in my opinion
those three new desks at $1000 each was not as you say a squeak through the
year and at the end you find you have X amount of dollars left, to just buy
something to use up the excess instead of giving it back to the town on the
desk issue. I am sure Columbus bought those three desks at $1000 each just to
add more fire to the town going into bankruptcy. As far as the hoses are
concerned, if you really needed them okay but if you bought the hoses just in
case you need them that's wrong.
But wait until fiscal year 2014 budget request
all departments are going to put their budget on paper, yes on paper the
finance board/advisory has a plan in order and it will be followed. All
departments-no more I need X amount of dollars to run my department. The finance
board will want to know all the particulars for the amounts asked for. This
should have been done years ago, am I right Paul Q? Then on June 30 watch the advisory
board system works and yes Mike I myself and others in town witnessed the
wrongdoings of the concom, with $1,400 so-called last-minute debt in 2003. That
story is still on the books for investigation and it's not beyond the statute
of limitations. That issue has never been settled how come? Remember the under
the rug deals, until May 7, 2012, the old Skelton and Columbus dictatorship? Don’t
Laugh now, but that activity cost us
taxpayers thousands of dollars and it isn't settled yet. What are we doing with
that extra thousand dollars desk? Again something was bought that was needed.
Is WB Mason going to take that desk back and not charge handling? Wrong or just
give us a use desk receipt? Check it out Mr. Bennett. I'd call that issue
"misuse of municipal funds". In a near bankrupt crisis am I right?
And a note to Mike C-I trust your judgment because I know who you have worked
for. End of story.
Hey Twisted
Sister 68, I agree with Bev, I myself try to print things in layman's terms so
everyone who reads the blog can understand what they are reading, okay?
I was asked
yesterday what "interim" means so I got out the dictionary and guess
what it means “temporary”. So why don't the people involved just say temporary
end of story.
And again
Mike C August 2 8:09 PM, no the windmill is not fixed and try to attend the
light and water meeting on Bridge Street. I'll post the date and time as soon
as they posted. We might get an answer. And to you DCE August 2 1:41 PM, you
printed it like it is and no one should have a problem reading your comment.
Just a question why doesn't the light and water department post meetings and
agendas on the town website? Every other department does. What's the big secret?
Not everyone can get to 690 patriots Road/selectmen's office or the board
outside of the town clerk's office. Why not put it where people can just find
out about it at their homes-on the Internet?
Hey checkn000,
in my opinion the personnel policies should not be on the website, the policy
is way out of whack and must be redone immediately and put into its intended
use. And no changes in the middle of the night or at eight o'clock in the
morning. If you think I'm wrong please help me out here on the personal board
issue. I was at the last personal board meeting and I listened very closely to
what Raeann Trifilo with saying about the way the personnel policy was written.
And I agree. Start all over again. Record the meeting clearly so no one can say
somebody sneaked in a sentence after it was voted on. VW, why did you say at
the last meeting that Raeann should not be on the personnel board because she
got elected to the school board. How come? Should you be on the personnel board.
You VW are elected official? I want to see these rules on paper. It's okay for
me, but not for you. Is that the way the personnel policy reads?
I'm going to request, get it request a copy of
the logs from July 1, 2009 through August 1, 2012 from the following people
that are employed by the town or elected to our town boards or committees, building
inspector, concom agent, I have a lot of issues with Mr. Koonce about his hours
of employment, on paper. Health agent, logs from the day he started working for
Templeton. Affordable housing coordinator, Grimly, I have a lot of issues on
his hours of employment. I want “logs” not timesheets or payroll vouchers,
other words what date, date, time each showed up for work and what their agenda
was for the day and what time they each left. And what property did they go to
inspect. For that date, sound pretty simple? By the time this blog reaches
taxpayers I should have an answer on paper because I'm going to ask each person
for a copy in person. Watch out for the flack. Did Koonce ever make a log? He
did a good job on his mileage money, voucher I checked the dates but no
"time" recorded. When did they come to work, time, what day, date.
