This is part two of two, the conversation with Town Council Chair Scott Mason. We covered the whole gamut of issues around the special election coming up June 8th on the $3 million override.
Time: 29 minutes, 47 seconds
MP3 File
Show Notes and Quotes:
Franklin faces multiple issues
Override this year, potential shortage again next year, and then the high school renovation later next year
$100 million dollars is a wrong number for the high school
Three years ago when we started there was an estimate that if we did build a new school, it would be in the neighborhood of 100. But there was never any concrete pricing for that. I won't hold anyone on the committee to this but I think a renovation of the scope needed for this school would be in the neighborhood of $50-60 million with a state reimbursement of 50%
a debt exclusion is a different animal, an override is forever, a debt exclusion is for a set period, in this case for a school, 20 years. The actual taxes wouldn't actually hit our tax bills until 2014 or 2015 when the project is done
If we don't pass the debt exclusion on the states time line, we end up losing the 50% reimbursement, we would have to pay the full 100%.
Well unfortunately, there is not much of a decision to make, we have been on the brink of loosing our accreditation, that affects the ability of our kids to get into good colleges.
That school is 40 years old. “I was speaking with an owner of a bio-tech company, he goes to visit schools and he says Franklin is by far the worst.” He brings in equipment and the people don't even know what it is. We need to update the science labs, we need to make it ADA access compliant, the field house roof leaks, the floor tiles are asbestos and at the time it was okay to use, but when a tile is touched for construction like this, the state requires you remove them all. We do need some additional classrooms to handle the growth.
Bid packets have gone out to 23 architects to date so we expect to have some good responses, it is a long time line. Construction isn't slated to begin until the end of 2012. We're looking at the vote for debt exclusion would be about Nov 2011.
Moving to a more positive note as we don't want to keep asking the taxpayers for increases, there are efforts underway to foster the growth of businesses to Franklin
The Council just voted to lessen constraints for bio-tech companies to come into the Industrial Park where we have empty space. Franklin is advertising with trade and industry groups. Planning and Community Development is working hard.
One of the benefits we have here is a single tax rate, one of the best ways to attract business is with the single tax rate, one of the least likely ways to attract business is with a dual tax rate
There was a recent example of a company moving here
As reported in the Milford Daily News a week ago about a company in Forge Park, Congressman McGovern was touring the facility and asked why he chose Franklin, he decided to come here based upon the quality of the schools. “This speaks volumes to how important our educational system is and to maintaining it.” Here is a guy who could have saved a boat load of money going elsewhere. He has 200 employees, now living here, spend money here, support our community.
The Downtown Improvement Project is coming from State and Federal grants
About five or six years ago, we received $5 million from the Federal Government and another $1 million from the State to make improvements to the downtown. We hope to by redoing the streetscapes, to attract more businesses and people to congregate downtown.
The museum is kind of another one of those hot topics of late. There are a small contingent of people who say that was a complete waste of money. I would argue vehemently with them that not only was the timing perfect, the contractors bid lower than they would have been 2-3 years ago, we came in under budget. We were able to preserve town history, we were able to renovate a building and put it to use, where it would not have been salable, it's too small a parcel. We were going to let the building fall apart. Our historical artifacts were deteriorating, and the building they were in was not really safe to be in.
“My response is, you have a photo album at home, put it out on the street and leave it there for a year. That is effectively what we were doing.”
“Everything came together and it is a perfect example of what makes us a better town”
The building is open Thursday 5:00 – 8:00 PM, Saturday 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Sunday from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
Materials on display that are absolutely amazing, arrowheads from before recorded history, the mill store complex was one of the first places that did uniforms for the Civil War. The pilot of the plane that dropped the bomb on Nagaski lived on Southgate for 20 years.
“I view it (museum) as the key stone of that whole project. It is going to draw people to it for educational and entertainment purposes and the best part of it it is free!”
“People get a little fuzzy when it comes to the general operating budget and the capital budget.” Capital money can only be used for certain things; purchase of vehicles, renovation of buildings, technology, equipment, can not be used for salaries.
In each department if there is excess funds in the budget over the year gets put into 'free cash'. The State certifies that and then we can use it for our capital budget. We buy 2 or 3 police cruisers to refresh the fleet. Put some toward a new fire truck.
To summarize at least to this point we have talked about DPW, police, fire, schools, the 2 ½ override decision, the long term growing the pie, is there anything else we need to cover
“There is a lot of misinformation surrounding the override, that is frustrating”
I hear things like “The Town is mismanaged, the town wastes money”, anyone that has looked at this data, that is just not possible.
You hear “you never do what you say you're going to do” That is not true, when we have an override, we shout from the top of our lungs to hear what our needs are and get the opportunity to ask questions, but then when it comes time for the layoffs, those are done behind closed doors. We have less people working for the Town this year, and last year, and so on and so forth.
Some say “We always find the money” we don't, we have pickle jars in the back of Town Hall, we had received money from a lawsuit, $6 million, but that was used overtime to avoid overrides. That money is long gone. We don't find money. We are well aware of what we have and what it is earmarked for. We don't ask for something we don't need. Excuses from people where they are misinformed or plain don't want to get the information.
