Joe you should be spending your time on this stuff. Stick to the basics.

Attending these meetings has been a learning experience. There are so many little, and big problems facing this town. I learn some thing new every meeting. We have some challenges ahead. With State and Federal Aid cuts looming, we need to ensure every dollar is used wisely. We also don't want to be penny wise and dollar foolish. The school buildings need to be weather tight . The walls and roofs need to be in good order to avoid millions in damage. Any budget that skimps on maintenance is a bond issue in the making. The old way of doing business is not acceptable anymore. Allowing the buildings to fall apart while we give raises and add staff cost us millions in new construction and angered tax payers to no end.

Joanne ,I am talking about years of abuse. I have been watching the situation for twenty years now. We allowed the elementary schools to fall apart and had to build new ones. I'll assume you agree we should float bonds for a new building and use every dollar for raises and new hires. The Town side is just as guilty when it comes to raises over repairs . Maintenance and repairs were put off year after year. Priorities need to be set. I won't stand by and watch the town fall apart.

Joe, you said we allowed the elementary schools to fall apart and had to build new ones. We only built one new one. You have to admit that Ranger School was old. And if I recall from the informational meetings, the amount of money it would have cost to bring it up to code and expand would have been quite a bit of money and in the long run building a new was was a more feasible idea. Pocasset and Fort Barton were repaired and expanded. If you don't want to stand by and watch them fall apart, you should volunteer your time, grab some people to help, and get in their and get your hands dirty. That would save the town some money too. I'd be more than happy to help set it up for you.

thats wha tCourtney claire implyed isn't it/ pretty harsh stuff from an unknown source against another nameless one

Can't we all just get along?
Give the money back to the schools-where it belongs. This would solve a great many things.

do teachers at the top step still recieve step increases along with raises if they are given??? anyone?

so tom your not willing to stand by about an untruth about teachers, but you have no problem tarring a town council member by implying he got his street paved, ? flip/flop?

I do not always agree with Joe(zoning for sure) however he did put a new roof on the senior center!!!
Use the money in dispute for the new system for the schools otherwise it will all go to the lawyers and we will get another tax bill for the new system. I want to pay for the system once and most of the money is there. Settle it and move on. We all win with a new system and lower legal bills. Ms. Arruda has been an out of touch tax and spender for years.

Joe put a new roof on the senior center? That's wonderful! I'm sure they appreciated it Joe.

I think ever poster on here should tell BOTH the town council and the schools to drop any terms on the 360.000 and fix the septic, RIGHT NOW, the issue of custody of this money will be settled by the other lawsuit anyway,, it maybe the schools, it may be the town , but it's all taxpayer

and i hope someone in the schools is looking at how middletown saved 500.000 using refurbished computers

I say shut the schools down and fire all Teachers!!! End Of Problem!

The police pension comment makes no sense. I don't' see this meeting anywhere. Are these not taped?

i love the fact that except for tiverton dad, the unknown posters on here just ignore almost all suggestions

old and tired, the school is also in court for the new money taken, it would seem to me that the decsion made there would hold true for this case also, wouldn't it, the suits were filed on the same basics weren't they

anyone looking into tufts or is it just the same old same old

JIm L., I have been off these blogs for a while after years of input. So I might be a bit out of touch with the conversation. But, you asked "do teachers at the top step still recieve step increases along with raises if they are given??? anyone?"
Step increased are what gets an educator to top step. I believe Tiverton has 11 steps, so it takes 11 years to get to top step. Once you are there, the only raises you get are the yearly ones negotiated in a contract. right now top step teachers in town are getting no raises.

Step increases were devised to help the taxpayer, not the teacher. In many other municipal jobs, you reach top pay much quicker than 11 years. Step increased were put in by the government side to help defray the cost over years and keep the cost of salaries down. This is why many get upset over the suggestion of taking step increases away.
Hope my explanation is helpful.....