And for how many hours and if in the field where? What town and for what
reason? Do not forget each employee is covered by Templeton's insurance plan,
other words say an employee gets hurt bad and then files a claim against
Templeton. His or her hours are 9 to 12 Monday and Tuesday any accident report
says the accident happened Thursday at 2 PM in Gardner, sorry no claim. But
then again at the accident happened at 11 AM in Gardner and your job did not
require you to be in Gardner, you better have a good logbook to explain what
you're doing in Gardner at 11 AM. Pretty good huh? All my help punches in and
out on the time clock, so why can't each employee in Templeton either punch a
clock or keep an updated log date, other words don't make a log leaving at 10
AM and you actually left at 8 AM. I have proof of that actually happening
constantly, am I right Pete K? And this accusation was verified by one person
that took pictures, not me, with the time and the date. And to quote Carol
Skelton, a picture is worth 1000 words.
Now-why are
so many people resigning here in Templeton and also notice Winchendon. Slow
that washing machine down Bev. Thanks for reading my opinions, Pauly
Like it or not, on the desks issue, 4 selectman said do it and yours truly said no, the desks were ordered, paid from the proper account and the invoice for the warrant was signed by three selectmen, lawful requirement so there is no unlawful misuse of public funds. A bad way to spend money when the budget is in the shape it is, but it was not il-legal so there is no smoking gun there, so - to -speak. On the other hand, people who wanted those desks should not be doing any complaining about cut hours or loss of pay. Perhaps the conservation commission should be confronting their chairman as he is the one who signed off on those hours for the con com agent.
ReplyDeletePauly maybe the surveilance cameras at 690 Pats Rd can help monitor when employees arrive and leave? He he he. Where I work, there's a camera at the front door. If we fill out our timesheets and there's a question on one of the days, HR goes and looks at the tape. Also, not sure how high tech the town's technology is, but if they are hooked into a network, you should have a log of when people turn on their computers and shut them down when they leave. That's another way my company checks on our honesty. Its a Big Brother world now. There's no stopping it. If people are doing their jobs the way they should, there should be no problem with the new rules. If they are not, then they need to start because we a re all thristy for accountability in all areas of government.
ReplyDeletePauly, to answer your question, I do think the public should have a look at the policies without going to the town clerk to get them in print. I think they were purposely not put on line because SOMEBODY didn't want people to bring up the issues they could find with them. Also, some of us out here in lala land might have a few ideas for the Board to ponder. Just a thought. Thanks for reading my comments.
ReplyDeleteI here what your saying Pauly but in my opinion that i only can speak for the fire dept over the years even when Paine was chief that was common practice ..the dept always waited till the end of the fiscal year.. to replace worn out equipment ,aka.new hose .old gear .a few new nozzles . pails of foam . it been that way for years to me in my opinion that is not wrong others might disagree but if you did it in reverse and ok we need 500 feet of new hose and went out and bought it and when it came to the end of the year you had a break down and now your short money what now ...just like anything in time things go bad if used a lot or not when it comes to fire protection you do not want to find out you need a new length of hose when your using it at a fire..hose is the most abused of all the fire equipment there is.that's why you have to keep replacing that stuff ..dam i remember years ago when we are fighting a brush fire we broke hose all the time because it was old !!but until the fire dept started charging for burn permits that all changed and that money went towards forest fire equipment !!
ReplyDeleteWhat Templeton needs is a central purchasing system, one expense account, you need supplies, equipment under a certain amount, you go to purchasing and explain what why how much when etc. buy it submit invoice it gets paid and we have a centralized list of who bought what, when and how much, next year you look at the records and see how much was spent, by who for what and then you know how much to put back into that account. everyone does not get a thousand dollars to buy paper, pens pencils ink for printers. pretty simple way to do business.
ReplyDeleteone problem with central purchasing system is that the person in charge is out to get the best deal out there ...BUT the cheapest is not always the best deal...just like at work the boss always wants the best deal out there but just take grinding wheels we buy a lot of them .there are wheels that are cheep and last forever but they don't cut!!!more labor to get the job done .pay a little more and get a better grinding wheel that cuts but does not last as long but you save on labor the job gets done faster and easier !!!just my opinion
ReplyDeleteOne advantage of a centralized purchasing sytem, one department may be aware of a place that has cheaper printer cartridges( I pay 59- 99/cartridge where I work). Centralizing the purchasing may save the town money, but it needs to be implemented in a systematic manner.