We suffer from a great deal of voter apathy. 16% voted in our town elections, 80% voted for the president.
On June 8th don't go to vote alone. This is not unimportant stuff we are dealing with.
The affordability of the override is important.
I don't downplay the cost of the override to the average citizen. For the average household tax bill, it amounts to about 66 cents per day, 66 per thousand of assessment.
The people who come forward and say they can't afford to pay this and yet they would be the ones to stand to loose the most.
Tina Powderly did a great deal of work to make acceptance into the programs for the seniors broader. We have done telemarketing campaigns, the senior center newsletter highlights these, yet there is a small percent of people who actually take advantage of it.
If the override fails, we loose one fireman which reduces our ability to staff one ambulance. We are not happy about being put into that position.
June 8th high school field house between 6:00 AM and 8:00 PM
Contact the Town Clerk for details
Contact any of the Town Councilors (email contact info is available on the website).
Information available on the Town website, on Franklin Matters
“If there is something, I don't know, I will get you the answer.”
As I close this session this week, let me remind you that
If you like what I am doing here, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don’t like something, please tell me
Thank you for listening!
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to listen to the audio recording
Saturday, May 29, 2010
FM #69-A Scott Mason - Part 1 of 2
This is part one of a conversation with Town Council Chair Scott Mason. We sat on the Town Common and talked for 50 minutes covering the whole gamut of issues around the Special Election Override vote scheduled for June 8th.
Time: 28 minutes, 7 seconds
MP3 File
Show Notes and Quotes:
This internet radio show or podcast
Number 69 in the series for Franklin Matters.
This is a special edition and divided in two parts for ease of listening. I sat on the Franklin Town Common to catch up with Town Council Chair Scott Mason. We spent about 50 minutes covering the whole gamut of issues around the special election coming up June 8th
As we did sit out in the open on the Common, there will be some background noise from a passing police car siren and then one of the groundskeepers finishing up some of the mowing getting ready for Memorial Day weekend. I was able to remove most of the mowing noise without hindering the conversation with Scott.
Notes and quotes from the first segment
busy with the informational meetings
what does it mean to services if the override passes or if the override fails
there are some people only peripherally aware of the election
there are some people who no matter what the issue is they don't want to hear about tax increases
there are some people who appreciate the information being provided
Long term planning committee, developed the five year outlook for Franklin
there is an over-reliance on state aid, we are a well run community
need to increase the tax base one way is to increase taxes
Prop 2 ½ specifically gives the voters the choice on the level of services to be provided
An opportunity to invest in Franklin and see the direct benefits from your tax dollars
We have had to be creative with less
I hear “We are poorly managed” and that is far from the truth
we get a lot of bang for the buck here in Franklin
Lost 100 teachers over last five years, yet increased 1,000 students in the same period
if we lost so many, how can there be waste?
We have lost 50 Town employees in the same period
Observation that the schools are quicker now, calling a snow day due to the time it takes to clear the sidewalks and roads, because it takes longer these days
“Rumor dejour” “everybody in DPW got new trucks” it is just not true
The vehicles are well taken care of
the Bucket truck was purchased used and came with a paint job
Instead of $130,000 brand new it was purchased for about $30,000
the police dispatchers, if override doesn't pass, could be an issue
if we get two calls at the same time, or back to back, there could be an extra wait
if that is for a health issue, that could be a real problem with response
Council not happy with creating that situation
Schools 'have too many administrators'
we are below average in all eleven categories for those tracked by the DESE
for the administrators, we are under the state avg by 52%
class sizes will increase to 28 and to 30
the level of interaction with the teachers goes away
the high performing students won't be affected as much but the vulnerable one will see it
“our most vulnerable citizens stand to suffer the most if this override doesn't pass”
As the schools accounted for over half of the overall town budget
80% of the budget is teachers – due to all the other cuts made over the years
class trips cut, books cut, they are provided by PCC or other means but not by the Town
teacher cuts are not the only place the pain will be felt
athletic fees will increase to $175 and be on a tiered scale up to $450 for hockey
activity fees will increase to $50
“Jeff Roy has said we are supposed to be in the business of providing a free education but it is no longer free”
for parents, particularly with kid sin high school, it should be cheaper pay for the override versus the athletic and activity fee increases
eliminate three buses, longer commutes
truncating one day by an hour or so at the elementary schools to save three teachers
“it has been a general philosophy around the world to increase the length of the school days and here we are in Franklin shortening the day”
if the override doesn't pas this year, next year they'll be looking at more teacher layoffs, they'll look at full day kindergarten possibly going to half day, they'll look at athletics again
“I can't imagine a high school sports tradition like Franklin has and having to cut it”
“At the end of the day,the voters are going to decide what type of town they want to live in”
Part 2 of the Scott Mason discussion continues here
http://franklinmattersweekly.blogspot.com/2010/05/fm-69-b-scott-mason-part-2-of-2.html
-----------------
Thank you for listening!
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to listen to the audio recording
Time: 28 minutes, 7 seconds
MP3 File
Show Notes and Quotes:
This internet radio show or podcast
Number 69 in the series for Franklin Matters.
