TEMPLETON — The Templeton Select Board formally introduced James Ryan as the town’s new administrator during its Oct. 8 meeting, where officials also heard quarterly financial and departmental reports covering town finances, property assessments, and community media updates.
Ryan, whose three-year term began on September 30, 2025 and runs through September 2028, thanked the board for the opportunity to serve the community. “I want to really thank this board for the opportunity,” Ryan said. “I’m getting to know all of you as well, and I think we’re going to have a good time.”
During the meeting, several department heads delivered their quarterly updates. Town Accountant Amber Dupell told the board that although she had only been in her position for one month of the quarter, she had been focused on stabilizing town finances and improving reporting processes.
“There’s been a lot of transition just trying to figure out how the town of Templeton operates and trying to get things back up to speed,” she said. “For me, training and education is a top priority, especially if they’re free.”
Dupell said her office attended several training sessions this quarter, including an opioid settlement webinar, a tax rate training, the Big Beautiful Bill Lunch and Learn, The Niche Fraud Symposium, and several municipal budgeting workshops. She reported progress on financial reconciliations, adding, “The receivables are reconciled. The balance sheet, which was out of balance, has been put back in balance. Cash was reconciled.”
She also noted that the fiscal year 2025 Local Cultural Council reporting had been completed, but there are still things anticipatory and perhaps not that need to be done.
“The fiscal year ’25 Local Cultural Council reporting was completed,” Dupell said. “There are still things to do. There’s still things that I think I’m going to find that haven’t been done that need to be done. I know I haven’t seen where incumbrances were done yet, which makes me a little nervous.”
Board members also heard from Deputy Assessor Justice Graves, who said his office had a “pretty typical first quarter.”
“The preliminary bills for the first and second quarter were committed and that totaled just over $7 million for real estate, personal property, and community preservation tax,” Graves said.
He noted that more than $136,000 in motor vehicle excise tax had been committed, with just over $7,000 abated. His office, he added, was now accepting applications for statutory exemptions, which must be renewed each year.
“If you have not come down, or if you applied last year, you need to apply again because that is an annual action, or application, that you have to do,” Graves said.
Graves also reported that new growth had been certified at $105,586 for this year and that cyclical inspections were completed ahead of the town’s 2026 deadline.
He told the board his office was monitoring the Baldwinville Elementary School project as a “major ongoing assessment item” and said that while new housing starts were limited, permit activity in general remained steady.
“I’ve been physically seeing it with people coming in and asking for plot plans and different information about their properties,” Graves said. “But a lot of what I’m seeing is routine maintenance.”
Graves said that property visits are continuing due to new construction, though no occupancy permits have been issued yet this quarter.
“Property visits are continuing due to new construction,” Graves said. “However, in this quarter alone, we have not received any occupancy permits and those homes remain under construction right now.”
He added that his office is currently monitoring seven new home construction projects, as well as the Baldwinville Elementary School project, which he described as “a major” ongoing assessment item.
Graves concluded by noting that the assessor’s office is preparing for its next ten-year cyclical inspection deadline in fiscal year 2036.
Meanwhile, Templeton Community Television (TCTV) reported producing more than 40 videos this quarter, including select board meetings, community events, and special programs. TCTV Director Steve Castle said that TCTV is continue to develop a five-year capital plan for the cable department and the station continues to grow its outreach.
“We’ve been doubling the subscriptions for the Montachusett TV monthly newsletter,” Castle said. “Please go on the site and sign up…that’s to get people to keep coming back to the site, which is very important to us.”
The next select board meeting is scheduled for Oct. 22.
