What VADAR offers.

Provide better service to your constituents who can track, manage, and pay for utility services online

02

Access and analyze critical water and sewer usage and consumption data

03

Automatically produce integrated utility bills with combined receivable types (Water/ Sewer/ Stormwater/ Trash)

04

Add accounts, record meter readings, generate work order invoices, even track meter changes and “swap outs”

05

Reduce manual entry and the errors that come with it

06

And more

 

ATM - May 2025

Look at town meeting warrant, light commissioners elected salary.

Light $2550.00 each. Tempelton water commissioners elected salary $2550.00.

Sewer commissioners $3000.00 each

select board members $2550.00 each

Light commissioner and water commissioners are the same three people. Now, in MA, elected persons getting paid $5000.00 or more, are eligible to take part in town retirement system, which increases the cost of that (WCRR) Again, that is a Town cost and in the case of enterprise fund depts., which light & water are, those costs are passed on to rate payers. But the total WCRR is a line item in the town GF budget, the higher the cost, the more GF money goes there and is not available for other things.

This is simple fact information.

It is up to town meeting to vote those salaries/stipends, etc.

 So people, feelings on being asked for a 3-million-dollar override - increase in real estate taxes?

Using rounded numbers, every $1 increase in the tax rate adds roughly $1.1m in revenue. Adding $3 to the tax rate would add an additional $3.3m to the overall annual budget.

As an example of what this means, if a property was valued at $400k, the $3 increase would result in a $1,200 increase in that property's annual tax bill ($300 per quarterly billing).

Remember also that for the first year of an override , the additional money has to go to the stated purpose, then in following years, those extra dollars just get added to the pile on the table and can go towards anything. Roads in Templeton are much the same in other towns, terrible and even when paved, the important parts are left undone, drainage, water main, sidewalks, etc.

Planned timeline for Saturday meeting of Templeton Select Board on budget presentation.

8:00 AM: Development Services, Laurie Witta

8:30 AM: Public Works/Snow & Ice, Bob Szocik

9:15 AM: Fire/EMS/Ambulance, Chief Dave Dickie

10:00 AM: Emergency Management, Rich Curtis

10:30 AM: Sewer Department, Jeff Aldrich

11:00 AM: Parks & Recreation, Ken McClure

11:30 AM: Town Clerk, Carol Harris

Noon: Lunch Break

12:45 PM: Senior Services, Jackie Prime

1:15 PM: Library, Jackie Prime

1:45 PM: Veterans Department, Michelle Durkee

2:00 PM: Cable Department, Steve Castle

2:30 PM: Assessing, Justice Graves

3:00 PM: Treasurer/Collector/Debt, Cheryl Richardson

3:30 PM: Accounting, Amber Dupell

4:00 PM: Advisory Committee, Jackie Macomber

4:10 PM: Select Board/IT/Insurance, James Ryan

4:40 PM: General Discussion

5:00 PM: Planned Adjournmen

 How much revenue has Montachusett TV brought to Templeton?

An enterprise fund is supposed to function or pay for itself off of generated revenue. So, if revenue is around 100 thousand dollars per year, that should be the budget you live with!

 Time for Templeton to look at having a Town Charter, which is basically a legal document that outlines how the town will be run, who is elected and who is appointed and by whom, town charter generally creates a town manager position who is overseen by selectmen. Town charter results in a more centralized form of governance / efficient.

Also, senior tax work off amount should be set at the maximum amount allowed by statute, according to a policy adopted by the selectmen, again, following statute, in collaboration with council on aging. Seniors deserve that.