DeleteCertain departments will have specialized needs for purchasing like the fire department. That is why it is essential to hire a qualified fire chief. The BOS will not know if the Fire dept. needs hose or not. We rely on the Fire Chief to make that determination.
Another, separate and disturbing issue is lines of credit. When I have asked for this information in the past and have received mixed results. In my opinion, Templeton needs to get a handle on lines of credit.
I think it is good to get imput from a varity of people when it comes to the personnel policies. The people who will have to work with, and under them pretty much know what is needed. The girls from the selectmans office spoke to Mr.Spring about the recorders that they use during meetings. He had one idea, but they had another opinion. It was good, now when the plan is made, it will be one that everyone agrees with, and one that will work. I still think hourly people should be on the time clock. It will leave a trail of the "real" hours people work. It is also easier for people to remember when they worked, and what days they took off. It is a long row we have to hoe, but we will get there one project at the time. Keep the faith, one day the town will run like a well oiled watch, and all this stuff will be behind us. Bev.
Deleteto Mikec, In regards to the fire department and hose and associated items, my question to you or any member of the fire department, are there regulations, guides, standards when it comes to fire hose, nozzles etc. I have seen articles from / about the NFPA and a standard 1962 that speaks on Inspection, care & use of fire hose, nozzles, couplings along with service testing of fire hose and nozzles & couplings. This indicates to me that there are shelf life and pressure test numbers out there that are standardized. I get from this that there is a normal life to fire hose and how often it should be tested and to what pressures. It looks that "at least annual inspection" of this equipment so there appears to be guidance for planning of replacement of hose and fixtures, perhaps on a rotating basis and I understand that things can be damaged from use and stuff happens such as hose becoming exposed to things such as chemicals, burnt hose cuts and even vermin such as rats chewing on the hose to make a home. Considering this, I would think a chief could make a schedule for equipment replacement and present a budget for such along with emergency contingencies such as the advosory board emergency fund. If this is not so please inform me. I think that not only getting credit in order but a complete inventory of what we have and the shelf life, everyday use life, etc is needed so we can lay out a plan of what to buy, what and how to plan for buying in the future and how much in dollars is/will be required to be set aside and I expect you will hear more on this from the advisory board in the future.
ReplyDeleteyes i am aware of this standard 1962 and ISO also requires testing of hose ..we do have a hose tester ..but the only problem with testing hose it is very labor intensive ..a few years ago tom started paying guys to come down a test hose..i spent a whole day there and we only tested one truck.i do believe that you can only test 200 feet at a time according to that standard ..the problem is to get the help to do it as i said it is very labor intensive and bottom line it sucks to do so you don't get anybody to volunteer to do this ..that's another reason you need a full time dept with a few guy on during the day that one of there daily tasks would be to test hose .but you also need extra hose that you can have all tested sitting on the floor to change out the truck so you do not have a piece of equipment out of service all day to test it ..that is the problem now we do not have the extra hose to test ..what we need is a good 1500 feet of 4 inch hose and 500 feet of 2 1/2 and 500 feet of 1 3/4 that is all tested and then when it comes meeting night change it out and then the guys that work during the day can test it!!that's what the area full time depts do ...just my opinion ..
ReplyDeleteI guess the key there is to have dedicated volunteers who really care about the town and the department and to have a leader who can make things happen. Small town volunteer forces have to make the committment to not only come when there is a fire but to do the things that it appears would ensure their safety and that of town residents.
ReplyDeletewell Jeff WTF PAY US !! ...fire dept IS THE ONLY DEPT IN TOWN THAT DOES THINGS FOR THIS TOWN FOR FREE!!!!!this attitude has to end we train for free we keep up our CERTIFICATIONS for free IN MY OPINION THE FREE RIDE IS OVER!!!!..what the f.. you say this now that you the selectmen are finally doing your job for free WE BEEN DOING IT FOR YEARS AND WE HAD ENOUGH!!!!why don't you tell the highway dept to plow snow for straight time ..tell the light dept to work week ends for free what gives.. why is it the fire dept always has to do it for free ..WHY !!!YOU HAVE NO CLUE WHATS INVOLVED IT IS TIME THE TOWN WAKES UP AND HAS A FULL TIME DEPT ...YOUR ATTITUDE WILL JUST MAKE THE GUYS SAY WTF and then what !!you are riding the fence here what you just said is like the other dope calling the town residents stupid!!!
