Thursday, March 13, 2014

Board considers investigation into Light & Water's borrowing history

Board considers investigation into Light & Water's borrowing history

Previous complaints, record requests by board have cost thousands in (needless) legal fees

Eryn Dion
News Staff Writer


TEMPLETON — The state’s Inspector General may be brought in to investigate borrowing conducted by the Templeton Municipal Light and Water Plant to fund the construction of the John R.S. LeClerc Wind Turbine behind the Narragansett Regional  School.

The action comes as a response to a letter received by the board in January stating that the TMLWP operates under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 164 and therefore cannot borrow without a town meeting vote.

Selectmen Julie Farrell, who placed the item on the board’s Monday night agenda, stated that there is no record with the Town Clerk that the borrowing for the wind turbine – an amount of around $3.8 million dollars – ever went before the town for a vote.

“I don’t know if it needed to, but I would like the Inspector General to look into this,” she said.

Ms. Farrell explained that she believes, if the borrowing was done incorrectly, the town may be responsible for the money.

“I believe there exists a liability on the town that can come back and haunt us,” Ms. Farrell said.


At the time, Ms. Farrell, who was serving as a Light and Water Commissioner, was told by Town Counsel that the borrowing to fund the wind turbine did not need to go up for town meeting vote. The letter from the DOR appeared to contradict that fact, and Ms. Farrell decided to seek an investigation to protect the town.

Former Light and Water Plant General Manager Sean Hamilton explained that the TMLWP never borrowed the full $3.8 million and that after several grants and clean energy bonds, the total loan amounted to about $993,000. He then said that TMLWP was part of a cooperative with the town of Princeton and, according to M.G.L. Chapter 167 section 47c, had the right to borrow the money for the turbine without permission from the town.

In the midst of a financial crisis, Mr. Hamilton, current Light and Water General Manager John Driscoll, and several board members were not clear on what an investigation would accomplish and might result in the town being responsible for more money than it can afford to pay.

“What is the ultimate goal?” asked Vice Chairman Kenn Robinson. “If the Inspector General comes in and says ‘yes, this was done incorrectly, that loan was no good give them back their money’ – then what do we do?”

This is not the first investigation into the Light and Water Department’s operations.

Ms. Farrell has filed several records requests and open meeting law violations, the latest of which was submitted in November of last year after the department increased its water rates by 23 percent.

Ms. Farrell alleges in her complaint that the decision made by the TMLWP’s commissioners to raise rates did not occur during a public meeting and requested the price hike be delayed until a properly posted hearing was held.

According to the document, Ms. Farrell attended the October 8 TMLWP meeting, where a rate study was discussed but no action taken.

She then received a letter dated November 5 signed by Mr. Driscoll informing customers of the rate change, despite the next posted meeting of the TMLWP commissioners not occurring until November 12.

The complaint was received by the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General on January 19 on this year and reviewed by the Division of Local Government, who responded in a letter dated March 3 and signed by Assistant Attorney General Hannah Rush.

In this letter, Ms. Rush stated that the rate change was approved during a TMLWP Commission meeting held on Oct 23 at 5:00 p.m. in the Light and Water Office.

The meeting is listed on the town’s website and was posted on Monday, October 21 at 9:14 a.m., well within the 48 hour time frame for notice required by Massachusetts Law.

“The Commission discussed and voted on the water rate increase during a properly posted meeting on Oct. 23, 2013,” Ms. Rush wrote. “The topic listed on the Oct. 23, 2013 meeting notice, ‘Old Business: FY 14 Water Rates’ was sufficiently specific to notify the public that the Commission planned to continue to discuss the Fiscal Year 2014 water rates.”

Ms. Rush then concluded that the TMLWP did not violate the Open Meeting Law and considered the matter resolved; however a note at the bottom of the letter states that anyone aggrieved by the order may file an action in Superior Court for a judicial review, to be filed within the next 21 days.

Ms. Farrell has filed four open meeting law complaints between the years 2012 and 2013, which, according to Mr. Driscoll has cost the department over $10,000 in legal fees.

Mr. Driscoll explained that such complaints, and subsequent records requests, require a response from the plant’s attorneys and represent unforeseen legal expenses that have to be recovered from light and water customers.

No official action regarding an investigation by the Inspector General was taken during Monday’s meeting but the item may be revisited at a later date.

 


23 comments:

  1. From Diane Haley Brooks Facebook page:
    Tonight we once again discussed an agenda item having to do with Light and Water. ***Discuss contacting IG's office to conduct an inquiry into the borrowing for the Wind Turbine without a town meeting vote. Well, they are run as a Chaper 164 and this is the section that refers to what they are able to do as borrowing etc. I would like you to read this as I already have. They have the authority to do what was done. What purpose would it serve to have the Inspector General look at anything?

