Saturday, December 28, 2013

Columbus LTE ...echoes fom Echo Hill

Questions remain regarding $505K shortfall

To The Editor: 12/28/2013
Bob Columbus
Templeton

To The Editor:

In a political advertisement taken out in The Gardner News (August 31/September 1, 2013) by a Select Board member, voters of Templeton were asked to support a $1 million dollar tax override to support the town of Templeton.

In the advertisement, it asks “Do you want a viable, financially stable and balanced town?”  It states that these three things can be accomplished by this override and will be “attractive to business and people who wish to live and work here.”

The advertisement further states the override “would simply put Templeton back on sound and stable financial ground.” 

In October, a $620,000 override passed in Templeton which made up for the school districts budget passed at the August Joint Town Meeting ($591,000) as well as give town employees back working hours lost last year.  Two months later at the Dec. 13 selectmen’s meeting, an outside auditor reported that there was a $505,000 shortfall in the towns budget.


The town is six months into the fiscal year and it took someone other than town elected officials and employees to find this major mistake.  Chairman Jeffrey Bennett’s response during that meeting as to why this shortfall occurred was “ someone copied off of someone else’s homework and their homework was wrong. That is it in a nutshell. It is what it is.”

Another issue the consultant discussed at the meeting was “the town’s books have not been closed for Fiscal Year 2013, leaving important factors in terms of free cash unknown, such as the definitive dollar amount and date of availability.”

Historically, books for the previous fiscal years are reconciled in September and inserted on the recap sheet, so the state can certify free cash.  Another issue raised at the Dec. 16 selectmen’s meeting was the town’s accounts are reconciled through August 2013, three months behind. The two above issues appeared to be news to all members on the select board.

After reading the budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014, town charges were $4,563,838 created by the Advisory Board and listed on article 9 submitted by the select board on the Annual Town Meeting warrant.

After reading the article in The Gardner News and viewing the two selectmen’s meetings regarding Templeton’s budget shortfall, no comments were made or questions asked by any member of the advisory board as to why there is a budget shortfall and how it happened.

This board developed a $12.4 million town budget and did not have any input on this $505,000 shortfall and had no questions for the consultant.

As a taxpayer I’d like to know if our elected and appointed leaders knew about this shortfall prior to the Dec. 13 selectmen’s meeting, as well as when will issues regarding the books being closed for fiscal year 2013, the recap sheet being completed, all town accounts reconciled to date and who is responsible for copying off someone else’s homework. 

Due to these unresolved budget issues, as well as information forthcoming, it appears no one is communicating between departments. Is there a cover up regarding Templeton’s budget shortfall? Based on town officials finger pointing and their lack of knowledge about how a municipal budget works the possibility certainly exists in this taxpayers mind.

This situation reminds me of the old saying, you get what you pay for.

Bob Columbus
Templeton

17 comments:

  1. First, there is no homework, it was word analogy and apparently lost on some. Second, I did not know of this mistake until a few days prior to this meeting. There is no cover up by this individual, and as for the one million dollar override I wrote about, I simply took into account the 551,000 dollars that the school was pressing for, the lost hours (dollars by non union town employees, the previously discussed dollar figure (recorded in personnel board minutes) of approximately 140,000.00 dollars needed to bring everyone up to where they should be (non union) if the pay grade system that was in place and my thought was while we are here, lets have some funds for a true stabilization / capital stabilization fund. Now if you add that all up, it comes in at around one million dollars. Now, Mr. Columbus, you state you get what you pay for, well lets check the record as who was on the selectboard, taking $5,125.00 (my self included for one year) and lets see what we get? You were on the board those years where all free cash and any money in stabilization fund was used to "set the tax rate" and or to balance the budget. It is all in the town reports. Does Mr. Columbus recall in 2012 what he and his fellow selectmen (Wilder & Mullins) did? Lets see, fired a lwa firm in mid month costing taxpayers an extra 5 grand for no reason, fired town coordinator and gave a settlement of $15,000.00 and rehired carol skelton when there was not enough money in the salary account to pay her, then you went before the advisory board and asked for emergency funds to pay her wafter you failed to do simple math. People may wish to fire me but we certainly do not need to go backwards and have you lead the charge because your past actions speak for themselves. You Mr. Columbus not I was on the boards when all the free cash was used to balance a budget and or set the taxrate. Templeton certainly did get what they paid for and look no further than the Templeton water department to see huge debt, high salaries yet no money for maintenance, replacement of water mains or upgrades. Mr. Columbus, who was in charge of setting that system up?? Mr. Columbus if you wish to stir the pot and make accusations, I will go toe to toe with you all day and all night as there is a lot of official history out there. If you have some honest suggestions for a solution, please come to a selectmen meeting and or advisory committee meeting. Remember I am not one of the three selectmen who signed off an email spending $400,000.00 of taxpayer money where the address of the building was not even listed. My question to you Mr. Columbus is where were you at town meeting? Did you attend advisory committee meetings on the budget? Did you use your experience on advisory and select board to look over the budget? I have not seen you at any select board meetings in a while.

