Paul working for you.

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Emergency Meeting








EMERGENCY MEETING NOTICE

BOARD OF SELECTMEN

MONDAY JULY 1, 2013

6:30 PM
690 PATRIOTS ROAD

THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN WILL HOLD AN EMERGENCY MEETING MONDAY JULY 1ST AT 6:30 PM FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF OPENING A WARRANT FOR A SPECIAL TOWN MEETING AT WHICH MEETING THE TOWN WILL CONSIDER A NEWLY PROPOSED ASSSESSMENT FOR THE NARRAGANSETT REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Chicanery



Chicanery
The use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose


Please read 603 CMR 41:05

I believe there is some confusion around the process of the school department appropriation. At the ATM in May, Town Meeting rejected the school committee recommendation for the full appropriation for the school department. Town meeting then voted to hold an override ballot election (June 25th).

The school committee met and voted to re-certify their budget at the full amount within the 30 days as required by 603 CMR 41.05 (3)b. The town received notice of the budget recertification on June 14th.

Friday, June 28, 2013

Have we found the money?


Have we found the money?

It is fortunate that last night’s Special Town Meeting (STM) was very well attended. A special thank you to goes out to Templeton Community Television for recording the meeting. It will be uploaded to YouTube as soon as possible.

Article 1 passed. which will reduce the members of the conservation commission from 7 members to 5 members

Article 2 passed. which funded $45,987.76 from certified free cash ($100,00 and yes, certified) for snow & ice.

Article 3 passed. with the sum of $35,000 from free cash to fund veterans’ services.

Article 4 passed. to fund the stabilization account with the sum of $14,000.

Bear on Hubbardston Rd


Thursday, June 27, 2013

Town Website Update

Town Website Update

The former website for the Town of Templeton is migrating to virtual Town Hall. The address is the same:

templeton1.org

Much of the information needs to be added to the new website. INCLUDING the STM warrant articles.

June 24th BOS Meeting...the movie


June 24th BOS Meeting…the movie



Enjoy!

PLEASE ATTEND TOWN MEETING

TONIGHT AT 7:00!

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

todays lte

Vote at the Special Town Meeting to make things better in Templeton
To the Editor: 6/26/2013
David Smart
Templeton

Templeton has had to endure a lot in the past and with no doubt will in the future. The one thing for sure is it will learn from mistakes made and with the help of the voters can protect it in the future.

The Advisory Board and also the Board of Selectmen are to be commended for the ability to stand up and point out problems not popular with the majority of voters at town meeting. I, for one, know firsthand the position of going up against the Light and Water machine. They have endless resources to fight with and your money. But the mistake they have made is to take away our rights.

Shedding Some Light...on water issues


Shedding Some Light …on water issues

Dear Concerned Citizen,

Included below are some links to information for your consideration regarding water issues in Templeton.

Baldwinville Rd/ Maple St. improvement request


First, let’s discuss the letter to the BOS Chairman, Jeffrey Bennett. In this letter from TMLWP, General Manager John Driscoll makes a request of the BOS through its chairman to enter into an agreement for water improvements with Mass DOT (aka Mass highway). “The nature of it being a town project necessitates the actual request to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to come from a town official rather than a water department one.” 

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Override Vote

The numbers for the Override have been posted:


             A          B          C            TOTAL
YES   330        284      225          839

NO     393       365       359          1,117

These numbers represent a very good voter turn out. Thank you to all who took the time to vote today.

BOS Meeting ...June 24, 2013


BOS Meeting…June 24, 2013

Another well-run BOS Meeting! Good job, Kenn!

Minutes from the June 10, 2013 BOS meeting were approved.

Alan Mayo came in to discuss the playground equipment from the state bid list for the Gilman Waite playground. The state has voted the playground equipment, but has not finalized the paperwork. The issue is with scheduling the work so the playground can be installed this summer. The holdup is on the state’s side. We’re in a holding pattern until the state finalizes the bid list.

The notification of the $50,000 matching grant from Mass Historical arrived yesterday. The matching grant for Tomb restoration was approved!

Fighting for Your Rights


Letter to the Editor:
           Fighting for your rights
  Templeton has had to endure a lot in the past and with no doubt will in the future. The one thing for sure is it will learn from mistakes made and with the help of the voters can protect it in the future. The Advisory Board and also the Board of Selectmen are to be commended for the ability to stand up and point out problems not popular with the majority of voters at town meeting. I for one know firsthand the position of going up against the Light and Water machine. They have endless resources to fight with and with your money. But the mistake they have made is to take away our rights. When the American people lose the right to vote and the rule of law its time to change the people you think were doing right by you.

Monday, June 24, 2013

override

this was send to my email 



Hi Paul,
I heard about your blog and was told it would be the place to put something about override so, if you want to share on your blog, I put this information on FB just so folks would understand what the override really means in the years to come for them.
Templeton Override Vote coming up next Tuesday June 25th states "Shall the town of Templeton be allowed to assess an additional $691,086 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purpose of funding the Narragansett Regional School District for the fiscal year beginning July first, two thousand thirteen?" PLEASE KNOW WHAT YOU ARE VOTING FOR BEFORE YOU CAST YOUR BALLOT. If you vote yes, then you will pay more real estate taxes this year, next year, the year after that, and so on... Once you vote for a proposition 2-1/2 override, it continues every year. The first year NRSD will get the $691,086 BUT next year they may not, nor the year after that. Is this a bandage you want to pay for every year? YOU need to talk to your town officials and folks who are knowledgeable about the school budget to get both sides of the story before you vote.
Thanks,
Chris Symonds

Advisory Board Special Town Meeting Recommendations
















































Advisory Board Special Town Meeting Recommendations








6/27/13








Amount

Source

Advisory Board Recommendation













Article 1
N/A

BY-LAW Change

Advisory Board unanimously recommends a  YES vote.

