They are not the enemy

Not the city council, the funding group or the code enforcement. It's the way we do things ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

View in browser SaveYour.Town Becky McCray Howdy Neighbor, The city council members are not your enemy. The code enforcement officials are not your enemy. The funding board members who keep giving money to other projects are not your enemy. On every round of our Survey of Rural Challenges, people tell us about leaders not moving forward, officials not acting on suggestions or new ideas, people with a "poor us" attitude, and communities breaking into factions for and against change. Personal agendas, local organizations that don't work together and infighting hold communities back. In 2019, one response said: The old guard had a lot of experience – good & bad – and with new ideas tended to say "we tried something like that once…" and instead of taking what didn't work & learning from it, crossed it off the list of things to try at all That doesn't make the people your enemies. The enemy is the old way of working that holds us back from addressing our challenges. We've all struggled to work on our challenges in the old ways. We've created committees, task forces and action teams. We've let those few people vote on what ideas to include. We've spent untold effort writing plans that represent an idealized and static future while we face rapid change all around us. How many times will we keep doing the same thing: organize people into a hierarchy and write plans to address our challenges? We don't have to do that anymore. We have new tools and new behaviors that let us break free and create the better future we all want. No one has to take minutes, no one has to be in charge, and no one needs to force accountability on others. There's no need for more deciding, voting or shaming. We can involve a lot more of the community, reach new people, accomplish big things in new small ways. That's how we'll address our challenges and stop treating each other as the enemy. You know I'm talking about the Idea Friendly Method. It's the foundation of what we do to help rural communities at SaveYour.Town. Next week, Deb and I will be joined by Andrew Button for a webinar to share more of our 10-year insights into small town and small business challenges, assets and action steps for you to take right away. Check the details below. Keep shaping the future of your town, Becky PS - In case you missed it, here's the link to the 10 Year Survey report. A lot has changed in 10 years, and you may want to share this with some folks. Next week: 10 Years of Rural Insights webinar with us and Andrew Button Next week: 10 Years of Rural Insights webinar with us and Andrew Button Wed Feb 26, 11:30am Central time Deb and I will be reviewing the Survey highlights, Andrew will share his insights from working with rural entrepreneurs across the US and Canada, and we'll all be answering your questions. No charge. Learn more at 10 Years of Rural Insights webinar. Sign up for the webinar right away! Read or share this article online Also available on LinkedIn and Medium You are always welcome to reprint my articles in your rural publications. SaveYour.Town SaveYour.Town, 151 Grand View Drive, Biloxi, MS, 39531 Powered by

National Community Survey - Last Call! for Franklin, MA; survey closes Feb 19 at midnight

Last call to fill out the National Community Survey - We want to hear from you! 

National Community Survey (NCS)

The National Community Survey closes tomorrow night, February 19, 2025 at midnight. This is your last chance to submit a survey!

To participate, residents will need to visit polco.us/Franklin2025 and complete the survey. The survey results will show Franklin's strengths and areas in need of improvement, highlight what matters most to residents, and provide the Town with valuable data to incorporate into future policy discussions and strategic planning.

For more information, follow this link: https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/974/National-Community-Survey

Thank you for sharing your voice!

Town of Franklin Seeks Input From All Residents (aged 18 and older)

The Town of Franklin has launched The National Community Survey to gather resident input for strategic planning initiatives and to align goals around the community’s top priorities.

In January 2025, the Town of Franklin released Phase 1 of the National Community Survey (NCS), which was developed by National Research Center at Polco, in an effort to gather resident feedback on a wide array of topics including economy, mobility, community design, utilities, safety, natural environment, inclusivity, engagement, and other elements of Franklin's overall livability. In Phase 1, five-thousand randomly selected households received mailed invitations to complete the NCS.

Seeks Input From All Residents

Phase 2 of the NCS begins on February 5, 2025, and is the Open Participation Survey, which is open to all Franklin residents aged 18 and older. 

To participate, residents will need to visit polco.us/Franklin2025 and complete the survey. The survey results will show Franklin’s strengths and areas in need of improvement, highlight what matters most to residents, and provide the Town with valuable data to incorporate into future policy discussions and strategic planning. 

“I encourage all residents to complete the National Community Survey.” stated Town Council Chair Tom Mercer. “This is a great opportunity for residents to help shape the future of Franklin. By providing Town staff and local officials like myself with critical insight into how residents feel about life in Franklin today, we can work together to make Franklin an even better community in the future.”  

To participate, residents may visit polco.us/Franklin2025 or scan the QR code to complete the survey.  The random selection survey and community-wide open participation survey will both close on February 19, 2025.

