The following is from an article on the MMA web site.

Late last month, Gov. Charlie Baker submitted his $42.7 billion fiscal 2020 state budget plan to the Legislature, proposing a spending blueprint that would increase overall state expenditures by 1.5 percent, as the Administration deals with slow revenue growth by restraining most spending across the board and placing an estimated $297 million into the state’s rainy day fund.

A centerpiece of the administration’s budget (House 1) is a seven-year plan to respond to calls for a significant reinvestment in Chapter 70 education aid, after years of below-maintenance increases in state education funding. In spite of a tightly capped property tax, low state aid has led cities and towns to spend more than $2 billion above the prescribed local contribution to schools. Communities have done this by cutting support for core non-school services, such as public works and public safety, and by increasing reliance on the already overburdened property tax. This has created chronic fiscal stress and painful decisions in communities across the state

Under House 1, 183 cities, towns and regional districts would be stuck at a meager $20-per-student minimum aid increase. That means 57 percent of all school districts – ranging from rural districts in western Massachusetts to our capital city of Boston – would continue a slow fiscal decline, affecting hundreds of thousands of students

House 1 would also level-fund regional transportation reimbursements at $68.9 million and transportation for homeless students (McKinney-Vento) at $9.1 million. This would be a hardship for virtually all communities in regional districts and those that transport homeless students who remain sheltered in hotels and motels

Another year of failure from the governor's office. It will be interesting to see what the legislature does on these issues.

Posted on the website of the Division of Local Services (DLS) is the December report of meals tax distribution. Templeton is listed as receiving 13,370.00. Report from town accountant shows amount to be $13,369.91. That amount plus the previous $4,384.31 = $17,754.22 in meals tax dollars to Templeton.

The magic number is $42,000.00 for the year (fiscal year)

from the 2nd quarter financial report of the town accountant:

Revenue Trends:
General fund revenues as a whole are doing ok, we are at 45% of budget, so under where we should be, but we have taken in a large amount of revenue the first part of January. I think will more than make up the 5%. As we have now received two of the meals tax payments, it shows we are on target or even higher for the $42,000.00 budgeted for revenue.

Town needs to receiver at least $12,000.00 for the next two cycles to hit just under $42,000.00:

$42,000.00 minus $17,754.22 + $24,245.00. 

Also, stated in 2nd quarter report is the Veterans benefits fund will need a transfer of up to $20,000.00 end of year. This will involve the Advisory Committee if the selectmen / Town Administrator do in fact request end of year financial transfers to fix their budget short falls, again! Sure glad we have all these good numbers. Little ole appointed people to the rescue again! Bailing out that superior elected board is a full time job.

PHILLIPSTON — Town officials are investigating the managerial practices of the Fire Department, as well as examining two computers which have not been working properly since about the time a number of people resigned from the department following sexual harassment allegations.

The Board of Selectmen has hired Gardner City Solicitor John Flick to investigate the Fire Department following ongoing internal reports of missing equipment, missing files and altered reports.

Reports about these concerns, according to Chief Administrative Officer Kevin Flynn, had been coming to town officials prior to the recent resignation of staffers of the Fire Department following allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination from Capt. John Seamon Jr.

“The board was aware of things going on at station of concern, but they didn’t talk about it much in public,” Flynn said. “More has been brought to our attention since then. ... There’s missing equipment, reports that have been altered and bills that date back several years that haven’t been paid. With advice from Town Counsel and talking with insurance, we are hiring John Flick to do an investigative study on management practices in the department and how it’s been running the past few years.”

Flick is expected to begin his investigation next week, and will wrap up his work by the end of February.

“He expects to spend a few weeks interviewing folks, going through files,” Flynn said. “We promised him he has access to employees, our records and files and anything he needs. ... At some point the board will release what they find unless there is something criminal in there.”

The town will also be having forensic analysts come in to investigate two computers in the Fire Department that have had issues since the employees resigned at the end of December.

