One Town has a plan:

Posted Mar 19, 2019 at 11:00 AM

HUBBARDSTON — Selectmen and Department of Public Works Director Travis Brown presented their five-year plan for road maintenance and repairs on Monday, March 18.

The plan outlines what roads, and in what order, the maintenance will go through fiscal 2024. Each year has about three or four major projects earmarked for it, as well as an extra plan in case the town gets additional grant, state or federal funding. Residents showed up for the Board of Selectmen meeting, filling the Slade building as well as an overflow room in the Senior Center, to hear the plan, advocating for their own roads.

“Last year we did a two-year plan,” Town Administrator Ryan McLane said. “We wanted to go out five years so people can get an idea of what is coming. ... It is important to note that by clustering projects we saved money for the best use of funds, so some roads are being done because they fit that financial puzzle.”

For this year, the town is finishing the total reclamation and repair on New Westminster Road and Prentiss Hill Road, while looking at Morgan, Underwood and High Bridge roads.

“These roads would see serious repair, these are some of our worst roads,” McLane said.

Proposed for 2021 is work on Flagg Road, Hale Road and Hale Road Extension.

For 2022 would be Elm Street and Brigham Street, as well as crack sealing. If the town receives grants or other additional funds, it would look to add Barre Road and Barre Road cutoff, as well as Parsons Road.

Fiscal 2023 would see continued work on Williamsville Road as well as Kruse Road, work on another part of New Westminster Road and Simonds Hill Road. Extra funds would add Evergreen Road and Ed Clark Road.

Finally, 2024 would have work on Pitcherville Road, Ragged Hill Road, Cross Road and Healdville Road.

The plan presented is not final, meaning that selectmen are looking for resident input to help adjust plans. For the most part, people were happy with the roads presented, though residents did advocate for the addition of Dogwood Road, which was excluded from the plan.

“There is a good amount of families on that road, too,” Selectman Michael Stauder said.

Resident Sandra Barre mentioned a previous 10-year plan to pave all of the roads, and advocated for paving more of the dirt roads as well.

Reserve Fund:
An amount of money set aside annually within the budget of a Town, not to exceed 5 percent of the tax levy for the preceding year. In a Town, the Finance/Advisory Committee can authorize transfers from this fund for extraordinary and unforeseen expenditures. Other uses of the fund require budgetary transfers by Town Meeting.

For instance, if a fire truck of the town has a pump break down requiring replacement and there is no money in maintenance budget to cover this, that could be an acceptable use of this fund.

Certified Free Cash:

Free Cash - (Also Budgetary Fund Balance) Funds remaining from the operations of the previous fiscal year which are certified by DOR’s Director of Accounts as available for appropriation. Remaining funds include unexpended free cash from the previous year, receipts in excess of estimates shown on the tax recapitulation sheet, and unspent amounts in budget line-items. Unpaid property taxes and certain deficits reduce the amount of remaining funds which can be certified as free cash. The calculation of free cash is made based on the balance sheet, which is submitted by the community’s Auditor, Accountant, or Comptroller. Typically, a community will attempt to maintain a free cash balance of between 3 and 5 percent of its total budget as a hedge against unforeseen expenditures, to insure there will be an adequate reserve to prevent sharp fluctuations in the tax rate, and to prevent expensive short-term borrowing. (Maintenance of an adequate free cash level is not a luxury but a necessary component of sound local fiscal management. Credit rating agencies and other members of the financial community expect municipalities to maintain free cash reserves; judgments regarding a community’s fiscal stability are made, in part, on the basis of free cash.)


Overlay - (Overlay Reserve or Reserve for Abatements and Exemptions) An account established annually to fund anticipated property tax abatements and exemptions in that year. The overlay reserve is not established by the normal appropriation process, but rather is raised on the tax rate recapitulation sheet.