This is a special edition and divided in two parts for ease of listening. I sat on the Franklin Town Common to catch up with Town Council Chair Scott Mason. We spent about 50 minutes covering the whole gamut of issues around the special election coming up June 8th
As we did sit out in the open on the Common, there will be some background noise from a passing police car siren and then one of the groundskeepers finishing up some of the mowing getting ready for Memorial Day weekend. I was able to remove most of the mowing noise without hindering the conversation with Scott.
Notes and quotes from the first segment
busy with the informational meetings
what does it mean to services if the override passes or if the override fails
there are some people only peripherally aware of the election
there are some people who no matter what the issue is they don't want to hear about tax increases
there are some people who appreciate the information being provided
Long term planning committee, developed the five year outlook for Franklin
there is an over-reliance on state aid, we are a well run community
need to increase the tax base one way is to increase taxes
Prop 2 ½ specifically gives the voters the choice on the level of services to be provided
An opportunity to invest in Franklin and see the direct benefits from your tax dollars
We have had to be creative with less
I hear “We are poorly managed” and that is far from the truth
we get a lot of bang for the buck here in Franklin
Lost 100 teachers over last five years, yet increased 1,000 students in the same period
if we lost so many, how can there be waste?
We have lost 50 Town employees in the same period
Observation that the schools are quicker now, calling a snow day due to the time it takes to clear the sidewalks and roads, because it takes longer these days
“Rumor dejour” “everybody in DPW got new trucks” it is just not true
The vehicles are well taken care of
the Bucket truck was purchased used and came with a paint job
Instead of $130,000 brand new it was purchased for about $30,000
the police dispatchers, if override doesn't pass, could be an issue
if we get two calls at the same time, or back to back, there could be an extra wait
if that is for a health issue, that could be a real problem with response
Council not happy with creating that situation
Schools 'have too many administrators'
we are below average in all eleven categories for those tracked by the DESE
for the administrators, we are under the state avg by 52%
class sizes will increase to 28 and to 30
the level of interaction with the teachers goes away
the high performing students won't be affected as much but the vulnerable one will see it
“our most vulnerable citizens stand to suffer the most if this override doesn't pass”
As the schools accounted for over half of the overall town budget
80% of the budget is teachers – due to all the other cuts made over the years
class trips cut, books cut, they are provided by PCC or other means but not by the Town
teacher cuts are not the only place the pain will be felt
athletic fees will increase to $175 and be on a tiered scale up to $450 for hockey
activity fees will increase to $50
“Jeff Roy has said we are supposed to be in the business of providing a free education but it is no longer free”
for parents, particularly with kid sin high school, it should be cheaper pay for the override versus the athletic and activity fee increases
eliminate three buses, longer commutes
truncating one day by an hour or so at the elementary schools to save three teachers
“it has been a general philosophy around the world to increase the length of the school days and here we are in Franklin shortening the day”
if the override doesn't pas this year, next year they'll be looking at more teacher layoffs, they'll look at full day kindergarten possibly going to half day, they'll look at athletics again
“I can't imagine a high school sports tradition like Franklin has and having to cut it”
“At the end of the day,the voters are going to decide what type of town they want to live in”
Part 2 of the Scott Mason discussion continues here
http://franklinmattersweekly.blogspot.com/2010/05/fm-69-b-scott-mason-part-2-of-2.html
-----------------
Thank you for listening!
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to listen to the audio recording
Monday, May 17, 2010
FM #68 - Week Ending 5/16/10
Let's take about ten minutes to review what matters in Franklin, MA as the week ends May 16, 2010.
Time: 9 minutes, 22 seconds
MP3 File
Session Notes:
This internet radio show or podcast
Number 68 in the series for Franklin Matters.
Let's take about 10 minutes to review what matters in Franklin, MA as this week comes to a close on Sunday May 16th.
In this session I'll cover last of the budget hearings by the Finance Committee on Monday, the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, the Downtown Revitalization Project on Wednesday, the open house at the DPW and the opening of the Historical Museum. To close, I'll do a brief outlook at the week ahead.
Beginning with the Finance Committee. They completed their set of budget hearings for fiscal year 2011. The hearings provided a detailed discussion with each department head on their budget needs. One significant outcome from the meeting was an endorsement by the FINCOM of the upcoming override. The committee voted 8-0 to recommend the override. These folks, volunteers as are other Town boards, are closest to the budget and inner workings of the Town.
