PRODUCTIVE WEEKEND: Budget Funding Approved

PRODUCTIVE WEEKEND: Budget Funding Approved
Eryn Dion
News Staff Writer

TEMPLETON  A $13.4 million budget was given the green light by voters during a sparsely attended Saturday town meeting, though not without heated debate.

The meeting got off to an unusual start, with Templeton Police Sergeant Derek Hall assuming the gavel after being elected as temporary moderator when David Bergeron, the winning write-in candidate from the town election, declined the position.

Before tackling the budget, interim Town Administrator Bob Markel briefed the room on the town’s financial situation, explaining that as a result of last year’s financial crisis and the town’s monetary records being left in disarray, the town had neither a bond rating nor certified free cash available.

Town Accountant Kelli Pontbriand has been working on straightening out the financial data full-time for over a month now, and Mr. Markel said he expects the audits to begin in late summer or early fall, with free cash certification coming by the end of the calendar year.

“Any large borrowing projects are probably not going to happen until 2017,” Mr. Markel said, when the town will likely have their bond rating restored.

Allaying any lingering fears, Mr. Markel assured residents that both the current and next year’s budgets were balanced.

Presenting an essentially level-funded budget to the Board of Selectmen, the administrator said he let the town’s elected officials make policy decisions on how to use leftover unallocated funds, which restored some — but not all — services cut during the financial crisis and provided for a 2 percent raise for town employees.

Although the article’s main motion covered the budget presented by selectmen, the Advisory Board also offered their own version of the budget, which most notably trimmed $90,000 — primarily from the police and fire departments, along with the Board of Health — to cover this year’s snow and ice deficit.

Advisory Board Chairman Michael Greene explained that, while the changes represented a cut from amounts suggested by selectmen, those departments were still given an increase in funding over last year’s budget and allowed for a $58,000 cushion of unallocated funds to cover emergency expenses.

Selectman Kenn Robinson objected to the cuts coming from public safety departments and through the elimination of the Tree Warden position, which would put the town in violated of Massachusetts General Law.

“Why we would break the law for $5,000 is beyond me,” he said. “I’m all for saving money, but not at the expense of public safety.”

Voters ultimately agreed with Mr. Robinson, passing the selectmen’s budget, which included $5.3 million for the Narragansett Regional School District assessments.

Residents also approved a series of financial transfers covering the cost of building the Gladys I. Salame Memorial Playground at the Templeton Center School and unexpected increases in both the Worcester County Regional Retir­ement and health insurance accounts.

In a change from last year, when the meeting ran over the course of three nights, this year’s town business was completed in just one session, wrapping up after a little more than five hours spent in the Narragansett Middle School auditorium.