While the specific role of the selectman varies from town 
to town, all boards of selectmen have at least four 
important powers under state law: the power to sign 
warrants for the payment of all town bills; the power to 
make appointments to town office; the power to hire 
professional administrative assistance and town counsel; 
and the power to prepare the town meeting warrant. 

/. The power to sign warrants for the payment of all 
town bills. The town treasurer may not issue a single check 
unless a majority of the board of selectmen sign a warrant 
of authorization (MGL 41:56). This affects the town's 
payroll as well as every provider of goods and services. 
Other boards, committees, department heads, and town 
officials may approve whatever payrolls and bills they wish, 
and certainly they should be required to do so before the 
warrants come to the selectmen, but the bills cannot be paid 
until the selectmen sign off on them. 

At last night's selectmen meeting, the Town Administrator indicated an audit of FY2013 may begin by the end of this month. It seems the Town Accountant rather than the Treasurer/Collector is preparing the debt schedule. Looking at many resources, the debt schedule among other items are the duties of the Treasurer. It would seem to be a better idea to have the Town Accountant to be working on town financial records to be ready for any audits that may begin sometime soon. I believe the Town transferred money at a special town meeting back in November to pay for additional help for the accountant to get these records completed so an audit may happen. Of course money was also transferred from a one time funding source to be put into an account for recurring expenses. This indicates to me we have not learned lessons from past mistakes.

Jeff Bennett

2017 OPERATING BUDGET View in OneDrive This link should take you to first draft of Templeton next budget. You should be able to click on tabs and view all the proposals. Jeff Bennett

Massachusetts General Law
chapter 42, section 35

Bond of Treasurer; duties

Section 35. Every town treasurer shall give bond annually for the faithful performance of his duties in a form approved by the commissioner of revenue and in such sum, not less than the amount established by said commissioner, as shall be fixed by the selectmen or the mayor and aldermen, and if he fails to give such bond within ten days after his election or appointment, or if within ten days after the expiration of said bond or any renewal of said bond he fails to file a renewal thereof, the selectmen or the mayor and aldermen shall declare the office vacant and the vacancy shall be filled in the manner prescribed by section forty or sixty-one A, as the case may be. He shall receive and take charge of all money belonging to the town, and pay over and account for the same according to the order of the town or of its authorized officers. No other person shall pay any bill of any department; provided, however, this provision shall not prohibit the treasurer from paying such bill by the use of bank treasurer's or cashier's check. He shall have the authority given to an auditor by section fifty-one, and shall annually render a true account of all his receipts and disbursements and a report of his official acts. The bond required herein shall cover the duties of the treasurer with respect to trust funds and funds of retirement systems which are in his custody by virtue of his office, and any such funds, for the purposes of said bond, shall be deemed to be public funds.

Section 36. He may in his own name and official capacity prosecute actions upon bonds, notes or other securities given to him or to his predecessors in office; and unless otherwise provided, he or the chief or superintendent of police or other police officer of the town may prosecute for trespasses committed in or on any public building or enclosure belonging to or within the town. If a public building or enclosure is owned in part by the town and in part by the county, such prosecution may be instituted by the treasurer of either the town or the county.
Jeff Bennett

Only the treasurer can sign checks to pay the town’s bills. The treasurer, however, cannot release any funds until the warrant is prepared by the accountant and approved by the selectmen or, in some towns, the town manager or administrator. This role of the board of selectmen affects the town’s payroll as well as its providers of goods and services. Other boards, committees, department heads and town officials may approve whatever payrolls and bills they wish—and certainly they should be required to do so before the warrants come to the selectmen—but the bills cannot be paid until the selectmen and town accountant sign off on them. Selectmen should rely on department heads to monitor day-to-day spending and make recommendations, but the power to delay or veto expenditures gives the board an important role in overseeing the operation of the town.

The above is from the most current Handbook for Selectmen.

Jeff Bennett

It may be time to ask the Board of Selectmen if a majority are making it in to sign the warrant so the Town's bills get paid. One of the interesting items on the Town budget under new initiatives is an increase in salaries in the BOS office and the reason given is "upgrades." One thing that was discussed at a selectmen meeting was creating the position of assistant town administrator so a new title and a new job description will have to take place and  what else but a pay increase, how is that for the selectmen spending limited tax dollars wisely? Hopefully future Advisory Board meetings will be recorded and televised.

Jeff Bennett

The topic for discussion at last nights meeting of elementary school building committee was who will sign contracts on behalf of the Town as this project moves forward. Hopefully it will be on agenda for the next selectmen meeting. The other item of interest and importance is where will kids in K-1 go to school and it is believed they will go to middle school as they will leave Templeton Center on June 30 and be at the middle school for two school years. watch for some kind of event for the closing of the school and some reuse of some of the bricks from the building in planters or some other small uses. watch for where they go in total. One other item was the fact of the vote by the governing body, town meeting vote, MSBA grant funding goes through the district so the district attorney wil be giving opinions on this as well and with the district being a legal separate entity from the Town, that should be worth watching. Enjoy.

Jeff Bennett