Showing posts with label joint budget. Show all posts
Showing posts with label joint budget. Show all posts

Sunday, September 10, 2023

Finance Committee Agenda for the September 13, 2023 Meeting at 7 PM

Finance Committee Meeting
Agenda & Meeting Packet
Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at 7:00 PM


Agenda

1. Call to Order
2. Public Comment
3. Introduction of new members
4. The Bill Dowd “Deep Dive” Series
a. Five Year Fiscal Forecast Budget Model  
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/4a._5_year_fiscal_forecast.pdf
b. MassBenchMarks September 2023 Economic Outlook  
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/4b._massbenchmarks_-_notes_from_the_board_september_2023.pdf
5. Appoint four (4) Joint Budget Subcommittee members
6. Future Agenda Items & schedule for the year
7. Recurring Business:
a. Approval of Minutes
i. May 8, 2023  
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/7a_i._-_fincom_05.08.23.pdf
ii. May 10, 2023  
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/7a_ii._-_fincom_05.10.23.pdf
iii. May 11, 2023  
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/7a_iii._-_fincom_05.11.23.pdf
b. Stabilization Account Balance  
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/7b._stabilization_fund_balances_6-30-2023.pdf
8. Adjourn

Agenda doc includes remote participation info ->

Finance Committee Agenda for the September 13, 2023 Meeting at 7 PM
Finance Committee Agenda for the September 13, 2023 Meeting at 7 PM

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Talk Franklin with Jamie & Amy recaps the Joint Budget Mtg and other topics (audio)

FM #1038 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1038 in the series. 


This session of the radio show shares my "Talk Franklin" session with Town Administrator Jamie Hellen and Deputy Town Administrator Amy Frigulietti. We had our conversation in the Municipal Building on Thursday, August 10, 2023.  


Topics for this session

Joint Budget Subcommittee recap, OneFranklin

Davis Thayer Reuse Committee meeting

Town Council meeting, override do’s & don’ts

Municipal Aggregation contract renewal at $.15/kwh


The recording runs about 42 minutes. Let’s listen to my conversation with Jamie & Amy on Thursday, August 10, 2023. Audio file -> https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/letstalkfranklin/episodes/Budget-Engagement--Community-Savings-e285vq5


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Town FY 2024 budget page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/town-budget/webforms/fy-24-budget-materials 


Town Administrator page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/administrator


Davis Thayer Reuse Committee agenda & links ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/_2023-08-15_davis-thayer_reuse_agenda_.pdf 


Town Council agenda for 08/16/23 meeting ->   

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/town_council_agenda_-_aug_16_2023.pdf  


Talk Franklin podcast page -> https://anchor.fm/letstalkfranklin 


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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 with Jamie & Amy recaps the Joint Budget Mtg and other topics (audio)
Talk Franklin with Jamie & Amy recaps the Joint Budget Mtg and other topics (audio)

Wednesday, August 9, 2023

This Chalkboard Chat with Dave Callaghan recaps the Joint Budget Subcommittee meeting (audio)

FM #1034 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1034 in the series. 


This session of the radio show shares my recorded conversation with Franklin School Committee member Dave Callaghan. We had our conversation in person in the Franklin TV Studio on Friday, August 4, 2023. 


Our primary topic was a recap of the Joint Budget Subcommittee meeting held earlier on Wednesday, Aug 2. We also spent time on the forthcoming Aug 16 Town Council meeting which will provide a historical update on Franklin’s override results. Importantly, there will also be a presentation and discussion on the do’s/don’t for town employees, and others on conducting a  campaign abiding by the rules and regulations of campaign finance.


The recording runs about 35 minutes so let’s listen to my “chalkboard chat” with Dave Callaghan. Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1034-chalkboard-chat-01-dave-callaghan-08-04-23



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School Committee page => https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-committee 


School budget ->  https://www.franklinps.net/fy24budget 


Joint Budget Subcommittee meeting August 2, 2023

Recap & video ->

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/08/joint-budget-subcommittee-starts.html 


Recap & audio ->

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/08/joint-budget-subcommittee-starts_0936025256.html 


Town Council budget hearings (video & audio links)


Finance Committee budget hearings (video & audio links)



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


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"


This Chalkboard Chat with Dave Callaghan recaps the Joint Budget Subcommittee meeting (audio)
This Chalkboard Chat with Dave Callaghan recaps the Joint Budget Subcommittee meeting (audio)

