Since there is a good possibility of an override (s) question (s) going before Templeton voters/taxpayers, it seems important to ask why? Why more taxes now? The simple answer would be; because we need more money, simple as that. I believe that is all shown by the possible meals tax question, as in more taxes. Templeton gets monies to spend from property taxes, local reciepts and government aid, mostly state aid, which is simply some of your state tax dollars coming back to Templeton. It is kind of hard to do, but if one looks back at salaries and/or wages of Town employees back in 2015 and go through the years up to and including 2018, you may be able to track what has been spent in relation to what was taken in. It may be worth the time to see if the increases in Town spending outpaced 2 1/2% of property tax dollars collected by the Town. This would be fact based and would simply show what the selectmen put in front of voters at Town meeting. Remember, selectmen control the warrant and the budget presentation because they are elected.
So, selectmen have talked about more tax dollars wanted to pay for Town ALS service. It is also quite possible there will be statements made that we need more tax dollars to spend on school.
If and when anyone decides to look at Town spending, be sure to look at all labor or employment contracts because that is the spending of tax dollars and it all adds up. I would not expect Town meeting to have the option of adjusting things line item by line item at Town Meeting either. That seems to have taken away from you by the selectmen. They prepare and present the spending plan and they prepare and present the warrant.
You all should really attend the regional school district reorganization meeting, it is your money.
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ReplyDeleteA link that may help : https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2017/09/08/levylimitsprimer.pdf
ReplyDeleteAnd this : https://massedjustice.org/meja-news/baker-small-ball-budget
ReplyDeleteAnd this ... hope I did my research
ReplyDeletehttp://www.massassociationregionalschools.org/downloads/DESE%20presentation%20at%20MARS%20February%2013,%202018.pdf
Plenty of reading and figuring. A person might be able to sift through the weeds and figure out what costs us so much money.
DeleteNotice the number of students in the "foundation budget"...1289
Bob where is that ? Can you help me on that ?
DeleteBob what page and what year are you using to say 1289 for years 2017 -2018 ? Thankyou - Respectfully
Deletehttps://youtu.be/yBkAYs1qwwU Town/ school budget 2.28.2018 TCTV YouTube
DeleteGo Here:http://www.doe.mass.edu/finance/chapter70/fy2019/prelim.html then at the bottom of page open the "Summary chart, showing foundation enrollment, foundation budget, Chapter 70 aid, and required local contributions for each school district."
DeleteThen look at 720 Narragansetts foundation enrollment.
Thankyou !
DeleteYes I see that # ... I so see 1430 .. 345 being in NR HS here : 2017-2018 http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/statereport/enrollmentbygrade.aspx
DeleteI have a question .. even though children don’t attend the district school they still must be “ accounted “ for and budgeted correct ?
* as in the foundation enrollment relies on the count of the student on oct 1 ( in this case as DRC stated ) - those who leave in sept or arrive after oct 1 are not counted - so I think that’s the 1430 Bob - Respectfully
DeleteLooking at 2017 I see 1286 and total children to be educated and accounted for in district at 1391 - I think that it ? Respectfully . If I’m wrong let me know
DeleteIm looking here : http://www.doe.mass.edu/finance/chapter70/
DeleteAnd here : http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/statereport/enrollmentbygrade.aspx. *Go to 720 for sorting of material
And I suppose .. Monty Tech Voc is not school choice therefore a different funding mechanism as they say ( big word )
DeleteNo Name,
DeleteI dont know. How does that work numerically? I beleive the numbers stated were something like 1430 total 136 school choice out, 201 school choice in. If you have exact numbers being different please show.
http://www.doe.mass.edu/finance/chapter70/fy2019/prelim.html
go to summary download at bottom. 720 to aid and net chapter 70 funding. It appears based on 1289.
All I can say really.....
Enrollment in the school is not the basis for foundational funding - based on children in district .. that’s my understand .. just because the student is not in a physical seat - does not negate ( big word :) ) the town (s) financial responsibilities
DeleteNo Name,
DeleteOK, but we send 136 and receive 201. How does this work financially for the receiving school?
Well - some kids / parents choose Monty Tech which is separate funding again , others have IEP ? I hope I’m saying this right ( I am not a professional ) ... so some IEP’s can be well over 100,000 per student I’m told as this includes of course transportation ( and district gets 72%? This year I think )
DeleteLooking at the same doe site you provided Bob on the left hand side there is a chart to click on detail - I clicked : choice - went to 720 - went to far left and it seems to me that District is taking more than receiving - net receiving : $ 658,808
DeleteNet $606,985 - as per 2018
I dont see how it makes sense to take in more students via school choice than we send.
Delete“Remember, selectmen control the warrant and the budget presentation because they are elected.“ I don’t see where it’s written that way per se but do as a average HS graduate who is well over 50yr would interpret your town bylaws and also State MGL . But I may a dictionary :)
ReplyDeleteI would like to say the meals tax - I feel will be insufficient for revenue for the proposed leasing of a town vehicle - I hope not but I just can’t imagine that much revenue from taxable meals in templeton .
ReplyDeleteA meals tax is not going to help. They'll piss away the $40k in the regular budget. Because that is what they do. So we'll have another tax, which will be forever. And the police and highway will count this money into their budget requests. Our taxes will continue to go up (revaluation). Selectmen will continue to spend like drunken sailors.
ReplyDeleteThe budget will be tight because the selectmen don't first decide to save some money and spend the rest. They say "Here's what everyone we like wants. Let's spend that amount and worry about rainy days later."
If I may say that’s pessimistic.
DeleteThanks no name .. I really appreciate those links and now I also see where the budget foundation number comes from .. the school choice and info about rec vs sending was much appreciated as well.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure glad I could provide that . I was rather shocked at all the information one can get online these days about detailed subjects and complicated ones such as education funding. Seems like one need to be kind of an expert in every facet of government really to be completely effective. I really admire people that do work for the common good. “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”
ReplyDeleteGreek Proverb
So nobody sees anything wrong with the current selectman giving out raises, then asking for more money because they didn't budget properly, I'm sorry but it's the same ole same ole, VOTE NO on any override
ReplyDeleteAnon 2:28 & 9:32 I agree with you, sad as the situation is. The idea that "this is what everyone wants" is questionable. Who said the community wants all they have dished out ? Who did they ask ? The idea that our leaders over build it, then tell you to pay, pay, is not right. After Markel left it was obvious that something had to change. Living within our means, is something our leaders do not have a concept of. Were changes made ? Oh no, raises handed out based on no standards, more than once ! Where were those big raises for the Seniors ? We still have no bond rating, remember that. How bad are the short term loans going to bite us in the end ? There are more issues than meet the eye, so it will take input from the community to solve some of our problems. This is no time to be shy. You have the right to have your voice heard. Bev.
DeleteI am extremely upset that our Board of Selectmen are going to present you a budget that tells you nothing. For over two hundred and fifty years, this town had a line item budget. Markel had problems hiding money in the last one he did. The A.C. received about twenty versions in the week before the Annual Town Meeting. Actually the budget the BOS approved was not the one people voted for at the ATM, and the only one to notice was Doug. Morrison. It does seem that the answer to that problem seems to be show you less, to see if you will swallow it ? Will you, is the question.
DeleteHyperbole helps no one.
ReplyDelete