The Templeton Area Advisory Group, or TAAG, which would typically meet inside the Community Services District every third Thursday of the month, has officially been dissolved.
“We’re kind of the venue to bring our community together on a regular, scheduled basis in public meetings to kind of just listen to public input, what they want, their opinions on development and any other items that are a concern to them that they think we should be recommending to the county to consider,” said former TAAG Board Member Murray Powell. “Now, we don’t have it.”
Powell was one of just two members left on the TAAG Board.
Being no longer able to function as a full board, an item on the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors agenda was added to dissolve the group.
“We are no longer recognizing the Templeton Area Advisory Group,” said District 1 Supervisor John Peschong. “It was asked by the remaining members of that board – they couldn’t get enough members to show up and they had resigned, and so they couldn’t meet, they couldn’t meet quorum requirements, and so they asked that we would not recognize them anymore.”
A lot has been going on with TAAG recently. Back in August, TAAG Chair David Leader was sentenced to 30 days in county jail and two years of formal felony probation for charges related to the harassment of his neighbors.
What followed was what some in attendance referred to as a circus of a board meeting, where Leader was escorted out because neighbors with temporary restraining orders against him were present. That led to Leader’s eventual resignation days later.
Once Leader resigned, one after another, all but two members followed suit.
Now that TAAG is no longer being recognized by the county, members of the community can form a new advisory group for the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors to approve.
“Hopefully, they’ll be able to come back early next year with some reenergized local community members, and we can reorganize and re-recognize the Templeton Area Advisory Group,” Peschong said.
Residents KSBY spoke with, who did not want to go on camera, said that the previous TAAG meetings became very chaotic, and they hope if a new group is created, it’s more diverse and structured.
Powell says if a new board is established, he’d be willing to be involved and hopes it’d be given a new name, so as to try to erase any negativity attached to the current organization.
