New Items April 2011
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"We've turned into a reactive department" he said, adding, "What else are we not going to respond to? If you had a break-in with no evidence left, do we even respond (or take information over the phone instead)?"
Franklin's police force had 54 officer positions about 10 years ago but will drop to 43 officers after two officers are cut in fiscal 2012, Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting said. One position is already vacant and Nutting said he anticipates the other position will be vacated before the end of the fiscal year.
Nutting's proposed $89.2 million town budget cuts more than 31 positions overall, including the two officers, 14.3 school positions, two firefighters, four Department of Public Works positions and 5.5 library jobs. The budget represents a 1.4 percent increase over this year's $88 million budget.
Cuts have to be made despite the budget going up due to decreased state aid (down about $300,000), decreased local revenue (down about $200,000), a loss of about $2 million in stimulus funds, increases in health insurance costs (up about 12 percent) and increased contractual obligations.
Last night, leaders of the administrative, comptroller treasurer/collector, town clerk and planning departments explained how reduced clerical support could result in longer waiting times, delays in providing services and reduced office hours. Those departments - coupled with the legal, human resources and inspection departments - will lose hours that combined will total the equivalent of one position.
"We don't want to close the office, but I can envision that if something comes up and someone is out (sick) there's no way we're going to stay open," Town Clerk Deborah Pellegri said.
Planning Director Bryan Taberner said he would normally write five or six grant proposals in six months, but only anticipates completing two with the reduced staff.
"In 2009 I probably spent 50 percent of my time on economic development (activities)," Taberner said. "I don't do more than half-a-day a week now."
Franklin switched to a single-stream system in July under which residents combine paper, cardboard, glass and cans into a new 65-gallon container. Residents also received a new trash container.
The town borrowed $800,000 to buy both the trash and recycling containers, a cost that will mostly be paid off by user fees.
The grant reimburses Franklin for about 20 percent of the $400,000 cost for the recycling containers, helping the town repay that money sooner without raising fees, Department of Public Works Director Robert Cantoreggi said.
Since the switch, the amount of material recycled has increased by 15 percent while the amount of trash has decreased by more than 18 percent, a trend Cooper said has been seen in many of the 70 Massachusetts communities that have adopted single-stream recycling programs since 2005.
Franklin is expected to save more than $100,000 in disposal costs and earn $20,000 in new recycling revenue this fiscal year, statistics provided by Cooper's department show.