The details are available
May 4th http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/finance-committee-050410.html
May 6th http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/finance-committee-050610.html
May 10th http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/finance-committee-051010.html
From the school committee meeting, the update on the dept of elementary and secondary education (DESE) visit that occurred in Dec 2009 was the most noteworthy. This visit effectively reviewed the civil rights, English language learners, and special education programs of the district. On a four point scale: commendable, implemented, partially implemented or not implemented; Franklin had 9 items in the partially implemented category and that was the focal point of the presentation. Many of these items had been discussed previously as a result of the research into the district scores from MCAS exams. Now as a result of DESE visit, there is a formal action plan being put together to address the findings. One visible effect that you can see is the new capability to translate a page on the Schools website to another language.
http://www.franklin.ma.us/auto/schools/FPS/default.htm
With so much happening last week, I realized I did not get a copy of the presentation document itself to post and that should be available shortly. Updated: it can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/coordinated-program-review.html
The other note worthy item from the meeting was the decision not to enable School choice for the upcoming 2010-2011 school year. This keeps the 39 students we currently service in the district in place but does not expand to any others due to the possible class size increases if the override fails to pass. The real negative for this decision is the revenue lost from school choice. The revenue from school choice is a real plus to the district to fill in otherwise under utilized capacity within the class rooms in the district. In days where revenue is looked for, this would really be nice to have. At one point, the district received revenue from 70 students in the school choice program, that has declined to the current total of 39
The full set of notes from the meeting can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/school-committee-051110.html
The Downtown Improvement or Revitalization Project was reviewed by Bryan Taberner and the architects in a good working session on Wednesday. The meeting was broadcast and available for viewing here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/downtown-improvement-project-live.html
The DPW held their annual open house on Saturday. At the same time, the Library held it's annual book sale, Good crowds took advantage of the great weather to explore the trucks and equipment in the DPW yard as well as peruse the books for sale.
A write up on the event including pictures is available here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/tooting-horn-for-books-family-day-in.html
The Historical Museum opened this weekend. A long time in planning and lots of sweat finally came to fruition. Having personally volunteered to move items from the old Washington St location to the former Town Hall downtown, it was really nice to see the finished work.
This is a great example of the low cost approach that Franklin has taken to produce a high quality product. Donations of material (TJ Maxx – display cases), school projects (Tri-County – library shelving and display cases), volunteer help (for the move, cataloging and on-going operational support), helped to make the money the Town spent much more effective.
Additional information and pictures of the new museum can be found here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/franklin-ma-history-on-display.html
Other items of note:
Ed Cafasso published another in his series of informational newsletters
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/letter-from-ed-cafasso.html
The EPA held a public informational meeting on the proposed storm water regulations on Wednesday. It was broadcast by the Franklin Cable group but has not yet been posted for review via the on-demand video. I do have the handout from the meeting to share at this time.
I recommend that you take advantage of the discussion opportunities as we approach the special election on June 8th. Members of the Town Council, School and Finance Committees will be available to answer questions about the budget for fiscal year 2011 and the proposal to raise an additional $3 million dollars to maintain our current services.
If you would like to discuss the budget details with me, please feel free to reach out and ask. I will make time to meet with you.
As we take a look ahead on this week's schedule.
Monday, the Planning Board opens a hearing on the new market proposal for 485 East Central St. What has commonly been seen as the rock pile.
Wednesday, the Town Council meets – agenda available
Franklin Town Budget Informational Forum sponsored by Sullivan, Keller & Davis Thayer PCC at Keller/Sullivan Middle School 7:00 PM
Franklin Town Budget Informational Forum sponsored by HMMS, Oak, ECDC, FHS PCC at Horace Mann/Thomas Mercer Auditorium 7:00 PM
What will you do this week?
As I close this session this week, let me remind you that
If you like what I am doing here, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don’t like something, please tell me
Thank you for listening!
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to listen to the audio recording
Time: 9 minutes, 22 seconds
MP3 File
Session Notes:
This internet radio show or podcast
Number 68 in the series for Franklin Matters.
Let's take about 10 minutes to review what matters in Franklin, MA as this week comes to a close on Sunday May 16th.
In this session I'll cover last of the budget hearings by the Finance Committee on Monday, the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, the Downtown Revitalization Project on Wednesday, the open house at the DPW and the opening of the Historical Museum. To close, I'll do a brief outlook at the week ahead.
Beginning with the Finance Committee. They completed their set of budget hearings for fiscal year 2011. The hearings provided a detailed discussion with each department head on their budget needs. One significant outcome from the meeting was an endorsement by the FINCOM of the upcoming override. The committee voted 8-0 to recommend the override. These folks, volunteers as are other Town boards, are closest to the budget and inner workings of the Town.
The details are available
May 4th http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/finance-committee-050410.html
May 6th http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/finance-committee-050610.html
May 10th http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/finance-committee-051010.html
From the school committee meeting, the update on the dept of elementary and secondary education (DESE) visit that occurred in Dec 2009 was the most noteworthy. This visit effectively reviewed the civil rights, English language learners, and special education programs of the district. On a four point scale: commendable, implemented, partially implemented or not implemented; Franklin had 9 items in the partially implemented category and that was the focal point of the presentation. Many of these items had been discussed previously as a result of the research into the district scores from MCAS exams. Now as a result of DESE visit, there is a formal action plan being put together to address the findings. One visible effect that you can see is the new capability to translate a page on the Schools website to another language.
http://www.franklin.ma.us/auto/schools/FPS/default.htm
With so much happening last week, I realized I did not get a copy of the presentation document itself to post and that should be available shortly. Updated: it can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/coordinated-program-review.html
The other note worthy item from the meeting was the decision not to enable School choice for the upcoming 2010-2011 school year. This keeps the 39 students we currently service in the district in place but does not expand to any others due to the possible class size increases if the override fails to pass. The real negative for this decision is the revenue lost from school choice. The revenue from school choice is a real plus to the district to fill in otherwise under utilized capacity within the class rooms in the district. In days where revenue is looked for, this would really be nice to have. At one point, the district received revenue from 70 students in the school choice program, that has declined to the current total of 39
The full set of notes from the meeting can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/school-committee-051110.html
The Downtown Improvement or Revitalization Project was reviewed by Bryan Taberner and the architects in a good working session on Wednesday. The meeting was broadcast and available for viewing here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/downtown-improvement-project-live.html
The DPW held their annual open house on Saturday. At the same time, the Library held it's annual book sale, Good crowds took advantage of the great weather to explore the trucks and equipment in the DPW yard as well as peruse the books for sale.
