Showing posts with label town administrator. Show all posts
Showing posts with label town administrator. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Town Administrator's Office Update - Renovations Underway

Town Administrator's Office Update - Renovations

In-person access to the Town Administration office is temporarily unavailable due to renovations

We will resume in-person access on Monday, August 12th

Staff are working remotely during regular office hours and are available by phone, email or appointment (at another location).  

Town Administrator's Office Update - Renovations
Town Administrator's Office Update - Renovations

MAIN OFFICE PHONE: (508) 520-4949

HOURS OF OPERATION:

  • MONDAY 8AM - 4PM
  • TUESDAY 8AM - 4PM
  • WEDNESDAY 8AM - 6PM
  • THURSDAY 8AM - 4PM
  • FRIDAY 8AM - 1PM

WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/town-administrators-office-update-renovations

Sunday, July 28, 2024

Collection: TA Updates to Town Council Mtgs on Migrant Housing Status - Sep 6, 2023 through July 17, 2024 (audio)

FM #1252 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1252 in the series. 


This session of the radio show shares the multiple segments from the Town Administrator’s Report section of the Town Council Meetings where Town Administrator Jamie Hellen provided an update on the Migrant Housing status.  


Some of the segments were published separately from the full Town Council audio recordings. The two most recent meeting segments (June 5 & July 17, 2024) had not yet been published separately so they are added here to give the complete chronological order of updates on this topic.


There is a brief intro before each section to say what date the meeting was held and hence the update provided. 


The combined recordings run about 88 minutes. Let’s listen to the chronological recordings on the migrant housing status updates.  Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1252-town-admin-reports-migrant-housing-status-collection-07-17-24/




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


Audio Segments Combined (# indicates podcast episode)  

Approx. 21 minutes #1055 TA Report - Migrant Status - 09/06/23 

Approx. 25 minutes #1065 TA Report - Migrant Status - 09/20/23

Approx. 8 minutes #1076 TA Report - Migrant Status - 10/11/23

Approx. 12 minutes #1083 TA Report - Migrant Status - 10/18/23

Approx. 8 minutes #1093 TA Report - Migrant Status - 11/01/23

Approx. 5 minutes June 5, 2024 

Approx. 2 minutes July 17, 2024


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


Migrant Housing Portal -> https://www.franklinma.gov/health-department/pages/migrant-dashboard-portal 


Town Council meeting archive

** 2024

July 17 -> recap & video -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/07/town-council-approves-additional-1m-for.html 

June 5 - recap, audio & video -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/06/town-council-tackles-multiple-zoning_8.html 


** 2023

Nov 1 - recap, video ->  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/11/town-council-views-4.html 

Oct 18 - recap, audio & video -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/10/town-council-observes-police-new-hires_0250604876.html 

Oct 11 - recap, audio & video -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/10/town-council-doesnt-like-snow-removal.html 

Sep 20 - recap, audio & video -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/09/town-council-receives-elks-donations_02090236383.html 

Sep 6 - recap, audio & video -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/09/town-council-hears-about-dean-college_0983870044.html



Prior individual podcast episodes on the Migrant Housing Status



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

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"


Collection: TA Updates to Town Council Mtgs on Migrant Housing Status - Sep 6, 2023 through July 17, 2024 (audio)
Collection: TA Updates to Town Council Mtgs on Migrant Housing Status - Sep 6, 2023 through July 17, 2024 (audio)

Monday, April 22, 2024

Executive Summary (Part 2) for the FY 2025 Town of Franklin Budget

Continuing to share Town administrator Jamie Hellen's Executive Summary for the FY 2025 budget. The first part is here ->   https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/04/executive-summary-part-1-for-fy-2025.html


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

Expenditures Highlights

The Franklin Public School District will see an increase in their budget of $3,000,000 over FY24, which is a 4.2% increase and tied for the largest single year increase the Schools have ever received. Further analysis is in the Future Trends section below.

The budget includes a 2.5% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for all municipal personnel, including collective bargaining agreement commitments, which amounts to $625,000. School salaries are located in the school budget.

Municipal employee pension costs will absorb almost $388,320 in new revenue for municipal departments and some non-teacher school employees.

What is NOT in the budget compared to the Preliminary Budget Model presented on March 6th, 2024:
$378,000 in additional DPW expenses;

$85,000 (plus benefits) in the Facilities Budget for a Sustainability Coordinator;

$200,000 in additional Public Property and Buildings expenses (School related);

$2,000 in additional Town Council expenses;

$5,000 in additional Cultural Council grant money;

$5,000 in additional Historical Museum expenses; and

$6.3 million for Franklin Public Schools Level Service plus Restoration of cuts.

