[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6306110,"mediaKeyId","2442236-523d5ecfc71d0171c8a25055b097284b","parentId",2442236,"title","Advisory committee adopts updated list of comparison towns for budget benchmarking","audioSeconds",1011,"startMs",4827000,"endMs",5838000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2442236-523d5ecfc71d0171c8a25055b097284b&start=4827&end=5838","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2442236-523d5ecfc71d0171c8a25055b097284b/thumbnail_4827000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6306110/Massachusetts/Advisory-committee-adopts-updated-list-of-comparison-towns-for-budget-benchmarking","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6306110-1628834fe69273ece1cea4d3f998fdf4/orig.mp4?Expires=1770822258&Signature=ZosL085QQFXLaRfY7aZEsqQGTLNRj4lHegnHZ9DY2pJ1colItkEH0wGMIH3k6I-RRexEQR3BBhUGMcKV3aDMb-5mRbyKet~w7NbVrLQGL5WgJYSwzHGeYj8laSf8wionSG4PB3Jqg4JE7z2VjAderbdqiBat7WyE-2ELxd2LAT2wY3EvKBEzbBWqQfRaPry61QP994H5jbUpsIGfIadfPCC3Gb77IOjgSPmkrFuHIMgSoH1iYEacgqCdrC9aUOS6i4ALPFEVMV1Img4U729WLdIX4SxWuy33ZQ5rFovLMRfcwuDXuxJjzqTsj7ZqoRFmYNRKA~Aqf5jFdaYlqllmqA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town of Templeton, MA","date","2025-02-27T19:21:18Z","article","The Templeton Advisory Committee voted on Feb. 11 to adopt an updated list of comparable towns and financial indicators to use in annual budget and capital planning and to forward the documents to the Select Board for inclusion in the town’s materials.

Committee staff compiled data for 10–11 communities and presented a comparison that included tax rates, levy capacity, debt levels and other financial indicators. Town staff said Templeton’s combined debt figures are affected by enterprise fund debt (light, water and sewer) even though those funds operate with separate budgets, and that the town’s overall indicators remain within reasonable ranges compared with peers.

The comparison list included Dighton, Granby, Lancaster, Monson, Orange, Rutland, Southwick, Ashburnham, Townsend and Westminster; staff noted Montague had large outstanding debt in earlier lists and was used cautiously in benchmarking. Committee members discussed police, fire and highway staffing ratios in Templeton compared with peers: Templeton has 10 full-time police officers and six full-time fire/paramedic staff covering 24-hour operations, and staff said these personnel levels are lean relative to several comparison towns when adjusted for population and call volume.

The committee moved and seconded a recommendation to send the updated comparison materials to the Select Board; the motion passed by roll call vote. Staff said they will reformat the packet into landscape for readability and circulate the final copy to committee members and the Select Board.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Templeton Advisory Committee Meeting of Feb. 27, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The advisory committee approved forwarding a new set of comparison communities and financial indicators to the Select Board to inform Templeton’s budgeting and capital-planning work.","taxTitle","Town of Templeton, Worcester County, Massachusetts","taxId",51753,"location","Massachusetts","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6306115,"Advisory committee reviews HERO Act property-tax changes for veterans; defers for more data",680,3560000,4240000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2442236-523d5ecfc71d0171c8a25055b097284b&start=3560&end=4240","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2442236-523d5ecfc71d0171c8a25055b097284b/thumbnail_3560000.jpg","/articles/6306115/Massachusetts/Advisory-committee-reviews-HERO-Act-property-tax-changes-for-veterans-defers-for-more-data","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6306115-e9237b7b3ada529b22dace28d535ca38/orig.mp4?Expires=1770822258&Signature=cUWHGWUGrkRZ5fu2QfwDKA5QnFqY4b4YZJLjR0Ryr~ewE4tEm6BHG9GsyzMHI~egZ68eEak-dRz5OKetCyZH~ypLtykIjpr4Fp2u3Bp3xQ6MfyW~5f5CdoBwHxW60CrQ7EnbsPGbopKXYmwEAfWVgEu0N~IK-6~xyzB4K8Zp2ng5105K314N9wwzpTipUSlM-0M-Xdp~QC3fhS2thNp7zUu1AN64kzqHZT45AvkRj9Gxnucuzh9CnadPlhLG~tCVIs7NOerV8wWz4x0Mna-fXqx2v-PCQDvMg-Vn9pxJFW452ENft6DP2LFsbW~9If478~bPeNvKbCexXBMFJmI6wA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Templeton Advisory Committee on Feb. 11 reviewed the implications of the HERO Act changes to veteran property-tax abatements and decided to defer a final recommendation until its April meeting to gather more data about caseload and state reimbursement.

