Franklin, MA: Agenda for Town Council meeting Weds, Jan 7 at 6 PM

Franklin Town Council

Agenda & Meeting Packet

January 7, 2026 = 6:00 PM

Meeting will be held at the Franklin Municipal Building

355 East Central Street - 2nd Floor, Council Chambers

1. ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE CHAIR

a. This meeting is being recorded by Franklin TV and shown on Comcast channel 9 and Verizon Channel 29. This meeting may be recorded by others.

b. Chair to identify members participating remotely.

c. Upcoming Town Sponsored Community Events.

2. CITIZEN COMMENTS

a. Citizens are welcome to express their views for up to three minutes on a matter that is not

on the agenda. In compliance with G.L. Chapter 30A, Section 20 et seq, the Open Meeting

Law, the Council cannot engage in a dialogue or comment on a matter raised during Citizen

Comments. The Council may ask the Town Administrator to review the matter. Nothing

herein shall prevent the Town Administrator from correcting a misstatement of fact.

3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

a. December 3, 2025

4. PROCLAMATIONS / RECOGNITIONS - None Scheduled

5. APPOINTMENTS

a. Municipal Affordable Housing Trust - Mark Minnichelli   https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8039/5a-Appointment---Mark-Minnichelli

6. PUBLIC HEARINGS - 6:00 PM - None Scheduled

7. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS - None Scheduled

8. PRESENTATIONS / DISCUSSION

a. Town and School Facilities Presentation - Kevin Harn, Facilities Director  https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8040/8a-1---MEMO---Facilities-Presentation

9. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION

a. Resolution 26-01 - Friendly 40B Policy (Motion to Approve Resolution 26-01 - Majority Vote)  https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8041/9a-MEMO---Friendly-40B

b. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 26-946: A Zoning Bylaw Amendment to the Code of the Town of Franklin at Chapter 185, Attachment 7, Part VI Use Regulation Schedule - Referral to the Planning Board (Motion to Refer Zoning Bylaw Amendment 26-946 to the Planning Board - Majority Vote)   https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8043/9b-26-946

c. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 26-947: A Zoning Bylaw Amendment to the Code of the Town of Franklin at Chapter 185, Attachment 9, Schedule of Lot, Area, Frontage, Yard and Height Requirements - Referral to the Planning Board

(Motion to Refer Zoning Bylaw Amendment 26-947 to the Planning Board - Majority Vote)  https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8044/9c-26-947

d. Resolution 26-02: Gift Acceptance - Veterans Services Dept. ($2,470)

(Motion to Approve Resolution 26-02 - Majority Vote)  https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/8042/9e-26-02---Gift-Acceptances

10. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

a. Personnel Update

11. SUBCOMMITTEE & AD HOC COMMITTEE REPORTS

12. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

13. COUNCIL COMMENTS

14. EXECUTIVE SESSION - None Scheduled.

15. ADJOURN

Note: Two-Thirds Vote: requires 6 votes

Majority Vote: requires majority of members present and voting

Agenda doc also contains remote participation info ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01072026-2073

Franklin, MA: Agenda for Town Council meeting Weds, Jan 7 at 6 PM

Franklin Public Radio - wfpr.fm schedule for Friday, January 2, 2026

Yes, Franklin has it's own radio station -> wfpr.fm. Franklin Public Radio has a brand new schedule for the locally produced shows that fill our air waves. 

It is available anywhere, anytime at wfpr.fm or in the local Franklin, MA area at 102.9 on the FM dial.

Tune in to listen to the following:

Franklin Public Radio - wfpr.fm schedule for Friday

8:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 6:00 PM - Franklin Matters Radio – Steve Sherlock covering Franklin, its local government, services, and events 

• This shares the segment  from the Town Council meeting 12/17/25 covering the full discussion on the charter change process -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/12/audio-of-121725-town-council-in-3.html

9:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 7:00 PM

10:00 AM, 3:00 PM, and 8:00 PM - Talkin’ the Blues – Jim Derick & Nick Remissong. 2 hours of awesome blues music, info, interviews  Showcasing the "Blues" as a basis for and influence of Country, Jazz and Rock and Roll, here and worldwide.

