email today concerning City of Gardner, MA sewer sludge project.

Paula referred you question to me to assist you.  The City of Gardner has submitted a WP33 permit application to MassDEP proposing to to expand the sludge landfill.  All of the information on the permit application may be found on line at this link:  Search EEA Projects (state.ma.us).  Type in “Gardner Sludge Landfill” into the Site Name/Location Name to locate the record.  There is a document in the record (Appendix G of the Engineering Report) that identifies the location of any wells.

 

The project is subject to Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) and the City of Gardner needs to submit an Environmental Notification Form (ENF) and obtain a final MEPA Certificate from the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs before MassDEP can issue any permits for the work.  The public will have the opportunity to provide comments during the MEPA review and also during the permit review.  We are uncertain when the City will file the ENF.  MassDEP’s technical review of the permit is on hold pending the completion of the MEPA process. 

 

A Notice of Intent has been filed with the Gardner Conservation Commission for the work and was issued MassDEP File Number 160-0654.  The Gardner Conservation Commission has not completed their review, so we have not received an Order of Conditions from them yet.  The Order of Conditions may be appealed by eligible parties within 10 business days of issuance for issues related to compliance with the Wetlands Protection Act and regulations.

 

Boston staff and Solid Waste Program staff are assisting CERO with the review of this project.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions and will try to assist you in answering your questions.  Also please let me know if you have any difficulty accessing the on line file.

 

Thank you.

 

Marielle Stone

Deputy Regional Director

Bureau of Water Resources

MassDEP - Central Regional Office

8 New Bond Street

Worcester, MA 01606

Cell:  508 713 3528

 

While you are thinking on how to pay for Christmas, Templeton had a potential to collect $11,405,047.00 in real estate taxes. (budget book fy23 page 23) FY23 school district expense for the town of Templeton shown as $7,322,433.00 (fy23 budget book page 278)

Town employee health insurance and retirement costs equal about 2.5 million dollars. So there is quick and dirty math on where your real estate taxes go.

FY23 budget book, page 137 (revised) shows Templeton snow & ice budget is funded on average 100 thousand dollars less than what it should be. The next town meeting, May 2023, meeting members should insist on a snow & Ice budget of at least 250 thousand dollars. When a town deficit spends snow & Ice, think charge it and eventually town has to find the money to cover the bills. Not smart.

Same thing with leasing for things, it just creates future debt obligation and takes away tax dollars that could be used for roads, drains, sidewalks, etc. Why is there no capital requests for roads, drains, sidewalks, etc.? 

 from DOR/DLS.

DOR = Department of Revenue.

DLS = Division of Local Services.

Lastly, amendments in 2003 to Ch. 40, Sec 5b allow a municipality to establish special purpose stabilization funds and to build balances in them through a type of override,

which also has characteristics of a debt exclusion. Through initial approval, by two thirds vote, of town meeting (and the selectmen), a city council or a town council, a referendum can be placed before the voters asking whether to raise tax revenue, by

majority vote, above Proposition 2½ limits for the purpose of the stabilization fund. In succeeding years, solely through an annual vote of the selectmen, city council or town

council, the override can be continued, lowered or deferred entirely and resumed, or not, in a later year. Like an override, the additional tax can continue year-after-year without town-wide or city-wide referendum votes beyond the year of inception and, each

year, the amount available to be raised increases by 2½ percent. However, like an exclusion under Proposition 2½, the levy limit increase need not be permanent. It can be discontinued in any year.

MA general law chapter 40, section 5b: Section 5B. Cities, towns and districts may create 1 or more stabilization funds and appropriate any amount into the funds. Any interest shall be added to and become part of the fund.

At the time of creating any stabilization fund the city, town or district shall specify, and at any later time may alter, the purpose of the fund, which may be for any lawful purpose, including without limitation, an approved school project pursuant to chapter 70B or any other purpose for which the city, town or district may lawfully borrow money. The specification and any alteration of purpose, and any appropriation of funds from any such fund, shall be approved by a two-thirds vote, except as provided in paragraph (g) of section 21C of chapter 59 for a majority referendum vote. Subject to said section 21C of said chapter 59, any such vote shall be of the legislative body of the city, town or district, subject to charter.

(Templeton does not have a charter)

If a question as aforesaid shall provide for assessing taxes for the purpose of funding a stabilization fund established pursuant to section 5B of chapter 40, the assessors shall in each successive fiscal year assess property taxes for the same purpose in an amount equal to 102.5 per cent of the amount assessed in the next preceding year in which additional taxes were assessed for such purpose, but only if the local appropriating authority votes by a 2/3 vote to appropriate such increased amount in such year for such purpose. The voters of the city or town, by majority vote at a referendum, may alter the purpose of a stabilization fund or authorize the assessment of such additional property taxes for another purpose. In any year in which the local appropriating authority does not vote to appropriate such amount as aforesaid, the total property tax levy for such year shall be reduced by the amount that could otherwise have been assessed, so that such additional taxes may not be assessed for any other purpose. The maximum levy limit under paragraph (f) shall not be affected by any such reduction in the levy for such year.

 The average salary for a Templeton highway employee (laborer/operator) is around $45,500.00 plus on average 27 - 30 thousand dollars per employee for benefits.

Also, funds in budget for each employee:

$300.00 for boots, $200.0 for glasses, $125.00 for jacket, $100.00 for DOT physicals, $75.00 drug testing, Tee shirts (5 each @ $12.50 per shirt).

Town of Templeton pays 75% of the costs for health insurance for each covered employee.

All of this information is listed in a budget book and is part of the cost of maintaining roads, parks, etc. All of this is paid before any money is allotted to repair roads. Roads are public safety number 1 because everyone drives on the roads, residents, police, fire, ambulance and if the roads are unsafe, that affects everyone, if the roads are not plowed, no ambulance is getting thru.

Hopefully this year, each town employees pay will be included in the annual town report, as it should be.

 Unfinished, not started Templeton projects,

from October 2022 expenditure report from the accountant.

2019 - recreation - Gilman Waite / $10,000.00.

2019 - building/grounds - senior center / $19,581.00.

2020 - building/grounds - town hall cameras / $3,000.00

2020 - DPW - Main Street bridge / $148,700.00

2021 - DPW - Royalston Road title work / $15,448.00

2021 - select board - NRSD regional agreement / $9,395.00.

2023 -DPW - Improve GW building / $15,000.00.

2023 - DPW - street signs / $7,500.00.

December 31, 2022 will be end of 2nd quarter, so department quarterly reports should happen at a selectmen meeting in January, these and other things demand explanation and estimation of completion, if project is actually planned to be completed. 2019, 2020, 2021 monies will probably not do what was presented at the time due to increase in costs and a dollar buying less today than it would have back in 2019. (thanks joe biden)