Sunday, July 23, 2017
Attention K Mart shoppers and those people who seem to think they know what my intent is when I write certain things, well, you know the saying about what happens when you assume . . . .So when you see something like GTH posted, if the first thing you think of is "go to hell" perhaps you have a problem. GTH = Glad To Help or Good To Hear, Great to hear, Gate To Heaven.
or my favorite; Get The Hint, No, you cannot compel me to resign, I will not go, it will not happen, GTH or for those challenged individuals, Get The Hint, not going anywhere!
posted by Jeff Bennett
or my favorite; Get The Hint, No, you cannot compel me to resign, I will not go, it will not happen, GTH or for those challenged individuals, Get The Hint, not going anywhere!
posted by Jeff Bennett
RE: Request for extension to respond to complaint
Dear Mr. May:
On July 20, 2017, our office received your request seeking an extension of time for the Templeton Advisory Committee ("Committee") to consider its responses to two complaints that allege violations of the Open Meeting Law, G.L. c. 30A, §§ 18-25. The complaints were originally filed with the Committee by John Caplis on July 17, 2017.1 In your request, you state that a quorum of the Committee is not able to meet within the fourteen-day period to respond to the complaint. With the hope that the parties involved can use the additional time to reach a mutually agreeable resolution of the complaint, our office hereby grants the request for an extension pursuant to 940 CMR 29.05(5)(b). Please send the Committee's responses to the complainant by Wednesday, August 16, 2017, and forward copies of the complaints and the responses to our office.
Please contact the Division of Open Government with further questions.
Sincerely, Jonathan Sclarsic
Assistant Attorney General Director, Division of Open Government
cc: John Caplis (By mail)
Templeton Advisory Committee (By mail)
Perhaps the Division of Open Government is hoping the two groups can just sit down and say to each other, we do not like your attitude toward us and right back at you. We agree we both disagree on many things, so lets have the Division of Open Government come to town hall and hold a training session and call it a day. Sounds promising but just how likely, time will tell. One thing is for certain, the four members of the Advisory Committee whose resignations were "asked for" by the board of selectmen, all four members have said "NO". So, sometime in August or September perhaps, there will be a determination from somebody on this mess. In the mean time, I hope there is a budget schedule in the works that improves upon the timeline from the past few years. Can Templeton have a budget or spending plan completed by March 31 so Templeton residents can get a look at it before stepping into Town Meeting? Is that possible? Could that be a goal of the selectmen this time around?
posted by Jeff Bennett
Dear Mr. May:
On July 20, 2017, our office received your request seeking an extension of time for the Templeton Advisory Committee ("Committee") to consider its responses to two complaints that allege violations of the Open Meeting Law, G.L. c. 30A, §§ 18-25. The complaints were originally filed with the Committee by John Caplis on July 17, 2017.1 In your request, you state that a quorum of the Committee is not able to meet within the fourteen-day period to respond to the complaint. With the hope that the parties involved can use the additional time to reach a mutually agreeable resolution of the complaint, our office hereby grants the request for an extension pursuant to 940 CMR 29.05(5)(b). Please send the Committee's responses to the complainant by Wednesday, August 16, 2017, and forward copies of the complaints and the responses to our office.
Please contact the Division of Open Government with further questions.
Sincerely, Jonathan Sclarsic
Assistant Attorney General Director, Division of Open Government
cc: John Caplis (By mail)
Templeton Advisory Committee (By mail)
Perhaps the Division of Open Government is hoping the two groups can just sit down and say to each other, we do not like your attitude toward us and right back at you. We agree we both disagree on many things, so lets have the Division of Open Government come to town hall and hold a training session and call it a day. Sounds promising but just how likely, time will tell. One thing is for certain, the four members of the Advisory Committee whose resignations were "asked for" by the board of selectmen, all four members have said "NO". So, sometime in August or September perhaps, there will be a determination from somebody on this mess. In the mean time, I hope there is a budget schedule in the works that improves upon the timeline from the past few years. Can Templeton have a budget or spending plan completed by March 31 so Templeton residents can get a look at it before stepping into Town Meeting? Is that possible? Could that be a goal of the selectmen this time around?
posted by Jeff Bennett
On snow & Ice spending and Town vehicle fuel.