11:00 AM, 4:00 PM, and 9:00 PM - “The Vibe” show plays music for everyone searching for some enjoyment, some dance, a happy or thinking mood, and most importantly, having fun.  Tune in to wfpr.fm and listen to “DJ Vibe” spin music across many genres and join this new vibing experience

Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf 

Franklin Public Radio wfpr.fm schedule for Thursday, January 1, 2026

Yes, Franklin has it's own radio station -> wfpr.fm. Franklin Public Radio has a brand new schedule for the locally produced shows that fill our air waves. 

It is available anywhere, anytime at wfpr.fm or in the local Franklin, MA area at 102.9 on the FM dial.

Tune in to listen to the following:

Franklin Public Radio wfpr.fm schedule for Thursday

8:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 6:00 PM - Franklin Matters Radio – Steve Sherlock covering Franklin, its local government, services, and events 

• This shares the segment  from the Town Council meeting 12/17/25 covering the full discussion on the DPW snow update   ->   https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/12/audio-of-121725-town-council-in-3.html

9:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 7:00 PM - first hour

10:00 AM, 3:00 PM, and 8:00 PM - second hour

Turntable – "Enjoy a fun experience with co-hosts The Vibe and Pauly G sharing personal discussions about a featured rock n roll vinyl record (1st hour) and the best, all music Vibe Playlist (2nd hour)"  

• The Turntable Show album hour features the "The Rising" double album by Bruce Springsteen and a Vibe playlist hour including live Bruce music from Songs of Introspection.   "The Rising", released July 30, 2002, is Springsteen's 12th studio album and is based on his reflections in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.  A big success and his first album to top the US Billboard 200 in 15 years winning two Grammy Awards.  It marked the return to the studio after almost two decades with the famous E Street Band.  Includes the hits: "The Rising",  "Lonesome Day", and "Waitin' on a Sunny Day".  
• Enjoy The Boss and Happy New Year!

Find the playlist ->  https://tinyurl.com/TurntablePlaylists

Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf 

Franklin Public Radio - wfpr.fm Schedule for Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Yes, Franklin has it's own radio station -> wfpr.fm. Franklin Public Radio introduced a brand new schedule early in 2025 for the locally produced shows that fill our air waves. 

It is available anywhere, anytime at wfpr.fm or in the local Franklin, MA area at 102.9 on the FM dial.

Tune in to listen to the following:

 

Franklin Public Radio - wfpr.fm Schedule for Wednesday

8:00 AM, 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM   Franklin Matters Radio – Steve Sherlock 

Franklin and its local government, services and events  (repeats Saturday at 2 PM)  

• This segment shares Part 1 of 3 segments from the 12/17/25 Town Council meeting. This covers the opening, citizen comments, recognitions and alcohol license renewals ->   https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/12/audio-of-121725-town-council-in-3.html

9:00 AM, 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM  The Wonderful World of Wine – Mark Lenzi, Kim Simone  All about wine, its culture, lore and finer points.    (repeats Saturday at 1 PM)  

• This segment features Kim & Mark in Episode 305 - All Things Bubbly For New Years  ->   https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/12/the-wonderful-world-of-wine-www-episode_01041367699.html

Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf 

Franklin Public Radio - wfpr.fm schedule for Friday, December 26, 2025

Yes, Franklin has it's own radio station -> wfpr.fm. Franklin Public Radio has a brand new schedule for the locally produced shows that fill our air waves. 

It is available anywhere, anytime at wfpr.fm or in the local Franklin, MA area at 102.9 on the FM dial.

Tune in to listen to the following:

Franklin Public Radio - wfpr.fm schedule for Friday

8:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 6:00 PM - Franklin Matters Radio – Steve Sherlock covering Franklin, its local government, services, and events 

• This shares the segment  from the Town Council meeting 12/17/25 covering the full discussion on the charter change process -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/12/audio-of-121725-town-council-in-3.html

9:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 7:00 PM

10:00 AM, 3:00 PM, and 8:00 PM - Talkin’ the Blues – Jim Derick & Nick Remissong. 2 hours of awesome blues music, info, interviews  Showcasing the "Blues" as a basis for and influence of Country, Jazz and Rock and Roll, here and worldwide.

11:00 AM, 4:00 PM, and 9:00 PM - “The Vibe” show plays music for everyone searching for some enjoyment, some dance, a happy or thinking mood, and most importantly, having fun.  Tune in to wfpr.fm and listen to “DJ Vibe” spin music across many genres and join this new vibing experience

Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf 

Franklin Public Radio wfpr.fm schedule for Thursday, December 25, 2025

Yes, Franklin has it's own radio station -> wfpr.fm. Franklin Public Radio has a brand new schedule for the locally produced shows that fill our air waves. 

It is available anywhere, anytime at wfpr.fm or in the local Franklin, MA area at 102.9 on the FM dial.

Tune in to listen to the following:

Franklin Public Radio wfpr.fm schedule for Thursday

8:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 6:00 PM - Franklin Matters Radio – Steve Sherlock covering Franklin, its local government, services, and events 

• This shares the segment  from the Town Council meeting 12/17/25 covering the full discussion on the DPW snow update   ->   https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/12/audio-of-121725-town-council-in-3.html

9:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 7:00 PM - first hour

10:00 AM, 3:00 PM, and 8:00 PM - second hour

Turntable – "Enjoy a fun experience with co-hosts The Vibe and Pauly G sharing personal discussions about a featured rock n roll vinyl record (1st hour) and the best, all music Vibe Playlist (2nd hour)"  

• The Turntable Show album hour is featuring a special holiday record, the Elvis Christmas Album, released October 15, 1957.   Yes, Elvis Presley's 'Elvis' Christmas Album' is widely recognized as the best-selling Christmas album of all time in the United States and worldwide, with sales exceeding 20 million copies and achieving Diamond certification from the RIAA for its immense success across multiple releases.  Despite Elvis being a rock and roll icon, his embrace of traditional Christmas themes, including gospel songs and his famous "Blue Christmas," surprised many but cemented the album's legendary status.  
   G and The Vibe, we wish everyone a peaceful and merry holiday season!!!"
• The Vibe Playlist Hour is a special collection of Christmas Rock n Roll tunes to bring a fun spirit to all Turntable and wfpr.fm listeners. 
• From Pauly G and The Vibe, we wish everyone a peaceful and merry holiday season!!!"

Find the playlist ->  https://tinyurl.com/TurntablePlaylists

Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf 

Franklin Public Radio - wfpr.fm Schedule for Wednesday, December 24, 2025

Yes, Franklin has it's own radio station -> wfpr.fm. Franklin Public Radio introduced a brand new schedule early in 2025 for the locally produced shows that fill our air waves. 

It is available anywhere, anytime at wfpr.fm or in the local Franklin, MA area at 102.9 on the FM dial.

Tune in to listen to the following:

 

Franklin Public Radio - wfpr.fm Schedule for Wednesday

8:00 AM, 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM   Franklin Matters Radio – Steve Sherlock 

Franklin and its local government, services and events  (repeats Saturday at 2 PM)  

• This segment shares Part 1 of 3 segments from the 12/17/25 Town Council meeting. This covers the opening, citizen comments, recognitions and alcohol license renewals ->   https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/12/audio-of-121725-town-council-in-3.html

9:00 AM, 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM  The Wonderful World of Wine – Mark Lenzi, Kim Simone  All about wine, its culture, lore and finer points.    (repeats Saturday at 1 PM)  

• This segment features Kim & Mark in Episode 305 - All Things Bubbly For New Years  ->   https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/12/the-wonderful-world-of-wine-www-episode_01041367699.html

Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf 

Audio of the 12/17/25 Town Council in 3 logical segments (audio)

FM #1612-13-14 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, numbers 1612-13-14 in the series. 