Two points, In last year in Tiverton most of the new machines were refurbished.
I know people from the system with refurbished computers and there are issues. Refurbished machines run on old architecture and they can not handle new software. In certain situations, you can do it. But, machines that old critical data, CAD, Graphics, etc., it does not work. I am teaching my kids Adobe CS5 .Can't run it on old refurbs! Durfee bought me 25 brand new machines.

Would be nice to join the 21st century and install a real sewage system...

I cannot understand why the town allowed the schools infrastructure to decay. Our schools would not be in shambles, when something was wrong it should have gotten fixed correctly not a quick fix for now. Maybe, just maybe we would have extra money for health insurance, but my first concern before worrying about teachers having health insurance is students being educated so installing a new sewage system should be top priority.

You know I work for the state; I have to pay for my insurance and have to work year round. I feel teachers should have to contribute to their insurance. Oh, I too am college educated.

BD lets put the blame where it belongs on the people who allowed 3 schools tied into a system built for one. Lets blame the teachers union for sucking every last dollar out of this town. BD I blame you and the democrats who handed out raises like candy while running our town into the ground. It is never about the kids but the teachers bank accounts. I would have gladly paid for maintaining things because it is far cheaper than doing nothing. I have missed you BD, but I can't wait until the FTR!!!!!

Rug you may want to re-read Bill Gerlach's post http://tiverton.patch.com/blog_posts/blog-five-surefire-ways-to-not-help-our-community-thrive

It was meant for people like you. Bitch and complain, blame everyone else and offer no solutions - except don't do anything in my backyard. You are the problem with our town, hell "you" are the problem with our country right now.

Sorry old and tired and BD, the truth hurts and both of you are in denial. This article has nothing to do with the planner. Lets stay on the topic. I am pro education but lets not forget to maintain the place. Defering to mantain our town will only cost more in the long run. This system is a perfect example of that. No anger here just the truth!!!

People, people. We need to work together not against each other. We are all complaining because the ecomony is really bad, but if this was maybe 10 years ago I am sure there would not be this much disputing going on. I truely believe we would not be in this predictment if the town kept up with all school infrastructures, but instead placed them on the back burner. Now, we have more elders in this town whom are on a fixed income and just cannot afford to pay more in taxes, let alone less families and less money coming from state and federal government. Lets be real, how are we as a town going to pay for everything that needs to be corrected so our children will be able to continue to be educated? That is the real question.

The great thing about the FTR is people can correct public officials if they disagree. In the end the people will decide. I expect to see several budgets for people to chose from. From level funded to some where over the cap. Tiverton will have to decide if we fix our infrastructure and maintain services. We need fire trucks and police cars, road and bridge repairs, school and town buildings need major repairs.
We need to keep up or we face even bigger problems in years out. This Council took on the Land Fill and remedied the situation. Zoning is the ailment that is killing our town The cure is to increase revenue . Economic development is a must.

Joe, I agree, zoning is killing this town and economic development is a must!!!!!

The septic will be fixed! by the taxpayers! that is were the money comes from Everyone must remember this money was extra money, not spent, not held for any purpose, no student was denied a textbook, nothing was denied to any child seeking an education, if someone can disprove me please do so, i belvie it's the only way to reach out together to help this town, as for the teacher, like any high school in america, there are good and bad, haveing had 3 kids go thru the system i find all in all they did well, but they could have done better,but i think the problem with good amount of kids were mis handled by the former princi, booting Mr rearik up was the easiestble, When Mr Fizzate took over things improved but only at his level, when Mr reakic was Booted uo an error was mad by the good old boy system and should be corrected

I cannot understand how adults can place blame on others when there child does wrong. I was raised to know the different from right and wrong, if I did wrong I would get a consequence for my action. My son is 19 y.o. whom is raised the same way, when he did wrong in school I did not blame teachers nor the principal for his actions. It is about time that parents realize our child are not always the perfect angel we would like to believe they are, remove the blinders, look beyond your child and listen before jumping the gun. Placing blame on others for our child doing wrong does not set good morals.

There are two very good and very practical reasons to allow the schools--and other departments--to retain their surpluses.

1. It encourages fiscal responsibility. I work for a large corporation in which most departments create their own budget. Any surplus at the end of the year is returned to the general fund rather than being retained by the department. Guess what happens. At the end of each year, departments race to spend all of their funding, sometimes on unnecessary things, rather than return a surplus. Since each department's budget is based on the previous year's spending, departments that were frugal are rewarded with a smaller budget the next year, while departments that overspent receive a bigger budget. This policy of seizing funds will only encourage the schools to spend every last penny.

2. My department is one of the few in the company that is allowed to keep its surplus. Thanks to careful budgeting and prudent management, most years we have a surplus, which is deposited into what is essentially a cash account. This year, we needed $80,000 for repairs on our chimneys, and we were able to dip into this rainy day fund to pay for it. By seizing surpluses, the schools have no rainy day funds and will be forced to return to the taxpayers every time they need something, like a new septic system.

As for the seizing of funds not harming kids--we don't know what the impact will be. The idea of a rainy day fund is to prepare for the unexpected.

Finally, and most troubling, does anyone have any inkling what the council intends to do with these funds? Have they given any indication? Remember, these funds were voted by the taxpayers to be allocated to the schools, not to be spent on pet projects or myopic agendas..

tiverton dad, i wish that the courts would put this on a fast burner so i get settled, either way we know that the septic will be fixed and we can try to move on down the road

This is just another Town Council ploy.

Every so often I read these articles to try and gain a perspective about what is going on in town. Every time I do this, I realize that this town is a mess! There are many people in town with their own agendas. There are others who throw out numbers and ideas for the hell of it. Think about what would happen if we all got together at a town council meeting and demanded results! What would happen then? Our elected officials were voted into office on the promise of change. The only changes I see are increased fighting amongst citizens of this town! Its got to stop! There are major problems facing this community, state and nation. However, what we, as citizens of Tiverton have control over, is Tiverton! I am fine with the trash bag program as long as it disappears once the landfill is capped. The constant attacking of teachers, police, firemen and women and municipal employees will never stop. That is the nature of the beast and I have learned to accept that. I think about my daughters and what they have to look forward to if I continue to live in this town. The picture sucks! We need to think about creating a broader tax base other than property taxes. The amount of land in Tiverton that could be developed for retail/commerical or some kind of business park is an asset to us all that continually remains untapped! I am not saying we need to become a Middletown or Seekonk, but how hard can it be to get zoning regualtions changed?

The next item up for discussion focuses on the "fixed-income" citizens of this town. I cannot stand to read comment after comment about the elderly being on fixed-incomes. I would say that the MAJORITY of people in Tiverton live on fixed-incomes or paycheck to paycheck. Tell me I am wrong! The fact remains that the majority of this town is struggling to get by! I refuse to point fingers at anyone because that does nothing but create more useless drama. What is being done to fix this? What has Tiverton done for us lately? We need elected officials in this town that want to create revenue, not take it away. We need people that stop pointing the finger at others and work collaboratively to solve major issues in this town. Build a wind farm. Build a small shopping center. Hell, if Barrington can do it, we can do it here in Tiverton and still keep the beauty of this town in tact that many fear we will lose. We have waterfront that could be developed. Someone should buy the gas station near Stone Bridge and turn that into waterfront dining or something that will generate money other than a vacant building that is an eye-sore! I truly believe that the majority of Tiverton citizens are fed up with the way this town is run. People with ideas to fix the town need to step forward and run for office. Remember, this is our town! We have the right to decide what happens here!

While this council has do some things to help businesses, there are many opportunities that are not being explored . Zoning is a major issue and has been for years. In an effort to control who comes in to town, we have blocked a lot of development. The only way it changes is people get involved and request the change. Then pitch in to see it gets done. Talk is cheap.

Joe, I volunteer myself to be part of anything new in town that will generate revenue! I dont need to sit here and defend myself. I made my point(s) and I stand behind them. Tell me where to go and how to sign up and I am there. Who is with me? Let's change Tiverton for the betterment of all!

i think we should all get of the septic system till the courts deside argueing back inforth abut something we have no control over is just spinning in the wind ,lets argue on how to get jobs into this town

mrs crist jat tiverton dad just another taxpayer jon ,tom, joe sousa, bd rug doctor, and any and all, true names or not, we may argue and some trade slight insights but i would hope no one would go so far as to threaten you and your family. i can promise you i would be first in line to help you out, it not a good feeling at all

Jim L, who has threatend your family? What are you talking about? Joe, thanks. I do not know what Brett's committee is all about so any information would be helpful.

thanks Joe. Email sent to Brett.

The Tiverton Economic and Community Growth Working Group held its third meeting at the Tiverton Town Hall on Tuesday night, continuing talking about developing a consensus on how to improve Tiverton’s economic environment, particularly by fighting the perception that the town is “unfriendly” to incoming business.

The group contains members from various interest groups in town, with the intent of unifying toward the common goal of improving the town’s economic viability. Councilor Brett Pelletier, who is chairman of the working group, stated last night that he hopes to have a consolidated report containing potential plans for growth ready for the Town Council two months from now. Several town department heads last night gave ideas for spearheading initiatives to help put together that document.

“Everyone has a piece” said Town Administrator Jim Goncalo. “Everyone plays a role to make Tiverton more desirable, not just from a purely economic viewpoint, but as a place to live.”

From Patch thanks to Matt.

Joe said "Dad, the town can appropriate it from the General fund. "

So we are going to strip funds for our general fund with a bond coming due? Short term thinking.

Jon said "We need elected officials in this town that want to create revenue, not take it away. We need people that stop pointing the finger at others and work collaboratively to solve major issues in this town.

Jon I agree but that is harder said than done. This new group campaigned on "change" and look what we got. I am just hard pressed to find politicians at the local level that keep their promises. As for the pointing fingers, yes you are right. I think we all need to stop with the labels. Not all conservatives hate town employees or town servics and not all liberls "tax and spend." Tall order, but I agree we need to do better.

JimL - If someone threatened you, please go to the authorities. Do not just brush it off as silly blog stuff. Lots of crazy out there.

Joe,

Here is my issue with using the General Fund. If you use it to offset the expense and the schools win, then they will get all the money back (the courts aren't going to care about the sewer issue, the money will belong to them) and the town will have used savings to pay for the sewer. Using up our savings, for anything, will not be looked upon favorably even two years out, especially since we just got in back up - listen to the auditors statements at the last meeting. Also, the expense will be in the school budget, meaning their starting point for next years increase will be higher. This is not a financially sound way to handle this in my opinion.

Joe posted the following above: "The School Committee needs to come up with a list of needs and present accurate estimates. They haven't got them yet."

JOE IT'S CALLED A BUDGET AND THEY WERE PRESENTING THEIRS TO YOU THE OTHER EVENING AT THE BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING

STATE HOUSE – Rep. John G. Edwards (D-Dist.70, Portsmouth, Tiverton) has submitted a bill aimed at reducing the burden on cities and towns to comply with state mandates if they do not have enough funding.

“Our communities can no longer afford to overstretch their resources in order to comply with state mandates,” said Representative Edwards. “We need some sort of compromise in place until the cities and towns are on better financial footing.”Affected parties would also go in with the understanding that implementation of state mandates must be restored upon the full restoration of state reimbursements.

During any given fiscal year when state reimbursements to local communities and school districts are “insufficient to cover the costs of state mandates,” those affected may cease implementation of state mandates at their discretion up to 50 percent of the value of the reimbursement shortfall. The Department of Revenue would ultimately make the determination if a city, town or school district did not have sufficient funds to cover the costs of those mandates.

If enacted, those looking to cease implementation of those mandates would have to be in good standing with existing personnel contracts or renegotiate to the satisfaction of both parties.

Joey the Brain, did you mention the 12 teachers who you have identified as "doing nothing" when the superintendent of schools made his report to the Budget Committee? If not, why not?