Sunday, May 18, 2014

On behalf of...


On Behalf of…

In the interest of full disclosure, I would like to share the email chain that spurred my intention to request a substitute motion for Templeton’s NRSD assessment:


From:            Julie Farrell (j_farrell@hotmail.com)
Sent:            Sat 5/17/14 11:07 AM
To:            accountant@templeton1.org (accountant@templeton1.org); Templeton, MA Advisory Board (templetonadvisoryboard@gmail.com); Kent Songer (sewsup@yahoo.com); Luanne Royer (assessors@templeton1.org); chieflaporte@templetonfire.org (chieflaporte@templetonfire.org); Richard Curtis (templetonemd@gmail.com); Building Inspector Templeton (buildingdept@templeton1.org); Templeton Cemetery Dept. (cemetery@templeton1.org); Linda McClure (templetonsewer@verizon.net); John Caplis (veteransservices@templeton1.org); moderatormike14@gmail.com (moderatormike14@gmail.com); Joshua Koziol (jkoziol21@hotmail.com); John Columbus (jfcolumbus@gmail.com); Kate Myers (treasurer@templeton1.org); Dave Whitaker (policechief@templeton1.org); Board of Health (boh@templeton1.org); Tax collector Templeton (collector@templeton1.org); COADirector (coadirector@templeton1.org); Kenn Robinson (kcrobinson7@gmail.com); Bud Chase (bchase@templeton1.org); Town Clerk (townclerk@templeton1.org); Kirk mMoschetti (kirkmoschetti@gmail.com); townadministrator (townadministrator@templeton1.org); Kate Myers (kmyers@templeton1.org); Doug Morrison (dougmorrisonma@gmail.com); Diane Haley Brooks (dianehaleybrooksselectwoman@gmail.com); Board of health Templeton (health@templeton1.org); Boyton Public Library (jackieprime@comcast.net); HighwayDept (highway@templeton1.org); planning Templeton (planning@templeton1.org)
Cc:            Ruth Miller (rmiller@nrsd.org)



Everyone,
In light of this information, I will be making a substitute motion for the NRSD assessment of $5,030,328. This is a reduction of $100,000.

Julie


"I really didn't realize the librarians were, you know, such a dangerous group. ... You think they're just sitting at the desk, all quiet and everything. They're like plotting the revolution, man. I wouldn't mess with them." ---Michael Moore

Julie Farrell                               




Date: Fri, 16 May 2014 17:14:15 -0400
From: accountant@templeton1.org
To: templetonadvisoryboard@gmail.com; sewsup@yahoo.com; assessors@templeton1.org; chieflaporte@templetonfire.org; templetonemd@gmail.com; buildingdept@templeton1.org; cemetery@templeton1.org; templetonsewer@verizon.net; veteransservices@templeton1.org; moderatormike14@gmail.com; jkoziol21@hotmail.com; jfcolumbus@gmail.com; treasurer@templeton1.org; policechief@templeton1.org; boh@templeton1.org; collector@templeton1.org; coadirector@templeton1.org; kcrobinson7@gmail.com; bchase@templeton1.org; j_farrell@hotmail.com; townclerk@templeton1.org; kirkmoschetti@gmail.com; townadministrator@templeton1.org; kmyers@templeton1.org; dougmorrisonma@gmail.com; dianehaleybrooksselectwoman@gmail.com; health@templeton1.org; jackieprime@comcast.net; highway@templeton1.org; planning@templeton1.org
Subject: Re: Emergency BOS FY14 Budget Meeting