A write up on the event including pictures is available here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/tooting-horn-for-books-family-day-in.html
The Historical Museum opened this weekend. A long time in planning and lots of sweat finally came to fruition. Having personally volunteered to move items from the old Washington St location to the former Town Hall downtown, it was really nice to see the finished work.
This is a great example of the low cost approach that Franklin has taken to produce a high quality product. Donations of material (TJ Maxx – display cases), school projects (Tri-County – library shelving and display cases), volunteer help (for the move, cataloging and on-going operational support), helped to make the money the Town spent much more effective.
Additional information and pictures of the new museum can be found here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/franklin-ma-history-on-display.html
Other items of note:
Ed Cafasso published another in his series of informational newsletters
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/letter-from-ed-cafasso.html
The EPA held a public informational meeting on the proposed storm water regulations on Wednesday. It was broadcast by the Franklin Cable group but has not yet been posted for review via the on-demand video. I do have the handout from the meeting to share at this time.
I recommend that you take advantage of the discussion opportunities as we approach the special election on June 8th. Members of the Town Council, School and Finance Committees will be available to answer questions about the budget for fiscal year 2011 and the proposal to raise an additional $3 million dollars to maintain our current services.
If you would like to discuss the budget details with me, please feel free to reach out and ask. I will make time to meet with you.
As we take a look ahead on this week's schedule.
Monday, the Planning Board opens a hearing on the new market proposal for 485 East Central St. What has commonly been seen as the rock pile.
Wednesday, the Town Council meets – agenda available
Franklin Town Budget Informational Forum sponsored by Sullivan, Keller & Davis Thayer PCC at Keller/Sullivan Middle School 7:00 PM
Franklin Town Budget Informational Forum sponsored by HMMS, Oak, ECDC, FHS PCC at Horace Mann/Thomas Mercer Auditorium 7:00 PM
What will you do this week?
As I close this session this week, let me remind you that
If you like what I am doing here, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don’t like something, please tell me
Thank you for listening!
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to listen to the audio recording
Monday, May 10, 2010
FM #67 - Week Ending 5/9/10
Let's take about ten minutes to review what matters in Franklin, MA as the week ends May 9, 2010.
Time: 10 minutes, 30 seconds
MP3 File
Session Notes:
This internet radio show or podcast
Number 67 in the series for Franklin Matters.
Let's take about 10 minutes to review what matters in Franklin, MA as this week comes to a close on Sunday May 9th.
In this session I'll cover the Planning Board meeting on Monday and the Finance Committee meetings on Tuesday and Thursday as they conducted their budget hearings. I missed reporting live from the Town Council meeting on Wednesday. I did catch up to the meeting via the video on demand archive and will cover the highlights from that. To close, I'll do a brief outlook at the week ahead
The Planning Board continued the hearing on Van Roon Chiropratic. Citizens presented a petition with 175 signatures objecting to the special permit. If approved, the special permit would increase traffic at least by 64 trips to handle the patient in/outs to the office on a road too narrow for such volume and already under pressure from the existing traffic near intersection (RT 140).
They also continued the hearing on the Big Y although this seems closer to approval, the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting should be interesting.
The Crossways Church application for 282 Summer St was approved.
The posts with the details of the Planning Board meeting can be found here:
The Finance Committee held two budget hearings this week to get into the details of each departments requests.
The details for the Tuesday meeting can be found here
The details for the Thursday meeting can be found here:
I chimed in on the Milford Daily News website to provide details in answer to some commenters questions:
One said the Police department was overstaffed due to the presence of four officers on the i495/King St construction site. I responded:
Another asked about the time line for the override this year and the high school renovation project. I responded:
As I did catch up to completely view the Town Council meeting from Weds 5/5, I was heartened to hear the last seven minutes, especially during the Council Comments.
Chair Scott Mason addressed Council McGann's (who was absent Wednesday's meeting) comment during the prior meeting (Apr 28th) that he (McGann) would bringing forth a presentation on Town waste. Scott requested Jeff Nutting to allocate time on the agenda to have this covered; “this presentation, if there is anything to it, needs to be addressed before the override.”
Councilor Vallee said "there is no waste in this town"
The meeting adjourned and as the meeting video ends Councilor Vallee is heard to say, "If they do find anything, they won't find much I'll tell you."
I suggest that you spend a few minutes to hear the last seven minutes of the Town Council meeting yourself. This should help to address some of the negative comments .
follow this link to the on demand video
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=xEUq0k5hUv%2bZhhtWPwnXlA%3d%3d
This week will be a busy one.
