Massachusetts Municipal Auditor Accountant Association

MMAAA canceling annual education program scheduled for March 16-18, 2020

Date: March 11, 2020

Given the evolving and intensifying developments and the Governor’s State of Emergency over the last 24 hours regarding the Corona virus the MMAAA Executive Board voted unanimously to cancel the MA Municipal Auditors and Accountants Education Training Program scheduled for March 16-18 at UMass in Amherst.

To all of our registered attendees and members, we want to thank you for your patience over the last week as we monitored the ever-evolving situation and tried to make the best decision in the interest of all of our members.  We also appreciate the patience and understanding of all of the speakers and teachers who are essential to making the conference a success.

Members will receive 100% of their registration fee refunded to them and do not need to call UMass to cancel.  However, all members who have reserved hotel rooms including the Campus Center must call and cancel.

The exam will be postponed to a future date.  Members registered for the exam will be notified when a new date is determined.  Exam takers with partial credit will be granted an additional year to pass both sections of the exam.

Also, any members attending this year to maintain their certification will be granted an additional year to do so.

Thank you all for your understanding given this highly unusual situation.

MMAAA Executive Board

from the Town Administrator weekly report, March 12, 2020:

Administration & Finance Town Accountant: My first week back after medical leave has been very busy. Nichole did payroll and the warrants, she also continued to work on the ethics compliance for the town. I completed the February Monthly reconciliation. Nichole, Cheryl and I interviewed for the assistant town accountant position and chose a candidate. Carter met with our choice and offered him the job and he accepted. His projected start date will be April 1st, pending the pre employment screening. Attended the staff meeting on Thursday before heading to Hubbardston. I heard this week that our School for the MMAAA has been canceled due to the Corona Virus. The only time to take the Accountant Certification test was at this School, so I will have to wait one more year to test, wanted to make this clear for the citizens that are interested and concerned about this.

§ 22-19Town website.

[Added 5-12-2004]

The Board shall designate an official Town website, for the posting of Town business, and provide for its maintenance, security, and improvement through a specific budget line item in the fiscal year following passage of this article.

Fiscal Year 2021 under IT: Town website annual fee = $2,500.00 + domain name at $450.00

Information on Town website should be correct and up to date (see Town By-law)

Templeton has no charter nor do we have a Town Manager

The Inter-Municipal Agreement with Winchendon, on animal control, shows it is signed by Carter Terenzini, with a printed name and title: Carter Terenzini, Town Manager???

Top of document clearly states Town of Winchendon & Town of Templeton

“. . .acting through its Town Manager & Town Administrator. . . “

Clearly, Towns people should expect and get better than this.

Town Personnel policy, on page 29, posted on Town Web site, lists full time employees as those who work at least 40 hours per week.

Town hall employees listed at 38 hours per week (fiscal year 2021 budget book, posted on town website)

Clearly, the select board and especially the paid professional staff do not keep up with policy changes and do not follow up on things when they recommend or bring change proposals to the board and the board does not seem to keep up either.

IMA with Hubbardston states town accountant will be in Hubbardston an average of 10 hours per week, yet Templeton taxpayers are paying for 38 hours of work and accountant was even given an extra $7,500.00 increase yet, per IMA, she works fewer hours for Templeton.

Templeton taxpayers were even asked to pay an assistant more; assistant accountant hours increased from 19.5 to 38, equaling double pay increase plus benefit costs. One reason given for this was so work in accounting office could continue while accountant was/is in Hubbardston. Yet for about 6 months, financial reports, such as monthly expenditure reports, failed to be produced in a timely manner, namely the past agreed upon time frame of the 10th of the following month. 

Advisory Committee, acting as a standing committee representing Town Meeting when Town Meeting is not in session, referenced as the Town’s official fiscal watchdog, (from selectmen handbook page 88) discussed and voted at a recent meeting, to ask the select board to look at the IMA with Hubbardston regarding accounting services, and if it is not for the benefit of Templeton, dissolve it. I have yet to see this on the agenda of the select board. Appears that item is to join the scout hall project, Ambulance receipts, special road stabilization fund creation, complete streets and the pavement study, to be put aside in another pile of things to either be forgotten or to continue to just "kick the can down the road"