Friday, October 24, 2014

Spencer officials say override can undo damage done by cuts

Spencer officials say override can undo damage done by cuts

By Kim Ring TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
kim.ring@telegram.com

SPENCER — Residents are doing building projects at their homes without proper permits, about 3,000 senior citizens go without many services offered in other communities, and soon people who live in town may not be able to use their library cards outside of Spencer.

But voters have a chance to fix those and other problems by approving a $484,000 override of Proposition 2½, municipal leaders said during Wednesday night's selectmen's meeting. The override request will appear on the Nov. 4 ballot as a fifth question after the four statewide initiatives. It was already approved at town meeting.

Town employees issued public pleas during the meeting Wednesday, asking residents to undo the damage done by the cuts made earlier this year in order to manage a school budget crisis. Now voters have the opportunity to approve funding to replace the seven positions eliminated at the Richard Sugden Library, where there had been 12 staff members. They can fund reopening the Town Hall to a four-day-per-week schedule instead of the current three-day week.
The money would be used by the specific departments listed in the ballot question and couldn't be used for anything else this year, though the override does increase the town's levy limit permanently.

With the passage of the question, the Parks and Recreation Department would have funding to maintain the seven facilities they're charged with caring for and could bring back the swimming program as well. Park Commissioner William Shemeth said the entire town has suffered since the cuts.

"It was no joke," he said. "There were no smoke and mirrors ... the services weren't there ... the quality of life went down."

If the override passes, it will cost the owner of a home valued at $200,000 about $104 more annually, Town Administrator Adam D. Gaudette explained. The tax bill for a year would be $2,826.

Building Inspector William Klansek said he is "out straight" trying to keep up with issuing permits and doing inspections in the 19-hour week he now works. He told selectmen that residents are starting work on projects without proper permits and he wonders about the safety of those projects when they go uninspected. Still, he said, the time for getting a permit has increased and people don't want to wait.

"I do four or five permits in the morning and I get four or five in that same day. I'm not making any headway," he said, adding that Town Hall staff are working hard to keep up and people should support the override to ease that situation. "It will make a difference."

1 comment:

  1. in my opinion Massvocals / lets see , we have loan in millions costing you all over time , and another one for wood chips and town hall , and building and school , in millions over time and 2 over rides pending another ? now
    the question is is Templeton a city ? or farm town ? Does the school or should the school rule us ? would it not cost much less to send every child out to other districts ? then to afford the cost of teachers pension ,insurance I asked moving classes summer would have save heat cost but nope < yet no one vision real change and there all busy straight out ummm , what if when they had money did things get done ? Now cost will continue to rise on wood chips and personal employees issue to run the show your system will reach tilt ... lights why was not geothermal heating installed in school for those who want the school , that heating system is free in since of cost over time its cools as well as heats , when the same factor in wood chips is control by gas which will be used be used to turn colder days ,

    however when summer would have reduce all cost , all this shows is if your persistance in your will at town meeting the people will not show up and you people running the property taxes to sky will win , you expect the people to continue to pay for the town and not live for themselves ,, its like having 3 persons two dumb and one wise and you all vote for dumb down situation , I find the services are breadbox of regulation and complex controls costing time freedom and liberty , , is templeton a farm town rule by the school and town meeting employees ? , You may think so , we could save millions by sending out all the kids to other districts and demo the school and its personal being dismiss , , people can home school or move , I have had town employees tell me to move cause i can not afford your tax controls which i feel is criminal expansion ,by taxation , if you home school your kind kids they wouldn't have that crap on political correctness enforce upon the young being touch in this way to every child brain conformity and nothing taught as to civics or our constitutional republic , hey just asked any one of the kids what form of government do we have ? simple question , Government is like a god you stand and obey and plead you soul really , what is freedom to you ? why should hand full of people run your property rights as a holder in due course to the sky because they continue to pend again and again and then again for over ride , NO ..

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