Town staff explained that the HERO Act increases the statutory abatement amounts available to veterans (the meeting discussion referenced doubling the current $400 and $1,000 abatements to $800 and $2,000, respectively) and that the key unknown is whether the Commonwealth will appropriate additional reimbursement dollars to offset the larger abatements. The town assessor had supplied initial numbers showing current reimbursements do not fully cover existing abatements; staff said they are still collecting data and that the total fiscal impact for Templeton would depend on the final appropriation and the number of additional veterans who claim the higher benefit.

Advisory members said their primary concern was ensuring no eligible veteran \"falls through the cracks\" because of implementation timing and reimbursement uncertainty. Committee members asked staff to provide updated figures and asked whether the Veterans’ Services officer or town assessor could attend the next meeting. Staff said they would consult town counsel and the assessor, and return to advisory in April with more precise estimates and a recommendation about whether the town should adopt the higher abatement levels or retain current practice.

No formal vote was taken to change the town’s practice; the committee voted to defer further action and to invite appropriate staff to provide additional information at a future meeting.","Committee reviewed changes under the HERO Act doubling some veteran property-tax abatements, discussed reimbursement uncertainties, and deferred a decision until April to collect more reimbursement and caseload data.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6306120,"Templeton advisory committee backs letter supporting HB 3678 and forwards legislative priorities, seeks pilot funding",1332,1652000,2984000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2442236-523d5ecfc71d0171c8a25055b097284b&start=1652&end=2984","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2442236-523d5ecfc71d0171c8a25055b097284b/thumbnail_1652000.jpg","/articles/6306120/Massachusetts/Templeton-advisory-committee-backs-letter-supporting-HB-3678-and-forwards-legislative-priorities-seeks-pilot-funding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6306120-582fede0223b333e4c5557f0a289fae3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770822258&Signature=VY6d1ckoj64qh3fVW9rS3JYfn25kNeGBWmPThvMlJ9QdlzuR8Q~c~dUBH3T49VgMJaKd2kUjn211WG3sBGQrYFznrigAcTUSIYARItb4tCZvHtQz1ljyLF5cRHHAOTD8c2aVsLG59-Goh0OBZBbiJqzXrRvpu~VcumtXbLW8Gyn9Co6G5O9lP8Fs8aGMnFg0B1IvYfC6cCqBQuTYVcBIf8pir~mqO3OTWFxPFnsu70suPuVPbhDhUl6~QQQ2YELrDcHp6HY3z4yFyzk52kEy3JMiCc5RGXm3wL5aOF9y4RvFH9myZbD6OOBwZecKLm-yMENlyfESqeUHh2YSCfbpFQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Templeton Advisory Committee voted on Feb. 11 to draft a letter urging state lawmakers to support House Bill 3678 and approved sending a prioritized list of legislative requests — including bridge repairs and local pilot payments — to the Select Board and state legislators.

At a public presentation, Select Board member Terry described prior advisory discussion and said the committee wanted the Select Board to forward the town’s support for the bill to Representative Zlotnick and State Senator Susan Durant. \"Our recommendation was that the Select Board write a letter...that a large...hundreds of citizens support this bill,\" Terry said during the meeting. Committee members agreed to draft a letter for review and to have the chair sign it to expedite transmission.

The committee also reviewed a proposed legislative-priorities packet and agreed to highlight five high-priority items to give legislators a focused request list. The five items identified for special emphasis were: $4,000,000 for Main Street (Otter River) bridge reconstruction, $5,000,000 for Hamlet Mill bridge reconstruction, $1,000,000 for restoration of tax-title properties to support affordable housing, $600,000 to reimburse town costs tied to a state project (East Templeton rotary-related water/sewer expenses), and additional pilot payments to the town (discussed below).

Separately, using the so-called Mayor Wu formula as a guide, committee members discussed the town’s potential pilot-payment entitlement for state-owned land and settled on a request that would increase pilot payments by roughly $400,000 above current levels; combined with existing payments this was framed as a request of approximately $600,000. The committee voted to send that request to Representative Zlotnick, State Senator Durant and the Select Board and asked that the advisory chair sign the document to speed delivery.

Procedurally, members moved and seconded drafting the HB 3678 letter and the legislative-priorities packet; both motions were approved by roll call. The meeting record records affirmative votes by the committee chair and multiple members; the committee agreed the letters and the priorities packet should be shared with the Select Board for final action and to help focus legislators’ work during the session.

