Monday, December 23, 2013

Annual Report 2013: Town Council

As we get into the end of the year, the news will be relatively quiet. There are no more scheduled meetings for the Town Council, School Committee, etc. I'll fill in with some section from the Annual Report for 2013. Note that the report is for the Fiscal Year 2013 which ran from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013. The info is generally accurate for that time period but portions of the data may be out of date.


On behalf of the Franklin Town Council, it is my pleasure to submit our annual report for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2013. 
On a positive note, on May 16, we passed a balanced budget that included no layoffs and no use of reserves. We have kept a busy schedule this past year and accomplished a lot with help from you, the citizens. The high school project began with shovel in the ground in the fall and is progressing on schedule for a September 2014 opening. 
The Franklin Garden Club once again did a magnificent job keeping the Town Common and the downtown area blooming. The Concerts on the Common Committee brought spectacular entertainment to liven your Wednesday nights during the summer months. On behalf of the Citizens, the Council thanks them for their efforts. 
The new Master Plan Committee presented their draft plan to the Council in July and had an open public comments period. The Master Plan Committee would like this action plan of goals, and objectives for the Planning Board and Town Council to use as a tool to be finally adopted in September. 
The Citizens Committee has provided valuable input to the Council on issues such as improving the quality of life of Franklin’s citizens, improving citizen participation, evaluating the permitting process and business development as a revenue stream. 
Remote Participation by a Council member remains a popular practice of the Council when travel/etc. keeps them away from a Council meeting. It works well and it assures the Citizen that they are getting the most representation possible. 
Franklin’s Government is supported by its many boards and committees that are largely staffed by volunteers. Let’s not forget our elected officials, as they are volunteers also. (Except Treasurer Collector position and Town Clerk position are not volunteer positions) Our volunteers are of the highest caliber. Everyone has talent to offer, whether serving on a board, council, or committee, weeding a garden, planning a concert, or chairing a meeting. Franklin is your town and this is your government and it needs your input. 
In closing, you can rest assured that the business of Franklin will continue. We will continue to work for you, the Citizen, and the Community that we all love. You can be assured that you have dedicated, competent, and professional individuals working and volunteering their time on your behalf. 
I want to thank our Town Administrator, Jeff Nutting, for his dedication and service and all of the Town employees who go to work every day and help to make this community a great place to live and work. 
On behalf of my fellow councilors, Andy Bissanti, Bob Dellorco, Glenn Jones, Matt Kelly, Tom Mercer, Judy Pfeffer, Tina Powderly, and Jeff Roy, I want to thank you for the opportunity you have given us to serve this great community. 
Respectfully Submitted, 
Robert Vallee
Chairman, Franklin Town Council

Franklin Municipal Building
Franklin Municipal Building


Closing note: The section above was composed as early as May for the report to reflect the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2013. The Master Plan was approved by the Town Council. At the November election, new councilors were elected to replace Councilors Dellorco, Powderly and Roy who all chose not to run for re-election. The Treasurer/Collector position was also approved to move to an appointed position with the expiration of the current term.


The full annual report can be obtained from the Town Clerk's office (hard copy) or viewed and/or downloaded from the Franklin website here
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/2013report.pdf

Annual reports of prior years can also be found online at
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Clerk/annual/


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