Town of Templeton's draft public records requests policy -
The Town of Templeton’s Board of Selectmen has designated the Assistant to
the Town Administrator as the Records Custodian for the Town, as she has access to the public records and
the knowledge, experience and resources to determine which records are deemed “public” and which records
may need to be redacted before release.
I would hope individuals with the knowledge, experience and resources would know where to look for the most current fee schedules so as to not over charge residents who may not know of the latest updates and changes on the book of law for Massachusetts!
The cost for copies of documents is 20¢ per page for photocopies and 50¢ per page for computer printouts.
32.06: Fees for Copies of Public Records
(b) the charge for black and white paper copies or printouts of records shall not exceed
5 cents per page, for both single and double-sided black and white copies; (effective February, 2016)
The Town asks for the public to submit any public records request
directly to her.
the Town would like the public to submit their requests on the Public Records Request Form.
The Town can not make you nor are you required to use or fill out any form to request a public record. Anyone may request records directly from the records custodian. The Law does not require any specific format for making a request. Check the web page of the Secretary of State for information on public records.
posted by Jeff Bennett
Sunday, August 21, 2016
From the Annual Town Meeting of May 15, 2007
Article 26.
To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Three Hundred Seventy-One Thousand, Four Hundred Eighty Dollars ($371,480.00) for payment of the long-term debt for the expansion and renovation of the Narragansett Regional High School/Narragansett Middle School in accordance with a debt exclusion voted on January 22, 1996, or to take any other action relative thereto.
Submitted by the Narragansett Regional School District Committee
On a motion duly made and seconded the Town voted to raise and appropriate the sum of Three Hundred Seventy-One Thousand, Four Hundred Eighty Dollars ($371,480.00) for payment of the long-term debt for the expansion and renovation of the Narragansett Regional High School/Narragansett Middle School in accordance with a debt exclusion voted on January 22, 1996.
Passed Unanimously/May 16th @ 8:46
A debt exclusion (Ch. 59 Sec. 21C(j)) raises additional tax revenue to pay debt service costs to finance a capital project, or sometimes to fund a major capital purchase (i.e., a fire engine). The excluded amount, or additional tax, is not specified in the referendum language, but need not equal the anticipated annual debt service obligation in its entirety. A limit on the amount to be raised is initially set in the bond authorization which actually funds the capital project or purchase. It requires a two-thirds vote of town meeting, a town council or city council. The additional property taxes are not permanent, but are removed from the levy when the term of the bond ends.
The document passed out at Town meeting for the new elementary school has it this way;
Costs to Templeton - $24,634,287.00
cost per year at 3.5% - $ 1,406,865.00
less NRHS debt end - $ 438,073.00
Net new debt - $ 968,792.00
annual residential tax $1.74 per thousand
(based on 28 year term at 3.5% interest rate)
box next to it states: based on equal yearly payment amount over 28 years at 3.5% interest. The exact bond amount, interest rate and terms will be determined when the TOWN borrows the money.
Seems the "sale" was the tax rate to come up with the "new" debt amount of $968,792.00, rather than what the tax rate will actually be to cover the entire bond amount.
Seems like there are some used car salesmen serving as selectmen now. One has to wonder how hard would it be to obtain the needed signatures to put a citizens petition before the next Town Meeting, to ask voters if they wish to amend, change or rescind the vote of November 9, 2015.
posted by Jeff Bennett
Article 26.
To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Three Hundred Seventy-One Thousand, Four Hundred Eighty Dollars ($371,480.00) for payment of the long-term debt for the expansion and renovation of the Narragansett Regional High School/Narragansett Middle School in accordance with a debt exclusion voted on January 22, 1996, or to take any other action relative thereto.
Submitted by the Narragansett Regional School District Committee
On a motion duly made and seconded the Town voted to raise and appropriate the sum of Three Hundred Seventy-One Thousand, Four Hundred Eighty Dollars ($371,480.00) for payment of the long-term debt for the expansion and renovation of the Narragansett Regional High School/Narragansett Middle School in accordance with a debt exclusion voted on January 22, 1996.
Passed Unanimously/May 16th @ 8:46
A debt exclusion (Ch. 59 Sec. 21C(j)) raises additional tax revenue to pay debt service costs to finance a capital project, or sometimes to fund a major capital purchase (i.e., a fire engine). The excluded amount, or additional tax, is not specified in the referendum language, but need not equal the anticipated annual debt service obligation in its entirety. A limit on the amount to be raised is initially set in the bond authorization which actually funds the capital project or purchase. It requires a two-thirds vote of town meeting, a town council or city council. The additional property taxes are not permanent, but are removed from the levy when the term of the bond ends.
The document passed out at Town meeting for the new elementary school has it this way;
Costs to Templeton - $24,634,287.00
cost per year at 3.5% - $ 1,406,865.00
less NRHS debt end - $ 438,073.00
Net new debt - $ 968,792.00
annual residential tax $1.74 per thousand
(based on 28 year term at 3.5% interest rate)
box next to it states: based on equal yearly payment amount over 28 years at 3.5% interest. The exact bond amount, interest rate and terms will be determined when the TOWN borrows the money.
