I have to respond to the blog, Override Will Likely Be Called For In Templeton. This afternoon I was thinking about the mess the town is in. Believe it or not, I was in Sturbridge with my friend shopping, when it hit me. So when I got home I sat down to check, to see if what I thought I had read was right. I'll be dammed, but I was right. Concerned citizen 47,8/28 wrote "We have more people than ever before looking at the budgets. Most people that I have talked to didn't know they could, until this was brought to light". You know I really want every one to read this and think about what we just went through.
Remember what I said at the Special Town Meeting? I said "We were not against the school", and everyone gave me a Oh, Yah! Well, this is the reason. We did look at the budget. There was money to cut. Do you guys think Ms. Miller did not have money set aside just in case she had to go forward another step, or two? When the Lady at the meeting asked if she was going to cut middle school sports, did you think she was going to say no? Never, Never vote on a budget with out looking at it! If you had looked at it, you would have seen there was more than enough fat to cut, especially in the administration. You are tax payers and voters! You have the power to say NO!! We do not want you to cut middle school sports. Ms. Miller played you, like a violin and it worked! Threaten to take things from the kids, and true to form, the young people handed her the golden egg, on a velvet pillow. Ms. Miller walked out of that meeting with the golden egg, and the money she was willing to bet in her pocket. So now we will all hurt! No crap, No empty threat! No conspiracy! None of us wanted to be in the spot we are in right now. This spot is just awful! There is nothing for us to do but go for a override, or cut. Just for the record, Ms. Wilder has never worked with the selectmen or any of us on the blog. Who knows what she was doing? Not me! The reality is this. This is going to be a tough call. Now that the school has taken the money the town needed more than anything, the choice is override or cut. People who voted NO, four times will not be happy, but like Julie said, "the system is flawed". The position we are in is pretty bad, so we will have another vote, things are to critical to do anything else. It will then be up to people to vote the way they want. End of story! Just remember, when you can not get down your road, the kids will have their middle school sports, and band uniforms. FYI, Get a job at the school, they pay very, very well. My opinion, Bev.
It goes back to the old saw. You can always find the answer if you know the right question...
ReplyDeleteVOTE NO for any override. It will not be in the best interest of most Templeton residents to have an override for the amount that Jeff Bennett is proposing. What would be in the best interest would be to rebuild slowly, you go too fast you will be in a worse position, you will set the tax rate so high that those who are struggling will lose. Right there is no option, or maybe there is. Slow the boat down.
ReplyDeleteWe WERE trying to rebuild slowly BUT the school was too greedy to play nice. The school put us in this position. I will support and vote YES on whatever amount they come up with. We have a DEDICATED bunch running the town who really are working for the town not themselves.
DeleteThe town is in for some tough time and it will take a few years to get us back on a solid financial footing. Some tough choices are going to have to be made and will require some shared sacrifice from all. I fear that Ms. Miller does not believe in shared sacrifice and weather or not we pass an override this year the schools will be back next year looking for more.
ReplyDeleteI support an override for $550,000, but if the schools do not reduce there budget (say 10%) we are not going to be able to dig Templeton out of the hole we have dug. If the override is for $1,000,000 I think it will go down in defeat.
I am disappointed that the Board of Selectmen are going to wait til their next regularly scheduled meeting in order to take any action. An emergency meeting or meetings should have been scheduled to formulated a plan of action as soon as possible, because for every week that this situation isn't addressed the cuts will only get deeper to our Towns' departments and the services they provide.
ReplyDeleteThe Town employees deserve the opportunity for this matter to be brought to an override question. There are to many jobs on the line for the Selectmen to just say that the Town will have to cut 35% from every Town department to meet this fiscal crisis. The Town employees deserve the same sentiment as when the school was fighting against cuts to staff.
I've read way to many blog entries, that have many differing opinions on what should be the override amount. In my eyes there is really only one way to truly address this question and that is to leave it up to the voters. Therefore the override question should read to something of this extent;
Do you approve the Town of Templeton to exercise a Proposition 2 1/2 Override. Yes or No
If yes at what amount, please select one:
*$551,000 the minimum amount to meet the School Districts' approved budget.