Overlay Surplus - Any balance in the overlay account of a given year in excess of the amount remaining to be collected or abated can be transferred into this account (See Overlay). Within ten days of a written request by the chief executive officer of a town or city, the assessors must provide a certification of the excess amount of overlay available to transfer. Overlay surplus may be appropriated for any lawful purpose. At the end of each fiscal year, unused overlay surplus is “closed” to surplus revenue; i.e., it becomes a part of free cash.

Override - A vote by a community at an election to permanently increase the levy limit. An override vote may increase the levy limit to no higher than the levy ceiling. The override question on the election ballot must state a purpose for the override and the dollar amount. (See Underride.)

Override Capacity - The difference between a community’s levy ceiling and its levy limit. It is the maximum amount by which a community may override its levy limit.

Underride - A vote by a community to permanently decrease the tax levy limit. As such, it is the exact opposite of Override.

Respect the intent or . . . ?

Another item out of the historical archives (found on Templeton Town website)

Special Town Meeting November 7, 2011

Article 8 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 FireAmbulance 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, the receipts from fees (ambulance transport collections) are to be put into the ambulance receipts reserved for appropriation. Was the intent of Town Meeting vote to use this money only for capital items for fire/Ambulance department? Should these monies be used to support the general fund expenses of the Town? If that is the case, why have this account in the first place?

Another example of why it is important to look back and not repeat the same things over and over again. For the past three years, we have now used free cash to back fill the budget, using free cash after the fact as opposed to using before hand. In my opinion, it is still doing the same thing and here I thought we had agreed as a town to not do that any longer!

All separate and not reporting to the selectmen?

Perhaps a review of Town Meeting vote!

Carry out the intent of the article!
Perhaps that should be the number one focus of all selectmen, the intent of the voters!

Before a motion is voted on, take time to explain to voters present exactly what they are voting on, so as to try and ensure, what people intend, is contained in the motion which is actually voted on!

TOWN OF TEMPLETON 

WARRANT FOR SPECIAL TOWN MEETING 

MARCH 8, 2000 

COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS 

WORCESTER, ss.

 To either of the Constables of the Town of Templeton in said County: 

GREETINGS: 

 In the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, you are hereby directed to notify and warn the Inhabitants of the precincts of the Town of Templeton, County of Worcester, qualified to vote in elections and town affairs to meet at the Narragansett Regional High School, 464 Baldwinville Road, Baldwinville, MA on Wednesday, March 8, 2000, at 7:00 PM, then and there to act on the following articles:

Article 1 To see if the Town will vote to instruct the Board of Selectmen to petition the General court to adopt necessary legislation which upon acceptance by the Town, would combine the Water Department and the Light Department under the authority of a single Municipal Lighting and Water Plant and a single Light and Water Commission and to repeal or amend any previous special acts in order to carry out the intent of this article, or to take any other vote or votes in relation thereto.

 On a motion duly made and seconded the Town voted to accept an amendment to Article 1 to read as follows:

 AN ACT ABOLISHING THE DEPARTMENT OF WATER OF THE TOWN OF TEMPLETON UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE SELECTMEN OF SAID TOWN AND ESTABLISHING A WATER DEPARTMENT UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE TEMPLETON MUNICIPAL LIGHTING PLANT

 Be it enacted, etc., as follows:

 Section 1. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of law, there shall be established in the Town of Templeton, a Water Department, under the jurisdiction of the Templeton Municipal Lighting Plant. Upon the effective date of this act, the Templeton Municipal Lighting Plant shall be known as the “Templeton Municipal Lighting and Water Plant”, shall have all powers contained in General Law Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Four and otherwise, and all powers and duties now and from time to time vested by general or special law and by by-law in the Water Department of said town, and the Department of Water under the jurisdiction of the Selectmen shall be abolished. The books of accounts of the Light Plant and Water Plant shall be kept separate and the Water Plant shall continue to operate as an enterprise fund until changed by law.

