Accomplishments in FY18 include:
The Town has created an Agricultural Commission. After many interviews seven great candidates were selected with five being full members and two associates.
In January 2018 Franklin was designated as a Green Community from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and was awarded a grant of $183,000 in June of 2018.
The Town went out to bid twice for municipal aggregation for bulk purchasing of electricity to lower rates for citizens however we did not get good rates and will continue to pursue.
We created a Town Budget webpage with helpful resources such as how the budget process works, Operating and Capital budgets, and Fiscal forecasts. A balanced budget was submitted to the Town Council and was approved. We have received five year Capital plans from all departments including the Water And Sewer Enterprise fund. Having long term Capital plans prevents larger costs down the road.
LED Street light conversion contracts were executed and set the table for a fall 2018 install
As part of our expansion of customer service we have expanded our Viewpoint Online Permitting System and will continue adding new applications throughout the year to make for a more convenient process.
Subsidized Housing Inventory, is still over 10% with 11.89% of our housing stock considered affordable by State law.
We continue to update the Town’s website to make information easily accessible for the public. All Agendas and Minutes of all boards and committees are web-based and continuously updated. These can be found on the boards and committees’ pages on our website. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for News and Announcement as well as visiting our website at www.franklinma.gov.
Personnel
The Town hired Finance Director/Comptroller, Christopher Sandini to replace retired Comptroller, Susan Gagner.
Other
The Town Administrator’s Office has moved the Passport Acceptance Office and the Affordable Housing Office from the third floor to the first floor to better convenience the applicant. You can apply for your passport by appointment on Monday, Wednesday or Friday.
We have reorganized The Board of Health, Planning, Building, Inspections, and Conservation Departments combining them into one office to better serve our customers.
The Towns Safety Committee worked with representatives from each department and MIIA representatives and earned $70,000 in insurance premium savings and was recognized by Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) as a leader in preventing risk in the workplace through employee training programs.
Franklin Bends the Trend by working with Insurance Advisory Committee to keep insurance rate increases for employees to a minimum, The Town has changed Health Insurance Carrier to Harvard Pilgrim and now also offers a Qualified High Deductible Health Care Plan.
The Town also received a $10,000 loss control grant for preventative maintenance. This grant will be used towards a program that will schedule routine maintenance tasks that will prevent larger, costly repairs in the future. In turn will save on costs and improve safety, reliability and conservation of assets.
Worked with the Recreation Director to secure $200,000 in grant money for King Street Memorial Park renovations. This grant will go towards new basketball courts, pickleball courts and a playground.
The Town received a grant from the State of $50,000 to expand the Veterans Memorial Walkway on the Town Common.
Our goal is to deliver high quality customer service while keeping costs under control. There will be difficult challenges to our budget in the coming year; but you can be assured that the Town Administration and Town Council will work together to solve budgetary issues.
It is my pleasure to submit the annual report of the Town Administrator for your review, and please feel free to write, email, or stop by with any questions, concerns, or comments.
Respectfully submitted,
Jeffrey Nutting, Town Administrator
You can read the full Annual Report for 2018 online
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/uploads/franklin_2018_town_report.pdf
The archive of prior year annual reports
https://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk/pages/annual-reports
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| Franklin Annual Report - 2018: Town Administrator |
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