What is NOT in the budget with regard to long-term planning:
Additional resources toward Debt & Interest. In 2026, we anticipate borrowing for a Remington-Jefferson remodel and the Horace Mann Roof replacement;

Additional public infrastructure costs for roads, sidewalks, parking lots, trails, crosswalks, tree trimming to prevent power outages, bike lanes, traffic calming to slow people down; pedestrian crosswalks and other public works improvements;

$2 million in annual capital needs transferred to the operating budget - costs for Police and Fire safety gear, school curriculum, school and town technology, school and town fleet, and DPW apparatus.

Funds to address an increasing demand and reliance on Technology, mostly in our Schools.

Additional staffing investments for green and sustainability goals, open space planning, conservation efforts, and net zero initiatives.

Funding for Municipal Capital Projects: Police Station, Beaver Street Recycling Facility and other community requests, such as an Arts Center.

An additional $4.3 million for level service for Schools or $6.3 million to restore some previous cuts in 2023-24 to the Schools;

Additional Strategic investments toward Franklin Public Schools, such as foreign language, capital, facilities, clubs, academies, and arts related curriculum; and

Assumptions related to collective bargaining negotiations for the Town's unions, as these contracts expire at the end of FY25. CBA’s will be for FY26, FY27 and FY28.
 
Future Trends

The constant pressure on local government to fund all of the work that needs to get done is becoming unsustainable. The Massachusetts Municipal Association continues to advocate for greater investment in infrastructure from the state and to relieve the many unfunded mandates the state is placing on local governments. Municipal and School departments work hard managing their budgets, investing in value added services and adapting to citizen feedback and a changing world. Moving into FY25 and the following fiscal years, we see a handful of issues that need to be monitored, most notably cost increases to residents in the form of stormwater utility rates, sewer rates and other major capital investments in town.

1. Affordability for all residents. Residents have seen costs increase across all aspects of their lives. As outlined at the March 6, 2024 Joint Budget Subcommittee meeting, as leaders in the community we have to be conscious of the effects the costs of doing business have on our residents. In addition to the likelihood of an override ballot question for a new Franklin Police Station, residents will also see an increase in the following areas:

Sewer Rates. Effective July 1, 2024, there will be a 15% increase in sewer rates. We are required to raise rates to create surety behind the loan for the Beaver Street Interceptor. The interceptor was first built and paid for 109 years ago and lasted for generations. The time has come for the residents of Franklin today to pay for a new interceptor and pay the debt for current and future generations of Franklinites.

Stormwater. FY24 represents year one of the Stormwater Utility to address the federal unfunded EPA mandates. As each year progresses, the permit becomes shockingly more expensive. A rate increase will be required to stay up-to-date with the permit. We estimate a minor increase of about $1.50 per billing unit, which is on average $10-$20 a year for most households. This rate increase will ensure solvency of the stormwater utility budget. However, in the next few years, a much more detailed public discussion must take place on the expense associated with the Town’s Phosphorus Control Plan, which is estimated to cost $30 million over five years. Addressing this issue is not optional, as these are unfunded federal mandates. The town has already sued the federal government over this issue.

Water Rates. Residents can also expect to see an 8% water rate increase in each of the next three years. Two major federal and state regulatory required projects are expected to come online in the form of a $25 million water filtration project (water tank membrane to protect from manganese and iron) and the first of the Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS) required projects - a $6.5 million PFAS Filtration Plant (with a zero % interest loan from the state). Rate payers will see an approximate $50 increase per year over the next three years.

The Tri-County School Project. In November 2023, 61% of residents that participated in the election voted in affirmative to raise property taxes through a debt exclusion to pay for Franklin’s anticipated $2.1 million per year assessment. Congratulations to the Tri-County School community for their campaign to build a new facility and successfully navigate the MSBA process. Approximately ⅓ of the project is paid for by the state. The tax impact for this project will begin in FY25 and is reflected in the debt exclusion budget model and expenditure line item with an increase of $132,298. The tax rate will be adjusted later this year to reflect the increase in levy for Franklin's portion. This project is budget neutral. At full maturity in FY27, an average ($650,377) Franklin household will have taxes raised by $169/year to pay for this. That rate will decline over the life of the project.
While I am sure these messages of rate increases are hard to handle, residents must also realize every city and town in Massachusetts is going through similar situations managing severe cost drivers related to public infrastructure. We are fortunate to have ample and clean resources, we do pay for it in Massachusetts.