Saturday, August 5, 2023

OneFranklin: Recap of Wednesday's Joint Budget Subcmte Meeting - 08/02/23

Thank you One Franklin for attending last night's budget meeting! We were just about 200 strong (half in person and half zooming in) and our engagement was recognized and commended by our elected leaders. There is a link to the YouTube recording of the meeting at the bottom of this post.
We want to thank Tom Mercer, Chair of the Town Council, for bringing this group together to solve this financial crisis, and for his many years of leadership in Franklin. Councilor Mercer praised the One Franklin Committee's efforts to engage the community and went on to validate our initiative during his opening remarks.
"We are thrilled to see a dedicated group of folks that are ready to dig into the details of overrides and ballot questions…most in the community still have a lot to learn about the town's financial situation. Personally, I believe an override is needed just to continue the level of services provided to the community."
The meeting continued with our Town Administrator, Jamie Hellen's budget forecast, which is bleak. There is simply not enough revenue to support the services we have in town, and the deficit will increase over the next five years forcing cuts to all departments. The only debate was whether the forecast was too conservative and the outlook worse than anticipated as inflation (forecast at 2.5%)has shot up at rates of 7% in 2021 and 6.5% in 2022. In addition, Administrator Hellen identified several other potentially significant risks that are not accounted for in his budget (reduced state funding, increased IT expenses, etc.).
Department directors were asked about some of the most significant cost drivers in their expense budgets. DPW discussed how our lack of funding has caused our road ratings to go down. Police talked about how items required are not funded in their expense budget and instead must rely on the capital budget, which Franklin has in place for improvement projects (for example the new van for the senior center). Many will recall the staffing shortages that are affecting our police department as well, most recently losing two officers due to mandatory overtime obligations.
These were high level discussions, and more granular details will come as departments present to the full Town Council in the coming months. However, this session of the Joint Budget Subcommittee highlighted that it's not only our schools that are being forced to go without. Across the board our elected leaders continue to stress that the 'pot is not big enough'.
This is the starting point. Here is what we can expect, and what we all can do to support progress.
Our expectation is that the School Committee and the Superintendent will meet and begin to formulate the amount of money (above what was presented) they believe is required for an adequate school budget. They will bring this back to the Joint Budget Subcommittee. Concurrently, the Town Administrator will meet and gather information from the other municipal departments and do the same. For the sake of transparency, these amounts will specifically outline what the revenue will fund. The Joint Budget Subcommittee will facilitate this effort in order to bring all departments together and present an override amount to the entire Town Council.
This is not going to be an easy endeavor. It's crucial that we determine the correct number to bring forward for a vote, meaning we present the community with a number that is high enough to accomplish our goals, and low enough to be accepted. There are some that will find no number acceptable, and this is always the case. However, we believe that through education and transparency, our residents will show up unified in support of those providing our most essential services here in Franklin.
As discussed in last night's meeting, we want to ask the community to do their part in allowing this difficult and tedious process to be completed as quickly as possible. That said, our Superintendent and Town Administrator are expected to have little bandwidth for projects above and beyond this undertaking plus their standard professional obligations. One Franklin wants to support their effort every way we can.
Stay tuned for emails from OneFranklinVolunteers@gmail.com and spread the word! There will be upcoming events, activities and opportunities to contribute to the success of our goal.
We are One Franklin!!!
OneFranklin: Recap of Wednesday's Joint Budget Subcmte Meeting - 08/02/23
OneFranklin: Recap of Wednesday's Joint Budget Subcmte Meeting - 08/02/23

Joint Budget Subcommittee starts process, hears of urgency to do so (audio)

FM #1032 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1032 in the series. 


This session shares the Town of Franklin (MA) Joint Budget Subcommittee meeting held on Wednesday, Aug 2, 2023. The meeting was conducted in the Council Chambers. Remote participation was enabled for the public for this session. 


The Joint Budget Subcommittee is composed of the budget subcommittee of the Town Council, 3 members of the Finance Committee and of the School Committee to avoid a committee quorum for each of the respective bodies.


