Annual Town Meeting, May 13, 2003:

Article 27 To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Town to borrow Six Million Dollars ($6,000,000) to upgrade the Town’s Publicly Owned Wastewater Treatment Facility as required by the Department of Environmental Protection Administrative Consent Order, subject to the successful passage of a debt exclusion, or take any other action relative thereto. On a motion duly made and seconded the Town voted to raise Six Million Dollars ($6,000,000) to upgrade the Town’s Publicly Owned Wastewater Treatment Facility as required by the Department of Environmental Protection Administrative Consent Order, subject to the successful passage of a Debt Exclusion Question. Passed/May 13th.



Special Town election on November 17, 2003

ONE BALLOT QUESTION AS FOLLOWS:

1.      Debt Exclusion for Sewer Department

Shall the Town of Templeton be allowed to exempt from the provisions of Proposition 2-1/2, so-called, the amounts required to borrow to upgrade the town’s publicly owned Wastewater Treatment Facility as required by the Department of Environmental Protection Administrative Consent Order. The cost of the debt exclusion for this project would be six million dollars ($6,000,000), with 25% of the project costs paid through sewer betterments and 75% paid through tax levy.

democracy in action, so how about the selectmen find another source of money to pay for there mess up!

posted by Jeff Bennett

Templeton Sewer debt

On the new Templeton Master plan, page 18, there is reference to the Templeton Sewer treatment facility. "Citizens of Templeton approved a proposition 2 1/2 override to fund a WWTP upgrade."

Templeton annual Town report, 2005, page 111, states Town Meeting approved as well as at the ballot, both Town meeting and by ballot vote, monies in the amount of $6,000,000.00 for WWTP upgrade. The money was to come by way of 25% from users by betterment and 75% by way of taxation through a proposition 2 1/2 override. Lets not have another afront to democracy by trying to change this and then go after sewer betterment money to attempt to come up with funds to run the town because selectmen can not come to grips that the spending has to stop until someone is able to present a truly balanced expense (spending) plan that actually shows there are enough funds available to pay for it without stealing from one time revenue sources. 75% of expense comes from taxation and if that needs to be audited as part of the Town's books, that is a general fund expense, therefore, the Town needs to have those funds set aside and not to take from one time sources, which just creates more issues down the road.


posted by Jeff Bennett

Templeton General Town by-laws Article IV - Advisory Committee

Section 4. - It shall be the duty of the Advisory Committee (there is no TAB or advisory board) annually to consider the expenditures in previous years and the estimated requirements for the ensuing year of the several boards, officers, and committees of the town, as prepared by them in such form and detail as may be prescribed by said committee. The said committee shall add to such statement of expenditures and estimates, another column, giving the amounts which in their opinion should be appropriated for the ensuing year, and shall further add thereto such explanations and suggestions relating to the proposed appropriations as it may deem expedient, and report thereon as provided in section five of article II.

That is what the Town by law states and it, along with Massachusetts general law, is what some members of the Advisory Committee has stated and made a case for for some time. In fiscal year 2014, that committee got their shot and some mistakes were made. Then the town's people, in my opinion, decided to go back to listening to the selectmen and so we got fiscal year 2017.

Now who is blaming who for the 2017 mess, the selectmen, so Bev, were the selectmen setup too?
You cannot have it both ways, mess up in 2014 and blame management for everything. You can of course, get information that is wrong, which in my opinion, is why several sources should be used.
If you want responsibility for something, then you must also take responsibility when things go wrong as well as when they go right. Can't blame the selectmen for 2017 then turn around and blame management for something you put together. That does not fly and people will see that. You lose elections, faith and belief from the people.  You also lose trust which is very hard to get back, in my opinion. Past Town meeting records were available, past annual town reports were available along with past town tax recap sheets were available. There are many sources of information as well as the advisory committee having access to the Massachusetts division of local services technical division.
 Some mistakes were made, not the first and apparently not the last. Which is why I believe that two entities rather than one should be looking, discussing and voting on the expense appropriations to be presented to the town, rather than only one.

I wonder if Dave Smart has ever file charges in court against the Town?

posted by Jeff Bennett