Welcome to 2025 - What will your top topic be for this year?

What will your top topic be for 2025?

I suspect that a few of the “Watch List” items from last year will return:

• The budget for FY 2026 is one of the top ones. We start with about a $4M deficit and unless there is an override, balancing the budget means significant cuts to people and services.

• Housing and managing our growth smartly needs to be front and center. This goes hand in hand (or pocket to pocket) with the budget. 

• The Master Plan is up for approval to guide our next 10 years. This is another way of looking at the budget and growth issues as the Master Plan prescribes how we'll grow.

• The school district will continue to develop the implementation plan for the redistricting that begins in September 2025. While there is minimal budgetary savings this year, it is supposed to better position the district to be more effective going forward. Reducing from 9 schools to 7 schools (in 5 buildings) brings economies not available in the prior structure.

What else would you put on this listing of items to watch (and engage with) this year?

https://forms.gle/vo8QPEi1Aq2YTH6M6

Welcome to 2025 - What will your top topic be for this year?

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2023!

The "watch list" of Franklin topics will get updated for 2023 as we close out calendar year 2022. Storm water has been on the list for a couple of years. 

• Will storm water remain on the watch list? 
• What else should be on the watch list? 

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** Please respond to the survey to add your items to the "Watch List" for 2023 **

Share this link with your friends & neighbors -> https://forms.gle/btGoikjpCydB3dmXA

And if you haven't already subscribed for the one email you receive daily with all the Franklin news, please consider doing so ->   https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/welcome.html

Storm water fee information  https://www.franklinma.gov/stormwater-division 

The map of the impervious area for each property

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/e45452a3047e4c83b27170a8f4f79aa5

What is on your "watch list" of Franklin topics for 2023? (survey)

The Storm water fee will start in July 2023 and before time that we should get an update from the Town of Franklin on what permeable pavers will be permitted to allow homeowners to reduce their impermeable pavement and reduce their storm water footprint.

The "watch list" of Franklin topics will get updated for 2023 as we close out calendar year 2022. Storm water has been on the list for a couple of years. 

• Will storm water remain on the watch list? 
• What else should be on the watch list? 

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Storm water fee information  https://www.franklinma.gov/stormwater-division 

The map of the impervious area for each property

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/e45452a3047e4c83b27170a8f4f79aa5

** Please respond to the survey to add your items to the "Watch List" for 2023 **

Share this link with your friends & neighbors -> https://forms.gle/btGoikjpCydB3dmXA

What is on your "watch list" of Franklin topics for 2023? (survey)

Franklin Matters Q&A - Wednesday, May 18 - 11 AM

Please join Steve Sherlock for an informal and informative Q&A session. This will be a hybrid meeting. Steve will be at the Senior Center and will have the Zoom conference bridge available for remote participation. 

What is the session about?

• Steve provides some updates in the first 10-15 minutes on what's happened in the past month, then opens the floor to answer whatever questions you have

When: Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 11:00 AM  

Where: Franklin Senior Center (conf room TBD) and via Zoom
If you want the Zoom link, please use this form:   https://forms.gle/52iVgVhNdKEa6A5h9 

Franklin Matters Q&A - Wednesday, May 18 - 11 AM

Q&A on Franklin Matters - June 17 at 1:30 PM

Get your Franklin questions answered on Thursday, June 17 at 1:30 PM. 

This is a virtual event coordinated with the Senior Center = "Franklin Matters Q&A with Steve Sherlock"

email adoggett@franklinma.gov to attend

Q&A on Franklin Matters - June 17 at 1:30 PM

Franklin Matters Q & A - Apr 29 - 1:30 PM

Thursday, April 29 at 1:30 PM - Franklin Matters Q & A via Zoom with Steve Sherlock.

Email adoggett@franklinma.gov for the link to attend. 

Hear what is happening in our town and bring your questions for Steve!

 

Franklin Matters Q & A - Apr 29 - 1:30 PM

FM #502 - Franklin Matters Q&A - 03/18/21 (audio)

FM #502 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 502 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares the Franklin Matters Q&A session held by the Senior Center held Thursday, Mar 18, 2021. The session was conducted virtually via Zoom conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

I do use a brief presentation deck to open the session (link below). A couple of recent photos and screen captures of the webpages and the “watch list” are among the key items to share and open the discussion. After that, we are there to answer your questions. 

