Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - April 13, 2022 - 7 PM

FRANKLIN TOWN COUNCIL

Agenda & Meeting Packet

April 13, 2022 - 7 PM

1.     ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE CHAIR
a.     This meeting is being recorded by Franklin TV and shown on Comcast channel 11 and Verizon Channel 29. This meeting may be recorded by others.
b.     Chair to identify members participating remotely.

2.     CITIZEN COMMENTS
a.     Citizens are welcome to express their views for up to three minutes on a matter that is not on the agenda. The Council will not engage in a dialogue or comment on a matter raised during Citizen Comments. The Town Council will give remarks appropriate consideration and may ask the Town Administrator to review the matter.


3.     APPROVAL OF MINUTES - None Scheduled.

4.     PROCLAMATIONS / RECOGNITIONS
a.     Recognition: Roger Magalhaes - Recipient of The Immigrant Learning Center’s Barry M. Portnoy Immigrant Entrepreneur Award in Outstanding Business Growth

5.     APPOINTMENTS - None Scheduled.

6.     HEARINGS - 7:00 pm
a.     Alcoholic Beverages Licensees – Failure to Pass Compliance Check

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/6a._1_memo_and_backup.pdf
i.          TM1 Solutions, Inc. d/b/a 7-Eleven 37380 - 664 Union Street
ii.          Dharma Bhakti Corporation d/b/a Liquor World - 365 West Central Street
iii.          Jimmy D’s LLC d/b/a Jimmy D’s - 338 Union Street

7.     LICENSE TRANSACTIONS - None Scheduled.

8.     PRESENTATIONS / DISCUSSION
a.     Presentation: Community Planning: DHCD Multi-Family Housing Guidelines for MBTA Communities - Bryan Taberner, Director, Planning and Community Development

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/8a._dpcd_memo_to_tc.pdf

9.     LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
a.     Resolution 22-26: Acceptance of Easement of Property at 732 Washington Street (Motion to Approve Resolution 22-26 - Majority Vote)
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/9a._22-26_acceptance_of_easement_732_washington_street.pdf

10.  TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

11.  SUBCOMMITTEE & AD HOC COMMITTEE REPORTS
a.     Capital Budget Subcommittee
b.     Budget Subcommittee
c.      Economic Development Subcommittee

12.  FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

13.  COUNCIL COMMENTS

14.  EXECUTIVE SESSION

15.  ADJOURN
 
Note:
Two-Thirds Vote: requires 6 votes
Majority Vote: requires majority of members present and voting

Full agenda and associated documents released for this meeting ->

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/town_council_agenda_-_april_13_2022.pdf

Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - April 13, 2022 - 7 PM

Town Council Quarterbacking with Tom Mercer - 04/07/22 (audio)

FM #770 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 770 in the series. 

This shares my conversation with Town Council Chair Tom Mercer. This is one of a series of conversations meant to provide a recap of the prior Council meeting. Akin to one of the many sports post-game analysis broadcasts we are familiar with in New England,  this would be a discussion focused on the Franklin Town Council meeting of April  6, 2022: 

• ok, what just happened? 

• What does it mean for Franklin residents and taxpayers?

We cover the following key topics

ISO Class-1 Announcement, Franklin Fire Department

 

APPOINTMENTS

a. New Employee: Fire Department - James Koch

b. New Employee: Fire Department - Michael Eaton

 

HEARINGS - 7:00 pm

a. Street Acceptances: Brandywine Drive and Portion of Charles Drive

i. Legislation for Action Item: 9b

 

LICENSE TRANSACTIONS

a. License Modification: Change of Location - NDO Enterprises, LLC d/ b/a Pour Richard’s Wine and Spirits, Located at 14 Grove Street

b. License Modification: Alteration of Premises - Let’s Eat Franklin, LLC d/b/a 3 Restaurant, Located at 461 West Central Street

c. New Section 12 Restaurant Common Victualer All Alcohol License and Approval of Veronika Matunin as the Manager - Windtop Acres d/b/a Birchwood Bakery, Located at 17 East Central Street

*** More restaurants operating now than pre-pandemic

 

PRESENTATIONS / DISCUSSIONS

·   Presentation: ARPA Update - Town Administrator Jamie Hellen

 

Legislation

·   Storm water fee – final approval

·   Passport photo fee

Our conversation runs about 37 minutes:

Links to the meeting agenda and associated documents released for this meeting are included in the show notes. 

