Present: Quinn, Fleming, Conley, Smith, Dufour, Aparo, Dowd
Absent: Dewsnap, Huempher
Nutting, Gagner, Dacey, McNeil
Motion to approve minutes for meeting of Jan 14, seconded, passed 7-0
Nutting - budget overview
Revenues up, what the Schools do with their budget, we'll find out (School Committee actually meeting on their budget this evening)
Town Administrator budget going up with Town Clerk no longer able to do passports by law
new high has more glass and surfaces that will need to be cleaned regularly
Schools had laid off 8 custodians several years ago, this is time to add one back
Police looking to add one position; between vacation, holiday, sick leave accumulated it amounts to 3 people, this covers one; haven't been replacing them regularly
4 firefighters being paid by Federal grant, that will expire, no increase budgeted for as there still is not a negotiated contract with the fire fighters union
Retiree health costs transferred to Town Budget from Schools; better situation for this to be handled
this accounts for an extra increase of $555,000
Snow budget increase, this year is up so the rolling average is
looking to add 2600 seniors so Senior Center will be increasing
Library monthly book sale increasing revenues to open up Sunday hours
Bond request coming in the Spring for water improvements
Bond request coming for Library improvements and renovations (within budget)
Sewer plant improvements going to hit budget next year, hopefully the increase will did last year will help us cover that, the exact amount will find out and see
mediation/arbitration coming again with fire fighters but not really an expectation of getting a settlement given the recent history
This is an 'easy' budget in the grand scheme of things, next year will be another sotry
trash account likely to increase about $4 next year, hard to believe it is already coming up to the end of the five year contract.as the economy gets better the trash rates will get better
Q - if recycling rate goes up does that help the overall rate?
A - yes, it does.
Q - would the declining enrollment affect some of their planning?
A - question is better answered by the School Committee. The grade student teacher ratio is different from elementary, middle to high school.
Employee Benefits - G - 10 Budget line 910
Retirement assessment comes directly from the the County
Pension will be about 15% of the budget once we get out of the hole
had been paying 1.7M for retiree health, now it is down to 1.05M
major increase in this line is the $555,000 as mentioned during the overview
all health insurance subject to collective bargaining, they have been good 12 of the 13 have been at the table regularly (800 subscribers, 2000 people) (all non-school and retirees)
Schools generally doing most of the layoffs, teachers not renewing get laid off
OPEB had been planned for $100K but with the funds, lets god with $200K now and slowly grow this. we really need 2.7M per year to fund it, that would be our entire increase each year....
Compensation reserve increase due to the unsettled fire contract, which outstanding requirements increase for another year. what is unused (due to unsettled contracts gets into 'free cash'
Human Resources - A-21 Budget line 152
Police exam didn't cost the Town, the applicants admission fees paid for the exam
promotional exam already in Police Budget, that we do pay for
Town Council - A -1 Budget line 111
minor increase for conference admission fees
Town Administrator A - 2 budget line 123
increase here due to shift in hours from Town Clerk as mentioned
Finance Committee A - 4 Budget line 131
minor increase for conference admission fees
Comptroller A -5 Budget line 135
looking to replace a retiree at the end of the year and provide some overlap
Assessors - A - 10 Budget line 141
minor expense increase, less than $5K
usually get a 5-8 fold payback for the expense so it helps
Treasurer/Collector A -14 Budget line 147
UNibank dropped the ball on the $.25 increase
10-15% use the online bill pay
100 people use the drive up window about this time with excise taxes due
Legal - A - 19 Budget line 151
can hardly measure the cost avoidance for this but likely proceless
reviews contracts before they out the door
works on the real estate deals
working on all the bylaws, still a couple left to do
if we get sued, 99% we are covered by insurance
works with the assessors to cover the appeals to the Tax Board
pretty cheap legal budget for the size of the operations we have
The School do have a separate legal coverage for special ed
more than 20 hours a week counts for benefits, and thereby is 'permanent'
good for some folks but not for everyone as there are some continuity issues
