My Name is Paul H Cosentino. I started this Blog in 2011 because of what I believe to be wrongdoings in town government. This Blog is to keep the citizens of Templeton informed. It is also for the citizens of Templeton to post their comments and concerns.
I support Bob Mitchell for Selectman. I support Julie Farrell for School Committee. I support Dave Smart for Light and Water.
I will also write in Jeffrey Bennett for Selectman, because that's the person I want to vote for.
Please support people who support the Town of Templeton. Plan B will happen if the override fails: [from Bob Markel]
Plan B: Parallel with Plan A, the DOR will be preparing deficit legislation to address the shortfall if the override does not pass. Gerry Perry said that the legislation would make provision for either a control board or an overseer. They appointed an overseer in Lawrence with less power than a control board. It is worth noting that DOR officials think that the outcome in Lawrence is less salutary than what happened in Springfield and Chelsea where they used control boards. Either way, there would be a strong state presence in Town affairs, and the Town would need permission for most measures requiring the expenditure of money. Perry also said that the state will require a local effort to cut expenses, and he recommended that the cuts mandated by the BoS in January be kept in effect. The state would rather do a loan for $350,000 instead of the full amount of the deficit.
He recommended that we plan an STM as part of the ATM on May 17. At the STM, the Town Meeting would implement the cuts to various budgets that were initiated by the Selectboard order. This step is necessary because while the Selectmen can force reductions in spending, only a Town Meeting can make the cuts official by reducing budgets voted at the previous ATM. DOR would like to see the deficit legally reduced to about $350,000, which means that the squeeze on expenditures should remain in effect.
We all need to stress with the public that state intervention via deficit legislation is very unpopular in the three cities where it has been implemented. Non-public safety services will be cut drastically or eliminated, and even public safety personnel will be trimmed. No town in Massachusetts has ever gone through the control board/overseer process, and it has happened in only three cities. The reputation of Templeton will suffer; it will be difficult to recruit Town employees and especially department heads, and most importantly, demand for houses will drop along with prices. The simple equation for the average taxpayer is this: Would he/she prefer to accept a two dollar increase in the tax rate for Fiscal 2015, or would it be preferable to see home buyers avoiding Templeton while the value of existing homes goes into decline?
Mrs. Farrell, Why on earth would you write in the name of someone who, not only quit an elected position, but also didn't take out papers to run again? Mr. Bennett clearly does not want to be a selectman in Templeton anymore. Sounds like a wasted vote to me.
Not to mention, your endorsement of candidates Mitchell and Smart is exactly why neither of them will be elected on May 5th. Templeton is tired of Julie McCoy and Gerry Hatfield and everyone that comes with them.
Takin it back, so you think that John Columbus will do the job ?? I have not seen him at any meeting that did not concern the schools in years !! Not one, and if he was there he did not stay, but slipped out the door. From the Gansett Greatness web page, the younger people have spent the past decade in their own world. Walked out that door at town meeting every year, after the Article they wanted was passed. So this is the same John Columbus who has Sen. Brewers ear, and just maybe this is why the town cannot get the investigation done !! Oh yes, we need another Echo Hill friend on the BOS. Both of the" School candidates" better get their head out of the clouds", and read Pauly's blog from start to finish, then we will see if they still want the job. When I said the town had no money, it was no joke, so if these people think they will walk in and take from the town to give to the school, good luck to them. Puffy and Taken, you both need to get a job. Bev.
Seems like it may be time to do what this board so far has refused to do, look at regionalization of dispatch. The state provides money for studies and to move to regionalization of services. It was a recommendation of the DOR to begin with. It would show the state that the town is indeed making all the moves to reset town finances. My personal opinion of a loan from the state to fix the budget is a lot like taking a loan to pay off all of your credit cards, in the end, you use those cards again and the you have an additional loan to pay for. When I worked at The Gardner News, Mr. Bell once told me that you may not have a penny in your pocket but you are never richer than when you owe no one. The town of Barre, according to their 2012 annual town report, states they have a per diem health agent, Phil Leger (Templeton fulltime health agent) and if you look at the number of issues in Barre and compare them to Templeton, such as food inspections, septic issues and all of the things listed, Templeton and Barre are pretty close. So how come Barre can do it without a fulltime Health agent but Templeton has to have a fulltime health agent. I know why, Barre needs Templeton taxpayers to pick up all the forever bills like retirement, health insurance, vacation, sick time and all the rest. Just like Phillipston paying $57,000.00 for dispatch and once again, Templeton taxpayers pick up all the forever bills. Great for Templeton and Barre, but does not seem so good for Templeton. Templeton taxpayers seem to always be the nail while someone else gets to be the hammer and pound the Templeton taxpayers into the ground.
