On Saturday, October 15, 2016, Wil Spring, Julie Farrell and Jeff Bennett attended the Association of Town Finance Committees conference. All three members of Templeton Advisory Committee paid their own way, as in the fee to go to the conference, which was between $45.00 and $50.00 per person. No cost to town taxpayers. There was some very good and important information put out and also the sharing of information from the other "volunteers" from other communities who make up finance and advisory committees. One thing that is of importance to taxpayers is with changes through the municipal modernization act, now the chief administrative officer of the town can approve an increase in snow & ice deficit spending without having to go to, or discuss it with the finance or advisory committee. One less "check/balance" gone. One more way to charge it with little to no public warning.
posted by Jeff Bennett
Sunday, October 16, 2016
from the Templeton Town Administrator weekly report:
"CLA has released us from our engagement letter and will send us a final close out bill in the next few weeks." CLA is an audit firm that has been doing some work and has asked Templeton for very detailed information from past moves affecting Templeton's finance.So is an in depth detailed analysis of Templeton's town books going to become a watered down version after this move? A very detailed audit would be the foundation of all future audits is now in question. There will be new bids for audit firms, but from what was discussed at the last selectmen meeting, the decision seems to have already been made. The point was made that a new firm would not ask for, nor need all the time consuming and detailed work that CLA had asked for. Makes me wonder about some things.
Also from the town administrator; "The audit project team met and we are on target although the various departments will be under a time crunch to supply us with additions/deletions of fixed assets which has not been maintained on an annual basis as needed. So again, how exactly were these audits going to be completed last January, this past June as the town was informed time and again by the selectmen? One last thing from the town accountant was this; "vendor warrant, of which $970,000.00 were bills for the school project . . .accounts receivable."
Also from the town administrator; "The audit project team met and we are on target although the various departments will be under a time crunch to supply us with additions/deletions of fixed assets which has not been maintained on an annual basis as needed. So again, how exactly were these audits going to be completed last January, this past June as the town was informed time and again by the selectmen? One last thing from the town accountant was this; "vendor warrant, of which $970,000.00 were bills for the school project . . .accounts receivable."
posted by Jeff Bennett
from the Templeton town website, under board of selectmen - town administrator -
town administrator weekly reports:
from Carter Terenzini "I met with NRSD current and former superintendent and Mr. Markel relative to the $1.74 projection and am comfortable that this was a reasonable projection. I will work up something in more detail for you and circulate it by e-mail on Monday."
That would be the same Mr. Markel who made up the current Templeton expense spread sheet, budget so called, that Mr. Markel was making changes to the day before Town meeting back in May 2016.
Now on a document dated 10/30/2015, there is a box titled Tax Impact. This was a presentation on the school project by the elementary school building committee. Within this box is the following:
Cost to Templeton $24,634,287.00
Cost per year @ 3.5% $ 1,406,865.00
Less NRSD debt $ 438,073.00
Net new debt $ 968,792.00
annual residential tax $1.74
annual tax increase per $1000.00
home valuation
Perhaps Carter will explain this in his email to selectmen on Monday. What does the payoff of old debt have to do with the costs of new debt? If you are paying an extra 60 cents per thousand for old debt, that will be paid off in 2019, that debt goes away and so should the old 60 cents per thousand. Now with new debt comes new taxes. If the new debt is or will be one million four hundred thousand dollars, how will $1.74 per thousand pay for that, when that per thousand amount will not now raise the required funds needed to make the new projected debt? Since no one can really tell us what amount will actually need to be borrowed, nor what it will cost, we have to use the numbers we have now, the data we have now.
So, what they have told us so far is the old debt for the NRSD will/should be paid off by 2019 and Templeton will no longer have to come up with that money, but now Templeton will have to come up with new money to pay for a 1.4 million dollar new payment and $1.74 per thousand will cover that.
posted by Jeff Bennett
town administrator weekly reports:
from Carter Terenzini "I met with NRSD current and former superintendent and Mr. Markel relative to the $1.74 projection and am comfortable that this was a reasonable projection. I will work up something in more detail for you and circulate it by e-mail on Monday."
That would be the same Mr. Markel who made up the current Templeton expense spread sheet, budget so called, that Mr. Markel was making changes to the day before Town meeting back in May 2016.
