Franklin Matters: Search results for override, 2008

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Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Override & debt exclusion info in the archives

Now that the "O" word (override) has been mentioned, there is a bunch of information in these archives that may be useful to provide the historical perspective.

Long time readers may recall that Franklin Matters came to be during the 2007 override and the domain officially was born in Nov 2007.

The 2007 Override is noteworthy as it is the only successful override Franklin has passed in its history to date. It passed because there was unified support across the Town Council and School Committee. The succeeding overrides (2008 & 2010) failed because that unity did not exist. Some naysayers among the Council and School Committee created enough doubt and discord that success was unattainable.

There also was a special ballot question on the State election of 2014 to provide $1.5 million to fund road maintenance that failed significantly. As it was a Sate election, Franklin turned out at 59% (normal for State elections) and 8289 voters said No, 3583 said Yes. https://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/10/ballot-question-5-dedicated-override-to.html

Coming out of the 2008 override failure there was recognition that a long term financial plan needed to be developed. A committee was created and began work on that in early 2010. The Financial Planning Committee changed to the Long Range Planning Committee. The first report they produced is now what we see each year when the Town Administrator publishes their 5 year outlook.

The Joint Budget Committee is the current working group to help with these long range and financial planning matters. They have not met frequently enough so we find ourselves now in a position where some folks understand the situation and many do not. The Joint Budget should meet more frequently (at least quarterly, in my view) rather than the annual meeting they have had in recent years.

The archive has links to collect the information pasted for each of the elections.

There is also a spreadsheet with the specific ballot question history for both the debt exclusions (i.e. schools) and override votes.

Franklin Override - Debt Exclusion Vote History

Some of the links break as the Town and School pages were updated twice since then (and neither upgrade maintained link integrity).

If you find a link that might be valuable for your research, let me know, I might have the individual document in my own archives and can find and update the link accordingly.

Additional archive links can be found in the Key Link tab https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/important-links.html

Lincoln St road work during Aug 2014

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

On this day: May 22, 2007 Franklin voted for the first operational override

On this day, twelve years ago, 8759 Franklin residents went to the old high school field house to cast their votes for an operational override. The vote was successful and historic.

While Franklin has successful passed debt exclusions for several school buildings (including most recently for the new high school in 2012), this was the only operational override passed.

"The votes came in to pass the first operational budget override in Franklin's Prop 2 1/2 history.
The final tally was 5,028 for and 3,722 against with 9 blanks and 8,759 total votes cast."

https://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2007/05/vote-tally-override-52207.html

The override collection for the 2007 vote can be found here
https://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2007/04/franklin-override-collection.html

Yes, this was the beginning of Franklin Matters. The domain and new website came online in November 2007. Links to the prior posts on my personal blog are still valid in the archive where needed.

Franklin failed to pass operational overrides in 2008 and 2010 and has not had a vote scheduled since that time. However, next year maybe an opportunity.

Franklin override collection for 2010 (FY 2011)
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2010/05/budget-override-collection-fy-2011.html

Franklin override info for 2008 (FY 2009) (not a single collection; I learned as I went along to do so) https://www.franklinmatters.org/search?q=override%2C+2008

On this day: May 22, 2007 Franklin votes for first operational override

Monday, June 7, 2010

Budget - Override Collection - FY 2011

The following links provide access to information on the budget for Fiscal Year 2011

Additional items will be added here as they are found/prepared.

If you are looking for something in particular regarding the budget and don't find it, please let me know.

Letter from Scott Mason, Town Council Chairman

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Jay & I cover Franklin's Current Issues in this Q&A 3 part series (audio)

FM #1215-1216-1217 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1215-1216-1217 in the series.

This session of the radio show shares my conversation with Jay Horrigan, Franklin resident, Franklin TV & Radio talent and fellow Board of Directors member for the Franklin Community Cable Access organization. We met to record this conversation in the studio on Thursday, May 16, 2024.

We spent enough time in the studio discussing current events that our wives were sending out queries as to where we were. The conversation is split into 3 sections to better enable sharing via the radio time slot (less than an hour).

