In case you missed it, upcoming special town meeting set for November 2,2022, article 5, rooster bylaw, states in part: contains between 2 and five acres where the sale of products produced from the agricultural use generates at least $1,000.00 per acre annually.

Whereas MA general law, chapter 61A, section 3, states: Section 3. Land not less than five acres in area shall be deemed to be actively devoted to agricultural or horticultural uses when the gross sales of agricultural, horticultural or agricultural and horticultural products resulting from such uses together with the amount, if any, payable under a soil conservation or pollution abatement program of the federal government or the commonwealth total not less than five hundred dollars per year or when the use of such land is clearly proven to be for the purpose of achieving an annual total of not less than five hundred dollars from such gross sales and program payments within the normal product development period as determined by the farmland valuation advisory commission established pursuant to section eleven of this chapter. In cases where the land is more than five acres in area, the gross sales and program payment standard above set forth shall be increased at the rate of five dollars per acre except in the case of woodland or wetland for which such increase shall be at the rate of fifty cents per acre. No reason to reinvent the wheel or the law, unless you are an attorney looking to increase revenue to your wallet.

 A strange coincidence? MA general law chapter 40A, section 3 states in part: No zoning ordinance or by-law shall regulate or restrict the use of materials, or methods of construction of structures regulated by the state building code, nor shall any such ordinance or by-law prohibit, unreasonably regulate, or require a special permit for the use of land for the primary purpose of commercial agriculture, aquaculture, silviculture, horticulture, floriculture or viticulture, nor prohibit, unreasonably regulate or require a special permit for the use, expansion, reconstruction or construction of structures thereon for the primary purpose of commercial agriculture, aquaculture, silviculture, horticulture, floriculture or viticulture, including those facilities for the sale of produce, wine and dairy products, provided that either during the months of June, July, August and September of each year or during the harvest season of the primary crop raised on land of the owner or lessee, 25 per cent of such products for sale, based on either gross sales dollars or volume, have been produced by the owner or lessee of the land on which the facility is located.

Article 5, rooster bylaw states in part; This subsection shall not apply to property that is used for the primary purpose of commercial agriculture and contains five or more acres or contains two and five acres where the sale of products . . . This article sure sounds like a zoning ordinance, and zoning is not under the duty of the board of health or agricultural commission or the board of selectmen, MGL chapter 40A, section 5, states: No zoning ordinance or by-law or amendment thereto shall be adopted until after the planning board in a city or town, and the city council or a committee designated or appointed for the purpose by said council has each held a public hearing thereon, together or separately, at which interested persons shall be given an opportunity to be heard. Said public hearing shall be held within sixty-five days after the proposed zoning ordinance or by-law is submitted to the planning board by the city council or selectmen or if there is none, within sixty-five days after the proposed zoning ordinance or by-law is submitted to the city council or selectmen. Notice of the time and place of such public hearing.

If anyone checks Templeton zoning bylaws, there are sections of town where you need one acre to build and other areas you need 2 acres to build a home. Setting minimum acreage to have roosters is in my opinion, a zoning attempt and since procedure was not followed, vote no.

 Telling me I cannot put an advertising sign on public property is one thing, telling me I cannot have a rooster on my own land is fucking bullshit, what is next, not enough land to have a dog or chickens? You got a problem with your neighbor and noise, take him to court on your dime. Vote NO on article 5.

 2022, Templeton has received $1,168,088.00 in so called free cash (technically undesignated funds) that come from a variety of sources, Town financial management policy states so much of that money is to go into several funds and that request is on warrant for November 2,2022. There is 700 hundred thousand left over, with 100 thousand being asked for to create and pay for a grant writer and some more money for tax title,, leaving approximately 600 thousand dollars available and all that is being asked for is 2500 bucks for demolition fund? Are you kidding me, what building can be demoed for 2500 bucks/ Think 10 Pleasant Street is coming down for that amount? Think it is coming down for 50 grand? The demo fund needs money to take care of any town owned buildings that need to come down or any damaged building that is an immediate hazard. Surely 100 grand from the available 600 thousand can be put into a fund to benefit residents. How much of that 600 thousand do you think will go to rebuilding roads in town? Since 2017, the town has had around 7 million dollars in free cash, averaging one million plus each of those years, the money has gone to town savings, raises for town employees, covering operating budgets, positions, toys for town employees, but how much has gone to rebuild roads? There is approximately 600 thousand dollars sitting on the books (one can see this information under the agenda for the next select board meeting on Wednesday, October 26, 2022 under finance report.) There is money that has been sitting there since 2019 that was appropriated for such things as security cameras for town hall. Certainly, it would be a benefit to residents to put enough money into demolition fund so something could actually be done to benefit those residents, especially in the area of 10Pleasant Street. Let us amend this article and properly fund it! It is actually quite simple to amend the article, so let's do it.