What I sent to school committee regarding their budget meeting, which I am told, was read into the record. Sent as a private resident: I would opine to the committee that it vote a budget that fully funds what is needed/wanted by the school committee, without using E&D funds. Templeton has a town financial policy that states one time money will not be used to support reoccurring expenses, also, town will not budget in one year at expense of future years. I would like to see a school budget that does not use E&D funds to balance it. Inmy opinion, doing so puts the following years in jeopardy as that money will have to be found the next budget cycle. Most know there are issues with state funding formula and cities/towns fund around 60% of education needs and that is an issue that needs correcting. That said, please put forward a budget that does not create larger issues down the road, as kicking it down the road does not help anyone, it just puts off inevitable and it gets harder as the number / dollar figure grows from one year to the next. I believe I follow the dollars as much as many and more than others, it is all there "on paper" for all to see, if one takes the time to look, which we should all do! Thank You.

regards,

Jeff Bennett

77 Partridgeville Road, Templeton, MA 01468

 Communication from town, all is well financially.

Facts on the ground:

Selectmen get paid, moderator will get paid, advisory wants to get paid and we need to take money out of the town general stabilization fund to cover costs of snow & ice? If I recall, at the end of November 2022 special town meeting, there was over 500 thousand dollars in so called free cash.

My opinion, no way should town meeting approve using general stabilization money to pay for a recurring expense. It requires a 2/3 vote to take money out of the stabilization fund.

 Before we go taking on animal shelter to convert to office space, how about we finish Stone Bridge, Main Street bridge (the one that was supposed to be 75% design complete back in 2020) Scout Hall (decide what we are going to use it for) the cupola on town hall (perhaps waiting for it to fall off roof) finish building at gilman waite. We also need to see what the result of one million dollars of tax dollars is, going into the rehab of the old Baldwinville school. I believe there is a proposal of another 80 thousand dollars of tax dollars going into Grange Hall for the upcoming annual town meeting. Yeah, CPA / CPC money comes from tax dollars, as in a 3% surcharge on your real estate, so that is tax dollars.

What is the need or want to put the building currently occupied by Ahisma over to DPW? Office space, space for employees? What is the plan, how much money? If say space for lunch with micro, fridge, table & chairs etc., perhaps a small office trailer or a converted 20 foot container would work and be less money and would allow Ahisma to stay. That building was constructed by volunteers with donated materials and expertise for a purpose and it was not office space for DPW.

 

from Templeton town website.

INTRODUCTION

In accordance with its role as the executive body, the Select Board (the “Board”) has the authority to adopt statements of policy to order its affairs and guide the administrative

functions of the corporate body politic of the Town of Templeton (the “Town”).

These polices are adopted to guide the Town in ensuring the growing and continued financial health of the Town, provide the public with confidence that Town officials seriously respect

their responsibility for fiscal stewardship, and to demonstrate to bond rating agencies that the Town has thoughtfully prepared for its future They are intended to be a living tool and

shall be reviewed by the Town Administrator and designated staff on an annual basis and updated as necessary. Suggested revisions shall be submitted to the Select Board for

consideration and adoption with the annual budget message submitted by the Town Administrator or as needed by changes in statute or regulation.

The Town will not use budgetary procedures that balance the budget at the expense of future years,

such as postponing or deferring payment of expenses already incurred, accruing future year

revenues, or rolling over short-term debt to avoid making principal payments.

The Town will not balance the budget by using one-time or other nonrecurring revenues to fund ongoing expenditures, except in the event of an emergency or extraordinary or unforeseen events.

If extraordinary or unforeseen events necessitate a budget in which current revenues are less than current expenditures, and which thus relies one-time revenues to balance, the Board and the Town

Administrator shall provide along with the budget a plan to return to a structurally balanced budget in no more than three years.

The Town budget shall also reasonably support a financially-sound operating position by maintaining reserves for emergencies and providing sufficient liquidity to pay bills on time and

avoid revenue anticipation borrowing. (See also C. Reserve Funds/Fund Balance Policies.)

While state law allows for incurring expense without enough appropriation in several instances, snow & ice being one of them, if you are going to put a policy in place, it should be followed. There is enough recent data, financially history to show 147 or even 150 thousand dollars is not enough to cover yearly costs of snow & ice for the town of Templeton. So, so far, no 3 year plan to get out of using free cash to cover expense of snow removal on town roads, town budget is being "balanced" at the expense of future years, using one time to cover recurring expense (so called free cash to cover snow & ice expense) 5 years of snow& ice deficit spending with no 3 year plan to stop it. Town meeting attendees need to be aware of this policy, the action on snow & ice and ask the questions of where is the 3 year plan and why do we keep underfunding snow & ice? If professional staff will not follow policies of the town, how can people be expected to follow town bylaws? Again, when you consistently have a million dollars left over from a previous year, please do not tell me you cannot properly fund snow & ice where it needs to be, at least 300 thousand dollars. My opinion based on financial records and town meeting articles.

 email today concerning City of Gardner, MA sewer sludge project.