This session shares part of the Franklin (MA) Town Council meeting held on Wednesday, December 17, 2025. The Council held this session as scheduled beginning at 6 PM. All 9 Councilors participated (1 remotely) for this 4 hour session. 

 

• 1612 - covers the opening, Citizen comments, recognitions, alcohol license renewals and everything else except 

• the snow update (see 1613) 

• and the charter discussion (see 1614)  (approx. 2 hours 27 mins)

• 1613 - segment from the meeting covering the full discussion on the DPW snow update  (approx.. 58 minutes)  https://www.franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7855/Snow-Presentation---December-17-2025 

• 1614 - segment from the meeting covering the full discussion on the charter change process  (approx. 45 mins)  https://www.franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7848/2023-11-01-Town-Charter-Presentation 

Audio 1612 link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1612-town-council-mtg-minus-snow-charter-updates-12-17-25/

Audio 1613 link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1613-snow-update-to-town-council-12-17-25/

Audio 1614 link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1614-charter-discussion-at-town-council-mtg-12-17-25/

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Additional notes including the video link for the meeting can be found ->

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/12/town-council-closes-out-year-approving.html 

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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 out. 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"

Town Council closes out year approving license renewals, hearing about the snow plowing process, recognizing 3 teams (video)

The Franklin Town Council closed out the calendar year with a meeting on Wednesday, Dec 17, 2025. All 9 members participated, 1 remotely so all votes were recorded via roll call.

Franklin TV video is available for replay -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti39-iOe-eo

Agenda doc  -> 

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_12172025-2062 

My notes taken during the meeting in one PDF file ->

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1stKCN6LNIlCgPA_AobKLmkIsS6109ozr/view?usp=drive_link

Brief recap:

• recognition of 8th Grade Franklin Panthers Football Team, Franklin High School Cheerleading Team, and the Franklin High School Girls’ Volleyball Team was followed by a brief recess to allow for group photos
• Council on Aging - Christopher (Kit) Brady appointment approved via 9-0 roll call
• Annual License Renewals “2026 Town of Franklin Alcohol License Renewals”  were approved after brief discussion on process by the 9-0 roll call vote
  https://www.franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7857/7a-1---MEMO---License-Renewals
• Snow Presentation - Brutus Cantoreggi, DPW Director & Carlos Rebelo, Highway/Grounds Superintendent   
  https://www.franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7855/Snow-Presentation---December-17-2025
• Social Equity Policy Discussion was a long one and the topic will be added to a meeting already planned between Councilor Malloy and TA Hellen to review additional changes to be brought back to the Council. Maybe the State will have provided feedback on the submittal already made
  https://www.franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7841/Local-Approval-Process-and-Social-Equity-Policy 
• Town Charter Presentation was brief (3 pages) on process, the discussion was much longer. To summarize  depending upon the change being proposed, either the charter commission process or the ad-hoc committee would be the way to go. As the changes are not yet outlined, the ad-hoc committee will be art of the goals discussion in January to at least determine what the listing of changes desired are and then determine which way to go
  https://www.franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7848/2023-11-01-Town-Charter-Presentation 
• Citizen Satisfaction Survey: Not sure how to summarize the discussion on this  
  https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/polco.nrc/viz/TheNCSReport-FranklinMA2025/About
• Resolution 25-83: Gift Acceptance - Veterans Services Dept. ($91,072.88), Senior Center (21,275.73), Police Dept. ($710.74)  was accepted by the roll call 9-0 vote   https://www.franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7854/9a-Gifts

Meeting adjourned after 10 PM

group photo of all 3 teams with Council