Appeals Board A -37 Budget line 176
purely advertisement fees, paid for by the applicants
Central Services A - 50 Budget line 196
covers the copy machines, Iron Mountain records storage
postage machine rental use
postage except for schools covered here
annual report printing comes from this line too
Animal Control B - 56 Budget line 292
regional agreement with Bellingham
24 hours coverage provided
animal pound down by the DPW facility
Parking Meters B - 58 Budget line 293
looking to replace the existing meters
pricing for use of credit cards prohibitive
coins or swipe cards
busy is good, if people are parked downtown, then the meals tax revenue will increase
mostly for maintenance for the existing meters
meters and fines pay for the small lot rental and meters
Memorial Day - F - 12 Budget line 692
flags for the veterans
Cultural Council F - 13 Budget Line 695
cultural events and grants
Debt G - 1 Budget line 710/750
next year peak year for debt, then we get available capacity
debt ratio in historical data, (page 10)
policy of Council is to not exceed 3.5%
debt is level principle, declining interest - hence able to build capacity
one more small debt financing for the high school when it finishes
General Insurance G - 22 Budget line 945
a plug number, a best guess until the numbers are available
the old high school cost 9M to build
the contents alone for the building is a staggering amount
collective bargaining agreements are 2.5%
some increases are due to step increases
so there amount will vary from department to department
240 employees, all non union part timers except for the library
all management are non-union (probably 50-60 total)
HR does market analysis; some jobs are easier to compare than others
old business
new business - meeting Thursday 3/13
end of Mar/Apr will need to talk about the capital budget
motion to adjourn, seconded, passed
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Franklin, MA: School Committee - Agenda - Mar 11, 2014
Vision Statement
The Franklin Public Schools will foster within its students the knowledge and skills to find and achieve satisfaction in life as productive global citizens.
AGENDA
"The listing of matters are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law."
1. Routine Business
Citizen’s Comments
Review of Agenda
Minutes: I recommend approval of the minutes from the February 25, 2014 School Committee Meeting.
Payment of Bills – (from 2/11/14 Meeting) Mr. Clement
Payroll Mrs. Douglas
FHS Student Representatives
Correspondence: Budget to Actual
2. Guests/Presentations
a. Parmenter Update
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/parmenter-music-program-pdf.html
b. FY15 Budget Hearing
3. Action Items
a. Pre-Approved via email: I recommend approval of the request for the FHS Jazz Band’s trip to the UNH Jazz Band Festival on March 8, 2014.
b. I recommend approval of the budget transfers as detailed.
c. I recommend acceptance of a check for $500.00 from Parmenter PCC for field trips.
d. I recommend acceptance of a check for $282.66 from Wells Fargo Community Support Program for FHS.
e. I recommend acceptance of a check for $242.28 from Wells Fargo Community Support Program for FHS.
f. I recommend acceptance of a check for $242.28 from Wells Fargo Community Support Program for FHS.
g. I recommend approval of the request of Anthony Joseph to take the Keller 5th Grade on a field trip to Roger Williams Zoo on April 29, 2014.
h. I recommend approval of the request of Peter Light for a field trip to the All State Music Festival, in Boston, MA - March 20-22, 2014 as detailed
i. I recommend acceptance of the award of $1,200.00 of furniture from Jordan’s Furniture and $100.00 IMAX tickets for Davis Thayer students for winning the “Coats for Kids Program” as detailed.
j. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1,000.00 from the Friends of the Franklin Library for a FHS scholarship.
k. I recommend acceptance of two checks ($1,000.00 & $1,500.00) from Mr. & Mrs. Sabolinski and the Estate of Donald Sabolinski for a FHS Scholarship.
l. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1,500.00 from the FHS Class of 1972 & 1973 for the Janet McHale Memorial Scholarship at FHS.
m. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1,500.00 from the FHS Class of 1972 & 1973 for a scholarship in memory of Lexi and Sean Munroe.
n. I recommend acceptance of a check for $134.81 from PBC for FHS Athletics.
o. I recommend acceptance of a check for $240.00 from the Franklin Music Boosters for extra-curricular music.
p. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1,800.00 from the Music Boosters for in-house enrichment at FHS.
q. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1,000.00 from the Davis Thayer PCC for Library Books.
r. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1,217.00 from Keller PCC for a Kindergarten field trip.
s. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1,506.00 from the Parmenter PCC for grade 5 field trip.
t. I recommend acceptance of a check for $700.00 from the Parmenter PCC for buses for field trips.
u. I recommend approval of the request of Mr. Light/Ms. Gilbert for the Transition class to visit Lincoln Technical Institute in East Windsor, CT on April 16, 2014 as detailed.
v. I recommend acceptance of the donation of 30 tickets to the advanced screening of Divergent for Horace Mann students on March 18 at the AMC Theater in Boston from Summit Entertainment.
4. Information Matters
Superintendent’s Report
School Committee Sub-Committee Reports
School Committee Liaison Reports
5. New Business
To discuss future business that may be brought before the School Committee.
6. Executive Session
Contractual Negotiations
7. Adjourn
 |
| Franklin Municipal Building |
Emmons St building discussion documents
The handouts from the meeting last week are available for reading and download.
From the American Planning Association "How cities use parks for ... Economic Development" (4 pages)
The Franklin Downtown Partnership input (2 pages)
The letter sent for the February meeting from Representative Jeff Roy (1 page)
Helen Chalk's suggestion sent to the Planning Dept via email (1 page)
Sue Sheridan's letter with the recommendation of a multipurpose cultural space (1 page)
The notes from the meeting last week on the future of the Emmons St building can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/live-reporting-emmons-st-public-meeting.html
 |
| Emmon St building seen from West Central St |
From the American Planning Association "How cities use parks for ... Economic Development" (4 pages)
The Franklin Downtown Partnership input (2 pages)
The letter sent for the February meeting from Representative Jeff Roy (1 page)
Helen Chalk's suggestion sent to the Planning Dept via email (1 page)
Sue Sheridan's letter with the recommendation of a multipurpose cultural space (1 page)
The notes from the meeting last week on the future of the Emmons St building can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/live-reporting-emmons-st-public-meeting.html
Parmenter Music Program (PDF)
The Parmenter Music Program presentation document as scheduled for discussion at the School Committee meeting, Tuesday, March 11
The full School Committee agenda can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/franklin-ma-school-committee-agenda-mar.html
The full School Committee agenda can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/03/franklin-ma-school-committee-agenda-mar.html
Senator Spilka: Updates from the State House
|
This message was sent to :
Office of Karen Spilka | Office of State Senator Karen E. Spilka, Room 511-C, State House | Boston, MA 02133
|
Email Marketing by
 |
In the News: testing equipment, Sunday sales, FHS performance
ProVerde has purchased most of its testing equipment from Waters. The Franklin location, while not ideal, has given DesLauriers and Hudalla a place to refine the many procedures, from testing for heavy metals to creating profiles for different strains.
The marijuana they have used as samples came from licensed caregivers or people with permission from their doctor to use it, such as DesLauriers, because their staff cannot legally handle the drug. The state Department of Health has not released guidelines yet for the laboratories.Read the full article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140311/NEWS/140319564/1994/NEWS
On voice vote and without debate, the House last Wednesday approved a bill (H 228) that would legalize Sunday morning alcohol sales starting at 10 a.m. - two hours earlier than allowed under current law.
...
The bill, also sponsored by Rep. Kevin Kuros (R-Uxbridge) and Rep. Steven Howitt (R-Seekonk), is now before the Senate Committee on Ethics and Rules, chaired by Sen. Stanley Rosenberg of Amherst.
Read the full article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140310/NEWS/140319683/1994/NEWS
Franklin High School students will perform "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" on March 14 and 15 at 7 p.m. at the Horace Mann auditorium, Oak Street.
Tickets are $10 and will be available at the door.
Read the full article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140311/NEWS/140319568/1994/NEWS
Monday, March 10, 2014
Franklin, MA: Finance Committee - first Budget Hearing - Agenda
Franklin gets the budget hearing season underway Tuesday evening with the Finance Committee meeting at 7:00 PM in the 3rd Fl Training Room.