Momday, the Finance Committee closes their budget hearings
Tuesday, the School Committee meets
Wednesday, provides a real opportunity to make a choice with three events running at the same time.
In the Third Floor Training RoomCouncil Chambers, Downtown Revitalization Project
In Room 205 Financial Planning Committee
At Tri-County, EPA will hold a public hearing on storm water mitigation changes that could require the communities of Franklin, Bellingham and Milford to spend up to $70 million to reduce phosphorus in storm water before it reaches the Charles River.
I'll go with the EPA hearing at Tri-County.The Downtown project should be on cable and I can catch the replay. The Financial Planning meeting will be 'lost' but such is life and tough choices. Updated 5/10/10 - 1:30PM - Even with the correction on the location and lack of broadcast for the Downtown Project, I'll still go with the EPA meeting. Bigger dollars are involved!
What will you do this week?
As I close this session this week, let me remind you that
If you like what I am doing here, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don’t like something, please tell me
Thank you for listening!
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to listen to the audio recording
Time: 10 minutes, 30 seconds
MP3 File
Session Notes:
This internet radio show or podcast
Number 67 in the series for Franklin Matters.
Let's take about 10 minutes to review what matters in Franklin, MA as this week comes to a close on Sunday May 9th.
In this session I'll cover the Planning Board meeting on Monday and the Finance Committee meetings on Tuesday and Thursday as they conducted their budget hearings. I missed reporting live from the Town Council meeting on Wednesday. I did catch up to the meeting via the video on demand archive and will cover the highlights from that. To close, I'll do a brief outlook at the week ahead
The Planning Board continued the hearing on Van Roon Chiropratic. Citizens presented a petition with 175 signatures objecting to the special permit. If approved, the special permit would increase traffic at least by 64 trips to handle the patient in/outs to the office on a road too narrow for such volume and already under pressure from the existing traffic near intersection (RT 140).
They also continued the hearing on the Big Y although this seems closer to approval, the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting should be interesting.
The Crossways Church application for 282 Summer St was approved.
The posts with the details of the Planning Board meeting can be found here:
- Live reporting - 282 Summer St (Crossways Church)
- Live reporting - Big Y (348 E Central St)
- Live reporting: Van Roon Chiropractic
- Live reporting - Planning Board - general business...
The Finance Committee held two budget hearings this week to get into the details of each departments requests.
The details for the Tuesday meeting can be found here
- Live reporting - Facilities
- Live reporting - Technology
- Live reporting - School Committee budget
- Live reporting - Planning and Community Developmen...
- Live reporting - Elections
- Live reporting - Town Clerk
- Live reporting - Board of Assessors
- Live reporting - Board of Health/Health Services
- Live reporting - debt stabilization
- Live reporting - Finance Committee
The details for the Thursday meeting can be found here:
- Live reporting - animal control, Tri-County
- Live reporting - Recreation
- Live reporting - Library
- Live reporting - parking meters
- Live reporting - Police
- Live reporting - Senior Center
- Live reporting - Finance Committee
I chimed in on the Milford Daily News website to provide details in answer to some commenters questions:
One said the Police department was overstaffed due to the presence of four officers on the i495/King St construction site. I responded:
The police working in the construction zone at the i495/King St intersection are working detail duty. They are off-police hours. They are paid by the contractor for their hours of duty. The money goes to the Town, the Town pays the police, and Franklin actually makes some money on the deal. About $16,000/per year as a net income from all the police detail per the discussion at the Finance Committee budget hearing on Thursday evening, May 6th.
Another asked about the time line for the override this year and the high school renovation project. I responded:
The override vote on June 8th will provide funds for the operating budget, the annual expenses of the daily operations for Franklin beginning July 1. The high school renovation project will generate a debt exclusion for a specific period. The dollar amount and the period remain to be determined by the State. According to Jeff Nutting's update at Town Council meeting on April 28th, the debt exclusion vote would come around Nov 2011. The construction could begin in 2013 and the actual increase in our taxes would not hit until 2015.
According to the Financial Planning Committee or long term planning report, Franklin faces a shortage of $3m for 2011 (hence the override) a shortage of $5.5 M for 2012, a shortage of 7.0 M for 2013, a shortage of 8.3 M for 2014. So even if this override passes, yes, there could very well be more overrides in our future.
We have spent too many years cutting. We need to increase revenues period. Some of that will be generated by the empty and underutilized industrial/commercial space. Some of that should come from the pockets of Franklin taxpayers.
As I did catch up to completely view the Town Council meeting from Weds 5/5, I was heartened to hear the last seven minutes, especially during the Council Comments.
Chair Scott Mason addressed Council McGann's (who was absent Wednesday's meeting) comment during the prior meeting (Apr 28th) that he (McGann) would bringing forth a presentation on Town waste. Scott requested Jeff Nutting to allocate time on the agenda to have this covered; “this presentation, if there is anything to it, needs to be addressed before the override.”
Councilor Vallee said "there is no waste in this town"
The meeting adjourned and as the meeting video ends Councilor Vallee is heard to say, "If they do find anything, they won't find much I'll tell you."
