Templeton Capital Planning / Committee by-law:

I would think by the dollar amounts and time stated, this would include all road, building, sidewalk, drainage projects, they are infrastructure and one of the most important part of the operation of the town.

§ 9-8Duties and authority.

A. 

To facilitate the reasonable acquisition and replacement of capital items (defined as assets and projects with a useful life of five or more years and a cost of more than $10,000, but including items with an individual cost of less than $10,000 when purchased in bulk at a cost of more than $10,000), the Committee shall have the following duties and responsibilities:

(1) 

Annually collect all proposed capital improvements for the coming six years from all departments, on forms designed for that purpose.

(2) 

Consider all requests and the relative need and impact of these requests on the Town's financial position.

(3) 

Establish and annually update a five-year Capital Improvement Plan, based on this information.

(4) 

Annually prepare a report prioritizing capital needs for the coming fiscal year, and recommend a Capital Improvement Budget for that fiscal year.

(5) 

Submit this annual report, and its recommendations for purchases or improvements, to the Board for its consideration and approval as part of the annual budget planning process by January 1 of each year. A copy of said report shall also be filed with the Town Clerk and Advisory Committee.

B. 

It is the intent of this bylaw that all capital improvements, without regard to the source of funding, requested by a Town department or board shall be considered in the Committee's report before presentation to the Town for appropriation. If a requesting department shall not, for an unforeseen reason, have submitted its request for funding of a capital expenditure of the Committee during its annual review cycle, and such a request cannot, in its opinion, await the next annual review cycle, the department shall promptly submit the request to the Committee for consideration. In such an event, the Committee shall meet expeditiously to consider the matter and file a supplemental report as set forth above before any vote for appropriation takes place on the omitted request

Assessor: Received notification from DOR DLS for the setting of the tax rate. The rate for FY20 is $16.83, 41 cents lower than last year’s rate of $17.24. However, Real Estate values are up this year 8% to 20%. Much of the week was spent transferring files into the billing program, assessing light, sewer & trash liens, Title V and Sewer Betterments and yearly exemptions. The commitments and invoicing were done, and the files were sent to the Tax Collector to export out to the billing company. An additional motor vehicle billing was sent out from the RMV for the final one of 2019. With the new updated system at RMV this was sent as a test run for billing before the major billing the end of January. The commitment was done, bills were printed and given to the Tax Collector to mail out Tuesday. A reminder to residents, if you have not filed for your real estate exemptions, you still may, however, once approved the credit will go towards your 4th quarter tax bill. Form ABC’s (for non-profits), Income & Expense Reports and Forms of Lists are ready to be mailed out for the January 1 date. Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and happy, healthy New Year!

Facebook © 2019

Town of Hubbardston
July 26, 2018 ·
Town of Warren to join Rutland dispatch center

HUBBARDSTON — Town officials have ap­­proved the Rutland Reg­ional Emergency Com­munication Center’s plan to add the town of Warren to the center, which will save Hubbard­ston thousands of dollars.

Currently, the Com­munication Center serves Barre, Oakham, Rutland and Hubbardston.

However, it will expand to include Warren starting in January, which will save Hubbardston roughly $18,000 a year. Currently, the town spends $134,241 on dispatch, but after the savings begin the town will spend $116,502.

“There are no known drawbacks to adding Warren,” Director of Communications Michael Moriarty said. “There won’t be any change in service to any of the towns, and Hubbardston will have the same service.”

In order to address the additional calls, the Communication Center is hiring additional dispatchers in order to assure no change in service with the addition of Warren.

“We are happy to be realizing long-term savings due to the addition of Warren into RECC,” Board of Selectmen Chairman Dan Galante said. “We feel as though we vetted it thoroughly and asked all of the necessary questions to make sure the citizens of Hubbardston are unaffected by this merger.”

Hubbardston was the last town to approve Warren into the center.

With Warren added, the current capacity of the facility will be maxed out, but the center is still looking at options to allow future expansions that could save the towns even more money.

“We are looking at new locations to continue to grow,” Moriarty said. “The building next door to us actually, if we move into that
we will be able to hold even more towns.”

With each town that is added to the center, there will be more overall savings for the towns already participating.

