Dollars and Sense in Franklin: Town Department Heads "overwhelmingly support an override"

Join community efforts for a sustainable financial future for Franklin.

"Hang Together" At the signing of the Declaration of Independence, our town's namesake was purported to have spoken the quotation above. If the statesmen assembled didn't maintain unity among themselves, they would surely fail and literally be hanged.  While our stakes are obviously not as severe, we nevertheless face a dire situation and must maintain our unity and respect for each other.  That's why the founding team at One Franklin rejects any attempt to mischaracterize our financial woes as a competition between the municipal departments and school department, or to use the multimillion dollar budget shortage to set Franklinites against each other, based on income levels, partisan affiliation, or parental status. We must hang together to forge a fruitful future for Franklin.  Joint Letter from Department Heads On December 17, a letter signed  by twenty-one Town department heads and leaders was presented to the Joint Budget Subcommittee. The letter decried potential budget cuts (partially outlined in our inaugural newsletter) and warned of the dire consequences of inaction in the face of our current shortfall. Specifically, the letter claimed that that the scale of the cuts could "significantly jeopardize the public safety of Franklin", "expose the Town's AAA Bond rating to a downgrade", and "decimate community lifelines".  The letter, signed by--among others-- the Chief of Police, Fire Chief, Director of Public Works, and Library Director, also states that the aforementioned leaders "overwhelmingly support an override for the community, as the passage of an override allows our departments to remain solvent and not be affected by any further reductions". This letter is consistent with comments made by elected officials and FPS leadership: without bold action and community engagement, Franklin is headed towards dire cuts in the next fiscal year. Important Dates Tuesday 1/14 @ 7:00 School Committee Meeting Wednesday 1/15 @ 7:00 Finance Committee Meeting Wednesday 1/22 @ 7:00 Town Council Meeting Tuesday 1/28 @ 7:00 School Committee Meeting Thursday 1/30 @ 7 JBSC Listening Session (Franklin Elks) For the full calendar of events, click here. Zoom links are released with meeting agendas 48 hours in advance. All meetings are streamed on Franklin Town Hall YouTube. Get Involved! January's Actions The Joint Budget Subcommittee has set up at least six listening sessions to hear from residents. This is a way to engage for folks who can't typically make the town hall meetings. The first meeting is 1/30 at 7:00 at the Franklin Elks.  Ask a question about potential cuts at 1/22 Town Council meeting (in person or on Zoom!). Write an email to all members of the Town Council asking their views on the budgetary path forward.  (Email onefranklinvolunteers@gmail.com for example template) Clips We're Watching Town leaders read letter (12/17 JBSC) 45:29-1:01 watch as department heads read the aforementioned letter and community members react Are we losing our brand? (10/12 JBSC) 42:24-45:09 watch as a local father testifies that he moved to Franklin in part because of its reputation for "great schools", but he now worries that the stellar reputation might be gone by the time his kids are school-aged Stay tuned for more clips from elected officials, advocates, and neighbors! If we don't take action in 2025, public safety, quality of life, and public education for Franklin residents will continue to decline. Stay Tuned For... The third, fourth, and fifth "Dollars and Sense" issues the weeks of 2/4, 2/25, and 3/11  Our website going live! More information about the organization we're building and how to get involved More important dates, data, and ways to engage Click here for our first issue Reach out to this email for any questions, corrections, or clarifications onefranklinvolunteers@gmail.com One Franklin Founding Team Dr. Anne Bergen, former Franklin educator and School Committee Chair Camille Bernstein, resident advocate, former School Committee member, and parent of 2 Sue Dewsnap, former Chair of Finance Committee and resident advocate Ken Ojukwu, current member of Finance Committee Sue Rohrbach, former School Committee member Roberta Trahan, resident advocate and former School Committee member Ruthann O'Sullivan, member of School Committee, resident advocate, parent Jenna Cohen, resident advocate and parent of 3 Celia Courtright, resident advocate, parent, and Music Boosters president Patty Dolan, resident advocate, PCC leader, and parent Erin Ferguson, resident advocate Jayson Joyce, educator, resident advocate, and parent of 3 young children Ben Liberto, resident advocate and parent of 2 young children Alison Murphy, resident advocate and parent Laura Minnichelli, resident advocate and parent Caryn Parnell, resident advocate, retired teacher, and parent Jessica Ulm, resident advocate Rob Vacca, FPS educator for 29 years, parent of FHS student, resident advocate One Franklin, West Central St, Franklin, MA Send free email today