Let’s listen to this recording of Town Council Quarterbacking April 7, 2022

Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-770-tc-quarterbacking-04-07-22

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Town Council Agenda document -> 

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/april_6_2022_town_council_agenda.pdf 

Town Council recap & Audio ->

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/04/town-council-hears-of-iso-class-1-for.html

My notes for the meeting -> 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14KnmcHPUOPMAUQ7TgXS8YMvDbUHTxTGa/view?usp=sharing 

--------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/

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!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

Franklin Fire Chief James McLaughlin

Town Council hears of ISO Class 1 for Fire Dept, approves storm water fee, passport fee, and ARPA funding allocation (audio)

FM #769 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 769 in the series. 

This session shares the Franklin, MA Town Council meeting held on Wednesday, April  6, 2022. 

The meeting was conducted in a hybrid format: members of the Town Council and Town Administration personnel were in the Council Chambers, some members of the public participated in person, some via the Zoom conference bridge, all to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

Quick recap:

• Fire department achieves ISO Class 1 rating, only one of 9 in MA and one of 15 in New England to do so. Contact your insurance company. Whether a business or residence, there could be a savings with this higher rating on insurance policies. Doc on Fire Department web page to send to company to support the potential savings.

• 2 new hires for Fire Dept sworn in. These are experienced firefighters coming from other areas to backfill open positions with the Fire Dept.

• Three alcohol license approvals were voted on. One to approve the move of Pour Richards, one to approve the permanent set up of outdoor dining at 3 Restaurant, and one to approve a license for the Birchwood Bakery & Café downtown. As a sign of how well Franklin has survived the pandemic, we now have more restaurant liquor licenses post pandemic than we did pre-pandemic.

• Town Administrator Jamie Hellen provided an update on ARPA funds and how they would be allocated. Council approved the allocation which will now be submitted to the County for disbursement of the funds. Some of the $10M allocated to Franklin (approx. $2M) comes directly to the Town, some (approx. $6M) comes through the County.

• The second approval for the storm water utility fee was approved. The fee will first appear in July 2023 (FY 2024). There is time to confirm your impervious coverage area (see the town storm water page) and order a rain barrel to help with mitigation of storm water and save on the potential fee.

• Passport photo fee was approved so the Town when processing your passport application can now provide a ‘one-stop’ shop service. The photo fee is $10 per photo. The fee for the passport is set at the Federal level.

The recording runs under two hours (1:58). The show notes contain links to the meeting agenda. Let’s listen to the Town Council meeting of April 6, 2022. Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-769-town-council-meeting-04-06-22

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Agenda document ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/april_6_2022_town_council_agenda.pdf

My notes from the meeting  ->  https://drive.google.com/file/d/14KnmcHPUOPMAUQ7TgXS8YMvDbUHTxTGa/view?usp=sharing 

Photos from the meeting can be found in one album -> https://photos.app.goo.gl/Zr6wAJwNbr61Yhob6

--------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial. 

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit www.Franklinmatters.org   or www.franklin.news 

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!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

 

Firefighter Michael Eaton getting pinned by his daughter

Liquor/All Alcohol licenses up for changes and/or approval for next Town Council meeting

One of the ways my informational radar works is with alerts. The Town of Franklin has a number of alerts that can be set up for you to receive an email with an update. Monday morning, was busy as three public hearings were announced for the next Town Council meeting April 6, 2022.