ReplyDeleteJeff ....times have changed this is not the 70's or 80's it is time to pay people for what they do and a fair wage ...if phillipston can have guys work a day shift that they have 1/4 of the calls Templeton has there is something wrong the money the ambulance brings in would pay for a few guys during the day and they also could do all the bs stuff when hanging around the station ...WAKE UP TEMPLETON YOUR SAFETY IS IN JEOPARDY !!!just my opinion
ReplyDeleteEasy there MikeC, first Templeton is in a rebuilding perion and I am only beieng a realist, when was the last time the taxpayers voted for anything fire department? You know the answer there and please remember I spoke in favor of the ambulance account and voted for it. The fact is the volunteers will most likely have to do what they have been doing for quite a while, realize that the time has not yet come, nor are we really in a position to do what you want to happen - and this may not come out right on a blog, but you volunteers may have to suck it up for a while longer. I am believeing that by next May, the town may be in a good place financially and we may be able to do some things, unfortunately and you probably know this well, the fact is there are not fires, never mind big fires everyday, at least in Templeton like there are in cities. What I was saying and this may be a loosing battle, is the volunteers will have to deal with reallity, like it or not and do the things needed for now and yes I know "for now" has been going on a long long time and I won't lie to you and say I or we can go get a fulltime force right now as I do not believe it would pass, try to remember the last new fire truck the town bought. Tom Smith laid it out over and over and here we are. I have only said what it seems others will not say, right now the volunteers will have to get done what needs to get done or it will not get done. You said it yourself, some of the stuff is a pain ia the butt and I don't think I ever ride the fence. First we need to get you a fire chief then progress from there. It is not an argument, it is the facts, look at the history of town meeting votes concerning the fire department, a touch subject for sure and you have just proved that. If the town had done an honest assessment of 252 Baldwinville road and manged the finances of Templeton better the past 6 years or so, we could talk and do something, unfortunately, we cannot, the town has a 600 thousand dollar debt to pay off and no matter what you or I think, taxpayers are not going to vote for fulltime firefighters right now, I don't believe. It is not the 70's or the 80's, it is 2012 and health insurance, pension and everything else is more expensive, you feel Templeton residents are putting their safety in jeopardy now and it looks like they don't think that way mike, just the facts as I see them and I try to callem as I see them. That is not calling taxpayers stupid, that is speaking the truth and not worrying about political popularity. So for now, I guess you and I can agree to disagree on the firedepartment.
ReplyDeleteJeff the guys can only volunteer so much time they have familys as well. the fire dept will continue to provide service to the town to thew best of are abillity even with our equipment falling apart. 1 engine out of service. 1 enginge can only seat 2 guys. feeling safe yet.rescue truck that you need to shut off when on scene or it overheats. pleas just hire us a hief weather it be chief Bankowski or someone else the dept needs to move forward not backwards.and any time you want to see the old equipment we have or the time the guys give up for free for trainings come on down second or fourth tuesday of the month.
DeleteAnonymous, I always feel safe, no police escort from a selectmen meeting for me - so far. Fire chief interviews scheduled to begin this Thursday. The volunteers are kind of like people in the militery, they may complain, they may put up with / work with old worn out stuff but they do give the best they can and people know that, but and you can always see that "but" coming. Has the overheating truck been looked or are we just putting up with it? And thank you for that information, would have been nice to hear that from the temporary chief Bankowski while he was at the selectmen meeting on July 23, 2012.
DeleteJeff
ReplyDeletei do remember when the last two trucks were bought ...engine 1 and ladder 1 i was involved in buying both those trucks hours and hours of time free to the town i also went to the factory to inspect both trucks two times each and taken two days off of work each time i went to the factory ..that is 8 days i have taken off at what cost to you tax payers ..NONE!!!! so you tell me time is not right for a full time dept...well you are wrong we need 2 firefighters on during the day to man ambulance and do maintenance of equipment during the day only (aka test hose)..the ambulance money would pay for these guys.. just look at this last week how many times did the fire dept loose money because wood transported because we do not have the response during the day , there is a huge time delay if nobody in Templeton is responding and you have to call woods ...it is a no brainier to put a few guys on and have a fast response and make money towards bettering the dept!!!!just my opinion..i only been on the dept 30 plus years and don't no nothing !!!! fall is coming you can change this at the fall town meeting !!!!
