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