Dollars & Sense shares video clips on how we got here (video)

From the volunteers who brought you OneFranklin, we hope this newsletter serves as a monthly resource for busy Franklinites interested in our town's financial health. We'll include important upcoming meetings, action steps you can take, and more!

"Dollars & Sense in Franklin" shares the potential cuts for the FY 2026 budget

Part 2 of the series which began on Wednesday (Part 1 link below)

Get Involved! - December's Actions

• Attend the Joint Budget Subcmte (JBSC) or Town Council Meetings in person or on Zoom
• Ask a question about potential cuts at the JBSC or Town Council meeting
• Write an email to all members of the Town Council  (Email onefranklinvolunteers@gmail.com for example template)

Clips We're Watching

Finance Committee Chair: "There's no fat...there's no hidden money."

Watch 23:45-25:30 to see George Conley assure that after going line by line through the budget, there's no waste.

Video link ->  https://www.youtube.com/live/jR7RPb5Q66Q?si=yJW59-Asndb0dgQ-&t=1424

School Committee Chairs: We're looking ahead at "a stark reality". 

Watch 13:00-15:00 to see Dave Callahan and Dave McNeill of the School Committee petition the Town Council to engage the community in their efforts to support an override. 

Video link ->  https://www.youtube.com/live/Y4WPC4cB_S4?si=grihsTFxBiSaPyfZ&t=795

For more context: All town department heads

In this longer clip (2:03-2:41), department heads advocate for their employees and for the services they provide our town. This was 11 weeks before the failed override. 

Video link ->  https://www.youtube.com/live/w9nkmKHkrxA?si=T8LhwX6heATK7O5v&t=7383

Stay tuned for more clips from elected officials, advocates, and neighbors!

Reach out to this email for any questions, corrections, or clarifications onefranklinvolunteers@gmail.com

Part 1 of the Dollars & Sense series -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/12/dollars-sense-in-franklin-shares.html

"Dollars & Sense in Franklin" shares the potential cuts for the FY 2026 budget

Welcome!

From the volunteers who brought you OneFranklin, we hope this newsletter serves as a monthly resource for busy Franklinites interested in our town's financial health. We'll include important upcoming meetings, action steps you can take, and more!

"Dollars & Sense in Franklin" shares the potential cuts for the FY 2026 budget

Potential Cuts

At the October 23 Joint Budget Subcommittee meeting, Town Administrator Hellen was asked what cuts the Town might have to make in light of the expected multimillion dollar shortfall (~1:51-1:54). He responded that, while numbers could change, the tiers presented at the 6/26/24 Town Council meeting (2:25-2:50) were the likeliest cuts. 

This means that the following cuts are likely in 2025. These cuts would not restore any cut services to the school system, nor would they close the entire deficit.  Additional potential cuts, including to Franklin Public Schools, will be covered in future Dollars and Sense. 

potential cuts for the FY 2026 budget

Important Dates

12/10 @ 7:00 School Committee Meeting

12/11 @ 7:00 Finance Committee Meeting

12/17 @ 7:00 Joint Budget Subcommittee Meeting (JBSC)

12/18 @ 7:00 Town Council Meeting

Zoom links are released with meeting agendas 48 hours in advance. All meetings are streamed on Franklin Town Hall YouTube (https://bit.ly/FTV-TownHall).

These are items shared from the email newsletter Dollars & Sense. Additional items will be shared over the next couple of days. You can download the full PDF version -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/15pPqEXZrlBAplHHjtbNbxe8tGpClZeW5/view?usp=drive_link