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Capital committee recommends cardiac monitors, vehicle and equipment replacements; windows proposal at school fails on tie
Summary
The Capital Improvements Committee recommended several safety and equipment purchases for FY2027 — including ambulance cardiac monitors, a sewer vehicle, a utility pickup, a police cruiser, a senior‑center generator, radar trailer replacement and a COA carport — and deferred a $7,000 bullet‑resistant window request after a 2–2 tie. Committee votes were unanimous on recommended items and contingent on available funding as noted.
The Town of Templeton’s Capital Improvements Committee on an evening meeting in November advanced a set of FY2027 recommendations that prioritize safety equipment and fleet replacements while acknowledging limited working capital.
Chairman Justice Graves told the group the town’s capital stabilization balance was about $60,003.38 and that free‑cash certification is not expected before Thanksgiving; the committee agreed to use a $200,000 working estimate for planning until definitive numbers are available.
Safety and equipment recommendations that the committee approved for inclusion in its FY2027 report included: recommending $120,000‑plus cardiac monitors for the ambulance service to be paid from ambulance receipts (motion moved and seconded, passed 4–0); recommending a $50,000 sewer vehicle paid from sewer retained earnings where sufficient funds exist (motion passed 4–0, contingent on available retained earnings); and recommending radar trailer replacement using an insurance settlement plus free cash to cover the balance (motion passed 4–0).
Fleet and facility recommendations included recommending a $94,000 utility pickup truck with the committee asking that meals‑tax revenues and additional free cash or financing be used as needed (passed 4–0), and recommending police cruiser replacement after members noted a cruiser with roughly 133,000 miles and one vehicle now seven years old (motion passed 4–0). The committee also recommended a senior‑center generator and approved a carport for Council on Aging vans contingent on non‑tax funding or other external sources (both passed unanimously).
A safety‑related request for a roughly $7,000 bullet‑resistant window at Templeton Elementary prompted disagreement over funding responsibility. Some members and the superintendent’s presentation described the fixture as a safety need; others argued the school district should use its excess‑and‑deficiency funds or ARPA allocations rather than town free cash. Justice Graves moved to recommend the window funded from free cash; the motion resulted in a 2–2 tie and failed. The chair asked staff to follow up with the superintendent to clarify the school’s planned funding source and why facilities submitted the request to the town.
Members scheduled two follow‑up committee meetings (Dec. 15 at 4:00 p.m. and Dec. 17 at 4:30 p.m.) to finalize priorities after retained‑earnings and free‑cash figures and vehicle‑financing estimates are available. The chair emphasized that recommendations can be revised up until the committee’s final report to the Select Board.