Everyone,
I have been planning year-end and the beginning of FY 2015. I do not want anyone caught off guard with the budget realities. So, here are the issues:
- If the budget cuts pass at Town Meeting tomorrow, we will have unpaid bills without an appropriation. That is because, we have not paid a vendor warrant for the past week or so. These unpaid bills will need to be raised through a warrant article this fall. We will need to figure out budget cuts to the FY 2015 budget to make up the difference. One solution is not to bring laid off workers back until we have enough appropriation to pay the unpaid bills. Another solution is to eliminate whole departments.
- If the budget cuts do not pass and the deficit legislation passes, then we have appropriation to pay the vendor bills. However we do not have enough cash to pay them. These bills will become accounts payable at year-end and are paid when we have the cash. However, we will need to cut roughly $80,000 from the FY 2015 budget to pay the debt service on the deficit bonds. The solution is essentially the same as above; however, I suspect there will be different solution. For example, there may be a delay when laid off workers come back and departments could be fully cut.
- If the budget cuts and the deficit legislation do not pass, I am out of options.

On a good note, we collected $7,000 today.
Matt


On May 16, 2014 at 9:55 AM Kenn Robinson wrote:
Good morning all,

Due to new information received yesterday from the DOR, there will be an emergency Board of Selectmen meeting tonight at 6:30 to discuss the potential additional $60,000 in cuts necessary to FY14's budget.

Thank you,
Kenn

*************************************************
I opened this email from the acting town accountant early Saturday morning before the Annual Town Meeting. I sent out my email before the Annual Town Meeting (the time stamp is incorrect on this email account. For some reason it won’t budge from Greenwich Mean Time) My email included selectwoman Diane Haley Brooks as well as the superintendent of schools. It was not my intention to hide my substitute motion from anyone.

The acting town accountant wrote:
- If the budget cuts pass at Town Meeting tomorrow, we will have unpaid bills without an appropriation. That is because, we have not paid a vendor warrant for the past week or so. These unpaid bills will need to be raised through a warrant article this fall. We will need to figure out budget cuts to the FY 2015 budget to make up the difference. One solution is not to bring laid off workers back until we have enough appropriation to pay the unpaid bills. Another solution is to eliminate whole departments.

So this means more cuts to FY 15; the elimination of whole departments; OR someone could make a substitute motion asking to lower the NRSD assessment.

At one BOS meeting, we were asked if the there had been any cuts to the school. At this time the only place to ask for cuts to the school budget is at town meeting. Town meeting is the only avenue to make the request and ask the voters of Templeton what they would like to do. So

On behalf of…

The Board of Health, which has been eliminated.

On behalf of…

The Building Department, which has been eliminated.

On behalf of…

The police department, which can no longer provide protection at night.

On behalf of…

The elimination of the recreation program for children in Templeton.

On behalf of…

Reduced hours and services for Templeton’s senior citizens

On behalf of…

Reduced hours and services at the Boynton Public library

On behalf of…
Elimination of Planning Board

On behalf of…

The Cemetery and Parks reduced to 1 person 20 hours a week.

On behalf of…

The highway department reduced to a skeleton crew


On behalf of our dedicated town employees who have taken blow after financial blow yet have managed to work together as a true community and do what is best for Templeton, I will make the substitute motion to request that Templeton’s NRSD assessment be lowered.

Anything less would be irresponsible.

My opinions…supported by FACTS ! ! !

Julie Farrell
24 Myrtle St.
Baldwinville, MA 01436
978-340-2503

Some food for thought-

Senate Ways and Means (SW&M) has released its $36.25 billion state budget. Highlights include:

Increase of $25 million in UGGA for cities and towns.

Increase of $99.5 million for Chapter 70 for schools.

Increase of $18.7 million for Regional School Transportation

Increase of $7.9 million for Special Education Circuit Breaker for schools.

Increase of $5 million to Charter School Reimbursements

Increase of $3.2 Million for municipal libraries

Increase of $1 million for Payments in Lieu of Taxes (what a concept!)

$7.35 million for McKinney-Vento level funding impacts schools

Includes $3 million for transportation reimbursements for out-of district vocational students.

8 comments:

  1. We can be one of the districts that get some money and all extra should be a reduction not a windfall to the NRSD budget.
    When will we know about who gets what?The article should be last so the town better understands where the extra money we recieve will go. It should be known when asked to help our town in the crisis were now in,the "sorry we can't help it's to late in the year" was a blow to the whole town and others who thought they would be able to help. The schools don't understand what the unity in community means.They may start to teach this soon.

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  2. Please attend the continuation the Annual Town Meeting tonight. It will begin at 7:00 pm.

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  3. The figures from Senate Ways and Means are not final figures. The budget figures in the blog above come from the Mass Municipal Association. The next step in the state budget process is the conference committee, then the budget goes before the governor. After that the budget goes to legislative override. Sometime in July the state budget for 2015 will be enacted and the final figures for all of the school line items will be made known for each city and town. The same holds true for the unrestricted general government aid for the town.

    It is safe to say that Templeton's share of a proposed $25 million UGGA, will be significantly less than NRSD's share of $118.2 million for the proposed increase in Chapter 70 and Regional School Transportation.

    In the past, the Town of Templeton has received a little over $30,000 in additional UGGA money. NRSD usually receives an increase of over $100,000 from Chapter 70 final figures as wells some additional money for Regional school transportation and the special education circuit breaker funds.

    The issue for the town as wells for the school is that we both have to work with preliminary figures from the state - usually the governor's budget in order to formulate our budgets for town meeting. The state doesn't finalize their budget until AFTER the start of the fiscal year. There have been years where the state budget was finalized in December.

    This year is an election year. In an election year, the final budget is very close to SW&M's budget.

    Hope to see everyone tonight.

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  4. There is only unity in the community until you try to take a little pie from someone then all the unity goes away. First, the process the Julie is again bringing forward is part of the law and the rules, presumably to be used when difficult circumstances occur. One would think it would be a good thing to look at all of the tools available to you in a difficult financial time. How many people and business' redo mortgages, business loans and adjust their budgets when a financial crisis arises? What I think would be irresponsible is for the BOS not to at least look at all the tools available to them. By the way, the district may not be able to help in FY14 but they could help in FY15; state law allows 2 or more elementary schools to share one principal, the district shows three elementary principals, with Templeton Center being the smallest number but it is clear there could be one principal for all three schools and the district could save about $100,000.00 without affecting students. Principals are largely administration costs, now if you look at how minimum contributions to schools are determined, you will find administration costs are one of the factors. I would think the district would look to the future and realize who has to approve the funding for a new elementary school (taxpayers) and make a $100,000.00 cut and build some unity in town. Last year the district and school supporters showed they did not respect the wishes or the votes of taxpayers but this year would have been a time the district could show they do care.

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    Replies
    1. Last year when the Superintendent of schools was at the Advisory Board I let her know I was not happy with the way her department was behaving. We needed the extra money to keep the town departments alive, but the School Department came after it anyway. They chose to use the "nuclear option" with no compromise at all. I do think this was a failure of the School Committee, to even understand or care where the town was coming from at that time. I am not impressed with Ms. Wilder's emotional response to what was going on at Saturdays meeting. It did not bother her to write the LTE, asking people to not vote for the override, so it is time to save the theractrics because people will not forget her lack of support. Bev.

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  5. Huff, apparently you may not understand English or you do not have the courage to post under your real name. Perhaps it would make for an embarrassing political situation. That said, what I posted is correct and you can start by looking at the web page of the DESE. The district could help if they wanted to and they could mend fences by showing good will. Hey, maybe the taxpayers will take on another 34 or 16 million dollars in new debt for a school but first we have to get through FY15.

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  6. Ah yes, Watergate, where two reporters from the Washington Post cited or credited anonymous sources for information contained in articles they wrote and signed their names to. They did not comment in the newspaper and use a fictitious name (s). And remember, freedom of speech is not free, perhaps you were not around for that either. For instance, you can go into a movie theatre and yell fire, when there is no fire, as long as you are prepared to deal with the consequences. Apparently here, the consequences of not signing with your real name is delete.

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