Now on a document dated 10/30/2015, there is a box titled Tax Impact. This was a presentation on the school project by the elementary school building committee. Within this box is the following:
Cost to Templeton $24,634,287.00
Cost per year @ 3.5% $ 1,406,865.00
Less NRSD debt $ 438,073.00
Net new debt $ 968,792.00
annual residential tax $1.74
annual tax increase per $1000.00
home valuation
Perhaps Carter will explain this in his email to selectmen on Monday. What does the payoff of old debt have to do with the costs of new debt? If you are paying an extra 60 cents per thousand for old debt, that will be paid off in 2019, that debt goes away and so should the old 60 cents per thousand. Now with new debt comes new taxes. If the new debt is or will be one million four hundred thousand dollars, how will $1.74 per thousand pay for that, when that per thousand amount will not now raise the required funds needed to make the new projected debt? Since no one can really tell us what amount will actually need to be borrowed, nor what it will cost, we have to use the numbers we have now, the data we have now.
So, what they have told us so far is the old debt for the NRSD will/should be paid off by 2019 and Templeton will no longer have to come up with that money, but now Templeton will have to come up with new money to pay for a 1.4 million dollar new payment and $1.74 per thousand will cover that.
posted by Jeff Bennett
Former selectman and present light & water commissioner rankled??
After reading a letter to the editor authored by Mr. Edwards, I noticed there was lots of "talk" about the past but not much on the future. I noticed there was reference to past administration members of select board and Advisory Committee but no mention of present numbers or issues.
On October 12, 2016, I posted some information on Massachusetts General Law chapter 164; the MGL that Templeton light general manager and commissioners always seem to point to or refer to when anyone questions their actions. So I went to the online site of MGL and looked at chapter 164. I posted section 56c, which among other things, Every municipal light commission or manager thereof, who makes or executes a contract on behalf of a municipal lighting plant, where the amount involved is five thousand dollars or more, shall furnish said contract or a copy thereof to the city or town auditor within one week after its execution.
Also within that section is; An index of the subject matter of the contracts and to the names of the contractors shall be made semi-annually, and shall also be open to public inspection in some convenient form.
The last item within section 56c is A city or town auditor, municipal light commissioner or manager willfully failing to comply with this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than ten nor more than one hundred dollars.
I also made mention that since a certain light commissioner was allowed to have his wife pick up his nomination papers, I should be allowed to have my brother pick up my future nomination papers. In fact, there should be no reason to have anyone running for office to have to pick up their nomination papers in person when any family member can do it for them, as the Town has already allowed this one time.
Now back to the point of that letter; I did not see Mr. Edwards make any reference to the actual cost, as in the affect on the tax rate on residents with regards to paying for a bond for the school project. What will become of the skate park? Where will it go? So far, I have not seen, read or heard anyone deny that the cost to taxpayers will be greater than the highly touted rate of $1.74 per thousand. What there is here is an opportunity for two yes votes for the school. The school district, as I recall, had no problem going for a yes vote until they got it, even after three no votes from the Town of Templeton.
So, back to the future, how much will be borrowed for the school project? What will it cost, by way of the tax rate, to pay for the school? Where will the skate park go?
posted by Jeff Bennett
After reading a letter to the editor authored by Mr. Edwards, I noticed there was lots of "talk" about the past but not much on the future. I noticed there was reference to past administration members of select board and Advisory Committee but no mention of present numbers or issues.
On October 12, 2016, I posted some information on Massachusetts General Law chapter 164; the MGL that Templeton light general manager and commissioners always seem to point to or refer to when anyone questions their actions. So I went to the online site of MGL and looked at chapter 164. I posted section 56c, which among other things, Every municipal light commission or manager thereof, who makes or executes a contract on behalf of a municipal lighting plant, where the amount involved is five thousand dollars or more, shall furnish said contract or a copy thereof to the city or town auditor within one week after its execution.
Also within that section is; An index of the subject matter of the contracts and to the names of the contractors shall be made semi-annually, and shall also be open to public inspection in some convenient form.
The last item within section 56c is A city or town auditor, municipal light commissioner or manager willfully failing to comply with this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than ten nor more than one hundred dollars.
I also made mention that since a certain light commissioner was allowed to have his wife pick up his nomination papers, I should be allowed to have my brother pick up my future nomination papers. In fact, there should be no reason to have anyone running for office to have to pick up their nomination papers in person when any family member can do it for them, as the Town has already allowed this one time.
Now back to the point of that letter; I did not see Mr. Edwards make any reference to the actual cost, as in the affect on the tax rate on residents with regards to paying for a bond for the school project. What will become of the skate park? Where will it go? So far, I have not seen, read or heard anyone deny that the cost to taxpayers will be greater than the highly touted rate of $1.74 per thousand. What there is here is an opportunity for two yes votes for the school. The school district, as I recall, had no problem going for a yes vote until they got it, even after three no votes from the Town of Templeton.
So, back to the future, how much will be borrowed for the school project? What will it cost, by way of the tax rate, to pay for the school? Where will the skate park go?
posted by Jeff Bennett
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