    These types of things are what is helping to create division in our town and departments and it's not just the Light and Water as I hear from so many of you.

    My thoughts are this...I think they do a great job and run a solid business as the commissioners are elected to do. I think our town receives amazing service and when there are power outages, which are not very often by the way, they are right on it. We have rates that are lower than UNITIL and others. They give the town back funds to help us in lieu of taxes. There has been discussion of a PILOT payment and I wonder if it would be a lower payment than what we already receive from them.

    What are some of your thoughts?

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  2. There you go Jules . Waste time & money worrying about a business in town doing well. How about the fact we're about to go into receivership? Try putting some effort into that, let the light company run itself.

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  3. Absolutely huff & puff I agree 100 %

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  4. It does'nt bother anybody that our own light dept.are screwing us over financially. NOT OFFERING Rebates like every other utility company. And literally spending thousands and thousands of money that is supposed to be going back to rate payers.
    We ARE PAYING more $ than initial and all other ex

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    1. We are paying more $ than Unitil and most all other companies. WITH NOTHING coming back.

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    2. Yes it bothers me. But that's not her job as selectman. That's up to us as customers of that business. Her job is to make sure our town doesn't go into receivership! Violating state laws, including last years vote, & not keeping up to date with our accounting, is MUCH more important than what a local business is doing. Not to mention the amount of our money wasted on this little venture.

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    3. That simply is NOT true DO.......

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  5. There is nothing in the chapter 164 laws that do not allow the commission to let the town decide the proposals the TMLWP department of the Town can get into. That being said they have gone rouge and i for one would think if they are going to form multi co-ops and start producing power in a school yard feet away from the children they should give the choice to the owners ,you and i.Many other municipal light plants have done the same and have given the vote to the people and work with the town for the future. What most don't understand is the TMLWP have the ability to do as the chapter 164 laws permit and can hide behind it also.
    It is "our" business after all!

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    1. I can see not much has changed since I took my mini vacation to get some of these old bones repaired. Our Light and Water Manager has not made any changes in his game plan and continues to try to deflect truthful charges by blaming Julie for pointing the way. As David has said, this is our Light and Water Depart, although the Echo Hill bunch would like to convince you that it is not. Why should it cost the town a ton of money for the Selectmen to try to get the Light Manager to do his job ?? The department's are eating bread and water to survive, and the Light Dept., is eating steak. What is wrong with that picture ?? The town departments are just as important as the Light and Water, but you would not think so by listening to Driscoll. Why should the people in this town get stuck with the highest Light rates in the area, now along with the water and sewer, getting up there also ?? Just for the record, the Water Commissioners are working for the people in this town, and I give them credit for them doing the best job they can. I have been told by Dana, and others that they "do things right" and the Templeton Municipal Light oues us as tax payers, and rate payers NOTHING. Get it NOTHING !! Well, I have some news for them, they are wrong. Most older people who lived in this town think that this is the same TML that their parents and grandparents had. Nothing could be further from the truth. Puffy, you have a lot to learn, and so does Ms. GG. It must be getting awfully crowded in Gerry's pocket !!. Bev.

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    2. Why would a business in town owe the taxpayers anything? What Julie is doing is wasting tens of thousands of dollars. & precious little time. Its like trying to patch a small hole in a boat, while said boat careens over a cliff.

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  7. I can see not much has changed since I took my mini vacation to get some sun and fun. Our light and water manager has made many changes and continues to do an excellent job providing Templeton with a valuable service. He continues to be truthful with the town residents and informs them about Mrs. Farrell's vindictive methods. As Mr. Hamilton they said at the town meeting, this is our light and water dept. and we should be thankful for them. The myrtle street gang would want you to think differently, they are completely wrong and continue to divide the town..ex. (wind turbine nonsense). Mr. Farrell has wasted thousands of dollars for investigations that have produced NOTHING! again hundreds of complaints and investigations through the state that have cost the town THOUSANDS and have produced NOTHING!! The town is not stuck with the highest rates in the state. Simply not true. For the record the Light and water department do a wonderful job and have first class educated people who are committed to running a prosperous business. Well bev I have some news for you. The town legally does owe the town nothing, but continue to give the town money which is continually thrown "out the window". Stop trying to deflect popular opinion and start dealing with the facts, not just what Jules tells you. Templeton knows Jules tells people what Jules wants them to know. Most older people in town bev who think ANYTHING is the same is completely oblivious to reality. NOTHING stays the same in life bev. this mentality keeps Templeton in the mess that it is in. Until Templeton stops playing peter and jules games the division and downward spiral will continue.

