Is all really fine in Templeton finance?
Might be time to ask if there really is a problem with finance at the Templeton Sewer Department.
It is believed that this deficit of $140,000.00 has been known or discussed by some Templeton officials for some time. If you look at the record of the most recent Templeton Town meeting, you see reminders of the past, transfers of funds from one account to multiple accounts, such as using funds from debt service to cover cemetery, medicare, retirement, general insurance and building inspector salary. This shows either there was not enough money to have a true balanced budget to begin with and / or the funds were not applied correctly.
Most recently, it has been shown that it is dangerous from a financial stand point, to spend money you don't have or to rely on a promise or an assumption that the funding will come. The playground at Templeton Center and then the talk of $110,000.00 from winter storm emergencies which turned out to be 30 thousand demonstrate this and the consequences. One would think that after the play ground miscue, the selectmen would not have gone thru 300 thousand in about thirty minutes, which turned out to not really be there. Not much talk from the selectmen about the Templeton taxpayer / residents. Things have to get done and funding has to be available but there are proven practices that work and do control spending and especially how money is applied.
Back to the sewer dept. dollar shortage, budget miscue, accounting mistake, spread sheet error, what ever it gets labeled as, should not there be discussion of it in open meetings. The Templeton Sewer dept. probably has the money but may need a town meeting vote to move it. Next question is does this have any effect on the next FY budget, 2016 beginning July 1, 2015.
All this happening amongst the newspaper headlines, new school will only cost Templeton 22 million dollars. Somehow, selectmen worrying so much about town employees and not much mention or effort to watch out for Templeton taxpayers/residents. Regional dispatch, central purchasing, better accountability of what Templeton Town employees do while they work are among things that could do this. When you are working to bring a 50 million dollar debt question to the people who pay the bills, you should probably be doing every thing you can to demonstrate you spend their money wisely and you do not consider spending their road money on equipment.
Jeff Bennett
Paul working for you.
Jeff tells you its ROAD money. I'm sure he meant to write ROAD/EQUIPMENT/and Other chapter 90 uses that are allowed.
ReplyDeleteAfter all with no overrides for equipment there is no other funds available are there. Without a tax increase the money isn't there but it is in the chapter 90 funds.As the list of roads redone and paved grows the equipment we use to do it gets worse every year. It's a good thing we don't use only salt on the roads we wouldn't have any equipment left or our own cars either.
Many contractors i talked with have a opinion the state can afford to waste the money spent on the salt. But they as contractors can afford the newer cars and equipment.
Lets see, who did the recent grinding and repaving of route 101, a contractor, what does the largest retailer require in snow & ice bids, the use of 100% salt, this reduces monthly floor care cost along with no added cost for sand clean up. A quick inspection today of town equipment showed the town's newest truck with rusty dump body, rusted rims and an under body spinner assembly ready to fall off, not to mention in need of a bath, and that is one truck. Can,t wait to see what the sander bodies look like
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