from the archives:

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Notice is hereby given in accordance with M.G.L. c. 30A, §20, that a meeting of the Municipal Finance Oversight Board, established under Chapter 46 of the Acts of 2003, will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 18, 2017 in room 230 of the State House, Boston, Massachusetts.

Town of Templeton: A Chapter 44A request for $47,563,184 in qualified bonds for the following:

• Elementary School Construction

Since my rolodex is a little slow these days and kate fulton apparently wanted to speak only about my commitment to the school and she stated she had some emails that showed I wrote a letter to the MFOB while a member of Advisory Committee, (even as Kate Fulton is a former member of the Advisory Committee, she mistakenly called it the advisory board), I thought I would share this from the archives:

From DHB FB page:

Diane Haley Brooks
Yesterday at 2:17pm · Templeton ·
Thank you Kate Fulton, a member of the Advisory Committee for this information:
Last night the advisory board voted 5 to 1 to send an email to the state Municipal Finance Oversight Board a letter bashing the elementary school project. The project is referred to as "ill-fated."
It stated that "the taxpayers were sold a bill of goods," that information given to voters "have proved to be false, as in lies." The letter was written by Julie and Peter Farrell and will be updated to include specific examples as requested by Paul Grubb. The names of five members of the committee will appear on the letter. I made it clear that my name was not to be included and Gordon Moore was not present.
I have also telephoned to Maura Healy and Deb Goldberg's office about the matter, both are on the oversight board. Let people know, make phone calls, attend the meeting, tomorrow at 11 a.m. in the state house room 230 and let the school board and selectmen know of your dismay at this interference to the elementary project. As a former newspaper reporter, I thought Fulton would have her facts straight at least.

Maybe she will read this!

just in case you missed it:

603 CMR 41.00 - Regional school district budgets.

(3)  Reconsideration of Rejected Budgets

(a)If the budget is not approved by two-thirds of the members, the regional school committee shall have 30 days from the date of disapproval by more than one-third of the members to reconsider, amend, and adopt a revised budget. With the approval of the Commissioner, this 30-day period may be extended an additional 15 days. Where the local appropriating authority is a town meeting and the annual town meeting is dissolved prior to voting on the budget, the budget shall be deemed disapproved by that member as of the date of such dissolution.

(b)The revised budget adopted by the regional school committee and the assessments corresponding to such budget may be less than, equal to, or greater than the amounts in the previously adopted budget.

(c)Within seven days following the regional school committee's adoption of a revised budget, the treasurer of the regional school district shall calculate and certify the assessment of each member and shall transmit the assessments and a copy of the revised budget to the members. Each member's local appropriating authority shall have 45 days from the date of the regional school committee's vote to meet and consider the revised budget.

(d)The approval of a revised budget shall be as set forth in 603 CMR 41.05(2)(a). If a local appropriating authority does not vote on the revised budget within the 45-day period, that member shall be deemed to have approved the revised budget.

(e)In a regional school district comprised of three or more members, if the revised budget is not approved, the regional school committee shall again reconsider, amend, and adopt a revised budget. The revised budget shall be resubmitted to the members pursuant to the provisions of 603 CMR 41.05(3).

(f)In a regional school district comprised of two members, if the revised budget is not approved by both members, the regional school committee shall again reconsider, amend, and adopt a revised budget and shall convene a district-wide meeting, at which the revised budget shall be placed before all voters eligible to vote at said meeting. If a majority of voters at this district-wide meeting votes to approve the revised budget, such vote shall constitute approval. If a majority of voters at this meeting votes to approve a greater or lesser amount for the budget, such amount shall be placed before the regional school committee for its ratification. If the regional school committee by a two-thirds vote ratifies this amount, it shall constitute approval. If the regional school committee rejects such greater or lesser amount, it shall again reconsider, amend, and adopt a revised budget and shall reconvene a district-wide meeting pursuant to the provisions of 603 CMR 41.05(3)(f).

(g)A district-wide meeting convened in accordance with 603 CMR 41.05(3)(f) shall only consider budgets based on the statutory assessment method.

(h)A regional school committee may reconsider, amend, and adopt a revised budget at any time prior to the approval of a previously adopted budget.

(i)If a local appropriating authority votes to approve an adopted budget subsequent to the required date for such action but prior to the regional school committee's revision of the budget, such vote shall be deemed valid.

