FM #1555 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1555 in the series.
This session shares the Finance Committee meeting conducted Wednesday, October 22, 2025. The Committee opened with 3 new members getting sworn in. The Committee also formally organized itself with votes to select George Conley as Chair, Natalie Riley as Vice-Chair and Lauren Nagel as Clerk
Quick recap:
The agenda could not be completed in the time allotted before the Town Council meeting at 7:00 PM. The planned 'deep dive' on Technology was the major item as it will be rescheduled to their Nov 5 meeting.
During Citizen Comments, M Minnechelli spoke on the economics of development proposals, i.e. 444 E Central, and the need for some body, perhaps FinCom to weigh in to help clarify the numbers that are being mentioned which are conflicting and perhaps erroneous.
The Town Administrator advised not weighing in on the specifics of 444 East Central as the public hearing is underway. However an understanding of the overall economics of development would be a good topic for a future meeting
Much of the discussion revolved around the fiscal issues currently being faced not just by Franklin but by most communities in the State. The "perfect storm" report by the MMA was referenced. The work underway at the State level to take a new look at local contributions for Chap 70 could affect our "hold harmless" situation. The Federal cuts will affect Mass revenues, and some of that will also affect our State funding.
The MMA "perfect storm" report -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/19iUBj6jDGQuWo8XDCfhwefqnK9WlALK1/view?usp=drive_link
The Town Administrator memo of Aug 7 was refreshed as many appear to have not read it, or understood the implications -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UnddsW97syeHkkVjNOgRlOkKgHgOGiS0/view?usp=drive_link
The recording runs just about 68 minutes, let’s listen
Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1555-franklin-ma-finance-cmte-mtg-10-22-25/--------------
Franklin TV broadcast is available for replay -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMhCNMRndj0
The agenda doc -> https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10222025-1961
My notes in one PDF file -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/11PCj1OfVixPiPgZ8jrk5-HD7VjH3vuEu/view?usp=drive_link
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| Explore the MMA’s new report, "A Perfect Storm: Cities and Towns Face Historic Fiscal Pressures", to understand why |
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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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