Looking at the past to help the future.


There was some discussion on the past with regards to Templeton with a statement being made about how the advisory committee did the budget and presented it to town meeting in 2013 - for fiscal year 2014, the year of the %505,477.00 short fall. In looking over a document that was used to explain 
how this happened, there is one item that stands out: Town meeting articles and the dollar figures associated with them. The total expenses of town meeting articles should have been $212,694.00 in the FY 2014 budget presentation. Unfortunately, the figure of $52,694.00 was used, leaving off the figure of $160,000.00 of the ambulance receipts, which should have been included in the expenses under articles. These figures are available from the town clerk and or the town reports of previous years. This was one mistake made in the budget presentation and it shows the detail approach that is needed to present a municipal budget. This was not an error of management, it was an error by the advisory committee, which to my knowledge has never been owned by that committee. As to the entire short fall, it was a result of some error and bad information, again, demonstrating the effort that is required along with the knowledge of what to look at. As far as I know and I have paid attention for quite a while, there was and is no missing money, no one has stolen it. Until there is proof of that, I stand by that statement. The only thing missing were the correct numbers on paper, which has happened again in fiscal year 2017. Which should demonstrate that the selectmen and the advisory committee should agree to disagree but agree to work side by side to check the numbers and information for the benefit of the entire town. For the record, at that time, I was part of management and I have back in 2013, stated at a public meeting, that if you, the people wanted someone to blame, blame me, as I am the current sitting chairman of the board of selectmen, having been voted in at the first selectmen meeting after the election of 2013. That happened with me participating remotely because I had been in Afghanistan during that time and as such, I was not even in the country when this budget presentation occurred. Not an excuse, just a fact. As far as I know, I am still the only one who publicly owned that error. Hopefully, perhaps not this year but next, the two entities, selectmen and advisory, will get together and do what is best for the WHOLE town. We really cannot put one department on a pedestal and say they are untouchable, the whole ship must be kept afloat. We sail as one or we sink slowly, compartment by compartment.

posted by Jeff Bennett

State agrees to reopen a public records appeal by Jeff Bennett, 

The item is in regard to Massachusetts state law, chapter 164, section 56c, which states all contracts between the town and any other separate entity (to include contracts done on behalf of the town through the Templeton municipal light department) must be in the hands of the Town accountant, in a separate book so any resident can look at said documents. One item sent to the state was a letter from the MA DOR that stated, among other things, that with regards to MGL chapter 164, Templeton light is NOT a separate legal entity. Hopefully, Templeton selectmen will be informed that they too must follow the law. Of more importance, the law actually means something. We will see how this goes. My question is this; why would the selectmen not wish to follow the law? If they do not follow thiis law, how can Templeton people have any confidence that the selectmen are following the law concerning municipal finance?

Massachusetts General Law chapter 164;
Section 56C: Contracts of commission; filing with city or town auditor; preservation; public inspection; penalty

Section 56C. 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. Said city or town auditor shall keep such contract or copy on file, open to public inspection during business hours. Such contracts or copies shall be kept in a separate book, arranged according to the subject of the contract, or in other convenient form. 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. All allowances under and additions to such contracts, or copies thereof, shall be filed with the city or town auditor, together with a sworn statement of the officer making such allowances or additions that the same are correct and in accordance with the contract. A city or town auditor, municipal light commissioner or manager wilfully failing to comply with this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than ten nor more than one hundred dollars.

Is there a copy of the latest contract to construct a new water tank, which was approved at a town meeting of Templeton where borrowing was approved for this project.

posted by Jeff Bennett