Templeton debates TCTV funding after clicker problems; $110,000 cable appropriation approved while $50,000 amendment failed

Voters at Templeton’s annual town meeting on May 13 approved Article 22, the FY2027 cable department operating appropriation, while rejecting an amendment that would have increased the appropriation from $110,000 to $160,000 and transferred $50,000 from certified free cash.

Steve Castle, TCTV director, told the meeting the requested increase was needed to maintain staffing and services, including streaming, public service announcements and technical support the station provides to the town. “$110,000 is completely inadequate to run this department and to complete all the services for the town that we do for you,” Castle said, noting declines in cable-subscriber revenues and an expanding service footprint.

Several speakers urged caution about drawing on free cash. Town Administrator James Rhein said most free cash had already been appropriated and only about $83,000 remained, meaning any $50,000 transfer would force cuts elsewhere. “That amount of money is being used to balance the budget currently,” Rhein said.

After discussion, Town Meeting voted down the $50,000 amendment and then passed the main Article 22 appropriation at 07:54. Residents continued to debate broader budget priorities during later articles.

The meeting also experienced widespread problems with electronic clickers used for voting. Multiple attendees reported clickers that did not register their inputs or that displayed persistent letters or numbers; the moderator paused to run additional tests, replace clickers for some voters, and explained the motion-to-reconsider procedure for any challenged vote. Residents raised concerns that late arrivals and malfunctioning devices could have affected tallies, and some attempted to trigger reconsideration votes where they believed counts were faulty.