The Communications Center has also found additional savings in switching to Swift 911, swapping out Code Red, for recorded mass emergency calls. Swift 911 offers the same townwide calling services that CodeRed does, for about $7,000 less to the cost of each town using the center.

With Swift 911, the town is able to make wide-ranging calls for a number of scenarios, notably emergencies like floods or serious crime, but Swift 911 will also allow people to sign up for specific call lists, so they can be notified about non-emergencies like town meetings as well.

I would think that an F.B.I. academy graduate would know or could figure out it is more important to have police officers available, as in the realistic total number required for true safety of all (police and residents) rather than try to maintain the old guard of two departments when in fact one could be moved or reworked for the betterment of the the Town as a whole. Again, it all comes down to funding and looking at one of the objectives of prop 2 1/2: better, more efficient government. When is that going to happen?

Templeton special town election, June 11, 2007, voters approve an override of $735,700.00 to fund the operating budget of Narragansett school district.

Templeton special town election, October 15, 2013, voters approve an override of $620,000.00, of which $550,459.00, went to funding the Narragansett school district budget.

What will happen in 2020; override, another 1/12 budget, possible more town cuts? Another roller coaster financial year and some of that can be traced back to May, 2019, when the select board voted to spend over 60 thousand dollars of your tax money so Hubbardston could get their accounting service done for 37 thousand dollars (the amount Hubbardston is paying Templeton this year) One reason given for this is to hopefully entice Hubbardston to move their dispatch service to Templeton from Rutland. Would that be a bribe like move??

Time to stop all the bullshit, face reality and selectmen need to do what is best for Templeton and yes, that means from a financial stand point. After all, it is all about the dollars. Why people go to New Hampshire to shop, avoid sales tax. Why do people fudge (cheat) on taxes, why do people shop online, why do people push for college? It is all about the money, save or spend less, make more, etc. Nobody wants to invest in a company that spends more to make less, you would not put your retirement dollars in a company like that, so why do you want your money spent like that?? The town administrator put it in front of the selectmen, he made a pitch for it, but they ultimately voted for it, signed off on it and made that dumb move. They even sat their and touted how good things were/are and how great a job they had done / were doing. Since you do not show for meetings, they assume you do not care, that is the message I have heard either being at or watching selectmen meetings in the past (pre May 2019)

Look at Scout Hall and you tell me how great they were.

You might not hear this from a selectmen meeting because the board of selectmen representative to capital planning, selectmen Richards, has been absent from many capital planning meetings.
One proposal on the table is for highway to trade in excavator towards purchase of new backhoe. Trade in allowance for excavator listed at $85,000.00 (it cost new in 2014 at around 200 thousand) quite the loss (it was bought new by way of trade in of old excavator and chapter 90 money or commonly known as road funds) My thought on excavator was it was dumb move on part of selectmen to approve purchase of excavator in first place.

So, now , you the taxpayer and hopefully town meeting attendee, will be asked to decide if this is a good move or not.

Recoup legal costs??? Templeton?

THOL DAILY NEWS

Published: 12/13/2019 6:44:44 AM

Modified: 12/13/2019 6:44:29 AM

ATHOL – The Finance and Warrant Advisory Committee gave its stamp of approval on a plan, developed by Town Manager Shaun Suhoski in consultation with other town officials, to distribute funds paid to the town under the community host agreements approved by the Selectboard and signed by the owners of the various marijuana businesses set to open.

Those funds, which will be paid annually over a five-year period, are in addition to the 3 percent sales tax to be paid to the town on an ongoing basis.

The plan calls for 30 percent of non-tax revenues to go to “other post-employment benefits,” 30 percent to the Capital Stabilization Fund, 30 percent to downtown infrastructure costs and 10 percent to drug prevention, education, training, and prevention programs. Payments are to equal 3 percent of gross revenue of the respective businesses.

Suhoski told the committee at Tuesday’s meeting, “I’ve looked at everybody that has a special permit and a host community agreement, and... we have six entities, and one that’s proposed. That one will be before the Board of Selectmen on Dec. 17. They’ve received their special permit from the Planning Board and will be coming before the board for their host community agreement.”

