Hopium Addicts

Hopium Addicts

In case you missed it, the Templeton Board of Selectmen would like YOUR input on improving Town Meeting:

Templeton wants a better town meeting

By Chance Viles
Reporter

Posted Feb 8, 2019 at 7:39 PM  

Updated Feb 8, 2019 at 7:39 PM

TEMPLETON — The Board of Selectmen and town administrator are looking for suggestions and ways to make town meetings more efficient as well as pull in a bigger crowd.

Typically, anywhere from 100-200 people will show up to the town meetings, sometimes even less if there aren’t any big items on the warrant. This concerns officials, as Templeton has over 8,000 residents and overall participation is low. In order to bring in more of the voter base, the Board of Selectmen is looking for ways to make town meeting more digestible, and possibly quicker and more efficient.

“Coming out of the workshop which had some goals to try and increase attendance at town meetings and participation of citizenry, and speaking with the moderator and some of the Advisory Committee, we have some ideas on how to make town meeting better,” Town Administrator Carter Terenzini said.
One of the ideas bounced around was providing childcare for attendees, which the town had done in the past. Also, Selectman Julie Richard proposed putting together some sort of small carnival or event that will pull in the younger families in town,[flaming baton twirlers?]as more young families are moving into newly built homes in town and are beginning to comprise a bigger portion of constituency in town.

“We used to have childcare at the meetings, but it fell to the wayside and wasn’t provided again,” Selectman Diane Haley-Brooks said. [... because you wanted the 2 1/2 capital debt exclusion for the new elementary school to pass?]

Another idea was making the meeting a little later in the evening, so families that work throughout the day can attend.

The town is also thinking about sending out some more information on how town meetings work so the moderator can spend less time explaining motions, to cut down on time spent at the meeting and a potential need for a second meeting date. Last annual town meeting took the town about six hours, starting on a Saturday morning, and continuing on Sunday.

“There is a cost associated with that but it’s for the people to understand the meeting and its importance,” Selectman Doug Morrison said.

Morrisson also said that signs are important; as he attended one of his first town meetings after a sign had made him curious. Fast forward some years and Morrison is now a selectman and heavily involved with the town.

Changes to how the town meeting will run won’t take place until after the budget is finalized, closer to town meeting, but Terenzini and the Board of Selectmen are asking that if anyone has questions or suggestions, to call the office at 978-894-2755 or email the board on their website.
 

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Some suggestions for improving town meeting:

 

RESPECT THE VOTES THAT ARE TAKEN!

 

Examples: 

 

Stop withholding the Sewer Department raises as voted by Town Meeting.

 

Purchase the equipment that was VOTED and APPROVED by TOWN MEETING   

 

READ the MOTIONS AND the ARTICLES

 

Stop HOPING someone is going to come along and clean up the MESS YOU made.

NO    MEANS     NO

 

 

 

 For now, VOTE NO on everything!