Another Blog from Jeff's sofa!

For anyone keeping track in Templeton, according to the budget vs. actual report for the Town of Templeton, dated March 14, 2012, you have spent $10,667.50 on town lawyer. From the minutes of selectmen meeting of February 16,2012....available for legal $31,117.50 - $20,440.00 = $10,667.50 spent. That is the short version. The long version is there was $73,000.00 budgeted for FY2012 and according to the minutes of the BOS on February 16, 2012, there was a balance of $31,117.50 left. On the budget to actual dated March 14, 2012, there is a balance of $20,440.00 left in legal. Being a simple guy and a little slow, I round that to $10 grand in one month for legal. I think it is safe to say that there was no budget consideration in play when team columbus
voted to change town counsel. However, if you take the time to read "The art and science of managing legal services" by Leonard Kopelman ( I read that as controlling legal costs) you will find among other opinions of Len, his thought that "In essence, the majority of the governing body at a given time is the lawyer's client." (found on page 4 of that document) So the question is, if that is how Len Kopelman, of Kopelman & Paige feels, just who is the rest of the boards, commissions and departments suppose to turn to for legal help? Len also states on page 4 that unlike state government who are required to follow the attorney generals opinions, you (selectmen or town) are not bound by "your" lawyer's opinion. The opinion is not a sword over your head, but merely a tool to help productively attain municipal goals. If you do not like your lawyer's advice, ask how certain he or she feels about the opinion. So if Len feels he works only for the majority of the board of selectmen, would that municipal goals he speaks of be goals of the majority of the board of selectmen? So if one of the goals of the current majority of Templeton board of selectmen is to bring back former town coordinator carol skelton, does that mean he is helping them attain that goal while charging the Templeton taxpayers for that service? Just a thought from the simple mind that is Jeffrey Bennett. On another subject, I have spoken of the amount of elected salaries and stipends for chairmanships of boards and committees in Templeton to be in the $70 thousand dollar range. In the latest budget proposal from the town accountant, those salary amounts have been cut, so that number may no longer be valid if those cuts stand. For example, selectmen salary budget has been cut from $25,790.00 to be divided five ways to $5,500.00 divided five ways and the board of assessors amount of $15,476.00 divided 3 ways to $3,200.00 divided 3 ways. A most interesting change is under the town accountant. His salary would go from $45,600.00 down to $36,480.00 but his soft ware license fee would go from $500.00 per year to $1,000.00 per year. Not sure why the increase there but I will ask, unless someone beats me to it. There are alot of salary cuts in the initial budget offering, but why not eliminate all elected salaries completely. If you volunteer to run or to be on a board or committee, why expect to be paid? Why does a chairman need to be paid more? No one forces you to be a chairman, you decide if you want to do it or not. And here I thought this was public service. Times are tough for everyone, well most everyone anyways. If ya have a $80 grand a year pension, things ain't so bad, comparatively. So it is time for elected officials to lead by example and say no to any kind of compensation. And if anyone would like a copy of the Len Kopelman piece, let me know and I will provide you a copy. It is also available on the website of Kopelman & Paige. I can't say how long it will be on there though.