Paul working for you.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Taxpayers of Templeton need clarification:
I see on the blog there is mention of Virginia Wilder trying to make a deal with Kopelman & Paige about their final legal bill. Now whether this is true or not, I believe someone needs to ask selectmen, as in each individual selectmen, if they have looked at the Templeton by-laws? Secondly, do the selectmen feel the by-laws are enforceable and should they be followed by the selectmen? I have been known to look at them and read from them at meetings from time to time and I firmly believe they should be followed by the selectmen. So my next point would be to ask each selectmen what is a settlement? I am harping on this because if true, this would the latest of multiple instances of the same selectmen violating a town by-law. That would be the one about settlements going before town meeting when the settlement will exceed a certain amount. This is on the town's website under town by-laws. Yes I am asking all of you to look this up and read it for yourselves. Part of responsibility of being a citizen and resident of Templeton. My point is if Kopelman & Paige sent Templeton a bill, regardless of any statement about working within the confines of any legal budget, and a selectmen tries to "make a deal" that is reach a settlement, that would again be violating a Templeton by-law and could be seen as treasonous to the town of Templeton and within the duties and oath of office of selectmen of said town. You could toss in high crimes as well sense this may not be the first time for this particular selectmen voting to do this, violate Templeton by-laws while sitting as selectmen. This is reason enough for a recall of this selectmen, Virginia Wilder, if she did in fact try to make a deal. In my opinion, a town meeting vote after the fact does not change the fact that Ms. Wilder, if she did try to make a deal regarding a legal bill over a certain amount, would be violating a town by-law by making a settlement with K&P: K&P issues a bill for X amount of dollars and Ms. Wilder says we do not have that much money but we do have this amount and would you "settle" for that amount? Reason for a recall of Ms. Wilder for willful violation of Templeton by-laws, period.!
Jeff Bennett
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Here here! She's a liability to the town. She broke this bylaw once with Jeff Ritter's settlement, and now she tried to break it again with K+P. Why does she care so much about paying them? Who would like to pull the papers???
ReplyDeleteSettlement - "an adjustment or agreement reached in matters of finance, business, etc."
ReplyDeletetaken from Collins English Dictionary
Section 2. The Selectmen may at their discretion compromise or settle any claim or suit to which the town is a party, which does not require the payment by the town of an amount in excess of one thousand dollars. No settlement of a claim or suit obligating the town in an amount in excess of one thousand dollars shall be made, except as authorized by law, without the consent of the town meeting."
taken from the Town of Templeton By-laws, Originally Passed 3-5-51
Also, I was under the impression that the former town law firm (K&P) that submitted the bill that is in excess of $4,400 had previously agreed to only charge the town what was left in the 2012 account. In essence, all of the 2012 legal bills were paid when the account was emptied. Therefore any "unpaid" bills are bogus.
But, if a seated selectman negotiates a lower price on this bill, that was sent for services that were never performed, isn't that called fraud? Isn't that fraud on the part of the Selectman and the law form? This is before we even look at the amount of money on the bill, and if it falls above or below the $1,000 threshold.
It's bad enough that this bill made it to the Town Meeting floor to be voted on. Now we may be paying it at a reduced rate. It's like pouring salt into a wound.