2. The Franklin Public Schools have informed us that in order to maintain “level” or “status quo” services from the current year to FY25, a budget increase of $7.3 million, or 10.13% is required. A level services budget plus restoration of FY24 cuts yields an increase of $9.3 million, or 12.92% Please review the Budget Update from the School Committee meeting on February 13, 2024 for additional information. Below are some additional informational points that relate to the fiscal challenges of the public schools:
The state’s Chapter 70 Formula is not in the Towns’ favor and will continue to be a pressure point, especially if the Legislature is forced to alter the formula due to the Town’s increasing “Hold Harmless” situation.

Significant fixed costs and capital costs to technology, facilities, and fleet will compete with operating costs to education and classrooms. These costs are not a part of the preliminary budget model, but still need funding sources.

Collective bargaining looms in FY26 with Franklin Education Association (FEA) and other unions. Labor and personnel costs have risen significantly for the schools, but this is also a trend affecting all municipalities statewide.

Unsustainable special education cost increases, which put pressure on all aspects of the school budget.

Central office staffing capacity in Administration, Finance and Human Resources and technology investments.

School Revolving Funds solvency at the end of FY24 heading into FY25 and having some respectable reserves.

Town and School federal ARPA and ESSR money expires at the end of this calendar year.

Continued declining enrollment. In 2008, the school district enrollment was 6,464. The most recent enrollment for the 2023-2024 school year is 4,721 (as of Feb 2024). The school district is losing 100-150 students a year in district enrollment and this trend is expected throughout most of the rest of the decade. In 2022, the School Committee hosted a redistricting exercise and looked at future enrollment projections and facilities needs, but that resulted in no action. They have reenaged McKibben Consulting to relook at the district demographics; however even the assumptions used in that study does not not offer a clear picture. Town staff have worked closely with the Schools to ensure the correct development and growth assumptions are made in any final study that may shape redistricting and the better use of town and school facility space. The objective is to streamline operations and maximize space to alleviate increasing fixed costs.
It is also important to note that portions of the municipal budget are made up of school related costs in the amount of approximately $20 million when fully funded (Note: It is important to note that figure is based on conservative assumptions. This figure could be much higher). Both the Facilities Department and the DPW have seen consistent increases to their budgets specific to school related costs. While these costs continue to increase, it is important to note that their budgets have not been fully restored to pre pandemic levels for school or municipal costs. The “Municipal” budget pays for all school building debt & interest, property and casualty insurance, worker’s compensation, snow removal, non-teacher pension costs, grounds & building maintenance, utilities, OPEB costs, fuel for the school van fleet, unemployment insurance, retired teacher health and life insurance, some staff, and much more.

3. Budget capacity to fund future projects. The Debt and Interest budget remains one of our most pressing budgetary concerns. At 1.59% of recurring general fund revenues, this slice of the budget is far below town goals and has been trending in the wrong direction for years, due to previous borrowing costs coming off the schedule and high interest rates to quell inflation. It should increase through the rest of the decade to maintain our Public Schools and Town facilities. Other scheduled capital facilities or infrastructure projects that would be paid for in these budget line items over the next five years are the Remington-Jefferson rehabilitation, the High School ten-year update, Washington Street to Grove Street sidewalk, Beaver Street Recycling Center and Solid Waste Master Plan, and the Police Station. If the town borrows to do any of these projects in the future, debt and interest will rise and leave fewer dollars available for other areas of the budget.

4. Sustainability. Also looming around the corner for FY26 is a new round of collective bargaining negotiations for the Town's unions - teachers, police patrol, police sergeants, fire, public works, police sergeants, custodians, maintenance/trades, and librarians - as these contracts expire at the end of FY25. If we are to avoid sizable layoffs and/or cuts to all town services this fiscal year, and certainly in FY26 and beyond, the community must recognize that we are all in this together. It is imperative that residents take the time to learn and understand the budgeting pressures on both the schools and the municipality at large, and how these cost pressures counterbalance affordability to all citizens, businesses, and stakeholders in the Town of Franklin. We hope to avoid an “Us v. Them” debate. As we have suggested for many years, the Joint Budget Subcommittee may want to endorse a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Equity Goal to avoid deepening budget deficits in future fiscal years. Otherwise, an escalation of budget increases in personnel and labor will most certainly result in unsustainable costs to the town, including the schools. This issue does not even include a calculation that additional staff investments may be needed for school and municipal services based on what the community desires. The town will be in a painful position of extensive layoffs or service reductions if we do not (1) start to manage expectations on the capacity of the town’s service limits and (2) start to coordinate and better strategically plan town and school operating budget finances.