• Birchwood Bakery is applying for a new all alcohol license for their restaurant  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/2022-03-21_legal_ad_-_birchwood_bakery_legal_ad_-_web.pdf
• Pour Richard's is looking to move from their current location to a suite in the building where Green Mountain Chocolate was  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/2022-03-21_legal_ad_-_pour_richards_-_web_1.pdf
• 3 Restaurant is looking to make their outdoor dining permanent  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/2022-03-21_legal_ad_-_3_restaurant_alteration_of_premises_-_web.pdf

To set up an alert, visit this page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/subscribe

This works for some aspects of Town business. Alerts and notifications are a work in progress and I will continue to advocate for additional alerts. 

In the meantime, you can also subscribe to the calendar so when an item gets added to the calendar you get notified. An RSS reader is needed for this however.   https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar  (Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the RSS icon, click it and subscribe with your RSS Reader).

Sign up for alert notifications here -> https://www.franklinma.gov/subscribe

Town Council Quarterbacking with Chair Tom Mercer - 12/16/21 (audio)

FM #681 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 681 in the series. 

This shares my conversation with Town Council Chair Tom Mercer. This is one of a series of conversations meant to provide a recap of the prior Council meeting. Akin to one of the many sports post-game analysis broadcasts we are familiar with in New England,  this would be a discussion focused on the Franklin Town Council meeting of December 15, 2021: 

• ok, what just happened? 

• What does it mean for Franklin residents and taxpayers?

We cover the following key topics

Appointments

Franklin Cultural District Committee: Katherine Botelho

Franklin Cultural District Committee: Patrick Timmons

Community Preservation Committee: Richard (Rick) Power

 

2022 Annual Alcohol License Renewals

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/7a._license_renewal_memo_list_motion.pdf

 

Presentation - Human Resources: Karen Bratt, Human Resources Director

The recording runs about 27 minutes:

Links to the meeting agenda and associated documents released for this meeting are included in the show notes. 

Let’s listen to this recording of Town Council Quarterbacking Dec 16, 2021

** Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-681-town-council-quarterbacking-with-chair-tom-mercer-12-15-21

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Town Council Agenda document ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/december_15_town_council_agenda.pdf

 

My notes from the meeting -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/12/recap-town-council-hears-update-on.html

--------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/

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!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

 

Town Council Quarterbacking with Chair Tom Mercer - 12/16/21 (audio) 

Talk Franklin: Strong Towns, FY 2022 budget adjustments, Critical Conversations and restaurant alcohol licenses (audio)

FM #660 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 660 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares my "Talk Franklin" conversation with Town Administrator Jamie Hellen and Marketing Communication Specialist Lily Rivera. We had our conversation in person in Jamie’s office in the Franklin Municipal Building.

We talk about: 

The Strong Towns event at THE BLACK BOX

Finance Committee

• Budget adjustments

• Overall budget cycle, tax rate hearing coming to close, but capital budget for FY 2023 underway

Town Council

• Swearing in, re-org

• Open meeting law, Ethics, records review

• Meeting conduct reminders

Critical Conversations – Nov 18

• Substance abuse and mental health panel and breakout sessions

Links to the key references are included in the show notes. The recording runs about 40 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Jamie and Lily.

Audio file ->  https://player.captivate.fm/episode/96623c72-eadb-4095-b468-70bd35dab55e

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Finance Committee meeting agenda ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/_2021-11-10_finance_committee_agenda_1.pdf

My meeting notes & meeting audio -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/11/fm-655-finance-committee-mtg-111021.html 

Town Council Agenda (98 page PDF agenda and docs released for this meeting)    

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/town_council_meeting_agenda_nov_17_2021.pdf

The Worcester Regional Research Bureau restaurant license report referenced during our conversation ->  https://drive.google.com/file/d/191cph8dOCd8DJnmB8xQg1rpwkfwRhqz8/view?usp=sharing 

--------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

 

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/

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!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

 

Talk Franklin:  Strong Towns, FY 2022 budget adjustments, Critical Conversations and restaurant alcohol licenses (audio)