Templeton feels sting of spending freeze

Templeton feels sting of spending freeze

Eryn Dion
News Staff Writer
TEMPLETON — The town’s discretionary spending and hiring freeze is beginning to affect various departments in vital and unexpected ways.

The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously for the freeze in early December in an attempt to limit the damage done by an already substantial $505,000 budget shortfall. 

Although it seemed like the logical decision, many department heads were quickly concerned with how it could affect their ability to operate.

“If we have a snow storm, I have to send one guy out by himself without a radio, to shovel,” said Cemetery and Parks Commission Superintendent Alan Mayo. “I don’t feel good about that. It’s not safe.”

At Monday night’s board meeting, the spending issues came to a head when Mr. Mayo went before the board asking permission to hire a new, full-time laborer for his department. The department is already short one person, with their foreman out on medical leave since September. The department’s regular summer seasonal laborer is not medically able to perform winter duties, such as snow shoveling, and has asked to be laid off — leaving two open positions. If the seasonal employee departs, it leave Mr. Mayo and one other full-time employee to fulfill the commission’s responsibilities, which include shoveling around public buildings and readying cemetery plots for burials.


Mr. Mayo also brought up another potential consequence of the staff shortage — a delay in funerals and burials.

“If someone dies and one of us is sick, we can’t bury them,” Mayo said. “It takes two people to do a burial.”

According to Mr. Mayo, his department had already done all the legwork, including posting the job opening for a full-time laborer and conducting interviews. Candidates for the position are ready for consideration. A step was taken to   list the opening as temporary, with applicants understanding it may be eliminated once the town’s budget issues were resolved.

On Monday, the board appeared split on the decision while other department heads expressed frustration that it was even being considered.

“Do we have a hiring freeze or don’t we?” asked Police Chief David Whitaker, during the discussion.

Chief Whitaker raised concerns, stating that his department is also short on manpower, with open positions available. He claimed the department already had a candidate ready to join the force, but was unable to make it official due to the recent budget problems. To date, the freeze has also put a halt on the department’s ongoing attempts to make improvements to the police departments headquarters, by  either  moving to a new building or expanding their current facility. He insisted his objection wasn’t personal, but rather based on principle.

“If you spend money you don’t have, you’re just digging yourself deeper,” Chief Whitaker said.

The board voted 3-to-1 against hiring a new person to the commission, with Selectmen Kenn Robinson the sole voice in favor of the hire. Mr. Robinson argued that because the position was listed as temporary, laying them off once a budget solution is reached would not be irresponsible, and the money for their salary was already in the commission’s budget. Member Julie Farrell countered the argument. Ms. Farrell said since discovering the shortfall, previously allocated money could not be counted on.

“Until this is dealt with, we cannot consider that money is there,” she said.

This is undoubtedly only the beginning of the town’s woes, with more departments feeling the squeeze the longer the budget crisis continues. A solution has yet to be offered, although members of the board expressed an interest in revisiting the state Department of Revenue’s 2009 report and taking a closer look at their suggestions.