Chair - Tom Mercer, Brian Chandler, Cobi Frongillo and Melanie Hamblen of the Town Council

George Conley, Nicole Corbosiero, and one not present of the Finance Committee

David McNeill, David Callaghan, and Denise Spencer of the School Committee


Briefly

  • Chair Tom Mercer opened meeting setting the stage for the process

  • An overview of the 5 year forecast was provided by Town Administrator Jamie Hellen

  • Town Council meeting of Aug 16 will include more details on the override process, including the Campaign and Political Finance rules and regulations that need to be followed (note that Brookline recently failed in compliance with these matters in their own process)

  • Police Chief Lynch, Fire Chief McLaughlin, DPW Director Cantoreggi, School Superintendent Giguere answered some questions provided insights into their operational cost drivers 

  • Next step to committee meet again in October, Town and School to work on a more detailed update to the forecast for review and discussion by the Committee

  • Resource constraints among Town and School personnel were acknowledged in getting to the next level of detail, it will take time to do it right

  • Urgency in this matter was recognized

  • Ultimately, the total wish number needs to be developed, and from that a practical number developed for a proposal to the Town Council for an operational override. On this timeline, it would be scheduled for 2Q 2024.


The show notes contain a link to the agenda, the Franklin TV meeting video, and to my notes.


The recording runs almost 3 hours, so let’s listen to the Joint Budget Subcommittee meeting of Aug 2, 2023.

Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1032-tof-joint-budget-subcmte-mtg-08-02-23



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Franklin TV video replay link -> https://www.youtube.com/live/1bSbFZWQzu4


You may access the agenda and links for the meeting here:   https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/august_2_2023_joint_budget_subcommittee_agenda.pdf


My notes captured during the meeting via Twitter can be found in one PDF ->

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ugnuaPrBFr6TrQdYjOgyTuJHgENDxSrm/view?usp=drive_link


Photos captured during the session can be found in one album ->

https://photos.app.goo.gl/xUZwVAByarJaCSCv9


Joint Budget Subcommittee page ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/joint-budget-subcommittee 



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

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"


Joint Budget Subcommittee starts process, hears of urgency to do so (audio)
Joint Budget Subcommittee starts process, hears of urgency to do so (audio)

Thursday, August 3, 2023

Joint Budget Subcommittee starts process, hears of urgency to do so (video)

The Joint Budget Subcommittee met on Wednesday, Aug 2, 2023 for almost 3 hours. The Council Chambers were at capacity, another 80+ connected via Zoom, another 60+ viewed the YouTube live stream.

Briefly
  • Chair Tom Mercer opened meeting setting the stage for the process
  • An overview of the 5 year forecast was provided by Town Administrator Jamie Hellen
  • Town Council meeting of Aug 16 will include more details on the override process, including the Campaign and Political Finance rules and regulations that need to be followed (note that Brookline recently failed in compliance with these matters in their own process)
  • Police Chief Lynch, Fire Chief McLaughlin, DPW Director Cantoreggi, School Superintendent Giguere answered some questions provided insights into their operational cost drivers 
  • Next step to committee meet again in October, Town and School to work on a more detailed update to the forecast for review and discussion by the Committee
  • Resource constraints among Town and School personnel were acknowledged in getting to the next level of detail, it will take time to do it right
  • Urgency in this matter was recognized
  • Ultimately, the total wish number needs to be developed, and from that a practical number developed for a proposal to the Town Council for an operational override. On this timeline, it would be scheduled for 2Q 2024.
Franklin TV video replay link -> https://www.youtube.com/live/1bSbFZWQzu4


My notes captured during the meeting via Twitter can be found in one PDF ->

Photos captured during the session can be found in one album ->

Joint Budget Subcommittee starts process, hears of urgency to do so (video)
Joint Budget Subcommittee starts process, hears of urgency to do so (video)


Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Reminder: Joint Budget Subcommittee to start work on long range budget requirements Wednesday night - 7 PM

The Joint Budget Subcommittee will meet on August 2, 2023 at 7 PM. 

Please note, this meeting will include a review of the Town Administrator's 5 Year Fiscal Forecast as well as a slideshow presentation regarding an Override (Override 101 & Override History in Franklin).

You may access the agenda and links for the meeting here:   https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/august_2_2023_joint_budget_subcommittee_agenda.pdf

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/joint-budget-subcommittee-august-2nd-2023

Joint Budget Subcommittee Meeting - August 2, 2023 at 7 PM
Joint Budget Subcommittee Meeting - August 2, 2023 at 7 PM