The power of Town Meeting - sometimes through it's Advisory Committee:

The town meeting can have a great deal of control over department heads. The town meeting can, for example, investigate town problems or administration through its advisory committee, other standing committees or special ad hoc committees. On the basis of findings and recommendations by such committees, or on the petition of ten or more local voters, the town meeting may adopt resolutions and bylaws establishing new town policies or initiating new programs [G.L. c. 39, §10]. The town meeting can also, within certain limits, reorganize town agencies and control development in the town. The most important power of town meeting is the power of the purse. By appropriating or withholding funds, the town meeting can force, prevent or influence actions by town officials and departments.

The above can be found in the latest copy of selectmen handbook.

No one time money to support Town budget:

Why is there a Town Meeting Warrant article to use ambulance receipts money to help with the general fund budget then? It is on the Templeton Town website; article 28, $250,000.00 from ambulance receipts to support general fund operating expense budget. This article actually has FY2019 but I suspect that is a cut n paste mistake.

 I recall that the message from selectmen was no one time money for the budget, just savings and capital items. Has the plan changed?

November 7, 2011, article 8, special town meeting vote:

To see if the Town will vote to create a Fire Department-Ambulance Receipts Reserved for Appropriation Account where collected ambulance receipts for services are placed beginning with FY2013. Monies out of this fund are expended only through town meeting vote for the purpose of funding various Fire Department capital requests pursuant to the

betterment of the Fire Department services as deemed by the Templeton Fire Chief.

Submitted by the Templeton Fire Chief

On a motion duly made and seconded the Town voted to create a Fire / Ambulance Receipts Reserved for Appropriation Account where collected ambulance receipts for services are placed beginning with fiscal year 2013.

Passed Unanimously/Nov. 7th @ 8:00

So, you make the call on the intent of this article and whether it is correct to use these funds to help pay for the Town general fund expenses or shall this money be used to make things like an ambulance lease payment, seeing how the ambulance operation is a fee based service (as presented to voters in the past by some selectmen). Time for the Town to do business in a different way? Is it time for selectmen to actually follow their financial policies?


from the Capital plan as presented by the Capital Planning Committee:

Section 6: Committee Recommendations The committee recommends acceptance of the above tax and non-tax impact capital requests. Furthermore, this committee must strongly urge the BoS, the Department heads, and the town supporting staff offices to promptly execute the MGL-defined purchase goals. Based on historical data, this committee recommends prompt purchases made in accordance with the town administrator’s guidance on leased items and future impacts to the operating budget; any deviation could send a ripple-effect thru the integrated Master Capital Plan.