Looking at the financial structure of the Templeton building department shows that for another year, the department is running in the red. Annual report of 2011 shows (page 15) that the total permit fees collected for the year is/was $23,347.00. The expenses listed for the department shows commissioner salary at $38,033.60, secretary salary at $24,196.68, office supplies at $1,900.00 and post office at $410.00 for a total of $64,640.38 - fees at $23,347.00 = $41,293.38. Taxpayers spent 41 grand to take in 23 grand.
That does not include mileage for travel, electric costs, the times when people have tried to meet with the inspector and he is no where to be found. That does not include the cost of medical insurance and pension (worcester regional retirement board) My opinion is for the cost of the inspectors salary, Templeton could possibly regionalize with Gardner and save those expenses. Benefits, office supplies, secretary salary and office expenses, the savings could be applied to other areas, stabilization fund, equipment purchase etc etc. This would happen with no cut in service nor no tax increase. Simply by cutting expenses, money would be available to do other things with it. The tax rate stays, town budget stays same, you just now have these expense funds that are free for other things. A truck for highway with no override or debt exclusion, it is called better management of what you have, smarter operation by looking out for the taxpayer rather than yourself. By regionalization of some departments or positions, hours could be restored to 40 and or money for step increases of equipment purchases or money put aside until a plan and structure in place then proceed. Again, this is simple better management of what you have to save taxpayer funds. Rather than grow government on the backs of taxpayers, do more with less and look out for them rather than looking on how to create positions to promote favors and ability to call in those favors for power and political gain. Hopefully keep pay for politicians off the table so you get people who actually volunteer to help the town (taxpayer) rather than to get on the retirement wagon on the backs of the taxpayers, the very people you claim to run so you can help them. As my good buddy shaun grimley wrote in the gardner news a few years back, "Mr. Bennett should get involved and volunteer instead of just opposing everything" I hope shaun appreciates I took his suggestion!
Jeff Bennett
Be careful what you wish for Mr. Grimley hah! At this point, I think we could regionalize with a town in Wisconsin and have a better chance of actually seeing the inspector in his office.
ReplyDeleteThe big building boom is long gone. The need for the services of a full time person to do inspections is gone along also. Jeff is absolutely right. There is no money in our bank. We can't pad anything for anyone. It seems the old feeling "if the money is there, we will spend it" can't fly anymore. Extra money needs to go into stabelization accounts. I still have not heard where we are going to get the money to pay the interest on that loan for 252 Bald. Rd., from ?
ReplyDeleteIt will take awhile for people to readjust their thinking. Planning and public debate about regionalization will give people the information they need to either support regionalization or resist regionalization. I think starting off with smaller projects like the ACO with Gardner is a step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteI believe the formation of a DPW in Templeton would be beneficial, but we need to run the numbers. People need to be able to have input into the process which takes time.
Regionalizing the building department may be the way to go. I think we need a cost/benefit analysis and some public input to make it a reality. The one thing I know for certain is that we, as a town, can not keep doing business the same way. Times have changed and we need to change with the times and learn to live within our means. There will be no more bailouts at the Federal level, state level or local level(via overrides).
We need to analyze how we got to this crossroad. I think the town took on too much debt too quickly and the size of government grew too fast. If you were in favor with the Skeltons, you got a cushy job like affordable housing, con comm pay raise, attempt this year to vote on a contract for building inspector at ATM by CS. Three secretaries at BOS office? Spend lots of money on "managing" stormwater - here's a newsflash! Water flows downhill! The Skelton solution - go for an override. Apply (without authority) for a 40 year USDA loan...like 252 Baldwinville road....like water department debt...like water department salaries.
It took a while to get to this point, it will take time and professional management (Mr. Ritter) to correct the financial problems in town.
Just my opinions
Someone told me something very disturbing, a while back. I was in relation to 252 Bald, Rd. I said "we as a town, could not afford it". I was told "it did not matter!" "People always pay their taxes!" So, if they stick it down your throat, by not taking it to town meeting, or puting on a ballot, when you are not looking, you will get over it. What are you going to do about it? As a tax payer you have no choice, you have to pay your taxes, you always do. These people have a sick way of doing business. I am waiting for the followers from the Lions Club to wake up, and really see what their friends have done. The town departments are going to suffer for a long time, because what these people have done in the last ten years. My opinion, Bev.
DeleteWhatever happened to the government study committee? That group seemed to fall apart once Columbus/Wilder/Mullins came on board. Would this be a group that could do analysis or would that mission fall on the Advisory Board? The Brookfields have regionalized personnel and legal counsel. Many other towns have a DPW. So, there is info out there about how towns have made the leap into regionalization/consolidation. Wasn't Light/Water/Sewer/Highway once under the same umbrella a while back? Like late 80s early 90s?
ReplyDeleteAlso, could the Community Preservation Committee use funding to buy the baptist church in Baldwinville and fix it up 1) to preserve a historical building; 2) to use as a meeting space for town committee meetings, scouts, classes, and other community-based gatherings? Since 690 Patriots Rd is not a real town hall and cannot accommodate large crowds for meetings, would it be beneficial to the community to have a large space to use for such affairs?
If I check my Communist Manifesto and this here new Agenda 21 material we should be adding more people to the town payroll so we can increase my taxes so I can't afford to live on my land. If I didn't need a new hip I could by a bicycle and live next to the train station so I could get to work and live with everybody else who lost their property to high taxes and a mortgage that couldn't be paid. Thanks for lookin after all of us Mr. Bennet.
ReplyDelete