I said the time financially is not right as in the will of the voters, we as selectmen can put it on the warrant or 200 registered voters can petion for a special town meeting anytime they wish, it does not mean it will get voted in, I hear you but the taxpayers are the ones you must convince, they don't trust us selectmen right now. Please tell me how many calls woods got just this past week?
ReplyDeleteI have an e-mail from Larry Bankoski via Jeff Ritter stating that from January 1, 2012 until June 30, 2012, there were 271 ambulance calls, 32 refused service, 39 went to woods and Templeton handled 200. Apparently this was in response to my question about calls and woods ambulance taking alot of calls in Templeton.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't Woods have to respond if it is an ALS (Advanced Life Support) call? We don't have any paramedics here or do we? I know there are certain things that the EMTs are not qualified or licensed to do so they have to call in Woods in those cases, right? Please let us know on this.
DeleteAs a trauma Nurse To respond to your question -isteach- If we here in templeton only have basic EMT's then yes Woods would need to respond for any ALS calls. In a life threatening emergency a paramedic can start an IV, give medications, put in an Et tube to assist in ventillation among other things where a EmT would only be able to check your blood sugar, give you oxygen and transport you to the hospital. Don't get me wrong Emt's are amazing and put up with a lot of bull but with the medical issues I have having a Paramedic respond to my home could be a matter of life or death.
DeleteAccording to the Annual Town report for 2011, town voted;
ReplyDeleteFire Chief salary - $53,975.00
Deputy chief - 2,005.00
Captain &
Lieutenant - 3,700.00
Fire Dept.
salaries - $90,671.00
Dept Expenses - $83,800.00
Fire Dept &
EMS expenses - $175,000.00
Total - $306,151.00
That is the amount the EMS has to take in right now for the fire dept / EMS to pay for it self. What the increased costs to have fulltime people, even two, I do not know, then what about things like meals, guys going to go home, bring bag lunch, eat out (expensive) or would next step be a kitchen? Things to think about because you / me / we have to justify this to the taxpayers and that is how I think and they will ask and they will want answers because the days are gone when we can ignore them or tell them we are doing this, they demonstrated that at town meeting. Just the reality of right now. Mike, keep talking and asking and I will listen and I will give my side and we see what happens.
Jeff, why do you expect the fire department to pay for it self.I think that's not fair how much money dose the police and highway bring in.i think that the town should match what the ambulance money brings in to the town. TFD dose have paramedics but can't work at there level of training because TFD only has a basic licensed.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, That is how the case has been made for Ambulance account and having full-time, couple of guys to man ambulance service - see above what mike c said, the ambulance service fund would pay for these guys. Many people read this blog and many people ask how much will it cost and why do we need it. I just think that if it can be shown that the move is justified through the financial picture, it is an easier case to be made. Besides, that was the selling point from Tom Smith and when the article first came to town meeting when the account was set at 100 thousand dollars, towns people were told if we have an ambulance service it would pay for it self. Now it may not be fair, but if you put yourself in the shoes of taxpayers who right now are worried about money and keeping their homes, that is the questions they ask. Now the police department does not bring in the kind of money they do in Gardner, check Gardner town report on line and see what the parking meters bring in to the city, but if you remeber at the special town meeting, because of a grant the police chief got having to do with 911 and or dispatch, the town was able to transfer funds from dispatch salary account to cover several items to keep things afloat, the exact details are within the warrant for that special town meeting. The highway department through chapter 90 monies helped get new water mains and drainage and roads repaved in conjunction with CDBG funding. The highway department also helped out with work at senior center and people noticed this, evne then the taxpayers rejected buying any equipment for the highway department. The police department had 8,138 calls for service according to the 2011 annual town report. and the police department got a total of $150,496.00 in grant funding that helped cover course fees, personnel training costs color copier, computer aided dispatch equipment, $103,840.00 for telecommunication personnel costs. The fire department received a grant in the amount of $45,800.00 (appears to be a continuation of a process began in a prior year (s) and that money was used to purchase a thermal imager camera and 15 sets of updated structural firefirghting gear. A $2,000.00 matching grant was used to buy 2 portable pumps., some nozzles and hand tools. Fair or not, taxpayers look at this stuff and ask why and how much. I remember the camera and the explanation for it, and it was a good case made by the chief, but most folks might feel you should have gotten new or more hose if that is what you need. A new fire truck purchase was okayed at town meeting but failed at the ballot of special town election. And as Mr. Bankowski and Mr. Dickie pointed out when I asked about Winchendon responding to a small fire in Baldwinville, that is why we have mutual aid, if Templeton only has one pumper and we need two for some reason at a fire, there is a pretty new one available about three miles from the town line, in Gardner. And as those two members of the Templeton fire department pointed out, that is why we have mutual aid. That is the truth and that is what taxpayers look at when asked to come up with more money in debt exclusion questions to buy things. Agree, disagree, that is the facts as I hear them from the people. May not make you a happy camper and it may not make the volunteers happy campers and I don't make the rules, I simply play the game. That is a metaphore I often use to explain why certain things have to be done a certain way so please don't throw "you think this is a game with people going into burning buildings" I am just one of the messengers. Thanks for your comments, concerns and questions.