For more information, contact Project Manager Kate Hinckley, Director of GIS at (508) 553-5534 or visit our website at https://www.franklinma.gov/974/National-Community-Survey.

About Polco: Polco brings people and data together to help build stronger, healthier communities. With award-winning community engagement tools and services, Polco allows leaders to engage residents around their most important topics, align goals, and strengthen public trust. Polco is committed to a strict privacy policy, designed to keep participants’ responses confidential and protect personal data. Learn more at info.polco.us.

Reminder: National Community Survey for Franklin, MA is out for those randomly selected. Please respond

Franklin has launched the National Community Survey - We want to hear from you! 

Reminder: National Community Survey

We need your input to help us make upcoming planning and budgeting decisions. Invitations have been sent to randomly selected households asking for feedback via The National Community Survey. 

In a few weeks, we'll open the survey to all residents. If you would like to receive an email notification for this community-wide survey, register now to become a part of Franklin's digital sounding board: polco.us/n/res/signup

For more information, follow this link: https://www.franklinma.gov/town-council/webforms/national-community-survey

Thank you for sharing your voice! 

Reminder! - The National Community Survey has Launched!

Reminder! - The National Community Survey has Launched!

National Community Survey

Franklin has launched the National Community Survey - what would you like Franklin to focus on? 

We need your input to help us make upcoming planning and budgeting decisions. Invitations have been sent to randomly selected households asking for feedback via The National Community Survey. In a few weeks, we'll open the survey to all residents. If you would like to receive an email notification for this community-wide survey, register now to become a part of Franklin's digital sounding board: polco.us/n/res/signup

For more information, follow this link: https://www.franklinma.gov/town-council/webforms/national-community-survey

Thank you for sharing your voice! 

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/reminder-national-community-survey-has-launched

Survey says: more than half don’t watch Franklin TV

Survey says: more than half don’t watch Franklin TV.

That factoid helps to explain why it seems some social media postings seem to come from folks who appeared to be surprised about a 'new' topic when it has usually been talked about in some circles, for some time.  Clearly, not a circle the poster had participated in.

We are best served when we can assess objective facts and issues with our own eyes and ears, and think for ourselves.  You can become part of the informed circle with one web portal and subscribe to one daily email.

Franklin TV, Franklin Public Radio, and Franklin Matters are working together to advance the greater good, bringing us together as a community so that our focus is not on what divides us, but what brings us together.

* Watch: the standard public, education & government (PEG) channels or our three PEG YouTube Channels.

* Listen: Stream Franklin Public Radio anywhere, anytime online at wfpr.fm,

or tune in to our local Franklin public radio station wfpr.fm on 102.9 FM.

* Read: Franklin Matters to find the daily TV, Radio, and community event schedule along with the news that matters published to the internet, a daily newsletter, and then to key social media channels.  

All this to enable you to engage in the informed circle of the Franklin community - visit or subscribe at www.franklin.news

Survey says: more than half don’t watch Franklin TV

Town of Franklin Seeks Input from Residents in Community-Wide Survey

The Town of Franklin will launch The National Community Survey (NCS) on January 8, 2025 to gather resident input for strategic planning initiatives and to align goals around the community’s top priorities.

The Town of Franklin announced they will be launching a community survey to gather resident feedback on a wide array of topics, including economy, mobility, community design, utilities, safety, natural environment, inclusivity, engagement, and other elements of Franklin's overall livability. The survey results will provide the Town with valuable data to incorporate into future policy discussions and strategic planning.

National Community Survey (NCS)

The National Community Survey (The NCS) was developed by National Research Center at Polco. The results will show Franklin’s strengths, areas in need of improvement, and what matters most to residents. The Town will also be able to see how its performance compares to other communities across the country.

“The National Community Survey provides a fantastic opportunity for residents of Franklin to impact and enhance the quality of life in the Town of Franklin. The feedback received from the survey will give Town staff and officials critical insight into how residents feel about life in Franklin today, and what can be done to make it an even better community in the future. We encourage all residents to complete the survey and help to shape the future of Franklin”, stated Town Administrator, Jamie Hellen.

Five-thousand randomly selected households will receive mailed survey invitations over the next few weeks. Households that receive an invitation are asked to follow the enclosed instructions and complete the survey. Residents who are not included in the random selection will be able to complete the community-wide version of the survey when it is released in early February 2025. To receive notification when this survey is released and to register for a Polco profile, follow this link: polco.us/n/res/signup. The random selection survey and community-wide survey will both close on February 19, 2025.

