Templeton highway department looks for $83,500.00 for three pieces of equipment.
Dump body for 1984 truck - $27,500.00
Dump body w/sander for 1994 truck - $41,000.00
Dump body for 1975 catch basin truck - $15,000.00
Those items are to go to capital planning committee.
Three highway employees cost taxpayers $1,226.00 for boots, jackets and shirts. One employee cost taxpayers $730.00 for a cell phone.
So, the small items can quickly add up to thousands of dollars and should be discussed and available for all to see where their money goes.
posted by Jeff Bennett
I do believe the boots and clothes were part of the bargaining agreement made during the years that the Town did not have money for raises. At the time the selectmen must have thought that giving the men these things was the only way they could have sweetened the pie. It could have been worse. At least the selectmen did not give the girl in the office a clothing allowance, like the Light and Water Departments do. Bev.
ReplyDeleteDid the mechanic at the highway dept. have any input into the ability of these trucks to last long enough to sink this kind of money into them ? Bev.
DeleteThis is the reason we absolutely have to have a stabilization account for the Highway Department. A account that no one else can get their hands on, so when we need the money for equipment it will be there. I wonder how many hours of maintenance have gone into keeping that 1984 truck running ? Time equals money !
DeleteCurious, but who does the procurement in this town. Maybe a better buyer would be in line to save some money.
ReplyDeleteSpending $27.500 on a body for a 32 yr old truck. Is this piece in comparable shape to the truck?
Someone needs to review the towns contracts with an eye towards protecting the towns finances if the project deviates from plans in any fashion.
Actually Bev, the boots, etc. are from the most recent union / labor contract signed in 2016 and there are raises for union personnel in the fiscal 2018 budget. You can check the boots and tee shirts by going to the Templeton town website and click on selectmen and look for town contracts. You can also look though the copy of said contract that I brought to an advisory committee meeting and passed out to members. There is no Advisory Board in Templeton, state law and Templeton town by-law states pretty clearly it is the Advisory Committee. Bob M., most town contracts are the responsibility of the selectmen and I believe the town administrator has been voted the authority to oversee purchasing but I would check the most recent job description of the town administrator to be sure. Of course, you can always "call someone" to check, as selectmen Brooks stated here and other places on the web.
ReplyDeleteSo, this old lady is going to call it the Advisory Board, mostly out of habit, but it is a fact that the Advisory Board was call that in every Town Report that I have back into the seventies. No where is it called the "advisory committee." As for boots and what ever else. I was sure these were part of a contract in the past. Anyway, it is what it is, and there is no sense in crying over spilled milk. Bev.
DeleteI was sure these were part of a contract in the past.
DeleteBev. is correct again and if only others on the Advisory committee/finance committee/ as it's called by some towns would listen to her.
Time for some copy and pasties jeffy to let the facts be known.
You bylaws that is.
The boots are nothing new and have been there even when Jeff was a former BOS member like Virginia Wilder and Ken Robinson.
Lets see what is it they have in common.
Owe yea i remember now and it ain't boots.
The dump body is for the Mack 10 wheeler.
The sander body is for the international 6 wheeler.
The body for the catch basin cleaner is for the old fire truck.
All are long over due and welded time and time again to get us to this point.
As for the stabilization money i think Bev has the right idea also.
Is the layoff the town went through due to mismanagement of funds in the past?
Are the windfalls we hear about the money that could have fixed the budgets in the past. Did the employees pay the price for the lack of management by the former BOS and Advisory?
Why would anyone at a town meeting want to listen to the advise that's offered now?
Thanks Jeff. If my reading of the bylaws is correct the TA is responsible along with BOS for budgeting, planning etc. It looks like the BOS is solely responsible for contracting . The listed TA contract on the website doesn't mention shit about TA's duties..........so lame.
ReplyDeleteHey Jeff, maybe you know, but what are the "penaltiers" for violating town bylaws??? Anything?
$20.00 per offense per town bylaw.
DeleteBev.Bart.9:53 AM
ReplyDeleteThis is the reason we absolutely have to have a stabilization account for the Highway Department. A account that no one else can get their hands on, so when we need the money for equipment it will be there.
I bet even Kate agrees with her on that.
"penaltiers".
so lame.
Spell check Davey............was suppose to read "Penalty is"
DeleteThis is the reason we need to look at the Master cap plan. The 1975 is scheduled for replace in 2019. The 1984 and 94 were on for this year.
ReplyDeleteAm I reading that right? No number are associated with them, but replacement dates are. Should we be fixing machinery?
First off, just because it has been called the wrong name for a number of years does not mean it should not be corrected, especially by people who serve on said committee, as stated, state law and Templeton town by-laws call it the Advisory Committee, perhaps petty, but if you expect to be listened to, things should be as correct as possible, Just because it has been done wrong for 50 years does not mean it should not be corrected, that is all I am saying. Yes the boots and other freebies have been there before, but the items and amounts I referenced are from the next fiscal year's budget and was done so to point out the extras that are in the current contract and people should be aware of those things, especially people on the Advisory Committee. When a town employee states there should be an override so they can get a raise because they do not feel it is good to have to pay for increase health insurance costs out of their own money, well I think items in labor contracts deserve to be pointed out. As for a special stabilization account that no one can touch, better check state law, because in most cases, town meeting (the legislative body) can transfer out of stabilization funds. The town already has three stabilization funds, general, capital and Pajari, according to FY17 financial data info (from the John's) and all three funds together would probably not buy one dump truck for the highway department. Perhaps Dave's friends from the light department will help out as they say they, by helping to pay for the dump body and other stuff. Atleast all three items are going to the capital planning committee and the process this time, or so it says in the budget book.
