Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting, whose contract expired on June 30, received high praise in a recent performance review.
Ichigo Ichie was one of two businesses caught selling alcohol to a minor during recent police liquor stings, the Japanese restaurant’s second such violation in as many years.
The contract with International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2637 covers fiscal 2008 through fiscal 2011 and gives members a 7.5 percent raise retroactive to July 1, 2010.
The raise is on par with what other unions received over that time, Nutting said after the meeting, noting the firefighters had not received a salary increase during those four years.
Ratification of the contract was delayed for about three years by negotiations, he said.
The union agreed to drop grievances with the town about vacation scheduling, training and other issues upon ratification of the contract, according to the contract.
Nutting's contract covers fiscal 2011 through 2013 and keeps his salary at $131,300. Town Council Chairman Scott Mason said the contract was similar to other town administrators' agreements to oversee communities that are smaller than Franklin.
You will recall, in recent years, Franklin was named in Fortune – Small Business Magazine, Money Magazine, and Family Circle as among the best places to live and raise a family and start a business. This past year, Franklin did not make it into any major publications. You might think that your town government is resting on its laurels, but the real truth of the matter is, 99% of what we do right goes unnoticed. It is something that we, as administrators, local elected officials, and employees struggle with on a continual basis. How do we let the citizens know about what we do on a daily basis that goes unnoticed?
Today’s citizens have busier lives than ever before. As long as the trash gets picked up every week, the water flows when you turn on the faucet or flush your toilet, and your kids come home from school with good grades and have recreation and cultural activities to participate in, everything is just fine. You get your tax bills and utility bills and you pay them and you think to yourself, life in Franklin is good.
We need you to know that there is so much more that makes those things and others happen.
This past year, the town sold the property at the corner of King Street and Rt 140 known as the Four Corners School for 2.5 million dollars. After paying the debt on the property, 1.5 million dollars is available to fund capital projects and a vacant property will be back on the tax rolls. We continue to replace older water and sewer pipes and resurface roads paid by the water and sewer fees. We adopt financial efficiencies as opportunities arise. This year the town assumed the care of the school facilities and grounds. The town now maintains all town buildings and grounds and the schools can focus on education. We negotiated the regionalization of some services with the Town of Medway. Regionalization is difficult to achieve, but in the long run serves both communities well and reduces costs. Currently, we are, on a limited basis, sharing a recreation director and programs with Medway and our Library Director is servicing both Franklin and Medway and that allows Medway’s citizens to utilize our library facilities and our citizens to utilize their facilities. In a remarkable example of cooperation and sacrifice, all of Franklin’s town and school employees volunteered to forego their raises this year to save fellow employees’ jobs.
In a public/private collaboration, The Franklin Veterans Memorial Foundation commissioned an Iraq/Afghanistan memorial for the Town Common that was dedicated on Memorial Day, 2009. The ceremony was attended by hundreds of Franklin’s citizens and was a memorable tribute to all of Franklin’s veterans and in particular, two of our sons who were killed in action: Lance Corporal Shayne Cabino, and Staff Sgt. Robert Pirelli.
We continue our mission to make available affordable housing opportunities for senior citizens and families in Franklin in developments such as Eaton Place and Meadowbrook Heights, senior developments, and Franklin Heights and Brandywine Village, family residential developments.
We constantly review and update our website to provide you with up to date information that we think you want and need to know. We publish a quarterly Municipal Services Guide that is mailed to every household and contains information on what is happening in Franklin, coming events, recreation opportunities, and helpful hints, and articles from various town departments.
These are just a few examples of what we routinely do. We will continue this work and we will develop new ways to share our good deeds with you so that you can continue to be proud of your community, even when it doesn’t make major publications.
It is my pleasure to submit my annual report for your review, and please feel free to write, e-mail, or stop by with any questions, concerns, or comments.
Respectfully submitted,
Jeff Nutting
Town Administrator
Before you know it, fall will turn into budget season. Next year’s budget continues to hold many challenges. The Town Council has appointed a special adhoc committee to look at the next 3-5 years and try and predict the town’s fiscal plight. The committee plans to hold public hearings and ask for citizens’ input into the age-old question of services versus taxes. While we have been blessed with very generous amounts of state aid over the last 15 years, (thank you Representative Vallee) we cannot rely on the State for the same commitment in the future. Our choices are: ask the legislature to allow for local option taxes, change the tax laws to escape the over reliance on the property tax, or ask the citizens to increase their commitment above the Proposition 2 ½ limits allowed by law. I can already hear folk’s saying, “What about living within your means?” “Why can’t the town live within the revenue available?” “Why do you always ask us for more money?” Well, we can live within our means if you want a lot less “local government”. I have pointed out many times that we don’t control the cost of energy, health insurance premiums, or pensions. Collective bargaining, public bid, prevailing wage laws, and unfunded mandates all drive up the cost and size of government and make it difficult to control costs. There is little support for regionalization of services or consolidation of governments. Federal and State education mandates drive up the cost of education. Also, we can’t ignore our aging infrastructure. We have to update the nearly 40-year-old high school and some of the other schools, the Library needs repairs, and our roads and sidewalks constantly need repairing and updating.