The listing of the mostly small and central administration budgets to be reviewed on Tuesday can be found here. The actual budget document has not yet been posted to the Franklin webpage. Once it is available, I will share it.
What is the budget process?
Jeff Nutting, Town Administrator (TA) and Susan Gagner, Town Comptroller, gather all the requirements from each of the departments and make a recommendation. The working budget document usually displays the last several years of budget for each department, this years request, and then the TA recommendation.
The Finance Committee does its review of the budget meeting with each of the department managers to get into a detail discussion of their operation as it relates to the budget. What is driving the increase (if any)?
After the Finance Committee hears all the budget details, it makes its recommendation to the Town Council. The Town Council used to go through a similar process of meeting with the department heads but the last couple of years has gotten away from that. They simply read the budget line items, a member has an opportunity to put a 'hold' on any item which they then come back to for a discussion.
So if you do want to find out what is really in the budget, you need to follow the Finance Committee meetings. This is where the details are revealed.
Dept - Budget - Page
Employee Benefits 910 G-10
Human Resources 152 A-21
Town Council 111 A-1
Town Administrator 123 A-2
Finance Committee 131 A-4
Comptroller 135 A-5
Assessors 141 A-10
Treasurer/Collector 147 A-14
Legal 151 A-19
Appeals Board 176 A-37
Central Services 196 A-50
Animal Control 292 B-56
Parking Meter 293 B-58
Memorial Day 692 F-12
Cultural Council 695 F-13
Debt 710/750 G-1
General Insurance 945 G-22
The listing of the mostly small and central administration budgets to be reviewed on Tuesday can be found here. The actual budget document has not yet been posted to the Franklin webpage. Once it is available, I will share it.
What is the budget process?
Jeff Nutting, Town Administrator (TA) and Susan Gagner, Town Comptroller, gather all the requirements from each of the departments and make a recommendation. The working budget document usually displays the last several years of budget for each department, this years request, and then the TA recommendation.
The Finance Committee does its review of the budget meeting with each of the department managers to get into a detail discussion of their operation as it relates to the budget. What is driving the increase (if any)?
After the Finance Committee hears all the budget details, it makes its recommendation to the Town Council. The Town Council used to go through a similar process of meeting with the department heads but the last couple of years has gotten away from that. They simply read the budget line items, a member has an opportunity to put a 'hold' on any item which they then come back to for a discussion.
So if you do want to find out what is really in the budget, you need to follow the Finance Committee meetings. This is where the details are revealed.
 |
| Franklin Municipal Building |
Dept - Budget - Page
Employee Benefits 910 G-10
Human Resources 152 A-21
Town Council 111 A-1
Town Administrator 123 A-2
Finance Committee 131 A-4
Comptroller 135 A-5
Assessors 141 A-10
Treasurer/Collector 147 A-14
Legal 151 A-19
Appeals Board 176 A-37
Central Services 196 A-50
Animal Control 292 B-56
Parking Meter 293 B-58
Memorial Day 692 F-12
Cultural Council 695 F-13
Debt 710/750 G-1
General Insurance 945 G-22
Franklin Newcomers Club: Jeffrey Roy to speak
From the Franklin Newcomers Club:
When and where does the Newcomers Club meet?
The meeting will be in the upstairs function room at '3' Restaurant Wednesday, Mar 12 at 7:30 PM. Light refreshments and non-alcoholic beverages will be available as will a cash bar.
'3' Restaurant
461 West Central Street, Franklin
 |
| Franklin Newcomers Club |
Our March speaker is our own State Representative, Jeffrey Roy. In addition, he is Chairman of the Master Plan Committee for an updated vision of Franklin. He will join us to speak about the vision for Franklin and to take any questions about what's new and exciting in our town. If there are any specific items that you would like him to address (i.e., any bills of interest at the State House), send him an email prior to our meeting at Jeffrey.Roy@MAHouse.gov and he will be sure to address it that night.
When and where does the Newcomers Club meet?
The meeting will be in the upstairs function room at '3' Restaurant Wednesday, Mar 12 at 7:30 PM. