This October 21st you and other voters in Templeton have a golden opportunity to make a real difference on the direction of the town for years to come. Mark your calendars because citizen petitions aiming to do two things will be voted on: Transparency - protect your right to know, & Accessibility - ensure meaningful public input at future meetings.

Below are three citizen petitions planned for town meeting:

• (1) Transparency.

• (3) Saturday Town Meetings.

• (3) Meeting articles/agenda in random order.

Sign. Go to meeting, vote yes!

(What happens at town meeting? Go to town meeting page.)

(1) Fiscal Transparency

Purpose of this petition: Non-disclosure agreements limit the public’s right to be informed about the actions and decisions of its government and therefore erode public trust and are largely inconsistent with the transparency requirements of the public records law. Therefore, nondisclosure agreements are prohibited by adding the phrase,”except contracts containing a nondisclosure (NDA) or confidentiality agreement”. These agreements are well known to be deployed in small towns by potentially harmful industries such as Data Centers; this is completely against voters interests. Please add your signature to prevent this. To see the current bylaw 14-1 saying Select Board can sign any contracts deemed “appropriate”, click: https://ecode360.com/32838842#32838842‍ ‍

Citizen Petition to Amend §14-1: 

  We, the undersigned, are qualified voters of the Town of Templeton and request the subject below be acted upon at the next Town Meeting.

To see if the Town, in keeping with the spirit of transparency and open communication, will strike the current first sentence and amend the first sentence of town bylaw Chapter 14 Contracts §14-1 as follows: 

      Unless otherwise provided by the General Laws or a vote of Town Meeting, the Select Board (Board) is authorized to enter into any contract, except contracts containing a nondisclosure (NDA) or confidentiality agreement, for the exercise of the Town's corporate powers on such terms and conditions as are deemed appropriate.

        Or taken any action relative thereto.

(2) Saturday Town Meetings

Purpose of this petition: While there is no way to please everyone, at least this deserves to be voted upon at town meeting because Wednesday nighttime meetings are not as accessible to students needing to study, parents needing to feed their kids and get them to bed, seniors with transportation or other issues, voters commuting home from Boston etc., and so many others. ‍ ‍https://ecode360.com/32838848#32838848

Citizen Petition to Amend Chapter 22, §22-2 Annual Town Meeting date.

We, the undersigned, are qualified voters of the Town of Templeton and request the subject below be acted upon at the next Town Meeting.

To see if the Town will strike current language and amend § 22-2 Annual Town Meeting as follows:

All business of the Annual Town Meeting, except the election of such officers and the determination of such matters as are required by law to be elected or determined by ballot, shall be considered on the Saturday preceding the election of Town officers and shall commence within two hours of noon, at a place designated by the Select Board (Board). Special Town Meetings will also be held on a Saturday and commence within two hours of noon. 

    Or taken any action relative thereto.

(3) Meeting articles/agenda in random order.

Purpose of this petition: Random order of articles is needed because in previous meetings the order/numbering of articles has been manipulated to stick citizen petitions at the end all the time and also in anticipation that people will go home after a certain article has been voted on - leaving the way clear to pass/fail something else with a smaller number of voters. In general, this does not seem to favor the needs of the voters. https://ecode360.com/32838848#32838848

Citizen Petition to Amend Chapter 22, §22-5 Warrants.

We, the undersigned, are qualified voters of the Town of Templeton and request the subject below be acted upon at the next Town Meeting.

        To see if the town will amend §22-5 by adding the following sentence:

Warrant Articles will be inserted on the warrant, numbered, in an order determined by chance, by drawing numbers at random, such as from a bingo ball.

     Or taken any action relative thereto.

Narragansett Regional School's Safka Auditorium 460 Baldwinville Road, Baldwinville, MA. 01436. Contact Jill Blood Select Board office for accommodations: Jill Blood, Executive Assistant, 160 Patriots Road Templeton MA. 01438 978-894-2753 jblood@templetonma.gov