Override? Really?
In the article below, the community of Uxbridge defeated an override to fund the school budget.
Uxbridge has a bond rating and more than $142,000 in stabilization to back up its budget.
IMHO, Templeton has got to get its financial act together before it can entertain the notion of an override.
When will Templeton gets its financial act together?
When will Templeton start to correct the material findings in the Financial Management Letter?
When will Templeton hire a full-time Town administrator? Someone who may be invested in the long term financial health of our community?
When will Templeton hire a Treasurer/Collector who can perform the duties of that office as outlined in the financial management letter?
How will the $1.3 million dollar deficit for the Elementary School project be resolved? By redesigning the project? Incurring more costs without a plan to deal with the $1.3 million dollar deficit?
So yeah,
Override? Really?
Uxbridge voters defeat school override
UXBRIDGE – Voters gave a thumbs down Tuesday to a $1.3 million Proposition 2½ override for schools, with a vote of 953 in favor and 1,538 opposed.
In two contests for elected seats, Dr. David Tapscott beat Dr. Joann Lindenmayer by a vote of 1,216 to 681 for a three-year term on the Board of Health, while Stephanie Fernandez won a one-year seat on the School Committee over Laura McGee by a vote of 871-743.
At town meeting May 9, voters approved the School Department override in a 369-242 vote. The money requested in the override to defray salary and operational costs would have been appropriated over two years.
“Obviously we’re very disappointed. It will lead to increasing class size and delay increasing integration of technology in the classrooms,” Superintendent of Schools Kevin M. Carney said after the results came in.
“On the other hand, I’m so proud of the volunteers who put together a campaign in a month-and-a-half to get 900 votes,” he continued.
In the Town Reports of 2003/2004 I have found information that tells us how long the Town finances have been mismanaged. "The town failed to take action regarding the findings and recommendations in 1998-2002 audits.' At the end of 2002 the Town crashed, laying off people on the Highway Department. I would imagine the recommendation was for the Town to stop using free cash, and money from it's stabilization account, but I cannot say that for sure. At the end of 2002 the Light Dept. transferred 100.000. to the town as a PILOT Payment.
ReplyDeleteWe seem to be combining departments to save money, run more efficiently, so lets take it the Boards, Committees and Commissions. Lets combine, remove, delete redundant, outdated groups and then actually fund the ones left.
ReplyDeleteHow do we expect the Cap Planning Committee to functional do what it should with NO budget!!! This goes to how we value information. It's a basic function of our budget process that we dont even fund with $1.00.
Why haven't the Committee and Assessors devised a list.
Why do we have a Community Preservation Committee while we install a 93,000 sq ft behemoth on our town common?
How about the "Town Building assessment Committee" created in 2013. Has it even met since? Whats the status of this committees findings? Are the buildings all on the Master plan?
Once you look it becomes clearer why we have issues.
I think you may have found the Community Preservation members hiding under their beds, the whole time the "school" was discussed. Not much room left under that bed with the Conservation members hiding with them. When is our Conservation Committee going to say anything about dumping the water from South Road and the school area/ parking lots behind George Barn's house. Granted it is a grandfathered drain, but it was not meant for a huge amount of water, along with oil and gas from all of the cars. Did anyone say retaining pond ? Hell no ! Just what would that add to the cost ? I am afraid we will find out in the end. These are your Town committees working for you ??
DeleteHoly Crap, seems like things are happening for one reason or another...........todays TA report
ReplyDelete" Veterans Services Officer, Assistant Town Accountant,
Administrative Assistant I (ODS), Treasurer/Collector & Seasonal Laborer."
Bring them on, so we can lay them off, if not this year, but the next. No big daddy to fix this mess !
Delete