“We made a point of coming up with a template (for the host community agreement) which we think will substantially withstand any challenges,” said Suhoski. “I’m sure our agreements are square with the law. There was an inclusion by the Board of Selectmen of a mandatory charitable donation. Fortunately, the town does not decide. It’s up to the companies to decide.”

Suhoski also explained that, early in the process, the town had hired a zoning consultant, at taxpayer expense, and noted there had been town counsel expenses “above and beyond the norm.” To cover those expenses, cannabis businesses have been required to make a one-time payment ranging from $5,000 to $20,000. He said those payments have gradually decreased because the volume of related work has also diminished.

The town manager also updated the committee on the status of the various marijuana related business, noting that MassGrow, located in the former UTD building, has received its state license and has begun cultivating cannabis, while the others are at different points along the approval process.

Committee member Mike Butler asked if the distribution plan complies with state guidelines for the use of the funds in question.

“I think they do,” Suhoski responded. “The 3 percent has to be related to the presumptively negative impact of the industry upon the communities that allow this new industry into the community.”

Following brief additional discussion, the Finance and Warrant Advisory Committee voted unanimously to endorse the cannabis revenue distribution plan presented by Suhoski.

Same shit, different town:

For Athol Daily News

Published: 12/14/2019 6:55:34 AM

ROYALSTON – Following a lengthy discussion, Royalston Selectboard and Sewer Commission voted to set sewer rates for the 55 residences tied into the municipal sewer system.

The move comes several months later than normal. Much of the discussion revolved around exactly who should be sending the bills.

Bills for the first half of the fiscal year were sent in September by the town’s Tax Collector, Beck Kraue-Hardie, who is responsible for collecting personal and property taxes, as well as some other municipal fees.

Selectboard member Roland Hamel said, “She can’t do it all. Under the Selectboard, we have the Department of Public Works, which the treatment plant falls under, and the director has an administrative assistant who, if we could offer her more hours, could be responsible for the sewer billing.”

“The reason the collector does the sewer bills,” said Commissioner Gary Winitzer, “is because of the town bylaws, which defines the duties of the tax collector, who is responsible for ‘collecting all fines, fees, and other receipts of the town.’ So, you can say she shouldn’t have to do it but that’s what the job is by bylaw.”

“In the town bylaw,” commission Chair Marie Mello interjected, “it says she collects the money. Well, she would still be collecting the sewer money, it’s just that someone else should be sending out the bills.”

Once the rancor had subsided, the Selectboard and Sewer Commission voted to officially establish the rates for the year. Residents tied into the sewer system are charged based on how many toilets, or units, are in their household. The rate was set at $738 per unit. Senior citizens on the system receive a 15 percent discount.

Because first-half bills were already sent out, those for the remainder of the year will be adjusted to reflect the rate established.

It was ultimately determined that it would be too late to change the bylaw or assign the duty of sending out the bills for the second half of the fiscal year to someone else.

There was also some heat generated over the commission’s failure to send out a so-called commitment letter confirming the sewer department budget, which had been set at just over $70,000 by Town Meeting voters.

The letter would normally have been sent in September. However, Wednesday night’s meeting was the commission’s first since June.

Addressing her comments to Winitzer, Selectboard member Chris Long said, “If this letter should have gone out in September then you, as outgoing chair, should have helped the incoming chair to understand that. The incoming chair doesn’t automatically get information conferred upon her about what’s supposed to happen. You had an obligation to inform the rest of the committee about what was supposed to happen.”

Winitzer defended himself by noting a final budget wasn’t approved by Town Meeting until October.

“How are we supposed to commit when you’re going to have a special Town Meeting in October?” he asked. “In order to do the commitment it has to be approved by Town Meeting.”

Mello provided documents indicating that $44,895 of the annual $70,203 budget has been expended since the start of the fiscal year July 1.

The life of the Sewer Commission, meantime, is running out. Earlier this year, residents voted to abolish the commission. The move requires approval of the State Legislature. Thus far, the measure has been approved by the Massachusetts House and now awaits action in the Senate. Once the legislation has been enacted and signed by the governor, the Selectboard will serve as the town’s sewer commission.