Seems the "sale" was the tax rate to come up with the "new" debt amount of $968,792.00, rather than what the tax rate will actually be to cover the entire bond amount.
Seems like there are some used car salesmen serving as selectmen now. One has to wonder how hard would it be to obtain the needed signatures to put a citizens petition before the next Town Meeting, to ask voters if they wish to amend, change or rescind the vote of November 9, 2015.
posted by Jeff Bennett
There is still no response from Templeton Town Treasurer with regards to debt exclusion information.
The Advisory Committee requested this information back in June of this year. Templeton Town bylaw states the Advisory Committee is suppose to have access to all things financial with regards to Town business. If a committee backed by a Town by-law cannot get this information, how would a citizen interested in how their money is spent, fare with the same request? Perhaps that is what all members of Advisory Committee need to do, make a public records request and at least we would be covered by state law and get some kind of response in 10 days.
posted by Jeff Bennett
The Advisory Committee requested this information back in June of this year. Templeton Town bylaw states the Advisory Committee is suppose to have access to all things financial with regards to Town business. If a committee backed by a Town by-law cannot get this information, how would a citizen interested in how their money is spent, fare with the same request? Perhaps that is what all members of Advisory Committee need to do, make a public records request and at least we would be covered by state law and get some kind of response in 10 days.
posted by Jeff Bennett
Jeff Bennett has started this blog because I feel not all things are being done correctly in Templeton, MA. This will be an editorial type blog and will include information on the goings on in Templeton Government.
One of the first things I posted here. I also turned to Face Book, with so many people on the book, it is just another way to try and get information out there to as many who may be interested. I do not waste anyone's time by posting how bad of a day I had or things like I got 3 B's and an A or any stuff like that. There are much more important things to be putting on Face Book, such as things off of the Templeton 2015 schedule A.
One of the things on there is this:
Schedule A - part VIII personnel expenditures - fiscal year 2015:
Total salaries & wages as of December 31, 2014 as reported on IRS form W-2 - $3,251,212.00
Total number of full-time employees for calendar year ending December 31, 2014 - 177.
schedule A - part X, schedule of debt outstanding, issued and retired this fiscal year:
Total inside debt limit - July 1, 2014 - $4,185,907.00 - as of June 30, 2015 - $3,783,570.00
Total outside debt limit - July 1, 2014 - $5,851,158.00 - as of June 30, 2015 - $5,245,898.00
Some outside the debt limit include:
Electric - $ 540,000.00
Sewer - $1,042,538.00
Water - $3,228,634.00
Total long term debt as of June 30,2015 - $9,029,468.00.
Under short term debt: one bond anticipation note (BAN) as of July 1, 2014 $157,000.00
retired (paid off) this fiscal year (2015) with interest at $1,174.00
Grant anticipation notes as of July 1, 2014 - $2,340,000.00 with interest this fiscal year at $12,483.00.
Total short term debt as of July 1, 2014 - $2,497,009.00 with interest paid - $13,657.00.
A question to ask selectmen is this: Has there been any short term borrowing for the school project? If yes, how much and what is it costing us?
posted by Jeff Bennett
One of the first things I posted here. I also turned to Face Book, with so many people on the book, it is just another way to try and get information out there to as many who may be interested. I do not waste anyone's time by posting how bad of a day I had or things like I got 3 B's and an A or any stuff like that. There are much more important things to be putting on Face Book, such as things off of the Templeton 2015 schedule A.
One of the things on there is this:
Schedule A - part VIII personnel expenditures - fiscal year 2015:
Total salaries & wages as of December 31, 2014 as reported on IRS form W-2 - $3,251,212.00
Total number of full-time employees for calendar year ending December 31, 2014 - 177.
schedule A - part X, schedule of debt outstanding, issued and retired this fiscal year:
Total inside debt limit - July 1, 2014 - $4,185,907.00 - as of June 30, 2015 - $3,783,570.00
Total outside debt limit - July 1, 2014 - $5,851,158.00 - as of June 30, 2015 - $5,245,898.00
Some outside the debt limit include:
Electric - $ 540,000.00
Sewer - $1,042,538.00
Water - $3,228,634.00
Total long term debt as of June 30,2015 - $9,029,468.00.
Under short term debt: one bond anticipation note (BAN) as of July 1, 2014 $157,000.00
retired (paid off) this fiscal year (2015) with interest at $1,174.00
Grant anticipation notes as of July 1, 2014 - $2,340,000.00 with interest this fiscal year at $12,483.00.
Total short term debt as of July 1, 2014 - $2,497,009.00 with interest paid - $13,657.00.
A question to ask selectmen is this: Has there been any short term borrowing for the school project? If yes, how much and what is it costing us?
posted by Jeff Bennett
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