Congress overrides a Trump veto for the first time with Senate vote on defense bill https://t.co/SMceouKirR
The Boston Globe has the following on the override of Gov Baker:
"Abortion rights will be formally codified in state law, and access to the procedure will be expanded after the Senate on Tuesday joined the House in overriding Governor Charlie Baker’s veto of the legislation.
The Senate reaffirmed its support for the abortion access measures on a 32-8 vote, one day after the House’s 107-46 vote."
"DeLeo stepping down; Mariano facing no opposition"
"IN A MESSAGE read by a tearful House clerk, Speaker Robert DeLeo announced he is resigning his position on Beacon Hill at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, setting the stage for the ascension of Majority Leader Ronald Mariano of Quincy to the top position in the chamber on Wednesday.
Shortly after the announcement just before 2 p.m., the speaker’s office said DeLeo would give a farewell address Tuesday afternoon and a caucus to elect a new speaker will be held on Wednesday."
"House overrides Baker’s abortion veto"
"THE HOUSE ON MONDAY voted 107-46 to override Gov. Charlie Baker’s veto of legislation allowing women as young as 16 to obtain abortions without parental or judicial consent and expanding when pregnancies can be terminated after six months.
The Senate on Tuesday is expected to join the House in overriding the governor’s veto, giving the Legislature a victory on the issue of broader abortion access at a time when President Trump has added several justices perceived as anti-abortion to the US Supreme Court. It’s not clear if a Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision protecting a woman’s right to have an abortion without excessive government intervention, would have any impact in Massachusetts."
The Boston Globe has the following:
"The Democratic-controlled House voted Monday to override President Donald Trump’s veto of a defense policy bill.
House members voted 322-87 to override the veto, well above the two-thirds needed to override. If approved by two-thirds of the Senate, the override would be the first of Trump’s presidency."
"GOV. CHARLIE BAKER vetoed the Legislature’s abortion bill on Thursday, forcing lawmakers to override his veto if they want to insist on lowering from 18 to 16 the age at which a woman can obtain an abortion without the approval of a parent or judge.
Baker previously offered an amendment to the Legislature’s abortion proposal doing away with the provisions he disliked, but both branches rejected the amendment and returned the legislation to the governor as originally crafted.
After days of hemming and hawing at State House press conferences about what he intended to do with the abortion language, Baker’s office issued a statement just before 2 p.m. saying he was returning the bill unsigned, which a spokeswoman said was the equivalent of a veto."
"As the town struggles with pre-existing financial difficulties likely to be exacerbated by the global COVID-19 pandemic, the word “override” has started to show up prominently in Franklin conversations.Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
The bleakness of the situation came into painfully clear focus last week when, in the face of potentially significant layoffs, dozens of teachers and their supporters turned out to demonstrate in the town center.
It was precipitated after the School Department found itself in the difficult position of having to advise 103 of its employees they may no longer have jobs for the 2020-21 school year - and all of this amid questions about how school will function in the fall and meet, with fewer resources, the kinds of socially-distanced guidelines that the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is suggesting.
“We reluctantly issued non-renew notices to our non-professional status educators in order to meet the statutory deadline of June 15,” Schools Superintendent Sara Ahern said via email. “We did so because of the uncertainty of budget cuts and projected reductions in state aid.”
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| In the News: "Franklin’s school district isn’t alone in its fiscal troubles" |
“The Town Administrator has suggested that Franklin needs to consider an override measure. What actions will you take for this? “Note these answers were provided by the candidates in the run up to the election. This is the historical record of their position at that time. The successful candidate positions are shared here. The full listing is provided in the link below.
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| All precincts vote on Nov 5, 2019 in one location, Franklin High School |
"Voters will decide in May on a $1.5 million override requested by the School Department for its fiscal 2021 budget.
Selectmen last Saturday approved the override, meaning the proposal will appear as a ballot question at the annual town election on May 5. The measure requires approval from a simple majority of voters to pass.
Superintendent of Schools Peter Marano said the school district is seeking the override to help compensate for a lower reimbursement expected from the state on charter school funding, as well as to add positions in areas of increased need.
