While everyone is looking at financial, how about some election stuff. ask for minutes of the election registras for say the past 2 years. Ask for the minutes and posting of the meeting of the registras who checked the signatures of the recall sheets for Feb 2012. While it is allowed under state law, ask why the sheets certifying registered voters were not singed by the people who were checking them. Might be nice to have someone under oath attest to the fact that the registras actually did the work rather than someone else. Be sure to check the state law on election stuff and you will see how this process is suppose to work. Remember, you are entitled to look at public records on the spot without a written request, during normal business hours. Maybe a good question for this upcoming meeting of the selectmen is why were receipts recorded without account numbers by the previous town accountant, does this practis mean there is no audit trail? Are there records showing where money came from departments but never paired up with any account numbers? Just a thought / question from over here in vacation land.
The old accountant sure did leave town pretty damn quickly when he saw CS wasn't coming back and that the old gang was put out to pasture. I'm sure there are numerous issues that are/will be discovered with closer analysis of how town finances have been handled over the last decade. I suspect that things were not recorded or managed correctly according to the state rules. I have a feeling Templeton will be on the DOR's radar for more than one reason, if it isn't already. I would love to see the letter that Ann Gobi wrote to the DOR reprimanding them for their 2009 Report on Templeton. Who asked her to write that letter? Anyone wants to talk about Templeton's "reputation"...well, I'm sure its not stellar at the DOR after they took the time to do that report, were ridiculed by the then BOS, getting a letter from Gobi which added to the insult, and watch as Templeton didn't accept the report nevermind consider a single suggestion from their report. Mr. Stewart, you want to point a finger at someone or something that makes Templeton look bad? Well, there's a BIG one for you.
ReplyDeleteNow that the town is paying closer attention, reviewing and analyzing all accounts and procedures in an effort to save the town from our own "fiscal cliff", maybe depts like the DOR will see that the wind direction has changed here. There are people that believe ALL of their suggestions from the 2009 report are valid and logical and want to know how to get our finances and procedures back on a responsible track.
Oh, and one more thing...can someone further explain what the 50k settlement payment that Ginny referenced from the stage at TM is in reference to? I didn't quite understand that.
I don't think Ginny understood either. You'd better just go straight to her master at Echo Hill and ask the source directly.
ReplyDeleteThe $50,000 question-
ReplyDeleteAt the urging of town counsel Kopelman & Paige, the BOS voted to "settle" all claims against Erving Paper Mills and the WWTP contract for $50,000. This is top secret information, executed in executive session ...ANOTHER settlement agreement that did no go before the voters.
This action, this settlement , for $50,000 got Erving Paper Mill off the hook and no one was the wiser.
This leaves the town on the hook for decommissioning the lagoon. At a cost of 1-5 million. To be put on the backs of the taxpayers and ratepayers of the town of Templeton. This settlement also got Erving off the hook for the landfill costs. There is a huge landfill next to the treatment plant . It is filled with sludge from the papermill. Guess who is on the hook for those costs....just like you are on the hook for the 6 million dollar upgrade of the treatment plant.
Just more of Lenny's ability to negotiate on Templeton's behalf. Oops! I've said too much! Charlie Hausen can now come back and ask for the $50,000 back. Raise your hand if you think that will happen?
I guess VW does read the blog. It's the only place the $50,000 was ever mentioned.
I'm going way out there, do either vw or cs talk to each other? If so how come the topics are oposite, cs says that he thinks the ag has already taken a look at the problems and then vw says if they look at them the 50k will be returned? Which is it or do they both have it wrong,I think they both have it wrong. I would gladly give up the retirement that erving screwed me and others out of when they sold it to American Tissue Mills of Mass. We thought then this would turn into a mess,and it did! Thanks alot chuck!Hope that we get to turn the tide in the towns favor.You not only sold the mill,the town and also our retirements. What a lawyer!c
ReplyDeleteprevious 17 year employee
Are these executive session minutes available to the public? Again, HOW is that legal to accept a settlement agreement w/o town meeting vote? And WHY would the BOS agree to accept a measley $50k to forgive a multimillion dollar contract? Geez, the town politics just gets sadder and sadder. Honestly, people...WTF???
ReplyDeletemany of the issues on what Erving owed were already determined by the Federal Judges Swartwood and Gorton this disc should be available at town hall but needs the program summation to access information. The User Charge Regulations were the main issue and are Federal Regulations. The EPA did not uphold these regs, that is why the $10,000 a day threat seemed pretty hollow to me. You are talking big money when you talk about the treatment plant. six million on the upgrade, two million cleaning the lagoon, close to a million owed in loan payments, six to fifteen million owed in tipping fees, five to seven owed in operation and maintenance costs, and I'm sure I've missed a few million here or there. If Erving was a party to that contract as it is believed that they were we should not be spending any money on their responsibilities. How does that $50,000 settlement look now? Those that signed on to that settlement should be ashamed of themselves or have a very good reason.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you may have missed the landfill closure costs that Mrs Farrell mentioned, four to six million.