 Section 2. The Manager of the Templeton Municipal Lighting and Water Plant shall exercise and perform such of the powers, rights and duties transferred to him under section one above and those contained in General Law Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Four and otherwise as he may from time to time designate. He shall be specially fitted by education, training and experience to perform the duties of his office and need not be a resident of the town during his tenure of office. He shall be responsible for the efficient exercise and performance of such powers, rights and duties.

 During his tenure he shall hold no other elective or appointive office nor engage in any other business or occupation. He shall appoint such assistants, agents and employees as the exercise and performance of his powers, rights and duties may require. He shall render to the Selectmen, as often as they may require, a full report of all operations under his control during the period reported upon, and annually, and from time to time as required by the Selectmen, shall make a synopsis of such reports for publication and shall keep the Selectmen fully advised as to the needs of the town within the scope of his duties, and shall annually, not less than one hundred and twenty days prior to the expiration of the fiscal year of said town, furnish to the Selectmen a carefully prepared and detailed estimate in writing of the appropriations required during the next succeeding fiscal year for the proper exercise and performance of all said rights and duties.
The permanent employees of the Department of Water under the jurisdiction of the Selectmen of the Town of Templeton abolished by this act shall be transferred to and become employees of the Templeton Municipal Lighting and Water Plant and every employee so transferred who immediately prior to such transfer was subject to section nine A of chapter thirty or to chapter thirty-one of the General Laws under a permanent appointment and who has served a probationary period shall continue to serve subject to the provisions of said section nine A of chapter thirty or said chapter thirty-one as the case may be, whether or not thereafter reclassified, and shall retain all rights to holidays, sick leave and vacations in effect on the effective date of this act.

 Section 3. This act shall be submitted to the votes of the Town of Templeton for acceptance at the annual town election in the year two thousand or any other election, in the form of the following question, which shall be placed on the official ballot to be used for the election of town officers at said election:--“Shall an act passed by the General Court in the year two thousand, entitled ‘an Act Abolishing the Department of Water of the Town of Templeton Under the Jurisdiction of the Selectmen of Said Town and Establishing a Water Plant Under the Jurisdiction of the Templeton Municipal Light Plan,’ be accepted?” If a majority of the votes cast in answer to this question is in the affirmative, this act shall take effect one hundred and twenty days following the vote. If this act is not accepted as provided in this section, it shall thereupon become null and void.

Amendment Passed 7:17, Main Motion Passed 7:47

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.

What could go wrong? 

Yesterday, Templeton highway dept. was using a loader to patch pot holes. It apparently has been an ongoing approach as I encountered a loader being used for that purpose on Partridgeville Road.

As for yesterday, I encountered a highway loader on the one-way section of South Road next to the new school construction site. Once a vehicle gets there, no where to go and with all the cars parked on one side of the road, the road was blocked by the loader. The loader operator appeared to get upset when I hit my horn as he backed up closer and closer to my vehicle. I could not back up because now I had a vehicle behind me.

I checked the highway budget for fiscal year 2019 (present FY) and sure enough, in the fiscal year 2019 budget under highway, page 146; police details - $3,150.00. Page 132 under highway; training - $1,350.00. As one road is one way entirely and part of South Road is one way, I see this happening again and again, blocking of road due to any number of items, so clearly a plan is needed; funds are provided for police details, those funds should be used. Again, a loader for pot hole patching?? Signs at the intersection of Wellington and South Road alerting drivers of the situation would also be nice, so as to give drivers the option of turning around and going back up South Road and use Victoria Lane to go to Hubbardston Road and go where ever one is headed. At the very least, rather than getting pissed off because of a horn, how about a public employee, who works for the residents, get out and explain what is happening and how long it may be. There were two town vehicles with two town employees there, one in the loader and one in sidewalk snow blower. One of them could have gotten out and explained things. Still, why no police detail or signs for this work. Is there any daily work plan over at highway? I voiced my concerns to all selectmen and the Town Administrator via email which has been acknowledged by one selectmen and the T/A. This has nothing to do with the number of employees at highway, rather everything to do with management or lack there of, in my opinion.