"another tool to allow the officer to be better"

The Milford Daily News has an article about license plate readers that some police departments are now getting to assist in their work.

In Franklin, Lynch said the devices have flagged registration or insurance problems. But police can't check plates against certain types of information yet, such as arrest warrants, and Lynch said he hopes to see that improve. 

"It's still early. We've only had it for about a month," Lynch said. "The technology is great - it's just that the databases it draws off of, as far as I'm concerned, are a little limited."

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x1249728037/License-plate-readers-help-police-scan-30-plates-a-second#ixzz1RhS7dL54

Wachusett St: construction update

Now that school is out, the reconstruction of Wachusett St is in the final stages. The water and sewer lines were worked on last year and then a rough coat of paving made the road smooth. The sewer and manhole covers are now being raised in preparation for the final coat of paving.



The road is still smooth and provides almost a slalom like driving course as you navigate around the barrels and raised casings.



Drive safely!

Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - 7/13/11

A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

B. ANNOUNCEMENTS

C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS

E. APPOINTMENTS
- Joint Appointment of Planning Board Member - William David

F. HEARINGS

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS

I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION:

1. Resolution 11-10: Request for Legislation Exempting the Deputy Fire Chief Position from Civil Service

2. Resolution 11-36: Authorization For Intermunicipal Agreement Between Franklin and Town of Bellingham For Shared Animal Control And Inspection Services

3. Resolution 11-38: In Support of Updating The Massachusetts Bottle Bill

4. Resolution 11-39: Accepting Section 65 of Chapter 188 of the Municipal Relief Act of 2010

5. Zoning Bylaw 11-652: Amendment to Chapter 185 §4. Districts Enumerated Zoning- 2nd Reading

6. Bylaw 11-653: Amendment to Chapter 185 §7. Compliance Required Zoning 2nd Reading

8. Bylaw 11-654: Amendment to Chapter 185 §12. Schedule of Lot, Area, Frontage, Yard & Height Requirements. – 2nd Reading

9. Zoning Bylaw 11-655: Amendment to Chapter 185 §2. Parking, Loading, and Driveway Requirements, Subsection B - 2nd Reading

10. Zoning Bylaw Amendment 11-660: Amendment to Chapter 185 §45. L. (1) Administration and Enforcement – 2nd Reading

K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

L. OLD BUSINESS

M. NEW BUSINESS

N. COUNCIL COMMENTS

O. EXECUTIVE SESSION – Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required

P. ADJOURN

Farmers Market Open Today !

Franklin Farmers Market,  Friday,  12:00pm to 6:00pm

"consciously and carefully readjust policy parameters over time"

This paper provides an updated analysis of underlying municipal fiscal health, using a measure of municipal gap and recent data for Massachusetts cities and towns. The analysis shows that large disparities in municipal gaps exist among cities and towns, and that the disparities have grown in recent years. 

Created for the purpose of fiscal equalization, unrestricted municipal aid is not highly correlated with municipal gaps in Massachusetts. In fact, municipal gaps cannot explain the majority of the variation in municipal aid. This partly reflects large ad hoc aid cuts over the past 20 years. The consolidation of municipal aid programs in FY 2010 has not improved the aid distribution—that consolidation has simply perpetuated the existing inequity.

For those really interested in the systemic fiscal problems that Franklin and by extension the Commonwealth of MA faces in the redistribution of state aid, this paper from the Boston Federal Reserve Bank is a good read. I would love to obtain the full data set used to see where Franklin falls on the charts. The paper identifies the top 10 cities but stops there.

For the full text of this paper you can follow this link to the Federal Reserve website and download or view the PDF.

In the News - dog found

Missing Franklin dog back home

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Alison McCall/Daily News staff

Roger Magalhaes Announces Shades-IN-Place INC. 5 YR Anniversary!