ReplyDeleteso lame!
ReplyDeleteDo you guys even think about what you post?
Should we be fixing machinery? What do you think keeps it running.
It sure isn't the capital planning system in this town.
So Jeffy can you clue us in on the pilot program and the advise you provided there or was there any at all?
Could you find the place.
Have you ever attended a L+W meeting or just "talked" about that too?
Davey,
ReplyDeleteSo you think spending $15,000 on a truck that is planned to be replaced this year is wise. You feel spending 27,500 on a truck scheduled to be replaced this year is wise.
Do you have your car repainted and the engine replaced before you sell it? Sounds < "so lame"
Hard to understand it but i will try to explain it to you.
ReplyDeleteThe dump bodies we are purchasing will go from truck to truck.
When we get a new truck it will be extra for a body on it.
I won't hold my breath till we get any new or replacement trucks.
Point is the bodies have gone way past their life expectancy.
We could have had a great used truck from the Light dept. but they needed to trade it in for the 4,000.00 they got for it.
Must have been short on cash or intelligence.
With a lower cost for power not passed to their customers and the 500k refund they should be in good enough shape to purchase more than what they may.
Reserves should be in the 5-7 million range but the towns broke?
Question is, will the "wet" system go from truck to truck also? That is the balancer adapter, pump, pump shaft valve and hydro tank along with all the hoses and controls, as in cables and spreader control. Will all that follow the body? Say you have a Mack and you get another freightliner or ford? If the valve and tank and hoses and stuff are in as good a shape as the truck, probably not. Those are legitimate questions. Also, the highway department already has two accounts with which to buy equipment that no other department has; the "charge it" account known as snow & ice deficit spending and good ole chapter 90 funds. Perhaps the highway should have been wise and not bought an excavator but went for at least one new truck instead, just sayin. Perhaps Davey should not bust the contractor Dana's ball so much or the entire light department for that matter and maybe then they would have surplused the truck to highway, again, just sayin'. But I guess that could be lame. I know, trade those old worn out unreliable loaders in for a new truck, the loaders seem to work fine.
ReplyDeleteBy now the light dept could have bought all the equipment we have needed with what they have overcharged us. The debt they have gotten into is another reason to question them like i have. Without your help as you know. I guess i should have seen the tactics you were using back then.
ReplyDeleteAs Dana said they have done things right over there for over 100 years.
So why would they need to be so far in debt?
Are they to blame for the school loan failure.
Are the advisory/BOS and others all the reason for the school loan issue?
You call it busting balls,i call it making them transparent.
I asked question that they didn't want to answer. Sort of like what i ask you.
Thing is i have the balls to ask them.
Stick to the copy + paste , as for the dump bodies it's so over your head.
Try to concentrate on the tasks before you like the Advisory issues.
Call a John or 2 they are happy to help you out.
Dave,
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I didn't know they bought trucks and body separately. I'm doubting you get replacements as timed, but that should be explained and those items replaced or removed from the master capital plan since it appears it is no longer the coarse. From my point of view equipment is cheap, the benefits many and its good for the town. Maybe we should look at the cost public union contract benefits increase the employer (taxpayer) costs, but hey........
The point being we need to look everywhere including the L+W for savings to the taxpayers. Nothing should be off limits including tax increases, but only if it directly benefits all taxpayers.
Bob M, you may want to check when is the last time Templeton bought a new truck as a cab & chassis, then where did the dump body come from, how much did it cost, did the price include installation and what about the hydraulic system to operate it, as in the pump, valve, hydraulic tank, controls, etc. Then you may want to call Ashburnham and/or Gardner, as they both recently bought new trucks and ask them how did they buy their trucks and what was the cost. Did they buy as units or piece meal. You can contact venders such as JC Madigan or MHQ, both of which prep - install municipal units for cities and towns. There is more to it than just buying a dump body, it has to be mounted to the truck and then needs a hydraulic system to operate it and when you add plow (s) and a sander, you need a larger valve which are pricey. Taxpayers can check. Contact JC Madigan and ask how much does a seven section valve cost, dump, plow up/down, power angle, wing plow and sander, then ask how much without wing plow, they will give you a quote. If you have a truck without extended front frame rails, it can get tricky which means more time and that is $$$. You can ask about electric valves, air control or cables, single pump or double pump. Another question is how was the dollar figure arrived at, has the town already shopped? Gotten quotes or bid it out and that was the price, how was $27,500.00 arrived at? The only time a dump body is over my head is when it is in the raised position. Why would I ask either John (s) for help, especially after looking at the 2017 spending plan? Bud is gone, supposedly to save money but his replacement got about a $25,000.00 raise, selectmen want to hire an assistant town accountant (2) and bring on two fulltime firefighters/EMT - paramedic. Call town hall, Town Accountant or selectmen office and ask what does it cost taxpayers for each employee who receives benefits, as in health insurance and retirement.
ReplyDeletestandard practice is to spec the equipment out and let the bids follow.
ReplyDeleteAs we found out the price kind of reflects what you get. As with the last mack we bought it needed the plow frame repaired when brand new.
It was a poor design and we just had to have it repaired again. This time the weld job was beefed up so it should not be a problem again.
As far as the cost of employees goes the people elect the ones who control the costs.
Just like the Light and water !