Committee members said the packet included items they judged achievable given legislative priorities and noted some requests would still depend on state appropriation. The committee asked staff to reformat the priorities document for clearer Select Board review and to circulate an editable draft of the draft HB 3678 letter for the group to finalize ahead of the Select Board’s March 12 meeting.","The advisory committee voted to draft a letter urging state legislators to support House Bill 3678, approved a package of legislative priorities for the select board, and asked that a pilot funding request (roughly $600,000) be sent to representatives and the select board.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6306125,"Templeton advisory committee opens study of withdrawal from Narragansett Regional School District",1344,286000,1630000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2442236-523d5ecfc71d0171c8a25055b097284b&start=286&end=1630","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2442236-523d5ecfc71d0171c8a25055b097284b/thumbnail_286000.jpg","/articles/6306125/Massachusetts/Templeton-advisory-committee-opens-study-of-withdrawal-from-Narragansett-Regional-School-District","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6306125-a5cc5b3d9029c9079cd11e5368d68804/orig.mp4?Expires=1770822258&Signature=UxIXLBN4GOamRaUBGIzVe3J3JB9KGmm-49t7GJCxtJqBjIdv8gKcLmGyl3a3Yn8xHrYAggUzEPWp3vre5pK8dkNCZy91POnr2UazvXDuFl-yx4ya9T4gBQGN7LGYcLPUFpa1CYWsRWCE151kRbAzpr3DAFiYzdhjeUUAz5oFmx0zEUvNQIXbkRW-PTbm4GEr2QMcVY5aTInNu951omej9SfbIlXApSjTxmtYumOD4vwBoUjAd6RBmU93hoV9eHyAXBBrV4t~8xyXoK9g7I6cNsajqmAbWp-fqlD1U3vNdCkV7yWtYDLEw4ZggOSz7fpipRL~-JpfSwAMdO2R1BPhEQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Templeton Advisory Committee on Feb. 11 held an initial, informational discussion about a possible withdrawal of the Town of Templeton from the Narragansett Regional School District; no formal action was taken and the item was deferred to a future meeting.

The discussion began when a town official, Lisa Lamontagne, described recent district budget increases and historical documents that she said raise questions about the current district arrangement and which options the town should study. Lamontagne said the district’s draft budget shows roughly a $965,000 increase over the prior year, and that earlier informal estimates and talks had produced smaller figures (she cited about $130,000 after prior conversations). She also reviewed a 2004 regional agreement and material from a District Reorganization Advisory Committee established in 2018, and raised possible implications for the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) contract for Templeton Elementary School.

Lamontagne said she had formed a working group that will include representatives from Phillipston and that the working group will meet next week to examine options, including expanded regional membership or withdrawal. \"Could withdrawal be one of the options? Absolutely,\" Lamontagne said, adding that her objective is to identify root causes of what she called unsustainable budget increases and to seek a sustainable structure that shares resources across member towns. She urged that Phillipston be part of the discussion and said she will check whether Phillipston will contribute toward any study costs.

Committee members asked for clarifications about who would pay for the study and whether the advisory committee had the authority to move reserve funds to pay for it. One committee member asked expressly that the chair seek an opinion from town counsel on whether advisory can appropriate up to $25,000 from reserve funds for this study or whether that appropriation should be made at Town Meeting. Another member said they considered the withdrawal process a \"momentous decision\" that should be reviewed by the full town meeting if it required new appropriations.

Committee members and Lamontagne also discussed operational questions the study should address: whether Phillipston students currently attending Templeton Elementary (TES) are treated as district students or as school-choice students, whether Phillipston has paid for busing and other costs, and whether reconfiguring grade assignments across schools would affect MSBA obligations tied to the elementary project.

Lamontagne reported that some prior requests from the district—specifically a Community Preservation Act request for softball fields—had been rescinded after member-town opposition, and she said the district will cooperate with the working group. The committee recorded no vote on withdrawal; the committee agreed to defer substantive further discussion to a future meeting so the working group can meet and so the committee can obtain legal guidance about funding authority and the process.

The committee also asked Lamontagne to report back after the working group’s meetings and for any information on potential cost implications if Phillipston joins a larger regional configuration.

The item remains a study and discussion phase; no ordinance, agreement amendment, or withdrawal petition was filed or approved at the meeting.","Town officials discussed, but did not act on, a proposal to study withdrawal from the Narragansett Regional School District. A working group will meet and the matter was deferred for further study; members asked town counsel whether advisory can appropriate reserve funds if needed.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Advisory committee adopts updated list of comparison towns for budget benchmarking

Advisory committee reviews HERO Act property-tax changes for veterans; defers for more data

Templeton advisory committee backs letter supporting HB 3678 and forwards legislative priorities, seeks pilot funding

Templeton advisory committee opens study of withdrawal from Narragansett Regional School District