(j)Whenever a member's assessment is reduced to a smaller amount than previously appropriated by the local appropriating authority, that appropriation shall automatically be reduced to the lesser amount.

(4)  Establishment of Budgets by the Commissioner

(a)If the operating budget for a regional school district has not been approved by July 1, the superintendent of schools shall notify the Commissioner, and the Commissioner shall establish an interim monthly budget for the regional school district. The interim monthly budget shall be one-twelfth of the regional school district's budget for the prior fiscal year or such higher amount as the Commissioner may determine. The interim monthly budget shall remain in effect until an operating budget is approved pursuant to 603 CMR 41.05(3) or December 1, whichever comes earlier.

(b)If a regional school district's budget has not been approved by December 1 of the fiscal year, the Commissioner shall assume fiscal control of the regional school district pursuant to M.G.L. c.71, §16B, and 603 CMR 41.07, and shall establish the final budget for the fiscal year.

(c)Whenever the Commissioner establishes an interim or final budget for a regional school district under the provisions of this section, the treasurer of the regional school district shall calculate and certify to the members their respective assessments. Every member shall pay its respective assessment in accordance with the payment schedule in the regional agreement. The appropriation of funds to pay an assessment ordered by the Commissioner under 603 CMR 41.05(4) shall not be deemed approval by the municipality of the district's budget.

HUBBARDSTON — The town has approved this year’s fiscal 2020 school budget for $4,693,549, leaving a gap from what the Quabbin Regional School District requested.

 Quabbin recommended a budget for Hubbardston at about $4,852,039 and was about an eight percent increase from last year,  Hubbardston officials say that figure would greatly harm the town. Increases in the budget come from transportation costs, which for the school itself went up 12 percent over the last year, according to Regional School Committee member Mark Wigler. Hubbardston in particular, is being hit hard is due to the formula which the school calculates the cost for each town.

“The proposed budget from the school is so much higher than the overall increase because you look at the overall budget, you see they are asking for an increase of under 3 percent overall,” Hubbardston Finance Committee Chairwoman Susan Rayne said. “Because the formula used to calculate member town’s contributions,  increases year to year can swing dramatically, as they did this year for Hubbardston, and this has happened for other towns, too.”

The amount a town has to pay is in part due to enrollment, but also because of a number of other variables, including the resident income and property valuation. Hubbardston was the most recent town to have their valuation done, and consequently, they were hit with a higher number than expected. Rayne notes that other towns in the school district have faced this in the past.

“We want to get other towns on board to revise the district agreement to the formula by which these assessments are calculated,” Rayne said. “What we recommended was that the selectmen take this up with member towns.”

Still, the overall budget increase of the school is not particularly high, sitting at exactly 2.8 percent.

“We are trying to keep our services good, but at a 2.8 increase it’s tough to do that ... the situation is Hubbardston is unique,” Wigler said.

Aside from changing the formula, the hope is when the state Senate passes the budget with school funding, the school will receive enough funds to close that gap. Worst-case scenario would be that negotiations cannot be made and the state will decide the budget for them.

"Quabbin school budget has to be reworked. The current ask would cripple the town’s operations and would mean positions would have to be eliminated and people would be losing their jobs,” selectmen Chairman Dan Galante said.

“The district serves us and our kids,” Rayne said. “We want it to succeed. We want to fund it, we want to do well for the kids and the other kids who come in to attend, but we as a member town, we can’t absorb these unpredictable swings. We were able to go up almost five percent with no additional ask. If we had predictability going forward, we could see the increase and its effects and we can plan for that.”

The budget will be voted on at Town Meeting June 4 at 7 p.m. in the Hubbardston Center School gym, but hope still remains that the state budget would fill in the gap between the town’s approved budget and the school’s requested budget.

From the Phillipston Annual Town Meeting Warrant:


ARTICLE 11: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate or transfer from available funds, or otherwise provide the sum of $1,657,099 to pay its share of the Narragansett Regional School District budget for FY20, or act in relation thereto. Requires a majority vote to approve. Narragansett Regional School District Summary. This is the basic portion of the annual appropriation for the operating budget for the Narragansett Regional School District.