Paula referred you question to me to assist you.  The City of Gardner has submitted a WP33 permit application to MassDEP proposing to to expand the sludge landfill.  All of the information on the permit application may be found on line at this link:  Search EEA Projects (state.ma.us).  Type in “Gardner Sludge Landfill” into the Site Name/Location Name to locate the record.  There is a document in the record (Appendix G of the Engineering Report) that identifies the location of any wells.

 

The project is subject to Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) and the City of Gardner needs to submit an Environmental Notification Form (ENF) and obtain a final MEPA Certificate from the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs before MassDEP can issue any permits for the work.  The public will have the opportunity to provide comments during the MEPA review and also during the permit review.  We are uncertain when the City will file the ENF.  MassDEP’s technical review of the permit is on hold pending the completion of the MEPA process. 

 

A Notice of Intent has been filed with the Gardner Conservation Commission for the work and was issued MassDEP File Number 160-0654.  The Gardner Conservation Commission has not completed their review, so we have not received an Order of Conditions from them yet.  The Order of Conditions may be appealed by eligible parties within 10 business days of issuance for issues related to compliance with the Wetlands Protection Act and regulations.

 

Boston staff and Solid Waste Program staff are assisting CERO with the review of this project.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions and will try to assist you in answering your questions.  Also please let me know if you have any difficulty accessing the on line file.

 

Thank you.

 

Marielle Stone

Deputy Regional Director

Bureau of Water Resources

MassDEP - Central Regional Office

8 New Bond Street

Worcester, MA 01606

Cell:  508 713 3528

 

While you are thinking on how to pay for Christmas, Templeton had a potential to collect $11,405,047.00 in real estate taxes. (budget book fy23 page 23) FY23 school district expense for the town of Templeton shown as $7,322,433.00 (fy23 budget book page 278)

Town employee health insurance and retirement costs equal about 2.5 million dollars. So there is quick and dirty math on where your real estate taxes go.

FY23 budget book, page 137 (revised) shows Templeton snow & ice budget is funded on average 100 thousand dollars less than what it should be. The next town meeting, May 2023, meeting members should insist on a snow & Ice budget of at least 250 thousand dollars. When a town deficit spends snow & Ice, think charge it and eventually town has to find the money to cover the bills. Not smart.

Same thing with leasing for things, it just creates future debt obligation and takes away tax dollars that could be used for roads, drains, sidewalks, etc. Why is there no capital requests for roads, drains, sidewalks, etc.? 

 from DOR/DLS.

DOR = Department of Revenue.

DLS = Division of Local Services.

Lastly, amendments in 2003 to Ch. 40, Sec 5b allow a municipality to establish special purpose stabilization funds and to build balances in them through a type of override,

which also has characteristics of a debt exclusion. Through initial approval, by two thirds vote, of town meeting (and the selectmen), a city council or a town council, a referendum can be placed before the voters asking whether to raise tax revenue, by

majority vote, above Proposition 2½ limits for the purpose of the stabilization fund. In succeeding years, solely through an annual vote of the selectmen, city council or town

council, the override can be continued, lowered or deferred entirely and resumed, or not, in a later year. Like an override, the additional tax can continue year-after-year without town-wide or city-wide referendum votes beyond the year of inception and, each

year, the amount available to be raised increases by 2½ percent. However, like an exclusion under Proposition 2½, the levy limit increase need not be permanent. It can be discontinued in any year.

MA general law chapter 40, section 5b: Section 5B. Cities, towns and districts may create 1 or more stabilization funds and appropriate any amount into the funds. Any interest shall be added to and become part of the fund.

At the time of creating any stabilization fund the city, town or district shall specify, and at any later time may alter, the purpose of the fund, which may be for any lawful purpose, including without limitation, an approved school project pursuant to chapter 70B or any other purpose for which the city, town or district may lawfully borrow money. The specification and any alteration of purpose, and any appropriation of funds from any such fund, shall be approved by a two-thirds vote, except as provided in paragraph (g) of section 21C of chapter 59 for a majority referendum vote. Subject to said section 21C of said chapter 59, any such vote shall be of the legislative body of the city, town or district, subject to charter.

(Templeton does not have a charter)

If a question as aforesaid shall provide for assessing taxes for the purpose of funding a stabilization fund established pursuant to section 5B of chapter 40, the assessors shall in each successive fiscal year assess property taxes for the same purpose in an amount equal to 102.5 per cent of the amount assessed in the next preceding year in which additional taxes were assessed for such purpose, but only if the local appropriating authority votes by a 2/3 vote to appropriate such increased amount in such year for such purpose. The voters of the city or town, by majority vote at a referendum, may alter the purpose of a stabilization fund or authorize the assessment of such additional property taxes for another purpose. In any year in which the local appropriating authority does not vote to appropriate such amount as aforesaid, the total property tax levy for such year shall be reduced by the amount that could otherwise have been assessed, so that such additional taxes may not be assessed for any other purpose. The maximum levy limit under paragraph (f) shall not be affected by any such reduction in the levy for such year.