For the full FY 2025 budget and narrative sections ->

All the FY 2025 budget materials can be found -> 

Executive Summary (Part 2) for the FY 2025 Town of Franklin Budget
Executive Summary (Part 2) for the FY 2025 Town of Franklin Budget

Friday, April 19, 2024

Please join us for a Joint Town Council & School Committee Mtg for an Operational Override Discussion April 24 at 7:00 PM

Please join us for a Joint Franklin Town Council and Franklin School Committee Meeting Operational Override Discussion April 24, 7:00 p.m. FHS Auditorium


The agenda was posted by the Town Council/Town Administration. This post from the School Committee/School District also adds survey form to solicit questions and/or comments in advance of the meeting.

April 24, 2024 - 7:00 PM
Franklin High School Auditorium, 218 Oak Street

Meeting Agenda

1. Introduction from the Chairs of the Town Council and School Committee

2. Presentation
a. Town Administrator, Jamie Hellen and Superintendent of Schools, Lucas Giguere
3. Discussion & Public Hearing
a. To discuss the public opinion of an operational override
4. Adjourn


Agenda doc contains remote viewing info (No Zoom participation, only YouTube and cable viewing (Verizon/Comcast broadcast) ->

Question and/or comment link ->   https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfqX7WYOkT2nuhXQbYaIEF8q_0_Lbz2PUIx9WSn8-xKd5Ynsw/viewform


Budget details

School FY 2025 -> https://www.franklinps.net/district/school-district-budget/pages/1-fy2025-budget

Town of Franklin FY 2025 ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/town-budget/webforms/fy-25-budget-materials


Agenda for the Joint Town Council and School Committee Meeting April 24, 2024 at 7 PM
Agenda for the Joint Town Council and School Committee Meeting April 24, 2024 at 7 PM

Saturday, February 3, 2024

Annual Report Of The Town Administrator - FY 2023 Report

Town Administration works with the Town Council together to improve the quality of life of the residents we serve. We are diligent in balancing the budget, keeping an eye on the Town's future needs and maintaining its assets.

Personnel

The Town Administration offices consist of four full time staff members and one part time staff member; Jamie Hellen, Town Administrator, Amy Frigulietti, Deputy Town Administrator, Mark Cerel, part time Town Attorney, Julie McCann, Operations Assistant to the Town Administrator, and Lily Rivera, Marketing and Communications Specialist (dual position, servicing both the school and municipal departments). For four months in early 2023, Julie Jacobson also joined our staff as Special Assistant to the Town Administrator.

Town Administrator Jamie Hellen is responsible for the management of all municipal departments and employees, under the jurisdiction of the Town Council. He, along with the administrative staff, develops all Town Council Agendas and ensures that all necessary legislation is being voted on in a timely manner. The Town Administrator, along with the Human Resources Director, works on union negotiations with all municipal bargaining units. The Town Administrator also works closely with the Town's local legislative delegation, congressmen, senators and representatives to lobby and advocate for any legislation and earmarks that would benefit the Town of Franklin and its residents.

Julie Jacobson, Special Assistant to the Town Administrator, was brought on board after having recently retired from 12 years as Town Manager in Auburn, MA, and more than 30 years' experience in municipal government. She brought tremendous knowledge to her temporary position in Franklin, and in a short time spearheaded several projects with a primary focus on economic development. The Town Administration offices were extremely fortunate to benefit from her expertise while waiting for the position of Deputy Town Administrator to be filled.

Amy Frigulietti joined our team as Deputy Town Administrator in July of 2023. Amy has 20 years of experience in administrative and professional management and brings expertise in economic development, public policy and community outreach in the public sector. In addition to familiarizing herself with the community, Amy's work will include business development, cultural and historical resources development, college relations, shared streets initiatives, communications and public relations planning, and social services coordination.

Julie McCann was promoted to Operations Assistant to the Town Administrator in February of 2023. In her new role Julie is responsible for various projects including but not limited to Town Council meeting agendas, licensing and permitting, management of boards & committees and assisting with the Town Administrator's Budget Message and the Annual Report. She is also becoming involved with Town insurance related matters and the Safety Committee, working with Human Resources Director Karen Bratt in ensuring that Town staff takes advantage of training opportunities to lower insurance costs for the Town while maximizing proficiency of Town staff across a broad spectrum of safety related matters.

Our Town Attorney, Mark Cerel has worked tirelessly over the past fiscal year to provide sound legal advice to the Town Administrator and staff. He drafts many bylaws and resolutions brought to the Town Council for approval and has played a major role in educating and advising all staff involved in the Chapter 61A right of first refusal process.