“Since the folks left the department we have had trouble getting access to computers and getting computers to work, and getting files to work,” Flynn said. “We contacted our insurance company, and they are providing a forensic team that is going to examine the computers.”

The computers in question are located in the Fire Department administrative assistant’s office, as well as the chief’s office. Both offices are typically locked, and are usually only accessed by the chief and administrative assistant.

One computer appears to have all of its files missing, while the other computer will not even turn on.

“They are sending a forensic team to examine the computers and hard drives and find out what is the problem,” Flynn said. “We use those computers to keep track of billing, fire runs, ambulance runs and reports. That will be paid for by our insurance.”

The resignations in the Fire Department happened following allegations that Capt. John Seamon Jr. was sexually harassing a new employee who had yet to start the job, as well as firefighter Amanda Griffith. Numerous other firefighters and Administrative Assistant Kristin Stanley resigned, as well as firefighter Anthony Jones, who resigned after his own issues with what he claimed were Seamon’s alleged dangerous and harassment practices at work.

The town initially refused to comment on the allegations following advice from their lawyers, but Board of Selectmen Chairman John Telepciak read a statement regarding the allegations at the most recent meeting.

“The Selectboard Office received a complaint from one individual regarding an incident with another individual in the Fire Department. They were the only two individuals involved in the complaint. There were no other witnesses to the alleged incident,” Telepciak said. “The complaint was investigated in accordance with Town policy. The parties were offered the opportunity to meet individually and confidentially with the Selectboard in Executive Session. The complainant declined the offer. The Selectboard reviewed the matter in Executive Session and took what it deemed appropriate action. The matter is now closed.”

The town has begun to hire replacements for the staff that resigned, and appointed Jack Seamon, the Capt.’s father as a driver, as well as firefighter Rob Smith. The town will be posting the other positions over time.

The town is also looking at finding a permanent new fire chief. While Chief Richard Stevens was away on medical leave, he had announced his retirement for early February, due to ongoing health issues.

Interim Fire Chief John Duguay is doing well according to Flynn, but is looking to retire and will not take a permanent full-time chief position.

“We cannot speak on it too much, but we wish Stevens well. It can be tough and we hope the best for him,” Flynn said.

At this point in time, what could possibly be any benefit to Templeton in merging ambulance service with Phillipston? What possible benefit to Templeton taxpayers exist regarding merging anything involving fire / ambulance services from Phillipston with Templeton? 

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING BOARD OF SEWER COMMISSIONERS
33 RESERVOIR STREET BALDWINVILLE, MA 01436
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2019 4:30 P.M.

CALL TO ORDER
PLEDGE
REVIEW AND SIGN MEETING MINUTES
REVIEW AND SIGN VENDOR WARRANTS

NEW BUSINESS:

1. Board of Selectmen and Town Administrator withholding all Sewer Department Non-Union Employee raises. These raises were budgeted, approved by the Board of Sewer Commission and Voter approved at Annual Town Meeting.

2. Admin. Asst. Correct Pay Rate still being withheld by Town Administrator and Board of Selectmen.

3. Discuss Warrant Article for ATM

4. Review Annual Report

5. Discuss Union Negotiations 


OLD BUSINESS:
1. Pleasant Street pump station update

SECRETARY REPORT:
1. Budget to Actuals
SUPERINTENDENT REPORT:
1. Legal invoice issue
2. SBR Mixer break down

TO: Board of Selectmen
FROM: Carter Terenzini, Town Administrator
RE: Administrator’s Weekly Report
DATE: January 31, 2019
CC: All Departments

Weekly Report: We participated in the Moody’s Credit rating conference. We expect to have the actual rating in hand early next week though it may be a few weeks longer until we have all of their rationale. I attended the public meeting on improving Town Meeting attendance. We will get those minutes up on the web site in the next few days. We have been advised by Phillipston they have signed off on the Community Compact Fire Study so we will proceed to file that early next week. They have also signed off on the dispatch IMA subject to review by their town counsel. We had a second round of budget reviews. We opened the proposals on the revaluation (there was only one). They have been referred to the Board of Assessors for review and may be viewed there if you are interested. This will be an item for action on 02/13 although it may be the evening of 02/12 before we can get the BoA memo of advice out to to you. Please remember to send me items of concern if you have not yet had a chance to review the DPW CBAs.