I suggest that you spend a few minutes to hear the last seven minutes of the Town Council meeting yourself. This should help to address some of the negative comments .
follow this link to the on demand video
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=xEUq0k5hUv%2bZhhtWPwnXlA%3d%3d
This week will be a busy one.
Momday, the Finance Committee closes their budget hearings
Tuesday, the School Committee meets
Wednesday, provides a real opportunity to make a choice with three events running at the same time.
In the Third Floor Training Room
In Room 205 Financial Planning Committee
At Tri-County, EPA will hold a public hearing on storm water mitigation changes that could require the communities of Franklin, Bellingham and Milford to spend up to $70 million to reduce phosphorus in storm water before it reaches the Charles River.
I'll go with the EPA hearing at Tri-County.
What will you do this week?
As I close this session this week, let me remind you that
If you like what I am doing here, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don’t like something, please tell me
Thank you for listening!
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to listen to the audio recording
Monday, May 3, 2010
FM #66 - Week Ending 5/2/10
Let's take about 10 minutes to review what matters in Franklin, MA as the week ends May 2, 2010.
Time: 10:02
MP3 File
Session Notes:
This internet radio show or podcast
Number 66 in the series for Franklin Matters.
Let's take about 10 minutes to review what matters in Franklin, MA as this week comes to a close on Sunday May 2nd.
In this session I'll the School Committee meeting as they presented their budget Tuesday, and the Town Council meeting on Wednesday where they got an update on the overall budget and voted to put an override question to the voters on June 8th – and a brief outlook at the week ahead
First
The School Committee meeting discussed options on bringing the budget into balance with a number of measures:
The School Committee meeting can be viewed on the Franklin website here:
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?ecm=634084755480134220&indexSessionSKU=kWJQA+d4DkqLdYNtc39VcA%3D%3D&siteSKU=L7qhQ46xin/r3Z0jcDVCNw%3D%3D
The committee also spent time discussing full vs half day, free vs pay kindergarten
The arguments have already summarized in a post that I worked with Maureen Sabolinski, Karen Seyfried, and Miriam Goodman to prepare. You can find that report here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/04/full-day-kindergarten-free-or-tuition.html
Second
From the The Town council meeting on Wednesday:
Financial Planing Committee report, summary review of forecast and updates to the outlook
no questions from the Council
You can and should spent some time to review the meeting via the video on demand link on the Franklin website. You can go directly to the discussion here:
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=PZze5i0pKVPUM62zGqWI7A%3d%3d
Jeff Nutting provided the update on the overall budget, before he did so, we did get some good news on the High School Renovation project
Overall shortage 3M
1.1 M from Town side of budget
1.8 M from School side of budget
You can and should spent some time to review the meeting via the video on demand link on the Franklin website. You can go directly to the discussion here:
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=gUqYEwtCQQIavJRj7F%2bNeA%3d%3d
and to include the Finance Committee, Jim Roche took a couple of minutes to add their endorsement of the override
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=fOCjsPPvFGgyKenrDbrNMA%3d%3d
The Council voted unanimously to set the date for the override election to be held on June 8th
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=7mT4fjE8qx5emElxBOKa0Q%3d%3d
The Council then got into a lengthy discussion on the amount and ended up amending the original motion for 2.1 M to increase the amount to 3 M.
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=cqgfiEy%2fNL98slaVgWggDg%3d%3d
Closing out some old business from the last meeting, the sewer extension on Washington St that was controversial in the last meeting was resolved before coming to this meeting.
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=cL6b7iGtXlCAx98kfQInXQ%3d%3d
Opening some new business was a proposal for a modification to the bylaw on Junk, 2nd Hand and Antique dealers which came up for a first reading.
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=9HmNY7guZiQ%2fH4E63hmBMA%3d%3d
I'd normally send you to the Franklin website to view the link but for some reason the link is not available today. I have posted a copy of the Town Council agenda document to Drop.IO and you can view beginning on Pages 28-31 the bylaw itself. Exactly what it changed from is not shown in this document but if this reading is okay with your understanding, then it should be okay. If not, please reach out to Jeff Nutting, Maxine Kinheart and get your questions answered soon.
http://drop.io/FranklinMatters/asset/tc-20100428-agenda-pdf
Separate from the major discussion on override, the Conservation Commission heard the proposals for securing the dams on the DelCarte property along Pleasant St. I need to do more to understand the proposals and implications but be aware that something with dollars associated is being discussed. You can view the meeting and proposal options here
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=ei0gDcRTz2DPBC%2frEypYuQ%3d%3d
and here
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=mAIQuRUs434FliYRix1Hjg%3d%3d
To summarize:
The school and town budget problems will lead to an override vote on June 8th. There will be a town forum on May 24th and likely other opportunities for discussion on the numbers, pros/cons, etc.
The good news on the high school renovation is the state will reimburse 50%, a vote won't come until Nov 2011, construction won't begin until 2013 and the tax implications of these wouldn't hit out pockets until 2015
The DelCarte property dam remediation will become part of the active discussion.