*$691,000 the minimum amount to meet the School Districts' budget, plus $140,000 to restore all Town employees to 40 hour per week work weeks.
*$831,000 the minimum amount to meet the School Districts' budget, plus $140,000 to restore 40 hour per week work weeks, and additional $140,000 to give all Town employees a pay raise.
*$1,000,000 which includes all of the above, plus $169,000 to be put into the Towns' stabilization account.
It's not rocket science. Spell it out as simply as possible and let the voters decide.
I personally would support an override for the amount of $691,000, which would be approximately a $.75 per $1,000 increase, give or take a few cents. However, one can defend all of the amounts for various reasons. My reasoning is simple $500,000 just came off of our tax rate from the senior center and the additional $140,000 to restore the 40 hour per week work weeks is a marginal increase that would greatly benefit the Town and its' employees.
I can only hope that the Board of Selectmen decide to let this matter go to an override vote and let the citizens of the Town decide the outcome.
Sorry no bias currently $1.00 on the tax rate will raise about $541,000 (we won't have the exact figure until the DOR certifies our values) so to raise the $551,000 just to break even would be $1.02 on the tax rate.
DeleteNo Bias make sure you take that up with Mr. Bennett. He is after all the chairman of the BOS so he decides when there are meetings.
DeleteVOTE NO VOTE REFORM!!! The school has to start cutting increases just like the rest of us. They will ask for way more next year and if Templeton passes an override they will pull the same ploy. Will go to vote - turned down 4 times, then Phillipston will step in again and we will loose again - more money to the blood sucking school system.
DeleteOh my! Well if people do vote no, this town will have nothing left. Very selfish point you are making!
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ReplyDeleteOk, Listen, this is how it goes, 1. The Advisory Board will have a meeting, I think it is Wednesday night. Someone will let us know if I am wrong. They had to post a meeting, to meet the Open Meeting Laws. 2. The Advisory Board will make recommendations to the Selectmen. 3. The Selectmen will have a discussion, and vote on the recommendations. All this can not be done, behind closed doors. This discussion has to be at a legally posted meeting. The Selectmen will vote on what they feel would be in the best interest of the town. How this is presented to the voters is up to them. This is what we voted for them to do, the best for the town of Templeton residents, All of them. 4. A date will be set for a override election, and the election will take place after the election date is posted according to MGL. 5. We will deal with the results of the vote. If the override passes, we will be ok. If not, will have another town meeting, posted legally under MGL, and it is up to the people of this town to cut positions. This is as simple as I can make it. Bev.
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DeleteNo Bias that's a great idea! I have already stated I will not support 1 million but I har been doing reading and making sure I am listening to others opinions. I like your idea and your sentiments. It is hard for us as a group Gansett Greatness to begin our campaign to help without a plan so I hope as soon as possible we will hear one that we can get behind. Thanks for sharing here.
ReplyDeleteI have a suggestion for you and the others that have just started reading the blog. Go back and read the blog from the beginning, to the this point. If any of you had a clue as to what Virginia has contributed to our problems, you would never had listened to her in the first place. I know people have said "we should not look back", but trust me, it is crucial that you see the big picture to understand what is still going on today. Some of what is taking place is in your face, other things are subtle, but it will give everyone a clear understanding of the true picture. "What you never read in the Gardner News". Maybe one person could print it off, for others to read and share. I find it very scary that there is so little knowledge as to how the town runs, by the members of Gansett Greatness, and some of the people that write on the blog. I do not say this to hurt feelings, or to put anyone down. The selectmen just recently had to take the time out to deal with a open meeting violation from Mr. Mason. A waste of time and not accurate, but just another thing for the selectmen to do, and deal with. It is the Advisory Boards job to make recommendations to the BOS, based on needs, finances, laws and discussions with the department heads. As of right this moment, no one else has enough information to make a informed decision based on anything but emotions and rumors. Mr. Spring and his people have worked hundreds of hours, to make the town departments run efficiently, a first for this town. This is my opinion, Bev.
DeleteOne of the things I did want to say is, it is good to ask questions if you do not understand. This is how you learn. I know Mr. Spring has a opening on the Advisory Board. You can give your name to Mr.Ritter, if you are interested. Bev.
DeleteThanks Bev for the information.
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