For the average homeowner, the $1.5 million override would result in property taxes being increased by about $160 in the next fiscal year, Marano said, based on a home value of about $325,000.Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
"The School Department anticipates “a budget gap to close” after reviewing its plans for fiscal 2021, requesting an increase of $3.9 million in funding from the town, according to Superintendent of Schools Sara Ahern.
Reviewed on Tuesday night before the School Committee, the proposed school budget of $68,767,873 represents an increase of $3,909,373 (6%) over the current budget, said Ahern. Fiscal 2021 begins on July 1.
The town’s total current budget is $129.6 million, with about half of it - $64.8 million - allocated to Franklin Public Schools.
Even though the school district is requesting a $3.9 million increase for the coming year, Ahern said she doesn’t anticipate the town paying that entire amount."
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| Assume Town of Franklin gets $3m in expected revenue, with schools proposing an increase of $3.9m over last year we have a math problem |
"In an effort to reduce the number of staff cuts while adding new positions to areas of increased need, the School Committee voted Tuesday in favor of a $1.5 million override to its proposed fiscal 2021 budget.
A major factor, according to Superintendent Peter Marano, is a “staggering” decrease in the amount of money reimbursed by the state for what the district pays toward charter school education at the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter School in Franklin.
“The reason why this year is different (than the last five years) is because we’ve basically taken a $2 million hit from the increase in the charter school, and that steep decrease in funding ... is basically just the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said committee member Mark Flannery.
As part of a $29.8 million proposed budget, the School Committee unanimously approved the $1.5 million override, which would cost the average homeowner about $160 a year, said Marano. That equals to $40 per quarter, said committee Chairman Michael J. Reed Jr., based on the average home value of about $325,000."
"The town avoided a budget crisis Wednesday, after residents approved a $430,000 tax override in a town-wide election.
The proposal was put to residents in a ballot question during an election called solely for the override.
Turnout was nearly 25 percent of all Hopedale’s registered voters, with 569 voting for the proposal, and 419 voting against.
Officials said the money is needed to fund basic services for the town. Because the number was so large, employee jobs and hours were on the chopping block. Suggested cuts included a firefighter and closing Town Hall on Fridays."
"Renee Polechronis walked away from her desk in the Assessor’s Office Friday morning with some paperwork.
When she returned moments later, fresh forms had been dropped off. Soon afterward, the phone rang. Before any of that, she had answered a resident’s question on senior citizen tax exemptions.
“I’m usually pretty busy on Fridays,” Polechronis, the office administrative clerk, said with a smile.
If Hopedale voters fail to pass the $430,000 tax override on Wednesday’s election ballot, residents might not have access to Polechronis’ cheerful attitude on Fridays.
Officials are asking for the money to bolster Hopedale’s operating budget, and have categorized the $430,000 as the amount needed just to keep basic services running. They aren’t yet sure where they’ll cut if voters don’t approve the override, but closing Town Hall the final day of the work week has made the list of possible partial solutions.
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Residents overwhelmingly approved the override at Town Meeting this spring, but a majority vote in the townwide election is also required before the tax can be levied."
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| Franklin FY 2021 and future projected budget deficits |
"Please find attached the five year fiscal forecast. I would like to remind everyone this is a "forecast". It uses information from the past and present to predict the future. Similar to a weather forecast, there are many factors that will affect what will actually happen. The forecast shows deficits in each year, but the Town is required by law to have a balanced budget, so decisions will be made along the way to ensure we comply with the requirement.
The takeaway message from all reports is that Franklin will continue to struggle to maintain high quality school and municipal services given the fiscal constraints that we operate under. In the long run, it will come down to a decision by the voters of Franklin to pay higher taxes or reduce the current level of services. The forecast shows that if the town wants to maintain the same service level it will need about a $4 million override for FY 21. This amount could change based on many unknowns and assumptions at this time, however I can't see any scenario that would not require additional tax dollars.
In short, the cost of doing business is exceeding our ability to raise the necessary revenue to pay for the services we enjoy. I cannot put it more succinctly than that.