The Big Y and Dr Van Roon proposals are both scheduled before the planning board on Monday, the 3rd
The Town Council meets again on weds the 5th,
There is another walk to school morning on Wednesday
So there is a whole lot happening in and around Franklin, let's keep a positive and respectful discussion going and we can all work our way through this.
As I close this session this week, let me remind you that
If you like what I am doing here, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don’t like something, please tell me
Thank you for listening!
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to listen to the audio recording
Time: 10:02
MP3 File
Session Notes:
This internet radio show or podcast
Number 66 in the series for Franklin Matters.
Let's take about 10 minutes to review what matters in Franklin, MA as this week comes to a close on Sunday May 2nd.
In this session I'll the School Committee meeting as they presented their budget Tuesday, and the Town Council meeting on Wednesday where they got an update on the overall budget and voted to put an override question to the voters on June 8th – and a brief outlook at the week ahead
First
The School Committee meeting discussed options on bringing the budget into balance with a number of measures:
- cutting 7 elementary teachers
- cutting 8 middle school
- an increase athletic fees
- doubling extra curricular activity fees
- cutting 3 buses
- an early release of elementary schools one day to reduce another 4 positions
The School Committee meeting can be viewed on the Franklin website here:
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?ecm=634084755480134220&indexSessionSKU=kWJQA+d4DkqLdYNtc39VcA%3D%3D&siteSKU=L7qhQ46xin/r3Z0jcDVCNw%3D%3D
The committee also spent time discussing full vs half day, free vs pay kindergarten
The arguments have already summarized in a post that I worked with Maureen Sabolinski, Karen Seyfried, and Miriam Goodman to prepare. You can find that report here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/04/full-day-kindergarten-free-or-tuition.html
Second
From the The Town council meeting on Wednesday:
Financial Planing Committee report, summary review of forecast and updates to the outlook
no questions from the Council
You can and should spent some time to review the meeting via the video on demand link on the Franklin website. You can go directly to the discussion here:
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=PZze5i0pKVPUM62zGqWI7A%3d%3d
Jeff Nutting provided the update on the overall budget, before he did so, we did get some good news on the High School Renovation project
- 50 percent reimbursement expected from the State
- vote likely required in Nov 2011
- construction to begin in 2013
- which would put the main portion of the debt increase into the tax bills for FY 2015
Overall shortage 3M
1.1 M from Town side of budget
1.8 M from School side of budget
You can and should spent some time to review the meeting via the video on demand link on the Franklin website. You can go directly to the discussion here:
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=gUqYEwtCQQIavJRj7F%2bNeA%3d%3d
and to include the Finance Committee, Jim Roche took a couple of minutes to add their endorsement of the override
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=fOCjsPPvFGgyKenrDbrNMA%3d%3d
The Council voted unanimously to set the date for the override election to be held on June 8th
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=7mT4fjE8qx5emElxBOKa0Q%3d%3d
The Council then got into a lengthy discussion on the amount and ended up amending the original motion for 2.1 M to increase the amount to 3 M.
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=cqgfiEy%2fNL98slaVgWggDg%3d%3d
Closing out some old business from the last meeting, the sewer extension on Washington St that was controversial in the last meeting was resolved before coming to this meeting.
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=cL6b7iGtXlCAx98kfQInXQ%3d%3d
Opening some new business was a proposal for a modification to the bylaw on Junk, 2nd Hand and Antique dealers which came up for a first reading.
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=9HmNY7guZiQ%2fH4E63hmBMA%3d%3d
I'd normally send you to the Franklin website to view the link but for some reason the link is not available today. I have posted a copy of the Town Council agenda document to Drop.IO and you can view beginning on Pages 28-31 the bylaw itself. Exactly what it changed from is not shown in this document but if this reading is okay with your understanding, then it should be okay. If not, please reach out to Jeff Nutting, Maxine Kinheart and get your questions answered soon.
http://drop.io/FranklinMatters/asset/tc-20100428-agenda-pdf
Separate from the major discussion on override, the Conservation Commission heard the proposals for securing the dams on the DelCarte property along Pleasant St. I need to do more to understand the proposals and implications but be aware that something with dollars associated is being discussed. You can view the meeting and proposal options here
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=ei0gDcRTz2DPBC%2frEypYuQ%3d%3d
and here
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=mAIQuRUs434FliYRix1Hjg%3d%3d
To summarize:
The school and town budget problems will lead to an override vote on June 8th. There will be a town forum on May 24th and likely other opportunities for discussion on the numbers, pros/cons, etc.
The good news on the high school renovation is the state will reimburse 50%, a vote won't come until Nov 2011, construction won't begin until 2013 and the tax implications of these wouldn't hit out pockets until 2015
The DelCarte property dam remediation will become part of the active discussion.
The Big Y and Dr Van Roon proposals are both scheduled before the planning board on Monday, the 3rd
The Town Council meets again on weds the 5th,
There is another walk to school morning on Wednesday
So there is a whole lot happening in and around Franklin, let's keep a positive and respectful discussion going and we can all work our way through this.
As I close this session this week, let me remind you that
If you like what I am doing here, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don’t like something, please tell me
Thank you for listening!
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!
Note: email subscribers will need to click through to listen to the audio recording
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