ReplyDeleteBy comparison, there were 939 calls for fire department, 274 for fire service and 665 ambulance calls which means / shows that compared to the police, the fire department goes out far less (a good thing) than the police and in the eyes of the taxpayers, it is hard to justify hundreds of thousands of dollars on one truck, again, I am only the messenger.
ReplyDeletejeff
ReplyDeleteyou like to compare apples and oranges ,do you know if that was what the grant was intended for.ambulance service it would pay for it self not the whole fire department budget.I understand mutual aid and it use but the town should take care of it self also. It sounds to me you don't even want the ambulance anymore but that would cost more money to all the tax payers to get rid of it than to improve it.I also beleave you can only change a grant by 10% for what it is written for if you get audit and used the money for what it was not intended for it will have to be paid back and who have to pay that bill.
Actually I was responding to mikec about how much money does the police and highway dept. bring to Templeton, I was merely pointing this out. On the ambulance, if it was more cost effective to contract it out, I would be in favor of that and then concentrate on fire dept. Whether the calls go to Templeton or Woods, my main concern is that people are having access to Ambulance service when they call. Ashburnham has 4 fulltime firefighters/EMT including the chief, FY12 amount was $490,627.00 - FY13 that amount increased to $585,622.00 / Westminster has 6 fulltime firefighters/EMT including chief & captain. Ambulance salaries $101,325.00 and expenses of $75,115.00. Fire dept salaries of $733,556.00 and expenses of $105,832 with the dept having 1,162 combined calls including 497 for illness/injury and 140 calls for car accidents. When you consider fulltime fire/emt/paramedic we get into particulars like is that another union to deal with, clothing allowance, will the ambualnce be seen parked at cumbies (duncan dounut) will the ambulance be used to go for meals or is a full kitchen built in one of the fire stations etc etc. Perhaps the new chief can bring forth a plan - a detailed plan with explanations on the details and then the question can be brought before the voters again. It may not always be as simple as finances, but that is certainly a part of it and it almost certainly is the deciding factor when people go into the voting booth.
ReplyDeletesee Jeff
ReplyDeletethose towns care about safety for there residents unlike the leaders of this town !!!
Just so we are clear, the town residents vote that stuff in or out. Maybe it was made clear to them, we will have 4 fulltime firefighters/EMT or paramedics and we will pay them 30 thousand per year each for a total of 120 thousand and the town will be licensed for paramedic service and this annual training to keep everyone certified will cost another 30 thousand per year. S o do you taxpayers wish to support this? Apparently not yet in Templeton has been the response of the taxpayers.
ReplyDeletemikec, I am having a hard time trying to figure out why you are writing comments like the one at 4:02. Jeff is just telling you the truth. Don't shoot the messanger, just because he says what you don't like!! Jeff has been working hard with the rest of the town boards, advisory, most of the other selectmen, to get this town on its financial feet again. Do you understand what kind of a mess we are in? We are stuck with a huge bill for that mess on 252 Bald Rd.,with no way to pay it back. How do you think the every day taxpayer is feeling? They have been lied to, their money wasted for too many years. Tax bills they are having a hard time paying, and the worst part is , they have nothing to show for the money they have been paying for the past ten years. If you really want to help, work with us to make sure none of GS's crew gets back into office. These are the people you need to be angry at. These are the people who will tell you what you want to hear, but nothing will come of the promises that are made. The town would have money in free cash, and stabelization accounts if the town had been run like a business. I know you guys feel unappreciated and I am sorry. Please work with us, this is the only way things can inprove. My opinion, Bev.