This is not a new message. Over the past many years, we have both reduced services and increased taxes in order to arrive at the level of service the citizens enjoy today. Both the School Department and the Municipal departments have all made significant reforms to their operations to keep our tax rate low. We will never stop this effort and will continue to work within what the citizens give us to work with.
We do know that:
- Our population has increased from about 30,000 in 2001 to over 35,000 in 2020 and it will continue to increase. Currently there are over 1,000 housing units recently constructed, under construction or in the "pipeline".
- Health/pension/insurance care costs continue to be a concern.
- Wage increases have been modest but they put a huge pressure on the budget.
- Our unfunded retiree health insurance obligation is $74,000,000 (2018).
- Our unfunded pension liability is $41,000,000 (2018).
- We do not have the funds to provide "level services for the FY 20 School budgets and the Town services.
- We have no adequate funding source for roads/sidewalks.
- The Town's capital needs will continue to grow and in a couple years, the capital needs of our schools, facilities and fields will me in the millions.
- Water sewer rates will continue to rise due to long overdue infrastructure needs, mostly, for sewer and the Beaver Street Interceptor.
- Open space is at a critical state where with little land left, the Town will need to invest in open space, as well.
Franklin is in generally good financial shape today but we will continue to struggle to maintain high quality school and municipal services given the operating fiscal constraints that we operate under.
We are unable to maintain level service budget in FY 20 even with the use of reserves. We will need to consider an override on FY 21 to maintain level services for the citizens of Franklin.
We will continue to do are very best on behalf of all the citizens of Franklin to maintain a high quality of life while trying to control costs to the taxpayers."
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| "We will need to consider an override on FY 21 to maintain level services" |
"The weather is warming, flowers are blooming and municipalities across the state are hosting Town Meetings, a form of local government dating back more than 300 years, which historically has given residents the opportunity to help decide on various issues related to local governance and spending.
More recently, however, the scope of Town Meeting decisions has narrowed for many communities, and a lot of time is spent debating whether to fund new municipal projects, such as schools, libraries and senior centers.
Approval of such projects typically translate into higher taxes for property owners, which advocates say is necessary to ensure dilapidating municipal buildings and outdated schools are safe and adequate for residents and children.
Opponents, meanwhile, say the process is increasingly becoming a popular way for local governments to pay for projects that should otherwise be affordable within existing municipal budgets, especially at a time when local coffers are growing with the recent surge of new development and rising property values realized across the state."
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| Kit Brady speaking for better funding for schools and our children |
Kit Brady speaking for better funding for schools and our children. #tc0523 pic.twitter.com/DGORGq7KAP— Steve Sherlock (@FranklinMatters) May 23, 2019
"The votes came in to pass the first operational budget override in Franklin's Prop 2 1/2 history.https://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2007/05/vote-tally-override-52207.html
The final tally was 5,028 for and 3,722 against with 9 blanks and 8,759 total votes cast."
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| On this day: May 22, 2007 Franklin votes for first operational override |
"A good economy should equal a sunny fiscal forecast.
That’s what many residents believe, said Deputy Town Administrator Jamie Hellen, which is why a cloud of suspicion looms over the town budget’s structural deficit entering fiscal 2020.
“A lot of people are frustrated. In such a good economy, and a great business climate, how are we in this pickle?” Hellen asked rhetorically.
The answer includes many factors, some of which are not unique to Franklin, said Hellen.
According to Hellen, the main culprits of the impending deficit include an increased demand for services, increased health insurance costs, charter school expansion costs, declining school enrollment, other post-employment benefits (OPEP) and the cost of doing business in town outpacing the town’s ability to raise revenue."Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
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| Rising health care costs drive benefits |
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| How much is the School budget part of the whole Town budget |
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| What is the process for a Prop 2 1/2 ballot question? |
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| subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters on iTunes |
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| five new police officers introduced |
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| five new police officers sworn in by Town Clerk Teresa Burr |
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| five new police officers pinned by family members |
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| The newest canine member Ben Franklin is as cute in person as he is in photos |
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| L - R: Mark Cerel, Jamie Hellen, Jeff Nutting |