Among the topics we discussed in this session;  my ‘watch list’ for 2021 including vaccine availability, the School Committee budget, Town budget cycle, after Davis Thayer - the next step for the School Committee is developing the long range ‘master plan’ for the school district. 

The recording runs just about 45 minutes so let’s listen in. Audio file = https://player.captivate.fm/episode/b19835d0-f25e-46fc-9189-330f02e6f7ad

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Presentation deck

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1RgkTpVpCMuWuWYyJJuSk-iVmYLBpnXm7el0zeA5okmI/edit?usp=sharing 

Franklin Senior Center newsletter

https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-senior-center/pages/connection-newsletter 

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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm). 

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!

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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"

 

FM #502 - Franklin Matters Q&A - 03/18/21 (audio)

CommonWealth Magazine: "State tax collections continue to surprise"

"JANUARY TAX COLLECTIONS  obliterated the Baker administration’s expectations, coming in almost a half-billion dollars above the Department of Revenue’s already-upgraded monthly benchmark and helping to brighten the state’s financial picture heading into a fresh round of budget deliberations.

DOR collected $3.347 billion from taxpayers last month, which is $392 million, or 13.3 percent, greater than what the state collected in January 2020 and $429 million, or 14.7 percent, above DOR’s benchmark for the month, which had already been boosted by $180 million from an earlier estimate.

“January revenue included increases in withholding, income estimated payments, regular sales tax, and ‘all other tax,’ as well as a decrease in meals tax,” Revenue Commissioner Geoffrey Snyder said. “The increase in withholding is likely related to unemployment insurance benefits and bonus related payments, and income estimated payments were strong likely because of 2020 investment-related income gains. The increase in ‘all other tax’ is primarily attributable to estate taxes, a category that tends to fluctuate.”

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/state-government/state-tax-collections-continue-to-surprise/

Franklin's "Watch list" for 2021

The "watch list" for Franklin in 2021. These are the items I see facing Franklin this year. The insights developed in over fourteen years of reporting on Franklin and in particular over 100 meetings during 2020 are behind the summary of items here. This is the short story. 

If you need or want more on these, stay tuned, I'll be following these throughout the year. If you want a better explanation of one or more, send me an email. If there are enough inquires, I can also schedule a Q&A session like held Thursday for the Senior Center.

Pandemic and recovery

• This should not be a surprise, our individual health and the health of the community will begin to determine how much the economy can recover.

Town budget/School budget for FY 2022

• While we averted a real problem last year, the question remains: what will happen this year? We get a peek with the release of the Governor's budget next week (by statue required by Wednesday). Given 22% of our budget is state aid (DLS numbers via DLS Dashboard), that is a key starting point.
• The economy will help via the local receipts (assuming we recover from COVID-19). The School budget is the big unknown (from my point of view). The District is making progress on the Davis Thayer situation (but no timeline or approval yet on closing the building). While that is underway, the other buildings that could also be closed are not yet on the table for discussion.

Affordable housing

• The population of Franklin has seen slower growth recently. What is the proper mix of housing for the population we have and anticipate? Will it be affordable for the folks to live here? All good questions and the discussion will be held in earnest this year.

Franklin election (November 2021)

• Yes, the Town Council, School Committee, and many other positions are up for election in November. Who will run? What issues will they be facing? Will we see more youthful and diverse candidates?

Citizen engagement

• The voter turnout for the Sep and November 2020 elections were the highest numbers seen although by percent, we have turned out more (in 2016). The pandemic likely contributed to both the voter numbers and smaller per cent. Mail ballots were a key contributor. Will they become the 'norm'? What about early voting for a local election?
• The access to public meetings has made more engagement possible. Franklin residents can participate via Zoom, live stream, or cable channel. Less of an excuse to not be able to see and hear what is going on whether Town Council, Planning Board, School Committee or any number of other public boards and committees.

 

What would you add to this list?

What was the "watch list" for 2020?

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/01/franklin-issue-on-2020-watch-list_8.html

The slide deck I used for the Q&A session on Thursday can be found here

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1FWJEGxU7iVSSDnlsPLrpeOK4hYfyLaeoECYGkbJ7RFA/edit?usp=sharing

Franklin's "Watch list" for 2021