Transfers to pay the snow & Ice spending deficit, transfer from the town vehicle fuel expense fund to help cover the snow & Ice fund, which has in it "charges" for fuel. and the wagon goes round and round. Placed in the fiscal 2018 snow & Ice spending plan, there is a dollar figure of $36,689.00 for fuel. This is where it gets diluted; a truck is filled up during a storm, fuel is charged to snow & Ice, but the storm ends an hour later and in a few hours it is all over. Fuel is now used for other purposes but charged to snow & Ice. Since fuel is fuel, why not appropriate X amount at Town Meeting for the year and stop some of the creative accounting and subtract one item that seems to add to the snow & Ice deficit that has to be dealt with eventually. Seems like a big circle to charge some town fuel to snow & Ice deficit and then turn around and transfer money from Town fuel fund to pay for fuel used in the winter time. This could most likely be accomplished by way of budget forecasting and using financial history to ask for a more realistic appropriation for fuel at town meeting.

Example: This fiscal year, 2017, shows fuel expense at $24,585.84 (from detailed general ledger sheet for snow & Ice spending). A budget versus actual document from the Templeton Town Accountant, dated 6/29/2017, shows a town meeting appropriation of $73,000.00 for town vehicle fuel, with a remaining balance of $20,687.03.

A transfer request from the selectmen's office shows a transfer from town vehicle fuel in the amount of $12,500.00 (this is available because of soft fuel prices - per town administrator)


Once again, there is a transfer from fire/EMS salaries fund to snow & Ice deficit (lets hope this time the money is actually there to transfer). What this shows, in my opinion, and you decide and better yet, attend a selectmen meeting and ask about this matter, is creative accounting and a failure to demonstrate or admit there is not enough revenue to cover the things selectmen propose spending money on. In fiscal 2016, there were about 60 or more financial transfers, which again, in my opinion, shows a lack of budget forecasting as well as failing to use financial history to set up a spending plan. So many transfers in fiscal 2016, 200 thousand dollar shortfall in fiscal 2017, at least 300 thousand dollar shortfall in fiscal 2018 that requires financial fix (es) and already acknowledgement of financial trouble coming for fiscal 2019, right around the corner. Do not forget about the 47 million dollar appropriation for the school nor the almost one million dollars for the police station.

Clearly, the financial creativity needs to be corrected by some sound financial planning, and with the so far unchanged attitude of the selectmen, that will not really include the Advisory Committee, in my opinion. There will probably be the continued charade of inclusion, but again, from what I have seen, it will be more of the same, window dressing and a show, my thought and opinion.

If you wish an example, watch for the release of the so called special financial report coming soon, so we are told, that will contain a report from the Advisory Committee. That report was left out of the fiscal year 2016 Annual Town report. Apparently edited by the selectmen's office, with one reason given that it was too long. It included an accounting of the Town's money and was completed and submitted per Massachusetts law and Town by-laws. This was done without input from the submitting committee, Advisory. The office of the Templeton selectmen, through their secretary and town administrator, unilaterally decided that you, the voter/taxpayer did not need to see this information. That is right up there with the absence of town employees salaries being left out of the Annual Town report. Again, the selectmen appear to think that you, the voter/taxpayer have no right to know what you pay your employees. A question for the selectmen is, why not? Was that a vote by the board of selectmen? If so, where are those minutes that I may compare to the video of that meeting?


posted by Jeff Bennett