Town Council Approves FY27 Operating Budget and Capital Investments for Franklin, MA

June 12, 2026 Town Council Approves FY27 Operating Budget and Capital Investments The Town Council approved the Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) operating budget, establishing the Town's financial blueprint and funding priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. Please read the short, two-page FY27 Budget Snapshot and Summary of key investments and highlights of the budget process: FY27 Budget Snapshot and Summary (PDF). The FY27 budget review process began with the Finance Committee conducting several budget hearings totaling more than 17 hours of review and discussion. Throughout the process, committee members worked closely with Town and School officials to evaluate departmental requests, review financial projections, and develop recommendations for the Town Council. The Franklin School Committee and Town Council have met jointly twice since the election, showing voters that collaboration is at the center of the work plan for the legislative session. Many members have been also attending their respective meetings and working very closely together through this budget season.  The FY27 approved budget does not include any proposals for an override, tax increase or other new rate increases to balance the budget. The budget also does not include any proposed reduction to key town departments, including the Franklin Public Schools (FPS), Fire Department, Police Department or Public Works, Senior Center or Library.  These approvals represent important milestones in advancing Franklin's operational, capital, public safety, and community preservation priorities for FY27. With the budget now approved, Town departments will move forward with implementing the programs, services, and investments outlined in the fiscal year plan. The FY27 budget reflects a collaborative effort among Town Councilors, Finance Committee members, School Committee members, Town and School staff, and department leaders to support the services, infrastructure, and community investments that residents rely on while maintaining a commitment to responsible financial planning. Check out the two-page budget snapshot and summary: FY27 Budget Snapshot and Summary (PDF) Take a Closer Look: FY27 Budget Archive  Explore Town budget archives dating back to 2016: Franklin Budget Archive Center  View it on website

Download the Budget Snapshot - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b-0-Fy6oXvJioIZLebkniaZ8Jl3MqVFo/view?usp=sharing

FM #327 Stormwater SubComm Mtg - 8/05/20 (audio)

FM #327 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 327 in the series.

This session shares the Stormwater Ad-hoc Subcommittee meeting held on Wednesday, Aug 5, 2020. The meeting was conducted via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

Chair Melanie Hamblen officially opened the meeting after the 3rd member to bring the committee to a quorum. She later loses her own connection to the meeting and we wait patiently while she eventually reconnects to continue the meeting. (When she lost connection, the quorum of three also broke.)

A quick summary on the timeline for the stormwater fee: Stormwater utility fee couldn't realistically appear on a homeowner bill until July 2021 due to the software changes required to get the MUNIS system set up properly. Also need to get the other items i.e. exemptions defined

The show notes contain links to the agenda doc, the Stormwater Division page, and my notes from the meeting. 

The meeting itself runs about 1 hour and 42 minutes, so let’s listen to the Stormwater Ad-hoc Subcommittee meeting.

Audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HrZ0XtsK

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Stormwater Division page

https://www.franklinma.gov/stormwater-division

My meeting notes

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/08/stormwater-ad-hoc-subcommittee-meeting_9.html

The meeting agenda

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/08/stormwater-ad-hoc-subcommittee-meeting.html 

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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!

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FM #327 Stormwater SubComm Mtg  - 8/05/20 (audio)