Templeton Police station project on hold:
Apparently it was under estimated; reminds me of the light department building and 252 Baldwinville road proposals. New light department building went to Town Meeting for 1.5 million dollars for a new 12,000 square foot building. Lowest bid received was 1.9 million, as Town Meeting approved only 1.5 million, light department made up the difference from one of their MMWEC revenue accounts. The came 252 Baldwinville Road - Town Hall proposal - a 12,000 sq. ft. building and the amount asked of Town Meeting - 1.9 million dollars with the final bid (s) coming in the 3.5 to 4 million dollar range ( plus/minus). Fast forward to the police station and the asking amount (rounded) of just under 1 million dollar debt exclusion, so residents agreed to pay extra in taxes to pay for this. Now, there is more money needed as the bids came in higher than planned or guesstimated. My opinion is this was another under sold project - ask low and get it passed and now, well, we have started or we have this much into it so we cannot stop now.
This is another example of a cash flow/management problem in Templeton. A business model that does not work. Templeton is not broke nor do I believe the Town has ever been really broke. I believe Templeton suffers from a cash flow problem - spend every thing, save little or nothing and when you do save, try to spend it. Look at the fiscal 2018 budget or spending plan brought forward by the selectmen, it was 100 thousand (at least) short from the start. Now there will be an issue (nothing new) with ambulance receipts actually funding the Town ambulance. Again, estimated money coming in was sold on the high side while actual money coming in is on the low side. I can not wait to see the end results for the new school.
I believe Templeton has a spending plan that will be un-sustainable with the available funds coming in. Again, Templeton is not broke, just a cash flow problem - the money is spent faster than it comes in. More Town employees/assistants, more expense for health insurance, retirement, education and on and on. Time for Phillipston to pay half the actual operating costs of dispatch, as they receive the exact same service as Templeton residents, but now only pay a fraction of the actual costs. Benefits them while penalizing Templeton taxpayers. Clearly a different approach is needed in Templeton finance
We need leadership that actually leads, not bends to the whims of every person who walks in the door. Do not believe that "we" as a town do not pay enough. We pay plenty, but do not always get the service we pay for. Our fiscal problems will not go away until we get selectmen that actually know what they are doing, and a TA that actually gives a dam about the fiscal health of our town through more than a year or two. Why is it that every town around here is starting to talk about their school enrollments going down, except ours ? Maybe the people on the school building committee are not attending meetings because they backed a white elephant in the center of Templeton, and are finally getting the picture of what they were conned into doing. OOPS !! They can run, but they cannot hide !
ReplyDeleteHow many projects in town have gone according to actual plan? How many didn't run into a major speed bump of some form??
ReplyDeleteWe need as many eyes and ears as possible looking into this project so it doesn't bite us. If we are off by even 1% of the projects cost we are talking about 2x as much as we have in our Stabilization account, 8x as much as our Emergency reserve.
I agree with the above statement that we appear to have a spending problem more than a revenue problem. The way in which we have purchased multiple items in the recent past was probably not the most financially sustainable method.
We've had a history of drive it till the wheels fall off, replace using unplanned cash hurting local services.
Hopefully we become more proactive and less reactive in managing our Capital Assets. If not, nothing will change.
The Highway Dept. problem was caused by stupid management. The former "boss" (can't call him a manager) was retarded. He tried to make his inept gang a construction crew. We all know they are not. Instead of buying loaders, excavators and other toys, they should have spent that chapter 90 money on actual road repairs. Done by a real construction workers. As in the guys who hauled the giant boulder away on the play project near the common.
ReplyDeleteIs that the ugly stone that was left to the left of the Historical Society ?
DeleteWhat gets me, is no plan, only act and react ! How much money has the taxpayer lost due to our government being screwed up ? Lost grant money, free cash missed out on ? Bad moves by our elected officials ! Try 10' 000. To see what a golf course was worth ! We did not have a town hall, but needed a golf course ? You can thank Bubba and EH for that one.
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