CBA: = collective bargaining agreement / union contract.

Administration & Finance Town Accountant: Nothing reported?

from an email of the Town Administrator:
STM article 13 of the special town meeting, the town voted to appropriate $15,000 to the highway department; the accountant in error put it to the B & G and it has now been corrected.

Why is something like this not reported? There had to be some activity in the town accountant office.
I mean selectmen Brooks all but demanded departments respond to the weekly report, stating that there has to be some business being conducted and should be reported; on this, we agree on!

Note; the above mention error is one of many small errors made over the past several years. While looking ahead, one always should look in the mirror, at the past, to ensure the same miss-steps are not being repeated.

From: Terenzini, Carter <cterenzini@TempletonMA.gov>
Sent: Monday, January 28, 2019 5:54 PM
To: Caplis, John; Morrison, Doug; Diane Haleybrooks; Richard, Julie
Cc: Jeff Bennett (j_bennett506@hotmail.com)
Subject: Credit Rating Call

 

Good Day:

Kelli, Cheryl, Adam, Tony R., Mary C. of Hilltop Securities and I had our rating call with Moody’s mid-day and I think it went very well.  They seemed impressed with the turnaround of the Town’s finances and the adoption of formal financial management policies which put in place – together with a coherent and knowledgeable staff- a solid infrastructure which should keep the Town on a solid footing going forward. 

I don’t want to get too hopeful but… I am thinking we may exceed my original prediction of a Baa rating.  Please light a candle and keep your fingers crossed. 😊

We expect to receive a press release from them early next week that we will have an opportunity to review for errors of fact and then – possibly by mid week – our rating will go public.  The formal packet of how they got to the rating will probably lag by a few weeks. 

We will keep you and the AC posted.

Excellent, the Town will now have a decent bond rating, just in time for new school borrowing to hit tax rte at same time the probable tax override to fund school operating budget comes on. Now if the interest rates hold, Templeton residents will have that elusive tax rate of $20.00 per thousand that John Caplis likes to talk about. Perhaps the tax rate will even be larger?

Watching a selectmen meeting of November 28, 2016, yes, 2016, in which then chaiman of the Board, John Caplis stated the advisory committee put out some inaccurate and unauthorized information to town meeting (special Town Meeting of October 20, 2016). John Caplis further stated that all information for Town Meeting has to be approved by Town Moderator per Town by-laws. So I went and checked; no surprise, no such by-law nor section of any town by-law states that.

Article II - Town Meeting of Templeton by-laws states:
Section 17. The most current issue of TOWN MEETING TIME is to be considered the general guideline for all procedures of town meetings, except those procedures already provided for by the by-laws. Amended 10-15-82

No where in Town Meeting times could I find any such wording that gives Town Moderator control over what materials people may bring into town meeting, other than tobacco and concealed alcohol.

At a selectmen workshop, former BOS member John Columbus made a similar statement concerning Advisory Committee putting out unauthorized information. John Columbus should have woke up enough to read town by-laws and state law: Advisory Committee is directed to give a report to Town Meeting regarding any recommendations they may have on articles of the warrant for town meeting.

This means rather than putting out unauthorized information or not getting permission, the Advisory Committee was actually doing it's job, per state law and Town by-laws, which come from a vote of Town Meeting. Advisory Committee did what is was directed to do!

This was the beginning of the "assault" on the Advisory Committee by the Board of Selectmen, in my opinion. That assault has not ended yet, again, in my opinion. But you can watch the movie and decide.