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Friday, December 2, 2016

Cuts to Services?

Cuts to Services? 

So who gives out raises in May at the Annual Town Meeting, then submits an article at the October special town meeting to reaffirm those raises, and then discovers a $200,000 shortfall and now wants to cut services an reorganize town departments?

Who does that? 

The Templeton Board of Selectmen!

It's not as if the Templeton Board of Selectmen weren't informed  of budget shortfalls.

The selectmen were informed in May(2016) at the Annual Town Meeting.

The selectmen were informed in July(2016) at a selectmen's meeting.

The selectmen were informed in September and October as well.

So now the proposals to balance the FY 17 budget range from :

a Public Works Department by merging the Cemetery and Parks department with the Highway Department

Merge the Police and Fire Department into "Public Safety Department"

Merge the COA and Library Director to create a "Community Services Administrator"

Eliminating and combining a whole slew of town offices and departments at town hall.

Don't forget - need to level fund for FY 18 budget planning purposes! Level fund from what?


 



 

2 comments:

  1. If our public school buildings are an example of how Mr. Columbus the most powerful and influential politician this town has seen in twenty years expects to solve this current fiscal problem then like the raging alcoholic we can expect a complete disintegration of services before any type of intervention is explored. Yes that's right it is always darkest before the dawn and when you have hit rock bottom as an alcoholic or town almost anything seems like a good idea. I have an idea, what's wrong with listening to the advisory board?

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    1. In 2009 the DOR came to Templeton. They had a message that should have been listened to, and a report that is available on this blog for anyone who wants to read it. In a nutshell they told us to stop using free cash and stabilization to balance the budget. So we keep doing the same dam thing year after year, and guess what, we are broke again and again. Why does this guy who I never saw at a Selectman's Meeting, run for the BOS ? I will take that back, I did see him a few times standing in the door way for a short period of time, only to be gone when I looked back a short while later. Why bother ? To make sure the school question did not fail ? People run for office and it is never a good sign when they have their own adjenda and no real understanding of the underlying problems in this Town or any other. When anyone runs for office I would hope they would be aware of the whole ball of wax because when they don't. The mess we are in right now is the result. Voting for raises that have not been earned, was the one fingered salute our past TA left us with. The lack of understanding by the people who are supposed to make good decisions got us where we are right now. The same lack of understanding is the reason the school question was passed. This problem of "not getting it" will result in many of our elderly not being able to stay in their homes, if that school is built. "Not getting it" will result in many of the people who voted for the school, and many who didn't, not being able to live in this Town any longer. We are where we are, so we have to figure a way to do it hurting as few people as we can. Does anyone have a answer to the financial problem for the short term anyway ? Will Spring does, but the selectmen don't want to work with the Advisory Board. Doesn't that make sense.

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