ReplyDeleteWhe were the selectmen/women when all these agreements took place? I don't think GS can take the blame for all the wrong doings in the town of Templeton. It looks to me,a (past)clueless taxpayer that the town has a history of electing selectmen that have their own personal agendas (at the town's expense). Thank you Pauly, Sue and everyone else that has started paying attention and speaking out. Glad to be a part of "THE BLOG" that is so hated by the other side of the story.
ReplyDeleteWithout this Blog, all of the information you recieve, would never see the light of day. I can not see how Charlie Housen has managed to get away with screwing the town, and the people at the mills. There is no reason they should not go after him. It was his business, he was the person that was the owner of Erving, and Baldwinville Products. The good old boys, have let him suck out all of the money from these businesses, and left everyone else holding the bag. Who signed the agreement for the $50,000.? There has to be a way out of this mess. If Ginny keeps workin against the interest of this town, we have to make sure every one knows it. Bev
DeleteThe settlement was signed not that long ago. It should be a public record to see who signed that agreement and then we can ask them what they were thinking. Maybe they can post something on the blog. I think we took a screwing but maybe it will all make sense once someone explains the details.
ReplyDeleteOne way to track down this settlement is to look through the postings of the BOS meetings for executive sessions. Start by looking for executive sessions from the years 2006-2008....probably within that time frame.
DeleteThe postings of the executive sessions should be public record. May need legal advice to determine if the executive session is public record or not.
question for Anonymous 8:01 p.m. Consider who was on the BOS at the time these things happened, it is easy to check. Then look at the DOR report and look at the references to town coordinator and chairman of select board at time DOR report was written. Next look at the records and see who led the charge or who voiced opinion that the entire report should be tossed aside. Who signed off on pay increases for his wife? Who was leading the effort to make selectmen sewer commissioners? Who was chairman of the muni building committee that was trying to say it would be cheaper to move all town offices into 252 Baldwinville road? If the selectmen became sewer commissioners, who do you think would have been charged with administravtive day to day oversight of that entity? Who are the people who were behind the recent recall effort and who did they end up supporting? Did those same people violate town by-laws concerning payments of settlements? This is all public record information that can be gathered from multiple sources with some time and effort. If you find the answers to these points, all I ask is you then blog on the names tied to those events and we will see whose name (s) we can then lay this mess next to. I will speak from experience that it is possible and it did happen to me, for things to be hidden from you and people can, will and did try to keep some out of the information loop, people who should be and have a responsibility to be in that informational loop. Before I forget, also check on who was it that continously asked questions, raised issues and could not even get an article on the warrant as a selectmen. I have documents that were obtained through public record requests, documnts that were used at selectmen meetings, which make them public record, along with e-mails that I read and disclosed in the course of my duty as a selectmen. One such e-mail was from Shaun Grimley asking for a legal opinion if Paul Cosentino sr could be kept from an executive session of the con comm even though he was on the commission and was entitled to be at that meeting. I wonder why then town coordinator did not share that e-mail with selectmen when Grimley was up for reappointment to the con com? Kind of a relevant item to know when deciding on a reapointment to a committee. You may also wish to know that it is the signature of Gerald Skelton on a contract with the company chosen to do feasibilty study for a new school and the contract amount is in excess of $900,000.00 even though only $550,000.00 was appropriated at town meeting. There is a record of this on a dvd and minutes of a selectmen meeting held at the narragansett cafeteria. I know because I asked the question about this subject.
ReplyDeleteI sure hope the AG, gets some smart people on these cases. All they need to do is follow the crooked trail, of reports, paper work, and most imporantly, follow the money. Just because politicans in the big cities do this stuff every day, does not make it "ok" here. It will never be ok, to do anything to hurt this town, or the people in it. We can not asorb this kind of wrong doing.WE NEED TO MAKE THAT VERY CLEAR, TO ANYONE WHO TAKES ON THIS TASK !!. MY OPINION, BEV
DeleteJeff, Keep up the info trails and when the meeting goes down the questions will get asked. Chris can kick out your emails at town meeting but all he did was strengthen our resolve. Thanks chris! And I quote "don't read the blog" Thank you for the services your providing!
ReplyDeleteStay Safe.
Dave Smart