A levy limit underride (Ch. 59 Sec. 21C(h)) reduces the amount of property tax revenue a community may raise and, like an override, has a permanent impact on taxing authority, but in the opposite direction. If the loss of tax revenue through an underride occurs after approval of the annual budget, it would prompt a corresponding reduction in expenditures, unless the community has significant unused levy capacity.

1. LEVY LIMIT: This is the maximum amount of money that a municipality can get from property taxes in any year for its budget. A simplified calculation goes like this: the previous year’s levy limit, plus a 2.5% increase, plus whatever new growth happened over the past year.
2. THE LEVY CEILING: This is what determines the maximum amount a levy limit can be. It is 2.5% of the full cash value of all taxable property in a municipality. This number changes every year. Think of these as nesting dolls: the levy limit must always be smaller than the levy ceiling.

What is an Underride? Proposition 21 ⁄2 allows a community to reduce its levy limit by passing an underride. When an underride is passed, the levy limit for the year is calculated by subtracting the amount of the underride. The underride results in a permanent decrease in the levy limit of a community because it reduces the base upon which levy limits are calculated for future years. A majority vote of a community’s selectmen, or town or city council (with the mayor’s approval if required by law) allows an underride question to be placed on the ballot. An underride question may also be placed on the ballot by the people using a local initiative procedure, if one is provided by law. Underride questions must state a dollar amount and require a majority vote of approval by the electorate.

 From: Sludge Landfill Project <slf@gardner-ma.gov>

Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2024 1:21 PM
To: Sludge Landfill Project <slf@gardner-ma.gov>
Subject: Gardner Sludge Landfill Public Informational Meeting

 

We would like to inform you that the City of Gardner will host a public informational meeting regarding the Gardner Sludge Landfill Expansion Project Environmental Review.

 

Date:                     September 5, 2024

Time:                     6-8 p.m.

Location:              Gardner City Hall

Council Chambers – Room 219

95 Pleasant Street

Gardner, MA 01440

 Templeton Water dept. webpage shows a capital improvement plan dated 2013. That is probably about as useful as town master plan of 2017 or town common master plan from 2010. Sometimes, those things are needed for grants, project bids and they can be used to educate voters/ users of the service such as water.

Those plans also need to be updated because, well, things change, and they need to be relevant.

 Since Templeton decided to put light & water together, rather than the smart move to put water & sewer together, sewer has been in a tough spot. If you have town sewer and water, you pay your water bill but ignore sewer bill, your water cannot be shut off because you paid the bill, so sewer is forced to take legal action or write it off, either one adds to operating costs. The smart move for the town would be to undo light & water and move to water & sewer, which would make sense so perhaps hard to do in Templeton. From fy20 water financial on their webpage; "some of the employees of the Templeton municipal light plant work for both water and light. Since 2001, the light plant has charged the water plant a portion of these individual salaries since they are paid entirely from the light plant". (so when I pay my light bill, I am actually paying for some costs of town water even as I do not have access to town water??) "Between 2001 and 2011, the water plant made intermittent payments to the light plant leaving an unpaid balance of $131,354.00. Between 2011 and 2017, water plant did not reimburse light plant. Starting in 2018, water dept. began making monthly reimbursement payments to light plant. In fiscal year 2019, the two entities mutually agreed to write off the unpaid balance for amounts prior to 2018 which is reported as a special item for $316,919.00. Note here, the light commissioners and the water commissioners are the same 3 people, and the general manager of light is general manager of water. They all claimed the water mains near the roundabout on route 2A was emergency, unforeseen, etc., which is the reason given for a 300-thousand-dollar bailout from arpa.

 So Templeton has had an economic development industrial corporation for a while. Okay, so it took a while and some prodding from a resident (s) to get them to at least make it look like it was created properly. Then there was 200 thousand dollars that was handed over to them, keep in mind that is supposed to be a separate corporation from the town. Seems like all they are doing is trying to figure out how to spend 200K rather than bring business to town. Case in point, a company comes in, goes to planning board wanting to build a business in town, not impacting school costs with more kids, the location is next to route 2A (you may call it patriots road) route 2 and an off ramp from route 2. It is a pretty "clean" business, so why be against this. You either want some type of business in town or you do not. If you are waiting on edic to come thru, well, I will probably be in the ground before they do anything concerning bringing economic development to Templeton.

 So last year when Templeton free cash dropped, the message from the corner office was it is a result from good budget execution. I just checked the division local service web page, Templeton free cash listed at $868,008.00. Must have been some poor budget management because free cash increased by over 190 thousand dollars.

 Templeton board of selectmen, another failure to follow state law and another lie out of their office.

The Lie, from weekly report of the TA:

TO: Select Board 

FROM: Adam Lamontagne, Town Administrator 

 RE: Administrator’s Weekly Report 

 DATE: July 25, 2024 

CC: All Departments

All public meetings can be viewed on TCTV YouTube.

So, I attended a meeting of Templeton COA and tctv was not there. I have not seen a meeting of Templeton municipal light & water dept. Meeting on tctv. I have attended meeting of Templeton cemetery commissioners and no tctv present. I have not seen recent sewer commission meeting on tctv, so there seems to be an intentional lie to selectmen, depts. and residents coming from the office of Templeton town administrator. Is that an intentional lie? Is that an example of incompetence? You can make that call.