Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Follow up on Public Records request


Back on December 29, 2014, I made a request for the financial records concerning the feasibility study for an elementary school. The Town responded with an estimate of time and dollar cost for these records. Approximately 3 hours for approximately 30 pages; 30 pages of computer printout at .50 cents per page ($15.00) and 3 hours at $26.34 per hour, the wage of the lowest paid employee capable of doing the work for a total of $94.02 and I paid it. the response from the Town also included the actual cost of the records may vary once the custodian begins preparing the records, so an additional fee may be required. On January 20, 2015 at 5:39 Pm, I received an email from holly Young of the BOS office informing me the records I requested were prepared and available to be picked up. There was no mention of any additional fee request.


I picked them up today, 5 pages (estimated 30 apparently did not materialize or the estimate was way off) Included in a letter of receipt, signed and dated by me, is included a paragraph that the enclosed records were obtained by Town accountant in a 10 hour time frame at a cost of $32.00 per hour. The total cost listed is now $320.00. It further states, as you can see, the estimate in my letter dated January 7, 2015 (the letter mailed to me is dated January 7, 2014) the amount you paid is $94.02, a difference of $225.98. I state the actual time and cost to the Town for you to receive this information only to inform you that the Town is open about it's finance and always doing its best to keep residents informed. So why not have all the financial records on the Town's website for all to see how their money was spent? 


The next couple of paragraphs state that to get the "what they were spent on" part of my request included amounts spent and what they were spent on, such as 4/29/2010, $765.00 on Kopelman & Paige, what did Kopelman & Paige do for that $765.00? The Town now tells me I can have that part for $645.00. I have requested to be on the agenda for the next BOS meeting and will most likely have a public records request for the "what they were spent on" part along with a check. I am going to do my best to see the taxpayers get the information they should have prior to any more votes on the school project without having to pay to see how their money was spent. Hopefully, the BOS will see the error of their way and provide the information I asked for and paid for in my original request. I asked for information and they told me how much and I paid it.


This is a Town project because Phillipston chose not to participate and Templeton alone is responsible for all costs. The law states that these records are to be available for anyone to view during normal business hours.


For your pleasure, the records I did receive state a total of $573,253.64 has been spent. Pretty good since only $550,000.00 was voted and this is the dollar figure I asked about.


FY10     $       74,386.74


FY11     $     108,535.96


FY12     $       56,315.85


FY13     $       30,158.77


FY14     $       21,272.45


FY15     $     282,583.87


Total      $     573,252.64


Money was moved between Century Bank, Eastern Bank and Greenfield Cooperative Bank.
Fy2011, interest was paid to Eastern Bank in the amount of $6,325.00, FY2012, interest paid to Greenfield Coop was $4,851.00, FY2013, interest paid to Century Bank was $899.07, FY2014, interest paid to Greenfield Coop was $1,633.00, FY2015, interest paid to Eastern Bank was $1,174.00, I think that equals $14,882.07 but my pencil could be off so check my math please.


There will be more on this to follow and there certainly is a number of questions to be answered and I hope it is the policy of this BOS to pull the curtains back and explain the financials and soon, that is the one thing the selectmen should be in a hurry to do as the taxpayers have a right to know where their money went!  The one part of this that makes me smile is at least this time, I did not receive a letter from a law firm informing me I can not have the information.


Jeff Bennett

8 comments:

  1. Thanks Jeff for looking into this matter for the town. Has anyone on the advisory board followed this along? It has been a hectic few years concerning money matters. The town's old policy of throwing all the money into a big bucket and spending seems to have created a nightmare. Not to change the subject but did someone donate a bus to Narragansett School system? There is a nice bus parked in the parking lot and it has raised my interest.

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  2. The school purchased the bus for school activities and trips. They use to pay the top dollar for bus company and driver to take the sports and other trips. The thought is they will save the money spent on this type of service. After the last trip and a tow home a save on the old way may be down the road a bit. Up front costs may be a bit high?
    Pete i can answer some of your questions.

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  3. WHAT!!! That is just ANOTHER Foolish waste of money and a step backwards, I thought they were "For the Kids" over there, now they take away a guaranteed Heated,Insured, Professionally driven, Bus ride to events and Give these great kids This HIDEOUS Looking contraption. I really thought it was a prank lawn ornament when I saw it. WONDER WHO IS DRIVING THIS BUS, THERE ARE SPECIAL RESTRICTIONS AND CLASSES NEEDED TO DRIVE A BUS WITH OUR CHILDREN.

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  4. Whether from a grant or not, now the district, (taxpayers) are on the hook for maintenance and repairs to include tow bills, fuel insurance along with safety responsibility. Probably a well intentioned move but perhaps a not well thought out one. My biggest concern is the accounting of the spending of taxpayer money on a project that is for the kids, even if it will take away their skate park and play ground in Templeton Center

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  5. Just think if we had something tangible to show for all of the money spent, I know I would feel a lot better about this project. It gets me when anyone spends money like it grows on trees, especially when it is not theirs. Don't feel bad about the money spent on the bus, I thought I heard camping equipment was bought at the same time. So who gets to use that ? I do hope every child has a chance to go, not just a select few? Bev.

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  6. Do - It's all lagit! The drivers are all properly licenced and have proper medical cards. I know one of the drivers and close i might add. She has as much background as one can have. The class of bus is not a school type and more an activity use only.This is why the paint job is other than yellow.
    Camping and survival should be taught. Some day your lives could depend on it. If the kids are taught the others who weren't may learn it when the times comes. Ask yourself one question,are you ready to survive? Could you on your own without help survive?
    Fact is over half of the population wouldn't have a clue how to do it.

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  7. 8,370.57 overspent so far. Will huff and puff foot the extra?
    if philipston puts it up the kids from there can use the building.
    Whats that i hear they will go there anyway?

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