We talk about

Jay’s story and what he keeps busy with
Spend time to answer current issue questions

June 11 override vote
How the $6.8M was determined
What is an override vs a debt exclusion
Development of the ‘fiscal cliff’ post COVID
State vs Commonwealth (no real difference in operation)
Fund allocation from the override in FY 2025 and following
Coordination of Town and School
Explanation of the bigger ‘pie’, budget, etc.
Franklin TV video archives of Town, School, and other committee meetings
Condense the Town Council and School Committee meetings via audio as Town Council Quarterbacking and Chalkboard Chat answering the 2 questions: What just happened? What does that mean for us as residents and taxpayers?
Does the override tie to the redistricting plan?
School ‘master plan’ va Town Master Plan
Modular units helped to accommodate the school ‘population bubble’
Mr G’s analogy on how the redistricting was done, stepping back to better align students with the better school facilities
How the “Portrait of the Graduate” plays into this
Teachers are being reduced gradually to account for the decline in school enrollment

Part 1 of this conversation runs about 53 minutes. Let’s listen to my conversation with Jay. Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1215-franklin-current-issues-qa-with-jay-horrigan-05-16-24

Part 2 of this conversation runs about 30 minutes. Let’s listen to my conversation with Jay.

In this second episode we answer more questions

How does the override provide funds for school teachers’ pay?
Teacher union president Donna Grady interview provides insights to teacher issues
Teacher retention issue, is it related to the ‘massive new schools’?
Better expectation for future funding of the Schools post override
Difference in level of planning for redistricting, the ‘plan’ vs the implementation plan to work out the details
Civic engagement, the parents concerned about the redistricting can be involved in the implementation plan
What is the goal of the Town “master plan”? What do we want Franklin to be when we grow up?
The issue with the middle school after school activities and late bus, how is that related to the override?
School funding of buses vs parent cost, a change from $360 to $500 if the override fails, along with other activities and sports fees will increase if the override fails
Sense of community and ‘commonwealth’ vs the divisive and personal focal points we hear
Timing of the override June vs. November, better for the students educational experience
Demise of newspapers, rise of newsletters, flyers sent home replaced by email and PDFs on the schools pages

Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1216-franklin-current-issues-qa-p2-of-3-05-16-24

Part 3 of this conversation runs about 38 minutes. Let’s listen to my conversation with Jay.

The possibility of an underride and what it would do
Concern of getting the message out amidst the Presidential campaign ads
School planning needed for redistricting, 2 summers needed
Disruption for school year in November if the underride succeeds
Assuming override passes, when would taxpayers see the increase?
How does the new apartment revenues flow to the Town (about 10 minutes in P3)
Tax increment financing (TIF) (Tegra Medical - 2009, Hamilton Technology - 2011, Cold Chain - 2015, Plansee - 2022)
What’s happening with Davis Thayer
Redistricting tied to override?
Redistricting tied to new police station?

Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1217-franklin-current-issues-qa-part-3-of-3-05-16-24

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Contact info for Jay -> jayhorrigan@gmail.com

Town override summary page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/town-budget/webforms/fy25-override-information

State vs Commonwealth info -> https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/whats-the-difference-between-a-commonwealth-and-a-state

Donna Grady interview -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/05/talking-about-teaching-education-with.html

Police Station Building Committee May 13, 2024 -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2024/01/police-station-building-cmte-agrees-on.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

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit www.franklin.news/ or www.Franklinmatters.org/

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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Jay & I cover Franklin's Current Issues in this Q&A 3 part series (audio)

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Voices of Franklin: Dear Franklin Town Council & School Committee, "Please, vote to put the override on the ballot in June"

Dear Franklin Town Council & School Committee, Mr. Helen and Superintendent Giguere,

I am writing to you this evening to urge you all to vote to put the override on the ballot this June. Anyone who claims this has been a rushed process has simply not been paying attention. I take particular umbrage at the residents who have lived here far longer than I have who are claiming this override process has been rushed. As someone who only moved here in late 2021, and, again, has a toddler and an infant at home, I should be the resident who has no idea of the financial straits Franklin is in. And yet I am aware. The idea that this override process has been rushed is simply absurd. A simple Google search will pull up the former Superintendent of Schools comments from 2008 - 16 years ago - about the financial crunch facing the Franklin Schools.

