Thursday, October 20, 2016

Vote YES on Question 8

Vote YES on Question 8

The school project vote is TONIGHT at the special town meeting.

7 PM NMS Auditorium
 
It is Article 8 . There will probably be a an attempt to move this article depending on the people who show up at this special town meeting. If you wish to participate, attendance is mandatory - you can't phone it in!

As important as Article 8 is to the entire town, the other articles are important as well. 

Article 1 is to pay $66,000 in sewer bills from last year. Why is this an article? Why does this have to go to town meeting for a vote? 

Not only a vote, but this vote needs a 9/10ths majority vote to pass...because the sewer department was late in submitting these bills for payment. The sewer department screwed up.

Article 2 is to take $87,501 out of stabilization fund (Templeton's rainy day fund) because the selectmen screwed up the FY 17 budget. Until Templeton's finances are corrected as in the audits are complete, AND the DOR approves the audits AND there is no large deficit like the $1,000,000 deficit identified in FY 13 there will be no money to replace this $87,501 from stabilization for many years to come.

Stabilization currently has about $142,000 in it. In towns that are financially stable, stabilization accounts have about 10% of O & M  set aside as reserves in case of emergencies. Templeton's stabilization account hovers at 1% BEFORE this vote is taken.


 Article 3- Looks fairly innocuous. This is where you need to pay attention to the details. There will be supporting documentation for this article. Article 3 is the reason why this special town meeting was called. This article is an attempt to balance the FY 17 budget by making transfers/amendments. Read footnote 7. 

If there is not enough money in October to fund general insurance and unemployment accounts, why would there be money to fund these accounts in May? 

Please vote YES to rescind on article 8 

Templeton needs to get its finances in order 

BEFORE 

it builds a new school!

 Please vote YES to rescind on article 8 
 

6 comments:

  1. Everyone seems to agree that Templeton Center is a bad location. No one seems to know exactly what the effect will be on the tax rate due to financial variables. In my opinion placing the new school adjacent to our existing schools like was done with the Middle School is both financially smarter and location smarter. For the majority schools do not teach you how to think for yourselves they teach you how to follow orders and be an obedient worker. Please attend tonight and use your own brain to vote.

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    2. If someone gave us a 100 acres of prime land tonight, it would not make this situation any better. The fact that we have no savings or bond rating. until we get those things fixed, and our books straightened out we as a Town will not be ok.

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  2. welcome to Leningrad on the otter river !!!!!!!

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  3. Well, what a joke the Town meeting turned out to be. 512 people, a moderator who cannot gauge sound deciding voice votes as proven by article 2.
    Then our town selectman motion to set aside a citizen sponsored article, why? When I heard the voice vote and realized about 400 of the people in the room were supporting the incompatance that created the need for the meeting itself, well, I left.

    I'm going to be taking about 60 acres down to a farm rate of 5% of the valuation, so good luck on the budget and the tax rate calculations.

    Everyone in town with 5 acres or more should.


    Everyone says, as the school system goes so goes the town, well welcome to the new templeton. Why did we build a senior center? SSA increase this year on average amount to about $3 a month. This school will cost the average Templeton homeowner $40 a month. Police station $20 a month, Water tower $20 month, 2013 deficit $20 a month. The school is for 28 yrs, maybe, since we wont know until we get the loan cause nobody and I mean nobody knows what that rate could be since we dont know "if" we have a bond rating or what it will be. We also have no clue what the actuals rates will do over the next few years.


    This was a dumb idea that will damage the town.

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