Question
Question; would you be willing to instruct the Town to borrow a large sum of money (at least 25 million) to be put into stabilization fund, which requires a 2/3 vote to use those funds, which would be designated for road repair only. No equipment, no employee costs, used only to pay for road rebuilds to get our roads in good condition in a short period of time - five years from when these projects begin?
Question: would you prefer to have any free cash, that say, board of selectmen wish to leave out there, so to speak, as working capital, put into a stabilization fund to be used for road repair only? The Town can create any number of stabilization funds as they feel is required. This would put taxpayer monies in the hands of taxpayers, as much as is possible and this too would require a 2/3 vote to take money out of the fund to pay for roads. Unlike the ambulance receipts reserved for appropriation, there would be no wiggle room for a town administrator or selectmen.
Well, Town Meeting could make a substitute motion and reduce Town Budget request by not allowing ambulance receipts to support general fund. Town Meeting could make this the last year free cash can be used to support town budget, hold selectmen to the policies they passed and tell them to get their sh*t together, bring a true balance budget to Town Meeting! I think the roads this year are what people are going to be most upset about. To be sure, the gas tax we all pay, it is not going to cover the costs involved.
A few questions - borrowing a large sum of money ($25 million) would just about double the current tax rate in Templeton.
Placing money in stabilization accounts is a great idea! It takes a 2/3 vote by TOWN Meeting to place money into a stabilization and a 2/3 vote by TOWN Meeting to take money out of stabilization.
A better idea may be form Town meeting to vote the entire Templeton operating budget into Stabilization as the first order of business at the Annual Town meeting. It's one way to hold the selectmen accountable and implement the votes taken at Town Meeting .
Road repairs will never be performed adequately until Templeton reforms its government. Templeton does not have a DPW; it has a mishmash of departments combined for the sole purpose of removing certain employees.
There is no coordination between the water department, the highway department and the sewer department (utilities = public works) regarding addressing the failing utility infrastructure UNDER the roads, before the road surface is repaved.
A case in point -When Baldwinville Road was repaved, the sewer infrastructure was relatively new, but the water mains were and are old. The water infrastructure was not updated. The road was repaved and a few water mains burst. Go figure.
Do water mains break? Yep, they do. Has a study been done to analyze what needs to be fixed to address the aging water system in Templeton? Why, yes it has.
Any one in a Templeton leadership position, know what the plan is; if the plan is being implemented; what it might cost? Has it ever been approved or discussed at Town Meeting?
A few questions - borrowing a large sum of money ($25 million) would just about double the current tax rate in Templeton.
Placing money in stabilization accounts is a great idea! It takes a 2/3 vote by TOWN Meeting to place money into a stabilization and a 2/3 vote by TOWN Meeting to take money out of stabilization.
A better idea may be form Town meeting to vote the entire Templeton operating budget into Stabilization as the first order of business at the Annual Town meeting. It's one way to hold the selectmen accountable and implement the votes taken at Town Meeting .
Road repairs will never be performed adequately until Templeton reforms its government. Templeton does not have a DPW; it has a mishmash of departments combined for the sole purpose of removing certain employees.
There is no coordination between the water department, the highway department and the sewer department (utilities = public works) regarding addressing the failing utility infrastructure UNDER the roads, before the road surface is repaved.
A case in point -When Baldwinville Road was repaved, the sewer infrastructure was relatively new, but the water mains were and are old. The water infrastructure was not updated. The road was repaved and a few water mains burst. Go figure.
Do water mains break? Yep, they do. Has a study been done to analyze what needs to be fixed to address the aging water system in Templeton? Why, yes it has.
Any one in a Templeton leadership position, know what the plan is; if the plan is being implemented; what it might cost? Has it ever been approved or discussed at Town Meeting?
I actually emailed manager at Templeton municipal light & water department and was informed tht Templeton water is aware of the plans to pave orchard lane again, which was last paved about 5 years ago, and the manager also replied that water customers would support this project, which use of chapter 90 money and a CDBG to redo this road (similar to back bay project) Templeton water department has been asked how much could they contribute to this Town project. The manager also indicated b=in that email that the water department indicated to the then highway superintendent tht the road known as Baker Lane has old cast iron water mains and might not hold up to repaving and that should be held up until those water mains could be replaced. Baker Lane was repaved anyways. Borrowing a sum of money for road repair would allow funds to be in place so as to allow for a plan / timeline to be put into place, projects lined up and use those borrowed funds in conjunction with the grant money known as chapter 90 to actually be used for road repair. That borrowed money could be invested while waiting for road projects to go forward, see responsibility to town treasurer. Yes, borrowing funds would have effect on tax rate, but the longer this work is put off, the more expensive it becomes, from a construction perspective, a resident perspective (personal vehicle damage) and from a Town perspective, town vehicles suffering the same damage, wear and tear from traveling on those same pathetic roads. Continue to do nothing only allows the roads to get worse.
ReplyDeleteWhen we continue to elect people with no plan for the Town infrastructure, or clue as to what plan has been looked at in the past, we get what we have now. Nothing short of a disaster. I do not believe out Town Administrator has a plan for the future. His aim is to get through the fiscal year, and to dump the mess on the next T.A.. Where does it leave the citizens ? Paying for work that will not stand up to use, or has to be done over again. Right now we do not have the people to run a highway dept. Thanks to our Board of Selectman, and Town Administrator.
ReplyDeleteA 25 million dollar loan for 10 years would be about $4.60 per $1000 on top of the present tax rate.
ReplyDeleteRather than a single lump sum loan wouldn't it be possible to appropriate $2.00 per $1000 yearly to be placed into the "Roadway stabilization Account". This way the money is constantly being generated. It also increases as housing costs increase. No interests charges eat any of the tax rate and any unspent funds stay in the account or are rolled back into the account.
This money would need to be unable to be used, transferred, or even looked at glancingly by the TA for anything other than physical road improvement.
I wouldn't mind paying more, but not if its being misutilized and commingled as it is now.
More than Town departments talking to each other, cities and towns need to do so as well. Gardner paving plan outlines doing work on route 68 from McD's to past timpany plaza, while town of Hubbardston has spoken to a plan to pave route 68 from Gardner line through center of Hubbardston. Seem a shame to leave a portion of 68 untouched when work is being planned from two opposing ends. Perhaps MassDOT could enter into picture and ensure this gets done.
ReplyDeleteWe also seriously need to cut the entire process of creating government expense...........
ReplyDeleteLook at this year alone. In this budget which asks taxpayers for $1.50 per $1000 thier appear to be roughly $750,000 in raises for the school and town staff ($650,000 in override, $82,500 in BOS merit raises, $12,500 sewer raises) Best guess says we have about 260 employees (209-school,50-town). This comes up to about $2885.00 per employee.
The total payroll numbers seem to reach about $16,000,000+. We are being asked to cover a 4.6% payroll/benefit increase during a year in which the town is being asked for a 9% increase in our Real Estate taxes.
Can't wait till next year to get the bigger portion of the bill added..........yippee
Gee, I think I should ask how the t shirt sales are coming along, seeing that is how Scout Hall is going to be funded. Says so in the Annual Town Report. Seeing how we are being asked to fund raises again this year, what guarantee do we have that the money will be used for that purpose ? With no line item budget, we have no idea how our money is being spent.
ReplyDelete