Former Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes once wrote, "taxes are the price we pay to live in a civilized society." That's the ballgame - taxes are the price we pay to enjoy all the benefits of civilization. At the local level, that means our water and sewer systems work, our roads are paved, we have police and fire departments, we have good schools, and all of those services must be funded adequately.

I believe reasonable people can disagree. I also believe that reasonable people, when looking at the financial data provided, will happily shell out more money in property taxes in order to continue to fund our local government properly, because the alternative is horrifying.

Let me be clear - I want to live in a town where our local services are properly funded. If that means I pay more in property taxes to do so, then I will do so happily. I want the Franklin Police Department to be fully funded (and I want them to get the new police station they need when the time comes for that). I want the Fire Department to be fully funded. I want the DPW to be fully funded. I want the Library to be fully funded. I want the Facilities Department to be fully funded, and yes, I want to make damn sure the schools are fully funded as well. And I know that nothing in life comes free, so I (and many more people in town) are willing to pay that cost, to ensure that our local services remain the best they can be.

I know Franklin does have people on fixed incomes, and this will be difficult for them. This includes my own aunt and uncle living here as well. I have all the sympathy in the world for people on fixed incomes during these times of crazy inflation. I can only hope that they understand this override is absolutely necessary and their sense of civic duty and pride in the town of Franklin motivates them to vote in favor of it, despite the additional hardship such an override will represent.

However, I believe a lot of the opposition to the override comes from people who are currently in the workforce, people who have seen the property values of their homes skyrocket in recent years, and simply buy into the narrative that government is the problem and that taxes are a form of theft. Please, ignore those people, as they do not represent the majority of voters here in Franklin. Please, vote to put the override on the ballot in June. Thank you all for your service - I know that you all get a lot of flak in your positions as government leaders. Keep your heads up, ignore the negativity, and please do the right thing and put the override to the ballot in June. I look forward to seeing the joint Town Council/School Committee meeting this Wednesday at FHS.

Respectfully,

Ben Liberto

23 Southgate Rd.

Voices of Franklin: Dear Franklin Town Council & School Committee, "Please, vote to put the override on the ballot in June"

If you have something to say, you can find the guidelines here
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/03/introducing-voices-of-franklin.html

Friday, May 30, 2008

What You Need to Know to Make an Informed Vote on June 10th

The contents of a recent email from Tom Sousa representing the Franklin Cares email distribution listing is worth sharing here:

1. The Vote is Soon!
Voting will take place on June 10th at the Franklin High School Field House from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

2. The Proposed Override Will Average Only $243 per Household.
The override translates to an increased tax bill of only $243 per household. Since the tax payments are tax deductible, the after-tax cost is approximately $168 or about 50 cents a day.

3. Without the Override, You May End Up Spending More
You could be spending more per year by voting down the override because of cost increases for items such as pay-to-ride and athletic participation fees. If the override fails, there will be a $100 increase per student in the pay-to-ride bus, and cancellation of late bus service for students who need to stay after school for academic, clubs and extracurricular programs.

4. Franklin's Educational Spending is efficient.
Currently, Franklin is spending $2,200 less per pupil in 10 of the 11 State Department Education categories than the average in the state. We would have to add $13 million to the education budget just to be average spenders in the state.

5. Pink Slips Were Not Delivered for Dramatic Effect.
Teachers and administrators who received Pink Slips last week will indeed be gone if the override doesn't pass. This translates to a loss of approximately 43.5 teaching positions – 16 at Franklin high, 12.5 at the middle school level, and 15 at the elementary level.

6. It Will Be a Step Back for Franklin if Layoffs Occur.
The number of classroom teachers in Franklin is as follows:

School year	# of classroom teachers
2003-04	408
2004-05	459
2005-06	449
2006-07	466
2007-08	443

During that same time period, enrollment in the Franklin schools has increased by approximately 500 students and the Keller-Sullivan schools were opened. If the override is unsuccessful, the number of classroom teachers is expected to dip below 400 for the 2008-2009 school year, which means we will have less teachers than we had in 2003, but 500 more students and a new school facility.

7. Class Size Will Significantly Increase Without the Override.
The range for elementary school class sizes will increase to between 19 to 30 students per class. The middle school and high school will average roughly 25 to 30 students per class.