We have a good town to live in. It may seem confusing to a lot of people how we got into this mess to start with. After all, didn't we vote during the local elections ? We paid our taxes, so how did things go so wrong ?? Well I want to ask you, what is the root of all evil ? Some say drugs, most will say money, could it be greed ? I will say it is a combination of a couple of those. Greed and money, along with the need to control have been the undoing of our town. I think the other factor is the trust we put in some of our elected officials, a trust that was abused in the worse way, because these people used this trust to make themselves enough money to be very comfortable in their retirement, as some of the very people who supported them may not be able to afford to live in their homes in the near future. There is a plus side to getting older because I know the things the younger people in our town do not know. Pauly Templeton Watch has lasted because it is only here that you will find the truth, something the Gsnoos would not print. I will fill you in on the past and how it has affected our lives today, I just need to check on a couple of things, then we are good to go. Bev..
I agree with Jeff about regionalizing some of our departments. I can not see any reason why we need two people in the BOH office. Dianna can handle most of the problems coming in the door. It is time to get serious about making changes that we can live with. I saw a article in the Worcester Telegram about Spencer, on 4/8. Their Town Administrator said their town workers have agreed to pay more for health insurance and accepted their proposal to pay more for co-pays. This would be a option if our town workers had their pay raises on a schedule that was current, but the guys on the highway have not have a raise in three years. It looks like we are going to make changes and to not face that, will just make things harder down the road. Bev.
his is just my opinion !!!! Vote no on a over ride Why. ?? I will tell you. 1-- nobody trust the elective officials anymore !! 2-- there has been two sides fighting for years it is time to end it !! 3--- the town is at a all time low !! well we can just get 1 step lower by letting the state come in this is fine with me !! 4---this is a rare to get a chance at a do over!!! what I mean we have a great thing here to have someone come in that has no ties to the town and tell us this is what is going to happen!! good or bad at least it is not someone within the town telling us !!! 5--- the selectman will tell you that it is bad to have the state come in It makes them look bad and makes the town look bad! So what the town looked bad years ago it is time it right the ship. Vote no let the state come in and run the town we can't have this mess go on any longer This is just my opinion take it as it is Let's move forward in the right direction with out this side or that side telling us what to do !! we cannot afford to keep doing this year after year you people have tried and failed
If these new people running for office get in we can expect more problems. No doubt they will give the school what they want and the rest of the town will get the leftovers.
Do, At this point things are so bad financially, we would be lucky to get leftovers. The school needs a reality treatment. Where does Ms. Miller think the money will come from to float her boat ? It could be the state just may tell her to spend more on the kids, and take some from her administration, as bloated as it is. Bev.
I support Bob Mitchell for Selectman. I support Julie Farrell for School Committee. I support Dave Smart for Light and Water.
ReplyDeleteI will also write in Jeffrey Bennett for Selectman, because that's the person I want to vote for.
Please support people who support the Town of Templeton. Plan B will happen if the override fails: [from Bob Markel]
Plan B: Parallel with Plan A, the DOR will be preparing deficit legislation to address the shortfall if the override does not pass. Gerry Perry said that the legislation would make provision for either a control board or an overseer. They appointed an overseer in Lawrence with less power than a control board. It is worth noting that DOR officials think that the outcome in Lawrence is less salutary than what happened in Springfield and Chelsea where they used control boards. Either way, there would be a strong state presence in Town affairs, and the Town would need permission for most measures requiring the expenditure of money. Perry also said that the state will require a local effort to cut expenses, and he recommended that the cuts mandated by the BoS in January be kept in effect. The state would rather do a loan for $350,000 instead of the full amount of the
deficit.
He recommended that we plan an STM as part of the ATM on May 17. At the STM, the Town Meeting would implement the cuts to various budgets that were initiated by the Selectboard order. This step is necessary
because while the Selectmen can force reductions in spending, only a Town Meeting can make the cuts official by reducing budgets voted at the previous ATM. DOR would like to see the deficit legally reduced to about $350,000, which means that the squeeze on expenditures should remain in effect.
We all need to stress with the public that state intervention via deficit legislation is very unpopular in the three cities where it has been implemented. Non-public safety services will be cut drastically or eliminated, and even public safety personnel will be trimmed. No town in Massachusetts has ever gone through the control board/overseer process, and it has happened in only three cities. The reputation of Templeton will suffer; it will be difficult to recruit Town employees and especially department heads, and most importantly, demand for houses will drop along with prices. The simple equation for the average taxpayer is this: Would he/she prefer to accept a two dollar increase in the tax rate for Fiscal 2015, or would it be preferable to see home buyers avoiding Templeton while the value of existing homes goes into decline?
Robert T.Markel
Mrs. Farrell,
DeleteWhy on earth would you write in the name of someone who, not only quit an elected position, but also didn't take out papers to run again? Mr. Bennett clearly does not want to be a selectman in Templeton anymore. Sounds like a wasted vote to me.
Not to mention, your endorsement of candidates Mitchell and Smart is exactly why neither of them will be elected on May 5th. Templeton is tired of Julie McCoy and Gerry Hatfield and everyone that comes with them.
Out with the old, in the with new.
Just sayin...
Takin it back, so you think that John Columbus will do the job ?? I have not seen him at any meeting that did not concern the schools in years !! Not one, and if he was there he did not stay, but slipped out the door. From the Gansett Greatness web page, the younger people have spent the past decade in their own world. Walked out that door at town meeting every year, after the Article they wanted was passed. So this is the same John Columbus who has Sen. Brewers ear, and just maybe this is why the town cannot get the investigation done !! Oh yes, we need another Echo Hill friend on the BOS. Both of the" School candidates" better get their head out of the clouds", and read Pauly's blog from start to finish, then we will see if they still want the job. When I said the town had no money, it was no joke, so if these people think they will walk in and take from the town to give to the school, good luck to them. Puffy and Taken, you both need to get a job. Bev.
DeleteSeems like it may be time to do what this board so far has refused to do, look at regionalization of dispatch. The state provides money for studies and to move to regionalization of services. It was a recommendation of the DOR to begin with. It would show the state that the town is indeed making all the moves to reset town finances. My personal opinion of a loan from the state to fix the budget is a lot like taking a loan to pay off all of your credit cards, in the end, you use those cards again and the you have an additional loan to pay for. When I worked at The Gardner News, Mr. Bell once told me that you may not have a penny in your pocket but you are never richer than when you owe no one. The town of Barre, according to their 2012 annual town report, states they have a per diem health agent, Phil Leger (Templeton fulltime health agent) and if you look at the number of issues in Barre and compare them to Templeton, such as food inspections, septic issues and all of the things listed, Templeton and Barre are pretty close. So how come Barre can do it without a fulltime Health agent but Templeton has to have a fulltime health agent. I know why, Barre needs Templeton taxpayers to pick up all the forever bills like retirement, health insurance, vacation, sick time and all the rest. Just like Phillipston paying $57,000.00 for dispatch and once again, Templeton taxpayers pick up all the forever bills. Great for Templeton and Barre, but does not seem so good for Templeton. Templeton taxpayers seem to always be the nail while someone else gets to be the hammer and pound the Templeton taxpayers into the ground.
ReplyDelete"Great for Templeton and Barre" should read "great for Phillipston and Barre"
DeleteDon't forget New Salem: http://www.newsalem-massachusetts.org/committeesboards/boardofhealth.html
DeleteWe have a good town to live in. It may seem confusing to a lot of people how we got into this mess to start with. After all, didn't we vote during the local elections ? We paid our taxes, so how did things go so wrong ?? Well I want to ask you, what is the root of all evil ? Some say drugs, most will say money, could it be greed ? I will say it is a combination of a couple of those. Greed and money, along with the need to control have been the undoing of our town. I think the other factor is the trust we put in some of our elected officials, a trust that was abused in the worse way, because these people used this trust to make themselves enough money to be very comfortable in their retirement, as some of the very people who supported them may not be able to afford to live in their homes in the near future. There is a plus side to getting older because I know the things the younger people in our town do not know. Pauly Templeton Watch has lasted because it is only here that you will find the truth, something the Gsnoos would not print. I will fill you in on the past and how it has affected our lives today, I just need to check on a couple of things, then we are good to go. Bev..
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jeff about regionalizing some of our departments. I can not see any reason why we need two people in the BOH office. Dianna can handle most of the problems coming in the door. It is time to get serious about making changes that we can live with. I saw a article in the Worcester Telegram about Spencer, on 4/8. Their Town Administrator said their town workers have agreed to pay more for health insurance and accepted their proposal to pay more for co-pays. This would be a option if our town workers had their pay raises on a schedule that was current, but the guys on the highway have not have a raise in three years. It looks like we are going to make changes and to not face that, will just make things harder down the road. Bev.
Deletehis is just my opinion !!!! Vote no on a over ride Why. ?? I will tell you. 1-- nobody trust the elective officials anymore !! 2-- there has been two sides fighting for years it is time to end it !! 3--- the town is at a all time low !! well we can just get 1 step lower by letting the state come in this is fine with me !! 4---this is a rare to get a chance at a do over!!! what I mean we have a great thing here to have someone come in that has no ties to the town and tell us this is what is going to happen!! good or bad at least it is not someone within the town telling us !!! 5--- the selectman will tell you that it is bad to have the state come in It makes them look bad and makes the town look bad! So what the town looked bad years ago it is time it right the ship. Vote no let the state come in and run the town we can't have this mess go on any longer
ReplyDeleteThis is just my opinion take it as it is Let's move forward in the right direction with out this side or that side telling us what to do !! we cannot afford to keep doing this year after year you people have tried and failed
If these new people running for office get in we can expect more problems. No doubt they will give the school what they want and the rest of the town will get the leftovers.
ReplyDeleteDo, At this point things are so bad financially, we would be lucky to get leftovers. The school needs a reality treatment. Where does Ms. Miller think the money will come from to float her boat ? It could be the state just may tell her to spend more on the kids, and take some from her administration, as bloated as it is. Bev.
Delete