Article 2
$45,988

Free cash

Advisory Board unanimously recommends a  YES vote.

Article 3
$35,000

Free cash

Advisory Board unanimously recommends a  YES vote.

Article 4
 $100,000.00

Free cash

Advisory Board unanimously recommends a  YES vote.

Article 5
$8,000

Free cash

Advisory Board  recommends a YES vote.


Article 6
N/A

New BY-Law

Advisory Board  recommends a YES vote.


Article 7


Water Revenues

Advisory Board unanimously recommends a  YES vote.

Article 8
N/A

Special Legislation

Advisory Board has no recommendation for this article

Article 9
$900

Free cash

Advisory Board unanimously recommends a  YES vote.

Article 10
$600

ASS. Town Clerk Salary

Advisory Board unanimously recommends a  YES vote.

Article 11
 $1,413,860.17

Water Revenues

Advisory Board unanimously recommends a vote of NO.









































































Water Rate Study of other similar size towns and water systems























































Saturday, June 22, 2013

Upcoming Meetings June 24-28


Upcoming Meetings June 24-28









Notice for the Planning Board 6/25/13 Public Hearing

Special Town Meeting, June 27, 2013

Response to Voice of Reason

6/21/13

Paulys Templeton Watch: Can Templeton water department budget stalemate be broken?

Voiceofreason? Blog from comment! Exactly this.Yes you are again! I helped repair the first main break on sawyer street with Mr Brown and others. It was an allnighter,much work for all and no fun!I've helped with 7 total .. This another is another Sawyer street another. Play words any way you want, within reason please!

There is very little I would think our Town employees could or would do to cause it. The pipe in Gardner was patched but wouldn't hold, Could it be because the line repair people turned the water on to fast and didn't bleed the air properly? Our help know the ropes and take the time to introduce the flow properly. If that part isn't done correctly it stands to reason it pops again. No repairs the crews 
I've worked with have had to redig after a repair.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Chapter 26 Acts of 2013

The Land for the School



The TDC land for an elementary school on Crow Hill has just been signed into LAW.  This is great news for the Town of Templeton as well as the students and families in our aging elementary schools. Thank YOU, Senator Brewer!


Thursday, June 20, 2013

Pre-Town Meeting …Advisory Board Meeting


Pre-Town Meeting …Advisory Board Meeting

First the good news – FREE CASH has been finally certified!!

For the General Fund (Town), certified Free Cash is EXACTLY $100,000. Interesting and curious that Free Cash is such an even number.

For the Sewer Enterprise Fund certified Free Cash is $909,241.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Can Templeton water department budget stalemate be broken?

   
Can Templeton water department budget stalemate be broken?
Andres Caamano
Senior News Editor/NIE Director

With less than two weeks before a Special Town Meeting that could well determine how Templeton voters want to handle the town’s Water Department, the two sides mired in the dispute over the department’s fiscal year 2014 budget have shown little willingness to budge.

After writing last week how it took only 141 voters to reject funding for the department at last month’s Annual Town Meeting, it was only a few hours before I was sitting down with Advisory Board chairman Wilfred Spring to learn what was behind the board’s exhaustive push for details on the department’s proposed budget, going as far back as February.

Shedding Some Light June 18, 2013


Shedding Some Light June 18, 2013

Last night’s Light and Water meeting was well attended. The discussion with the sewer commissioners has the first item discussed. The sewer commissioners are looking for cooperation is shutting off water service for the most delinquent or customers who blatantly refuse to pay their sewer bills.

The other alternative for the sewer commission to pursue is installing a sewer shutoff valve, which will entail BOH declaring the homes uninhabitable. The L+W commissioners cited the legal opinion, which does not allow them to turn off water service for sewer scofflaws. The Sewer commissioners requested that legal opinion and the L+W commissioners voted to release that opinion to the Sewer commissioners.


BUDGET –
The L+W commissioners voted a new budget figure for FY 14 for $1,413,000. According the GM Driscoll, this figure includes $30,000 in maintenance that will be enough to cover the water improvements at the intersection of Baldwinville Rd and Maple St. These improvements will be part of the Bald. Rd project and paid for by the water department( $15,000 approximately).

It is interesting to note that the citizen petition for the STM submitted by Ed McClure is the exact same figure that was adopted last night by the commissioners.

GM Driscoll asserted that the increase in the budget was minimal as a percentage. There was no discussion about the sharp loss in revenue for the water department or the necessity to double the service fee from $28/quarter ($112/year) to $56/quarter ($224/year) in order to achieve a balanced budget.


A Light and Water meeting, or a bad act?‏

I went to the meeting of the Light and Water meeting tonight. Most of it was fairly usual, going through the usual stuff. It sounds like Mr. Driscoll has made some corrections to his budget. It was kind of hard to hear, as he mumbles. The Commissioners are not at all happy, with the Articles back on the agenda to replace them, to give them a quarter of a years worth of money to run the water department, until the Attorney General can make a determination. Lets put it this way, they were not very happy with much of anything.