DeleteJeff were do you get $30,000.00 a year for training. It seem yet agian you do not know what you are talking abought. Another scelctmen miss leading the town people.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I am putting for instance numbers out there because no one from the fire department will post what is spent or what would be spent on training, once you become a fulltime employee, my guess is there will be no free training, either you pay people to go somewhere for training or you pay someone to come to the station to train them, what does it cost to send someone to a training session? I am not misleading the people, I know once you open pandoras box for fulltime fire, the costs go upwards, not down.
ReplyDeleteNothing contructive is happening with this discussion. Falseinformation on both sides will get the town nowhere. We need to work together appoint a new chief and let that person do their job and bring correct information to the taxpayers. In my opinion this is the way we need to head.
ReplyDeleteMay I add my anonymous 2 cents - The fire dept has been getting screwed since Tom Smith was appointed because Jerry and Bob C did not vote for him remember back then? John Henshaw, Julie and I think Gregg Edwards were the other selectmen. after that I witnessed the fire dept and emt dept always getting screwed. not because of the taxpayer but because of the skeltons & columbus & Obrien. I have seen the amount of money that was brought in by the emts and how it was used for the general funds. Just look at the recap sheet!!!! Tom Smith asked for years for a secretary/emt part time but was always refused but we had 3 secretaries in the selectmens office, go figure? I personally thing it is disgraceful that this town does not support its fire dept/emts.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so having a separate ambulance training wage account is misleading the taxpayers? As I see it, we have a salary account for personnel and expense account for maintenance, repairs etc, even though regular salary and maintenance are expenses of running an ambulance service, so my thought is with the training requirements and recertification state requirements you will have some people who have to attend traing or go to a location and take a test to keep current and someone will have to fill in for them while they are away, you pay the individual who is away retesting, recertifying etc. out of the training wage account and pay the fillin out of the regular salary account so at the end of the year you have a crystal clear picture of the money paid to employees to attend training and what you spent on regular work day events, plus that training wage account could be used to transfer from in case you ran into unexpected over expending on the regular salary account for some strange reason. Meticulous record keeping of taxpayer money and having a good record of what is actually spent on what seems like a good way to do business to me especially with someone elses money (as in taxpayer) That is the same reason I am in favor of centralized purchasing along with the possibility of doing regionalized purchasing with other communittees when buying say fire hose or snow plow steel cutting edges, they are all the same and maybe we could all save some money buying together and in quantities?? Just a thought and a question I think is worth asking. So perhaps I do know what I am talking about and at least I sign my name to what I write. But I am open to anyone else's ideas.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the Advisory Board & Selectmen can have a meeting with all dept heads to ask them to give their imput on a 5 yr plan--what does their dept need to operate efficiently and effectively and how much that goal would cost. Then take all the reports and work together to make a 5yr town master plan to achieve the goals. Look at surrounding towns--what # of employees they have--how much it costs--and what would be reasonable and attainable for Templeton. Jeff Bennett and Will Spring have done some of this research which is great. That is the kind of info we need to fix what has happened in the last 10 yrs.
ReplyDeleteWe need to support all town employees whether it an administrative assistant or a fire fighter or a light dept maintenance worker. Everyone does their job to help our community function. If there are problems, then it is all of our responsibility to fix the problems because those problems effect each of our daily living as well as our wallet. Discussions here on the blog are truly wonderful for throwing out ideas and fully vetting them. Some ideas may be great, some may be stinkers. The point is we need to communicate. That was one of the biggest mistakes of the last ten years. There were a lot of people in control who prevented communication from happening (for their own benefit, of course). Remember, these are the same people who didn't feel it was necessary to post town business on the website because it was posted at town hall bulletin board which they claimed was all they needed to do legally. So, let's "evolve" by changing that mentality. Hold our leaders accountable for providing town business on the website, continue to exchange ideas, evaluate data/facts/numbers, and discuss discuss discuss until we find solutions we all can live with.