The Budget versus Actual document from the Town Accountant, dated May 11, 2017 shows an allocated amount of $80,500.00, and the Budget versus Actual document dated June 29, 2017 shows an allocated amount of $73,000.00.
I believe the original appropriation or allocated amount from Town meeting was for $100,000.00 for Town Vehicle Fuel. That is what the Budget versus Actual document from the Town accountant dated September 12, 2012 shows. The November 7, 2017 Budget versus Actual shows allocated for Town Vehicle Fuel as $80,500.00 after several transfers from Town Vehicle Fuel at the special Town Meeting of October 20, 2016. As the winter season approaches and the main job of the highway department is about snow and that involves using fuel for all the trucks, selectmen propose and voters approve the use of Town vehicle fuel dollars to pay for Unemployment compensation ($10,000.00), Council on Aging Director ($9,500.00), which takes the amount for town vehicle fuel from $100,000.00 down to $80,500.00. It would seem the statement from the selectmen concerning the FY2017 budget being proper, correct and balanced at the Annual Town Meeting was not so!
So, next, the selectmen by way of the Town Administrator proceed to "charge" fuel to the snow & Ice account rather than to use the Town Vehicle Fuel account, as I would think most if not all people at Town Meeting think would be done. (More just moving money around rather than having a real budget based on financial history and good financial forecasting - can you say DLS)
Now, the selectmen proposed and it did happen, to take $12,500.00 from Town Vehicle Fuel account to help pay for the snow & Ice deficit, which the selectmen helped increase by "charging" fuel rather than using monies appropriated by Town Meeting for Town vehicles fuel. Yep, seems this group of selectmen have not learned much - as in keep doing the same thing over and over but expect different results is .... It would seem this group of selectmen are continuing the same old same old, even as they have lessons to use that show what not to do. In my opinion, of course.
posted by Jeff Bennett
The Budget versus Actual document from the Town Accountant, dated May 11, 2017 shows an allocated amount of $80,500.00, and the Budget versus Actual document dated June 29, 2017 shows an allocated amount of $73,000.00.
I believe the original appropriation or allocated amount from Town meeting was for $100,000.00 for Town Vehicle Fuel. That is what the Budget versus Actual document from the Town accountant dated September 12, 2012 shows. The November 7, 2017 Budget versus Actual shows allocated for Town Vehicle Fuel as $80,500.00 after several transfers from Town Vehicle Fuel at the special Town Meeting of October 20, 2016. As the winter season approaches and the main job of the highway department is about snow and that involves using fuel for all the trucks, selectmen propose and voters approve the use of Town vehicle fuel dollars to pay for Unemployment compensation ($10,000.00), Council on Aging Director ($9,500.00), which takes the amount for town vehicle fuel from $100,000.00 down to $80,500.00. It would seem the statement from the selectmen concerning the FY2017 budget being proper, correct and balanced at the Annual Town Meeting was not so!
So, next, the selectmen by way of the Town Administrator proceed to "charge" fuel to the snow & Ice account rather than to use the Town Vehicle Fuel account, as I would think most if not all people at Town Meeting think would be done. (More just moving money around rather than having a real budget based on financial history and good financial forecasting - can you say DLS)
Now, the selectmen proposed and it did happen, to take $12,500.00 from Town Vehicle Fuel account to help pay for the snow & Ice deficit, which the selectmen helped increase by "charging" fuel rather than using monies appropriated by Town Meeting for Town vehicles fuel. Yep, seems this group of selectmen have not learned much - as in keep doing the same thing over and over but expect different results is .... It would seem this group of selectmen are continuing the same old same old, even as they have lessons to use that show what not to do. In my opinion, of course.
posted by Jeff Bennett
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