stand point. After all, it is all about the dollars. Why people go to New Hampshire to shop, avoid sales tax. Why do people fudge (cheat) on taxes, why do people shop online, why do people push for college? It is all about the money, save or spend less, make more, etc. Nobody wants to invest in a company that spends more to make less, you would not put your retirement dollars in a company like that, so why do you want your money spent like that?? The town administrator put it in front of the selectmen, he made a pitch for it, but they ultimately voted for it, signed off on it and made that dumb move. They even sat their and touted how good things were/are and how great a job they had done / were doing. Since you do not show for meetings, they assume you do not care, that is the message I have heard either being at or watching selectmen meetings in the past (pre May 2019)

Look at Scout Hall and you tell me how great they were.

You might not hear this from a selectmen meeting because the board of selectmen representative to capital planning, selectmen Richards, has been absent from many capital planning meetings.
One proposal on the table is for highway to trade in excavator towards purchase of new backhoe. Trade in allowance for excavator listed at $85,000.00 (it cost new in 2014 at around 200 thousand) quite the loss (it was bought new by way of trade in of old excavator and chapter 90 money or commonly known as road funds) My thought on excavator was it was dumb move on part of selectmen to approve purchase of excavator in first place.

So, now , you the taxpayer and hopefully town meeting attendee, will be asked to decide if this is a good move or not.