ARTICLE 12: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate or transfer from available funds, or otherwise provide the sum of $93,053 to pay its share of the Narragansett Regional School District budget for FY20, provided, however, that the vote taken hereunder shall be expressly contingent upon approval by the voters at an election of a Proposition 2 ½ override question pursuant to Chapter 59, Section 21C(g) of the General Laws, or act in relation thereto. Requires a majority vote to approve. Narragansett Regional School District Summary. This is the override portion of the annual appropriation for the operating budget for the Narragansett Regional School District.

from the Templeton voter's guide for Annual Town Meeting of May 15, 2019:

Anticipated Motion:

To see if the Town will vote I move to raise and appropriate the sum of Seven Million Four Hundred Seventy Nine Thousand Four Hundred Six Dollars and No Cents ($7,479,406.00), or some lesser amount, to fund the Town’s assessed share of the costs of the Narragansett Regional School District for FY’20, contingent upon the passage of a ballot question pursuant to G.L. c. 59, §21C(g) (Proposition 2 ½);

Or take any other action related thereto.

The motion means you are voting on an additional $988,336.00 in money so the Town (taxpayers) can pay the "bill" from NRSD. This simply increases the Tax levy limit, which in turn, allows for increase in property taxes in order to raise the additional funds to pay said bill. If you vote yes on article six, you are voting for one step of a two step process to allow an increase in your taxes. The next step is to vote for a question on the ballot for the annual Town election on May 20, 2019.
Phillipston voters already have approved the first step vi Town Meeting, their election is also on May 20.


Summary: We are required to put before you the appropriation needed to fully fund the assessment upon us certified by the Narragansett Regional School District. However, we do not have sufficient funds available without having to ask for additional taxing authority through the passage of a ballot question allowing us to over-ride the current taxing limits we operate under. If that override fails, we will have to come back to you at a Special Town Meeting to seek an appropriation for any revised request from the NRSD and any cuts we have to make to the Town budget to cover such a request.

The summary is just that; it is NOT what you are voting on, you vote on the MOTION!


Advisory Committee Comments & Recommendation:

This article is a contingent article, meaning it not only has to pass at Town Meeting, but an override ballot question must also pass at the annual Town election on May 20, 2019.

Advisory Committee recommends favorable action on this article. (5 yes – 1 no)

Recently received email from a Templeton Town team leader via a Town email address:

On one hand, an open forum is a good way to hear what people running for office have to say, one problem with this email is it does not include all who are running for office - while two candidates for selectmen are included, the third candidate is missing.
On the other hand, is it appropriate to use tax dollars to do this?

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Greetings,

Congratulations on your inclusion on Templeton’s Town Election ballot as a candidate for Town office. 

The Town of Templeton appreciates your willingness to serve our community and represent the residents of Templeton.

Templeton Community TV (TCTV), the Senior Citizens Community Center, and the Community Services Office will be hosting an   Election Forum 2019 on Saturday, May 11, from 4-6 pm at the Senior Center, Senior Drive, in Baldwinville.

We encourage your participation in this event to discuss your candidacy and to address any ballot issues and other important issues facing our Town and our people.

Each candidate will be allowed 5-10 minutes to address voters who are present. This is a wonderful opportunity to let the people of Templeton know about the issues and initiatives that motivate you, and the direction you feel our Town should take. You also should be prepared to answer questions from the audience and the event moderator.

As you know, participation in our civic affairs are critical today. Building our community stronger through participation starts with leaders like you. 

Election Forum 2019 will be recorded by TCTV for broadcast on Cable Channel 8 and YouTube, thereby reaching much wider audiences in Templeton. 

Let your voice be heard, so that you may inspire others.

Please respond by Tuesday, May 7, 2019 and let us know if you are available to participate in this important event, for the future of Templeton.

If you watched or plan on watching the Templeton Advisory Committee meeting of May 2, 2019, please be aware of a math error; discussion on a by-law change proposal, regarding zoning changes on Baldwinville Road, a 6 month time frame was brought up; the problem is we all failed third grade math! Meeting date referenced happened on December 11, 2018 and the 2019 annual town meeting is on May 15, 2019, that is 5 months rather than 6 months, so at least part of the MGL was met. Thought you should hear of this error from a member of Advisory Committee first. Best to be in front of mistakes rather than hope no one notices! I apologize for the error and any possible confusion, etc. The point concerning the 6 month time period came from a resident, whom I very much appreciate taking time to attend the meeting; but the mis count was not realized until today.

As an FYI, one of the parcels of land affected by the zoning change is owned by a member of the Templeton planning board.