Only the treasurer can sign checks to pay the town’s bills. The treasurer, however, cannot release any funds until the warrant is prepared by the accountant and approved by the selectmen or, in some towns, the town manager or administrator. This role of the board of selectmen affects the town’s payroll as well as its providers of goods and services. Other boards, committees, department heads and town officials may approve whatever payrolls and bills they wish—and certainly they should be required to do so before the warrants come to the selectmen—but the bills cannot be paid until the selectmen and town accountant sign off on them. Selectmen should rely on department heads to monitor day-to-day spending and make recommendations, but the power to delay or veto expenditures gives the board an important role in overseeing the operation of the town.

The above is from the most current Handbook for Selectmen.

Jeff Bennett

It may be time to ask the Board of Selectmen if a majority are making it in to sign the warrant so the Town's bills get paid. One of the interesting items on the Town budget under new initiatives is an increase in salaries in the BOS office and the reason given is "upgrades." One thing that was discussed at a selectmen meeting was creating the position of assistant town administrator so a new title and a new job description will have to take place and  what else but a pay increase, how is that for the selectmen spending limited tax dollars wisely? Hopefully future Advisory Board meetings will be recorded and televised.

Jeff Bennett

The topic for discussion at last nights meeting of elementary school building committee was who will sign contracts on behalf of the Town as this project moves forward. Hopefully it will be on agenda for the next selectmen meeting. The other item of interest and importance is where will kids in K-1 go to school and it is believed they will go to middle school as they will leave Templeton Center on June 30 and be at the middle school for two school years. watch for some kind of event for the closing of the school and some reuse of some of the bricks from the building in planters or some other small uses. watch for where they go in total. One other item was the fact of the vote by the governing body, town meeting vote, MSBA grant funding goes through the district so the district attorney wil be giving opinions on this as well and with the district being a legal separate entity from the Town, that should be worth watching. Enjoy.

Jeff Bennett