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  2. Well said Jeff, I'm sure there could be more to add to the former chairmans list . The thing i find obtuse about this horror of Templetons past is he can't even pick up his own dogs shit when they walk its for a cleaner yard and only his!
    I saw the true colors the Echo hill blob has when i went to visit them. They all showed up and it was fun i might add.
    One only has to look at the gloves on the hay roll to see what they think of Templeton. They should start to get restless soon when the people figure this out. When they get to vote again and again. The wash machine has no water to wash out the dirt they left behind. When the forensic acountant can't find the money,people will start to ask questios we have asked for a long time.

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  3. Replies
    1. * I'm NoT Dumb To voTe For Her ? Got That at Gansette. Peace All *

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  4. Replies
    1. Yah, like we need the black plague !!

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    2. * Why Do You Think We Need Gerry and Carol Back??? FOR WHAT...Bold Talk is Cheap..Explane Why.Do You Think That. Did Ms. Brooks Tell You To Stop Rooting For Her Because it Looks Bad??? My Toughts My, Mind.... Got That at Gansette PEACE

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  5. Vote Mitchell for Selectman

    Remember the past to ensure a better future.

    The nuclear option should NEVER be used.

    Enough is enough

    Enough said

    Had ENOUGH of Enough?

    Still paying for ENOUGH and will be for some time.

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  6. VOTE FORE DIANE HALEY-BROOKS remember the past lets not repeat it DIANE for a better secure future ENOUGH SAID

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    1. Why Will She Secure A Better Future For Templeton...your only REPEATING the Same Words ....Tell Us Why If You Can. If Not. I Ask Diane Haley-Brown Why Anyone Should Vote For You .For Selectwoman,,, I Know You Read This Blog.,,,,, Your No Name Supporters Aren't Giveing Us Much.... My Thoughts, My Questions, My Mind ..Got That at Gansette , aint it great.......*** Peace Out For Now **

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    2. I do believe Diane will bring a new fresh perspective to the town government. Why do you want to put in an individual that was recalled? Oh wait we made that mistake once already.

      Diane is not only a long time town resident, she is a business woman as well and those attributes will bring Templeton someone who understands that Towns should always be run as a business not as a pet project for individuals who want their names in the paper all the time. Does Diane believe the town needs to raise taxes? Yes she does. Does Diane believe the Town needs to bring in businesses? Yes she does. Do I believe Diane would be able to work with new business prospects in a way that could make Templeton an appealing place to do business? Yes I do. I believe having a new candidate voted in as a Selectman is a great thing for Templeton. Do I believe that Diane will support all departments within the town, not just the school? Yes I do. I did not support the school's budget push, nor did I support the override, but I have great respect for an individual who will make a stand and fight for it. Do I believe that Diane is disappointed by the news that the school has extra funds? Yes I do.

      I think it is time for some real changes in town politics with some new fresh ideas.

      VOTE DIANE HALEY-BROOKS for selectman for some fresh new perspective on old problems.

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    3. Thank You For Telling Me How You Think She Will Help..I Hope They Are All TRUE..But the Long Standing Attitute That If you ASK Questions in this town, You Get Resistance...You Get Attacked. by certain people and History has shown us who.-.SO My Last Question on the Matter Was To the Canidate Herself . For Your Opionion and that of Others Mean Nothing To Me...And Go Aheard and Attack me All you want for that, For I don't care about that either.

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  7. Vote Mitchell for Selectman.

    Remember the past to ensure a better future for the TOWN...

    The nuclear option should NEVER be used to fund the schools at the EXPENSE of the TOWN.

    Please vote on January 14th.

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    1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  8. VOTE DIANE HALEY-BROOKS for BOS look for a better future for Templeton not the same old politics as usual.

    Go ahead Julie delete that one too.

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  9. Vote Mitchell for Selectman.

    Remember the past to ensure a better future.

    The nuclear option should NEVER be used.

    ReplyDelete