There are no easy answers. We hope for citizens’ input. As we struggle to define the balance between taxes and services, we reach out to the citizens to give us their opinions and help us to decide what is best for all. This is your government. We need your participation at public meetings and hearings and on every Election Day. Your quality of life, protection of property values, and commitment to the next generation is in your hands. Please don’t sit on the sidelines. Watching on TV, reading newspapers, commenting on blogs & websites is fine, but your local government is a “contact sport” and we need to see you and hear you. We ask for your participation in defining what kind of community that you wish to belong to. Please call, write, visit or email me with questions and comments.
Sincerely,
Jeff Nutting
Town Administrator
What do you get for your property tax dollars and municipal fees? Some may say “not much” I think you get a great community to live and raise a family. The schools provide high quality public education and serve as the hope for the next generation. We have first class public safety departments, an effective and hard working DPW, a wonderful Library, a nice Senior Center that assists our older generations and an overall high quality of life.
In recent years we have begun to upgrade the water and sewer systems and have paved many poor roads along the way. We built or expanded three schools in the last 12 years, replaced the fire station, DPW garage, senior center, municipal building, and added recreational fields. I know that some citizens think if we did not make those improvements we would not have fiscal problems, but I can tell you we would still be struggling to make ends meet. We are not much different than other communities. Fixed costs rise faster than revenues. In response, we have cut the work force and reduced services.
The solid education system, great municipal services, and nice facilities all help protect your property values. It is hard to believe it when the property values are declining, but over the long run it will prove to be true. We will continue to look for ways to squeeze tax dollars and still provide quality services. It sure looks like we are all going to be caught in a financial struggle for awhile. The good news is we have been down this road before. It is no fun, but usually things right themselves over time. The State government has been able to help us out through tough times in the past, but they are facing an uphill battle without a new revenue source to meet their obligations.
If the state government cannot help financially, they can provide local government more control over our destiny. Changes to the laws that govern health insurance, pensions, bidding requirements, and laws governing employee issues are among a few areas that would help us over the long run. We will work closely with our elected representatives and senators to craft reforms that are fair and effective. It will not be easy but challenging times bring opportunities to address difficult challenges.
Those changes will not help us with the anticipated financial problem we will face in fiscal year 2010. In recent times we have been cutting budgets and services or looking for more tax revenue. I anticipate that FY 2010 will be not different. I will do my best to keep you informed of all the issues as we approach next spring and the annual fiscal dilemma.
Respectfully,
Jeff Nutting
Punxsutawney Phil reportedly saw his shadow on February 2. If you believe Phil, we are in for six more weeks of winter. That is unfortunate, in my opinion. However, New Englanders understand, perhaps better than some, that changing seasons parallel the cycle of life. We know and are comforted by the knowledge that winter will slowly yield its icy grip to reveal the rebirth of spring. While we clear snow from our driveways, slip and slide on ice-covered everything, and fight the bitter cold, we understand that somewhere in our future, the beautiful colors and warmer, longer sunshine –filled days of spring will follow.
The economy mirrors our seasons. Whether it is the revolving seasons or the current state of our economy, we know that “change happens” and on a regular basis. When the economic forecast is calling for cold bleak times, the eternal hope that is recovery seems so far away. But as are the changing seasons, the economy is cyclical. 2009 will be an economically challenging year for the nation. Daily forecasts reveal more bleak economic news. With job losses, mortgage foreclosures, and disappearing savings and retirement funds plus soaring energy and food costs and rising debt, we are certainly in the winter of our economic cycle.
There is “good news” and that is what New Englanders know well: things will eventually get better. While it seems that winter is longer than spring and summer, and bad times last longer than good times, they are both part of a continual cycle.
Franklin will follow a similar path. We face difficult choices. We will be saddened to lose hard working, dedicated employees through jobs cuts, we will suffer reduced municipal services and a changing school system. Yet, working together, united as a community, we will weather this storm. We will do our best to continue to ensure public safety and public services. We will educate our children and support all our residents. You, the citizens, I am confident, will unite to support and encourage each other.
Spring is coming, and so will better times. The Staff and I and your elected officials remain dedicated to serving you, the citizens of Franklin.
Respectfully,
Jeff Nutting
Possibly facing a loss of $900,000 in state aid under the Senate budget, Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting said he is going to make every attempt to keep his promise to unions that volunteered to freeze their wages for year.