For more information or questions regarding the survey, contact the Project Manager, Kate Hinckley, Director of GIS at (508) 553-5534 or visit our website at https://www.franklinma.gov/town-council/webforms/national-community-survey

About Polco: 

Polco brings people and data together to help build stronger, healthier communities. With award-winning community engagement tools and services, Polco allows leaders to engage residents around their most important topics, align goals, and strengthen public trust. Polco is committed to a strict privacy policy, designed to keep participants’ responses confidential and protect personal data.

Learn more at info.polco.us.

National Community Survey to launch in January to a random sample of Franklin households

Hello neighbors! 

National Community Survey to launch in January

In just a few days, Franklin will launch The National Community Survey. Randomly selected households will receive mailed survey invitations over the next few weeks. If you receive an invite, please follow the instructions and share your input! Your feedback will help us make important plans for our future. 

If you aren't selected for this initial survey effort, we'll also share a community-wide survey soon. To become a member of Franklin's digital sounding board and get notified when this community-wide survey is available, follow this link and register for a Polco profile: polco.us/n/res/signup

For additional information, follow this link: https://www.franklinma.gov/town-council/webforms/national-community-survey

Thank you for helping to create a better community for all!

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/national-community-survey

This Quarterbacking session recaps the Joint Budget & the Town Council meetings (audio)

FM #1344 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1344 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares our “Town Council Quarterbacking” with Town Council Chair Tom Mercer. We had our conversation via the Zoom Conference Bridge on Thursday, December 19, 2024.  

• ok, what just happened? 

• What does it mean for Franklin residents and taxpayers?

Topics for this session

Joint Budget meeting

• Health care, pension cost updates; deficit was 3.7ish, now more like 4.5

• Communications planned with 5 or 6 listening sessions at different locations, end of Jan through March…

Town Council meeting

PROCLAMATIONS / RECOGNITIONS

• Fourth and Sixth Grade Youth Football Teams

• Peter Brunelli

• Steve Carlucci

5. APPOINTMENTS =  Agricultural Commission - Benjamin Rousseau

Annual License Renewals

PRESENTATIONS / DISCUSSIONS

• National Citizen Survey (aka Citizen Satisfaction Survey) - Kate Hinckley, Director of GIS   

• Biennial Town Council - Town Administrator Midterm Goals Review - Jamie Hellen, Town Administrator

• Town Seal and Logo Presentation - Amy Frigulietti, Deputy Town Administrator 

Legislation

• Resolution 24-82: Adoption of Updated Fiscal Policies

• Resolution 24-80: Cable Funds in Support of PEG Service and Programming per MGL Ch. 44, §53F3/4

• Resolution 24-81: Gift Acceptance - Veterans’ Services Department ($2,735), Senior Center ($130.02) , Fire Dept. ($1,515)

The recording runs about 40 minutes. Let’s listen to my conversation with Tom as we recap both the Joint Budget and Town Council meetings held this week. Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1344-town-council-quarterbacking-12-19-24/

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Franklin TV video

Joint Budget -> https://www.youtube.com/live/Pq0-UqDkm4o?&t=54 

Town Council -> https://www.youtube.com/live/5h-UYum-TtQ?&t=132 

Agendas

Joint Budget -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/2024-12-17_joint_budget_subcommittee_meeting_agenda.pdf 

Town Council ->   

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/tc_agenda_-_dec_18_2024.pdf 

My set of notes in one PDF ->  

Joint Budget -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yVajSM_qNPtttoVAWuWjqA9OMDRtTyYl/view?usp=drive_link 

Town Council ->  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yn6Ems4Gc0TfI9L-9vE_Ll40oVGHPfFU/view?usp=drive_link 

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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

• And if you have interest in reporting on meetings or events, please reach. We’ll share and show you what and how we do what we do

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!

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

This Quarterbacking session recaps the Joint Budget & the Town Council meetings (audio)

Final days to share your input to the Franklin Community News Survey

Final days to share your input to this survey. 

• Where do you get your Franklin News? 
• What types of news are you looking for?

Survey closes on Sunday, Dec 16 at midnight

Franklin TV, Franklin Public Radio, and Franklin Matters are working together striving to advance the greater good, bringing us together as a community, so that our focus is not on what divides us, but what brings us together. To that end, we need your help with the following survey questions. 

Please fill out (online -> https://bit.ly/FCCA_NewsSurvey ) or via paper copy (and send to Franklin TV) so we can evaluate our services for the community and enhance as necessary. 

Your thoughts are important to us. 

Thank you!

Your input is requested for the Franklin MA Cable News Awareness Survey