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SHADES IN PLACE ANNOUNCES FIVE SUCCESSFUL YEARS IN BUSINESS FRANKLIN, MA: July 7, 2011, Roger Magalhaes, Owner and Managing Director of Shades-IN- Place, Inc., announced the five-year anniversary of his company.       "This is a significant milestone for the company," stated Mr. Magalhaes. "Looking back to when I started my company, I never imagined it would grow so fast! I'm very grateful to all my clients who have helped me create this wonderful company, and to provide products and services that solve problems and make people happy." To celebrate the company's five successful years in business, Mr. Magalhaes is offering two very significant specials. The first is $100 off any custom window treatment product purchase over $300. This includes custom blinds, shades, plantation shutters, drapes, decorative window films, hardware, and more. Coupons will be mailed to all current Shades-IN-Place, Inc. customers whose mailing addresses are on file with the company. Anyone not already on this mailing list and interested in receiving a coupon can request their coupon by contacting Mr. Magalhaes. This offer begins July 1, 2011 and ends on August 15, 2011. The second special offer is the creation of an Annual Anniversary Gift Card Giveaway. To mark the first five years, Shades-IN-Place will give away five $100 gift certificates, one each, to Whole Foods®, Lowe's®, Macy's®, Best Buy®, and Shell®. This drawing will be open to everyone with no purchase necessary. To participate, individuals should go to the Shades-IN-Place Page on Facebook® and "Like" the company. Then go to the Questions Section on the left and select the gift card they would like to be entered to win (one entry per person). There will be one winner for each of the five gift cards. The drawing will be held on August 15, 2011, and winners will be notified and posted on Facebook®. Shades-IN-Place, Inc., is a premium window treatment company specializing in the services   end of the industry. Services currently include: Measurements, Installation, Motorization, Replacements, Custom Treatments and Design as well as Picture, Art, Mirror and Wall Decor Hanging. Shades-IN-Place, Inc., also sells custom window treatment products from brand name manufacturers including Hunter Douglas®, Lafayette®, and Kirsch®. Shades-IN-Place, Inc., has been in operation since 2006 and continues to grow thanks to recommendations from an ever-expanding number of satisfied customers. "We appreciate our customers and will continue to provide excellent products and services that are important to them," concludes Mr. Magalhaes.        For more information, contact Roger Magalhaes at (508) 520-6700 or email him at Roger@shadesINplace.com.

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Franklin has two newspapers

Summer time. No school, time for family vacations, time for competition to heat up in the free paper space in Franklin. Yes, it appears that way.

We just returned from a long weekend to find two local papers in our mail. One I am familiar with. Franklin's Local Town Pages has been delivered to Franklin's residents monthly since December 2010. The JN Media Franklin News looked similar. Both delivered as 24 pages.

Many of the ads were the same in both, maybe the competition will be good for the local businesses!

Time will tell if the 'new' paper will stick around. Franklin has seen papers come and go after one edition. The Franklin Local Town Pages is the longest to stick around thus far.



Note: I do get paid a nominal amount for my contributions to the Franklin Local Town Pages.

In the News - lost dog

Franklin family looking for lost dog

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Allison McCall/Daily News staff

In the News - NuStyle demo

Nu-Style demolition slated for fall in Franklin

by Alison McCall/Daily News staff

Meals tax delivers $70.5 million to 146 cities and towns

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

Meals tax delivers $70.5 million to 146 cities and towns

via Commonwealth Conversations: Revenue by Robert Bliss on 7/6/11

As of today, 146 communities (about 42 percent of the Commonwealth's 351 cities and towns) have collected $70.5 million over the past two fiscal years from the .75 percent local option meals tax.

The Division of Local Services Municipal Data Bank has the complete list of communities that have adopted the local option tax, and the amount of revenue generated in FY 10 ($27.13 million) and FY11 ($43.33 million). This list appears on the Data Bank Local Options page; just scroll down about halfway until the bullet headed Local Option Meals Excise.

Not surprisingly, Boston has collected the most, about $30 million. The tax has delivered about $5.1 million to Cambridge, $3.2 million to Worcester and $2.3 million to Springfield. But other communities have seen the benefit as well. Natick and Framingham, which share the busy Route 9 corridor, have collected $2.7 million and Northampton, a Pioneer Valley hub of dining and entertainment, has collected $939,000. Blandford, a small town of 1,233 near the New York border, collected $52,000, mostly, one would assume, from the two MassPike service areas in the town.

The state meals tax is 6.25 percent; with the local option, the meals tax rises to 7 percent. Thus a $40 restaurant tab generates $2.80 in meals tax, of which 30-cents goes to a city or town that has enacted the local option. These small amounts add up to a sizable revenue source.

The state share of the meals tax as of May 31 had generated $740 million, up $55 million or 8.1 percent from the same period a year ago, which indicates that the increasing number of communities that have adopted the local option meals tax has not slowed down the pace of taxpayers going out to eat.

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Follow the link in the second paragraph and you'll end up on the DOR website. Scroll down to the meal tax section and you'll see that Franklin gained $239,644 for FY 10 and $347,217 for the FY 11 that just ended June 30th.

A small increase but a good one!

Family tradition

One of our family traditions signalling the end of the school year and the onset of summer is to have ice cream at the Franklin Flatbreads and Spruce Pond Creamery. If we go early enough, we make a meal of our ice cream. Banana splits and the works. If we go later in the evening, it is usually for small cups of our favorite flavors.

It was a cloudy evening Friday. The clouds were gathering and threatening to rain on someone, but not here in Franklin fortunately.



What tradition do you have to mark the end of the school year?