8. The Charter School Will be Impacted.
The Town of Franklin per pupil cost directly drives state re-imbursement for the Charter School. If we spend less, the Charter School will get less.

9. Unemployment Costs the Town.
If the town rejects the override, it is liable for up to $675,000 in unemployment for the laid-off teachers and administrators.

10. Families With Young Kids Are the Lowest Voting Population in Franklin
Regardless of how you vote, make your voice heard about this issue. Absentee ballots are one solution for busy families who want to be heard. Absentee ballots can be submitted at the Town Clerk's Office, 355 East Central Street, between 9am and 4pm. The deadline for absentee ballots is noon on June 9th.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Simple choice - maintain or cut

As demand for services rise our staff levels continue to fall. There are two unpleasant solutions to this problem. Continue to reduce services or increase taxes.

An override will be requested for the FY 06 Budget. I estimate it will require approximately $4 million to maintain the level of services that currently exist. A successful override will allow us to balance the budget in the short term but in the long run the fundamental gap between revenues and expenses will arise creating the same problem in the future. The only long-term solution will depend upon changing the the tax laws to curtail the over reliance on the property tax as the primary source of funding local government.

The override is intended to address the current financial problems. It does not address the need to upgrade the high school, reconstruct roads and sidewalks, or fund a hugh unfunded health insurance obligation. These issues will have to be addressed over the next three years.

From the FY 2005 Budget Statement (PDF) published by Jeff Nutting in April 2004. This quote can be found on the bottom of page 11. The override mentioned was held in November 2004 and it failed by a 1,148 votes.

The future fiscal years beyond FY 07 will be difficult to deal without additional revenues. Please carefully review pages 4-6 titled FY 08 Budget Projections. You will note that with a very modest 2.5% increase in general costs along with increases in energy, health insurance, etc. the town will face a multi-million dollar shortfall. The 2.5% increase is not adequate to provide the same level of services that are currently provided and will lead to reductions in school/municipal services. realistically, the increase would need to be closer to 5% to maintain services. There is no way to avoid the eventual reality that our reserves are dwindling while our costs continue to rise faster than our revenues. I believe that FY 08 will be the year that difficult choices will have to be made in order to balance the budget.

From the FISCAL 2007 Annual Report published April 20, 2006 (PDF) by Jeff Nutting. The quote can be found on the bottom of page 2. The difficult choices mentioned did occur in FY 08 and resulted in the first operational override to pass in Franklin by a margin of 1,306 votes.

Final Comment - What do you get for your property taxes?
Franklin's property taxes are very reasonable. Unlike other taxes we pay, all of your property tax dollars remain in Franklin. The average tax bill in Franklin is $3,872. That amount provides high quality education, saves property and lives, plows your streets, provides library and recreational opportunities, and assists our senior citizens and veterans. When you need a paramedic, police officer, or other public service, they are a phone call away. Your tax dollars are used to improve your quality of life, and in the case of property owners, maintain and increase the value of your investment. In good times or bad, we strive to be prudent with your tax dollars and be responsive to your needs.

This is from the Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Statement (PDF) as published by Jeff Nutting in March 2008. This quote can be found on the top of the last page, page 11.

As these quotes from the budget information provided during the past several years indicate, an override this year is not a surprise. We have a systemic issue that is not being addressed. We have avoided the painful choices by drawing down the stabilization fund. It is no longer a smart fiscal choice to make. The choice remaining is to cut services (in this case educational services for our children) or raise taxes.

Put all the other arguments aside: Do you want to maintain our quality educational services or do we start cutting deeper than we have before?

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Learn all you can by visiting here frequently.

Visit the School Committee override page for the schedule of information sessions

You can find override related information here

Be informed to cast your vote on June 10th

Franklin Matters

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Override & debt exclusion info in the archives

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

On this day: May 22, 2007 Franklin voted for the first operational override

Monday, June 7, 2010

Budget - Override Collection - FY 2011

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Jay & I cover Franklin's Current Issues in this Q&A 3 part series (audio)

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Voices of Franklin: Dear Franklin Town Council & School Committee, "Please, vote to put the override on the ballot in June"

Friday, May 30, 2008

What You Need to Know to Make an Informed Vote on June 10th

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Simple choice - maintain or cut

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