- EDC (9/2/20): https://t.co/E4JtjEUOWJ
- Stormwater (9/9/20): https://t.co/QTDOsdbrPu
- Budget Subcommittee (9/16/20): https://t.co/yADSS2fseI
Franklin Residents: 3 upcoming meetings to be aware of and participate in |
Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
Franklin Residents: 3 upcoming meetings to be aware of and participate in |
FM #327 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 327 in the series.
This session shares the Stormwater Ad-hoc Subcommittee meeting held on Wednesday, Aug 5, 2020. The meeting was conducted via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.
Chair Melanie Hamblen officially opened the meeting after the 3rd member to bring the committee to a quorum. She later loses her own connection to the meeting and we wait patiently while she eventually reconnects to continue the meeting. (When she lost connection, the quorum of three also broke.)
A quick summary on the timeline for the stormwater fee: Stormwater utility fee couldn't realistically appear on a homeowner bill until July 2021 due to the software changes required to get the MUNIS system set up properly. Also need to get the other items i.e. exemptions defined
The show notes contain links to the agenda doc, the Stormwater Division page, and my notes from the meeting.
The meeting itself runs about 1 hour and 42 minutes, so let’s listen to the Stormwater Ad-hoc Subcommittee meeting.
Audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HrZ0XtsK
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Stormwater Division page
https://www.franklinma.gov/stormwater-division
My meeting notes
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/08/stormwater-ad-hoc-subcommittee-meeting_9.html
The meeting agenda
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/08/stormwater-ad-hoc-subcommittee-meeting.html
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How can you help?
If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
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Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
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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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As with most meetings in this pandemic period, I took my notes via Twitter during the meeting reporting in real-time via the virtual session.
The Twitter hashtag can be found online #swsc0805
- a.Stormwater Town website https://www.franklinma.gov/stormwater-division
meeting opening - screen view captured |
triadic approach to water |
MS4 permit explained |
storm water mitigation expenses |
storm water utility fee described |
preliminary rate on storm water utility fee |
leaf pick up added as a service as part of storm water utility fee |
DPW Director Robert "Brutus" Cantoreggi speaking |
"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on April 23 that it is proposing targeted modifications to the 2016 Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) general permit for Massachusetts communities.
An EPA statement said that the proposed modifications would give municipalities more tools and flexibility for permit implementation while also ensuring that the water quality goals of the Clean Water Act are met.
The proposed modifications were developed through a multi-year mediation between the EPA and parties who challenged the underlying 2016 permit.
Last December, the EPA announced that a settlement agreement had been reached between the agency and the permit litigants – including municipalities, environmental groups and other stakeholders – and initiated a public comment period. The settlement agreement was executed in mid-April. According to the EPA, the proposed modifications to the permit are identical to those contained in the settlement."
The second session was held at the Franklin TV studio |
FM #225 Stormwater Utility Session 2 - 3/11/20 (audio) |
Franklin Police dog Ben Franklin made a special appearance |