Is this good management of taxpayer dollars?

Templeton selectmen propose to use ambulance receipts to fund general fund budget, while they propose to lease an ambulance to include estimated $32,000.00 in interest. Under the capital plan, ambulance purchase price quoted is $297,000.00, so fire chief asks for $300,000.00 while the T/A suggests $315,000.00. Draft warrant proposes 5 year lease at $56,000.00 for five years = $280,000.00 and also asks for additional $70,000 so as to keep purchase lease amount as presented. Added together, that is $350,000.00, so when asked why so much extra money for ambulance, borrowing costs / interest of $32,000.00. So, February expenditure report shows $250,000.00 in ambulance receipts, now if $50,000.00 from free cash was added to that 250K, ambulance purchased outright, town does not spend $32,000.00 on borrowing costs and that $32,000.00 is $10,000.00 less than the capital plan dollar figure of $42,000.00 for a new suv police cruiser. The extra 10K needed is right there from the proposed $70,000.00 in draft warrant article #33. Ambulance bought out right, new police cruiser with $10,000.00 left over.

I can hear the selectmen response; "we need that ambulance receipts money to balance the general fund budget"

I look at the fiscal year 2018 end of year report and see $595,784.17 left over from expenses. That money rolls over to so called certified free cash, so perhaps there is a little padding going on regarding expense appropriations? If the same happens in fiscal year 2019, then total expense appropriations require a hard look as that is simply too much left over from expenses that are sold as very tight.

jeff bennett

Wed 3/27/2019 8:00 PM

Caplis, John;

Morrison, Doug;

Diane Haleybrooks;

Richard, Julie

So, did the town buy a dump body for a 1984 Mack ten wheeler? How and why did town accountant approve the spending of a specific tow meeting appropriation on something else?

According to the T/A, the dump body was not purchased!

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From: Carter Terenzini <townadministrator@templeton1.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 5, 2018 5:15 PM
To: 'jeff bennett'
Cc: dpwdirector@templeton1.org
Subject: RE: dump body

 

Good Day Jeff:

No, the Town did not buy a new dump body for a 1984 Mack it did, however, buy a Dump Body (as we advised people we would with those monies in seeking approval of the $160k for the 6 wheeler).

As to improving Town Meeting and attendance I would suggest you watch the December Talk of the Town and ask you to encourage people to attend the 01/29 public meeting with the Town Moderator and Town Clerk at 6:30 p.m. in the Conference Room.

Many Thanks

Carter Terenzini

Town Administrator

Town of Templeton

160 Patriots Road

East Templeton, MA 01438

1.978.894.2755

From: jeff bennett <j_bennett506@hotmail.com> 
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2018 4:06 PM
To: Carter Terenzini <townadministrator@templeton1.org>
Subject: Re: dump body

So, my real question is did Templeton buy a new dump body for the 10 wheeler truck mentioned in the town meeting warrant? 

Secondly, the town meeting warrant makes no mention of using this appropriation for anything else other than what was asked for.

Which is why, the town needs to have the actual town meeting warrant at town meeting. We will not get more people to attend town meeting doing business that way.

Thank you for the response.

Bennett

eff bennett

Thu 3/28/2019 7:42 AM

Caplis, John;

Richard, Julie;

Diane Haleybrooks;

Morrison, Doug

The request I made and the results I received. So, how am I to receive a report from a Veterans advisory board that does not exist? How would a report be generated from a board that has not posted an agenda since April 2018? Yet, I receive word from the office of the Board of Selectmen that I will receive such a report. I have to wonder if all selectmen are aware of what goes on in the Board of Selectmen's name that is incorrect?

regards;

Bennett

---

From: Terenzini, Carter <cterenzini@TempletonMA.gov>
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2019 10:28 AM
To: jeff bennett
Subject: RE: public records request

 

As of this date I do not have a report from the Veteran’s Advisory Board.  My understanding is that they did not have a quorum for the evening they were to finalize it this past week.  I shall forward it upon its receipt.

We do not have on file a copy of the agreement between the TMLWP and NRSD.

Many Thanks

Carter

1.978.894.2755 (o)

1.603.498.0958 (m)

Please note our new email of; and redirect your contacts to - cterenzini@templetonma.gov

From: jeff bennett <j_bennett506@hotmail.com> 
Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2019 4:23 PM
To: Young, Holly <hyoung@TempletonMA.gov>; Terenzini, Carter <cterenzini@TempletonMA.gov>; Caplis, John <jcaplis@TempletonMA.gov>
Subject: public records request

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Holly Young
Town of Templeton
Town Hall, 160 Patriots Road
Templeton, MA 01438

Re: Massachusetts Public Records Request

Holly Young:

This is a request under the Massachusetts Public Records Law (M. G. L. Chapter 66, Section 10). I am requesting that I be provided a copy of the following records:

A report of the Veterans Advisory Board, per Templeton Town general by-law - article LVI: Veterans Advisory Board. According to the by-law, a report from this board is to be provided to the Board of Selectmen in December of each year.

A copy of a contract between Town of Templeton and Narragansett Regional School District involving a wind turbine. Per Massachusetts General Law, chapter 164, section 56C, Every municipal light commission or manager thereof, who makes or executes a contract on behalf of a municipal lighting plant, where the amount involved is five thousand dollars or more, shall furnish said contract or a copy thereof to the city or town auditor within one week after its execution.

I would request, if possible, that these records be provided in electronic form.

I recognize that you may charge reasonable costs for copies, as well as for personnel time needed to comply with this request.

The Public Records Law requires you to provide me with a written response within 10 business days. If you cannot comply with my request, you are statutorily required to provide an explanation in writing.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Bennett
77 Partridgeville Road, Templeton MA 01468

Northfield, MA resident gets creative; submits article for Town Meeting to limit municipal spending. There was/is a legal problem with the wording but it is a nice idea for residents to become involved in municipal spending. The legal issue was imposing a limit on the bottom line. Good effort on the part of the Northfield taxpayers association.

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!