"No matter what happens, my goal is not to have those layoffs," Nutting said.
Earlier in the budget season, the Franklin Police Association and Local 1298, which consists of the police and fire dispatchers unions, custodians union, administrative union (clerical), Department of Public Works union, and facilities (tradesmen) union, all voted to take a one-year deferral on their negotiated wage increases to save their colleagues' jobs and help out the town.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
Embedded in the state Senate's budget, an insurance proposal is presenting a not-so-veiled ultimatum to municipalities: Curb your health care costs or else.
Essentially, the provision would force municipalities to reduce their health care costs to meet a state standard, lest they face an outside arbitrator coming in and settling matters with unions - to say nothing of the possible gouges to local aid.
The proposal is in Senate conference committee right now and could be tweaked, rejected, or given the go-ahead within the next month.
...
"We're very worried," said Jeff Nutting, Franklin Town Administrator and president of the Massachusetts Municipal Association. "It's a huge step backward in the worst economy of our life."Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
Given the uncertainty of how much local aid the state will give Franklin, Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting is recommending Town Council adopt the Finance Committee's budget, and make necessary changes in July.
He also told the Finance Committee last night that he senses, based on recent visits to the State House, legislators will not finish their budget until the end of June.
"We're $876,000 short, according to the Senate budget, the latest budget. One option is to cut our budget today, but that causes unnecessary panic," because the state could turn around and give Franklin additional funds, Nutting said. The town budget for next year is about $88 million.
Town officials could also take a middle line, and reduce the budget by $400,000 or $500,000 now, he said, but he advised the simplest option, of adopting a preliminary budget and making cuts later.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
Franklin Town Administrator Jeff Nutting was sworn in as the new president of the Massachusetts Municipal Association at yesterday's Local Government Advisory Council meeting, which featured grim conversations on the state's finances, the federal stimulus package and ways to help local governments.
Nutting said he and his colleagues were encouraged by the governor's legislation to help cities and towns cut health insurance and pension costs and giving them the option of charging a local tax on meals.
"I think on the budget issue, with the exception of health insurance, we really lined up with the governor," Nutting said in an interview.
Nutting said he would like to see towns and cities be given the same authority as the state to make changes in health insurance plans for municipal workers.
While some have continued to question Jeff Nutting's ability, his track record here has been good. His predictions of the budget cycle with potential shortfalls each year have been very accurate. Now that he has a greater platform to share his drive for more efficient local government, Franklin can only continue to fare better than the others. Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.
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After managing Ashton Kutcher's Geisha House in Hollywood - yes, the one featured on "The Hills" - and some of the hottest nightclubs and cafes in Los Angeles, Dave Purpura and Robert James "B.J." Carlucci are bringing Cafe Dolce to Franklin.
Purpura makes one promise: "There won't be anything like it in Franklin."
Inspiration to start an upscale coffeehouse in downtown Franklin hit Purpura and Carlucci, who are workout buddies, at the gym one night, Purpura said.
Lamenting that the daily grind of physical labor - they do masonry work for Carlucci's father, Nick - was taking a toll on them, making them feel like old men, the pair decided they wanted to start their own business, they said.
Hurrah! A coffee shop coming to downtown. That is progress. Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.
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Preparing for next year's looming budget shortfall, School Committee members last night began discussing how to approach making cuts, but did not reach a consensus.
They were all in agreement, however, that whatever choices they make will be painful.
"Anything we reduce this year, plan on it not coming back, maybe never," School Committee member Susan Rohrbach said, responding to committee member Ed Cafasso's call to taking a strategic approach to making cuts.
"That's one of my guiding principles: 'Can we do without this for a long time?"' she said.
Cafasso suggested the committee create a roadmap for deciding where to make reductions by first determining its priorities.
For example, the committee should consider Franklin High School has a projected enrollment increase this fall, whereas the middle and elementary schools are mostly expected to see enrollment decreases, he said.
Read the full article on how the School Committee will deal with the 2010 budget shortfall in the Milford Daily News here.
This was only one of several items on the agenda Tuesday night. For everything else that was covered, you can find out here.
Franklin is looking at a $5 to $5.2 million budget shortfall next fiscal year, right in line with the gap most Massachusetts communities will contend with, Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting told the Finance Committee last night.
Nutting is still waiting for a few numbers, on health insurance and the debt, to further pinpoint the shortfall, he said.
The town does have one glimmer of hope to offset the damage, Nutting noted: Gov. Deval Patrick's proposed hotel and meals tax proposal.
The hotel tax would net Franklin about $150,000, and meals tax, $850,000, Nutting said.
"It hasn't become law, but it would take a million-dollar bite out of the apple," Nutting said.
Read the full article on the FINCOM meeting from 2/3/09 in the Milford Daily News here
