Templeton Debt Exclusion goes down hard


The quest by the Templeton Highway dept. for a new excavator was turned down by voters and rightfully so. I was some what surprised by the across the board support for this item on the part of the selectmen. If anyone takes the time to check, the last time Templeton highway got a new truck, as in a dump truck, was in 2007. With all the whining that is heard about the age and condition of the equipment at the highway dept., along with the talk from some members of said dept. with respect to the age and condition of the trucks they drive, well why not go for some thing that you use seemingly every day, throughout the year? A street sweeper or an excavator which are generally used only part of the year at most, while a truck is used throughout the year, which to me would be what you go for first. Which is used more in the winter time, a truck or an excavator? Which is more important to when dealing with pot holes, a truck or an excavator? One can go and visit other high way depts. or DPWs and you will most assuredly find trucks but not many excavators. This item is another example of a want versus a need.


Another possible reason for the failure of this item is people may still be upset over the use of road money used to buy equipment, along with money from snow and ice used to buy a snow blower attachment and a snow plow. So when the deficit in snow and ice is looked at, one must remember that part of that money owed, as in a debt, is from purchasing equipment rather than from unexpected snow storm (s). Apparently the taxpayers remembered this and they did not like it. I can't wait for the rush to town hall by dept. heads when and if all that free cash becomes available. One has to wonder if the present BOS will go through it as fast as they went through the 300K that suddenly became available earlier this year. Not one selectmen even offered up putting some of it aside just in case.


Jeff Bennett