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  8. fyi... mrs. Farrell not mr.......fyi truth is wicked smart

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  9. There is a list of chapter 164 violations the TMLWP have to answer for.The ones we point out are followed after a large sum of money from our pocket is spent with the highest price lawyer they can hire. Why,is the question we should be asking our gifted manager and commission is if we can read the law and bring it to there attention and they ignore it till we bring it up again and again before they follow the laws. They don't like to be told of any mistakes they make and would rather keep making them and keep quiet the flaws they operate under. People should be happy the customer charge was lowered to gain their votes and now have a increase to the bills they were told would not happen. Happy now we were telling the truth and the main thing is over time people learn the lies they told to keep the things the way they are.
    Yes it's true the water rates are the highest, our bills are just as close as National grid as they can keep them,and the buffer account is large enough to hide the money mistakes they make. The facts are they don't have the ability to see when rates need to go up till the bank account is empty and then slam us with the rate they feel like charging. Simple truth is if the rates need to go up why did they lower the customer charge from 4 to 3? Why did they need a rate study done when they knew the bank account was empty? Why did they tell us the rates were not going up?
    It's called POOR management.Truth is if this were a private company it would be in a bad place to try and keep the customers they/we have. But that would be a different day seeing we are forced to purchase from them and they know it.They should have known the rates were a problem they have been in the middle of this for 20 years +.The extra we pay on our electric bills is put into MMWEC projects,Mass trust reserve and trusted with a state agency that is the dictator of the municipal light plants the towns use to have control over. Now they write chapter 164 laws and sue to get things as easy and quickly as they can or want. Case laws are a way to govern the public after the weak lawyers loose who are not good enough to win the cases they bring. Time and time again the laws are broken in hopes the case will go to court and then the lawyers can decide the outcome and change the laws to fit the needs of the rich investors. We may live close by some of them,you never know. The investors are not public knowledge. When people see a lack of reports not filed as our laws call for as when Sean Hamilton fail to do in the 2010 annual report and then the present GM Driscoll put the same report in two years in a row it makes it hard to think things are done right over there. Now the lies and the rates are the proof they are not doing things right over there.
    Join me and vote for a better team,oust the chairman and get the questions answered as they should be.
    I feel confident we can pur the Templeton back into the TMLWP.As it should have never been removed in the first place.
    Why should the town be paying a customer charge on all the town electric bills? The lack of management there has provoked the interest many have had about the department that eats steak and eggs for breakfast. I have said before and will say again the Labor workers are the best and earn every dollar they get,risk their lives many times a year.I have no beef with them and will support the efforts to improve relations to better the departments cooperation. I do find fault with the way the managers and commission feel they are the rulers and don't need to answer to anyone. They need to answer to the customers and when you vote next time let them know what you think about the new higher rates they stuck us with and change the people who could care less about what they did.
    I look forward to your support and hope to gain the important votes you will cast.

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  10. lets see? Dave gets elected. Dave gets blackballed by the other commissioners. Dave gets nowhere and gets nothing constructive accomplished. Dave lets his commission expire.
    Sound familiar JULES .\
    OR TheONLY way to change is to get elected, hang in there until another term expires, then campagne to get another like minded person elected, then FIRE Driscoll GET IT? (maybe Bev could run?)

    By the way JULES, I doubt if you will have any more success on the School committee, than you had on the light commission, or the school building committee, or the selectboard, or the flouride issue, or the bill for state investigation of the town finances. Did I miss anything?

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  11. Lets not get Dave elected, all Dave wants to do is please Julie and be her puppet. We don't need DAVE in there being the YES MAN for Julie I bet Dave would love to sell the TMLWP as well. Hell lets just sell the whole damn town and let someone else worry about it.

    DO NOT VOTE FOR DAVE

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  12. I guess my last post struck a nerve and now you will change stage names and start to play the games. If we expose the facts and educate the voters they will not be fooled by the fools with no names,or guts to have one. Glad i have sparked and opened up the possible changes needed to run a commission and department like the laws say it should. Not asking alot to run the way it should be run under the laws they hide behind when caught.Now that your all at work ask yourself are you doing your job like it should be done?

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    1. Hey Dave, I'm confused about TMLP. Is it a town dept, or private enterprise?

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    2. A private enterprise? You're kidding. A private enterprise w pay taxes. It would not be exempt from net metering. It would have the same restrictions as National Grid. I would bet that it was capitalized with public money.

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  13. Huff If it was a private Enterprise i would like to see the amount the private owners paid for it!
    I think the Templeton in the name should educate you on this ,if not maybe the word Municipal will?
    Confused like a new selectmen was at the last BOS meeting!
    Took a vacation day today to file the nomination papers for another try for the commission.
    You could say their not that dumb.Truth hurts when it's a fact!
    I guess you could say the last time proved that more people wanted change than didn't.
    There were more votes for myself and Mr. Moschetti then the incumbent got. Go check and see thats a fact also.
    I owe it to the voters to have a choice and they can rely on me to give it to them again.
    To listen to those that hide and make up name after name is old news and people are tired of the way the things are now!

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