Matt Cutts - Try something new for 30 days

Is there something you've always meant to do, wanted to do, but just ... haven't? Matt Cutts suggests: Try it for 30 days. This short, lighthearted talk offers a neat way to think about setting and achieving goals. In less than 4 minutes, you can get started on your next 30 days!





Note : email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the video

Preliminary Analysis: Conference Committee Fiscal Year 2012 Budget

Explore our online budget database Is our research helpful to you? Support our work Contact Info   Noah Berger   President    nberger@massbudget.org   (617) 426-1228 x102  Preliminary Analysis: Conference Committee Fiscal Year 2012 Budget July 1, 2011  On the first day of the new fiscal year, the Legislature today approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 budget.   Like the House and Senate budgets, the version crafted by the conference committee relies primarily on cuts and savings to close a $1.9 billion budget gap.  It also relies on some temporary revenues including approximately $200 million from the state's rainy day fund.    This Preliminary Analysis describes major items of difference between the House and Senate budget proposals and how they were resolved.  It also reviews funding levels for major items in the budget where the House and Senate had not disagreed, and provides information about revenue issues in the budget.   The Governor now has ten days to sign the budget and veto provisions or funding levels with which he disagrees.  The legislature will then have the opportunity to override any of those vetoes with a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate The report is available at www.massbudget.org or by clicking here.     See MassBudget's Budget Browser to explore Massachusetts state budgets from Fiscal Year 2001 to the present, as well as budget proposals for the next fiscal year as they are offered by the Governor and the Legislature.     MassBudget provides independent research and analysis of state budget and tax policies, as well as economic issues, with particular attention to the effects on low- and moderate-income people.

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'simple, non-crucial maintenance that is great to have done"

Roughly 80 teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18 went to nine different places to paint, rake, mulch and pick up litter. 

The conference, which ran from Thursday until today, brought together 11 wards of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 

Catherine Thacker, co-organizer and Franklin Stake Young Women's president, was one of 25 adults overseeing the "Forever Strong" conference. 

"We want to teach our youth to reach out into the community, to learn that they can make a difference," Thacker said.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x1498053383/Teens-from-church-group-help-spruce-up-Franklin#ixzz1QwJSpvMQ

New paving downtown

Took a quick run (yes, literally) downtown to go to ATM at the bank and along the way found that the paving work on Dean St had progressed. This work is funded as part of the PWED Project.



I also happened to notice that Main St had a new coating of blacktop. This should make some folks happy as it was quite bumpy down that way due to the work on the other Downtown Improvement Project with separate funding.



As I understood the time line on this project, additional work will be done next year and this is only a temporary coating. I wonder who is paying for this temporary coating?

I would have thought it would be better to leave it with as many bumps in the road as there were folks let go over the past several years to serve as a reminder. Continuing to "find" money to cover some bumps like this does not help solve the real structural fiscal issues Franklin faces.

Slick Back Swagger at Cole's Tavern

Slick Back Swagger played a benefit concert at Cole's Tavern last night for the Franklin Food Pantry. One of our 'roving reporters' sent along this photo to share:

Thanks, Amy!

"Drive Smart and Save"

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

"Drive Smart and Save"

via Commonwealth Conversations: Transportation by Klark Jessen on 6/30/11

The Patrick-Murray Administration today announced a new online resource that can help Massachusetts residents and visitors to save money on gas and travel. The "Drive Smart and Save" program offers tips for cost-friendly driving techniques that can save travelers money on fuel expenses, improve fuel economy by up to 33 percent, and help reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.

"Drive Smart and Save" supports GreenDOT, a comprehensive environmental responsibility and sustainability initiative of MassDOT.  "Drive Smart and Save" tips include:
•    Drive Less -- When your travel plans allow, try taking public transportation, walking, biking, or carpooling.
•    Set It at 60 -- Drive the posted speed limit, or even a bit less on the highway, to see increased fuel economy. Fuel consumption increases about 5 percent for every five miles per hour driven above 60 mph. And use your cruise control – keeping a steady speed will also save fuel.
•    Easy on the Pedals -- Avoid fast starts and hard stops to decrease fuel use. Travelers should join FAST LANE prior to hitting the roads this summer to avoid traffic at the tolls – this can save lots of time, as well as fuel.
•    Turn It Off -- Shut off your engine when you are stopped. Idling wastes gas and is bad for the environment.
•    Click the Cap - Make sure your gas cap is tight to prevent fuel evaporation and to improve air quality.
•    Check the Pressure - Proper tire pressure is safer, extends tire life, and can provide up to 3% mpg benefit per tank of fuel. Check your tire pressure monthly, and pump your tires up to the recommended level (which can usually be found on the sticker in your driver's door frame).
Additional ideas for fuel savings can be found at:  www.mass.gov/massdot/drivesmart

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