Lily Rivera (no longer with Town/Schools as of August 2023) is a full time employee who works tirelessly for both the School and Municipal departments. She continues to develop processes and procedures to help streamline communications amongst town departments and has proposed and implemented new strategies to help better reach target audiences. She works closely with a variety of department heads to ensure delivery of essential day to day communications. Additionally, Lily will work on specialty projects to help meet department goals. This year, she produced a myriad of educational materials to supplement the Stormwater Utility Fee prior to implementation, including an educational video and posters to promote stormwater credits and abatements. Other specialty projects include a recruitment campaign for the Fire Department, digital parking portal for the Police Department, branding and creating promotional material for the Open Space and Recreation plan, creating an outreach plan for the town's Master Plan Committee and more. This year, Lily directly supported the Town Council's Arts and Culture Subcommittee by coordinating all events, promotional materials and crafting an arts and culture feedback survey. She has developed relationships with a variety of organizations around Town and is working to support existing programs and develop new initiatives to meet community needs. Lily continues to seek ways to improve resident communications through an equity lens and leverage her skill set to engage various segments in town.

Accomplishments in FY23 include:
 
Budget: An FY24 balanced operating budget was submitted to the Town Council and unanimously approved. We continue to update our Town Budget webpage with helpful resources such as how the budget process works, operating and capital budgets, financial audits, and fiscal forecasts. More information can be found here: https://www.franklinma.gov/town-budget

Municipal Aggregation: The Franklin Community Choice Power Supply Program that started in 2020 has saved Franklin residents and businesses an estimated 11.5 million dollars in electricity costs throughout the Town's 3-year contract with Colonial Power Group and Dynegy Energy Services. As our current contract is approaching termination in November of 2023, Town Administration has secured a new 24-month contract to continue to manage and supply its electricity program for Franklin residents and businesses beginning in November of 2023 through November of 2025.

Online Permitting: As part of our customer service expansion initiatives, we continue to expand and improve our Viewpoint Online Permitting System. There are applications for various permits and other services from a variety of departments including the Town Administrator's Office, the Health Department, the Senior Center, Cultural Council, and many more! We will continue adding new applications throughout the year to make for a more streamlined and comprehensive process. Our Viewpoint online permitting site can be found here: https://franklinma.viewpointcloud.com/

Website: We continue to update the Town's website to make information more accessible for the public. All Agendas and Minutes for boards and committees are web-based and continuously updated. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Anchor (podcasts) and YouTube for up to date News and Announcements as well as visiting our website at www.franklinma.gov.

Franklin First: The Think Franklin First Gift Card program partners with local businesses to support the local economy by keeping money in Franklin.
Residents (or anyone interested) can purchase these gift cards which can be redeemed at a variety of participating businesses in Franklin. Over $68,000 in gift cards have been purchased and this number is only rising.

Town Employee Health Insurance: Franklin "Bends the Trend" by working with the Insurance Advisory Committee (IAC) to keep insurance rate increases for employees to a minimum. In FY23, we joined the Massachusetts Strategic Health Group (MSHG) and will continue with them for FY24. Please see the Human Resources Department report for additional information on health insurance.

Compensation and Classification Study: The Town Administrator worked very closely with the Human Resources Department to complete a Compensation and Classification study. We hired GovHR, a consulting firm that specializes in municipal government to review all our non-union job titles and help us ensure that our employees are paid at a competitive rate. We finally completed the plan in December 2022 and made adjustments to salaries. We believe that some small changes to our plan will help us continue to recruit and retain our wonderful staff.

In the Town Administration Department our goal is to deliver high quality customer service to Franklin residents and stakeholders while keeping costs under control. There will be difficult challenges to our budget in the coming years; but you can be assured that the Town Administration, Town Council, School Administration and School Committee will work through them together. As always, our door remains open to the Franklin Community.

In closing, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the outstanding work of our incredible Town Staff. We are extremely fortunate to have the exceptional leadership of our Department Heads, and such a dedicated team of employees working tirelessly for the betterment of our community. A tremendous amount of work goes into keeping the Town running as well as it does. It is truly a team effort and we couldn't do it without the contribution of each and every employee. Thank you.

It is my pleasure to submit an annual report of the Town Administrator for your review, and please feel free to write, email, or stop by with any questions, concerns, or comments.

Respectfully submitted,


Jamie Hellen,
Town Administrator

The full Town of Franklin FY 2023 Annual Report can be found online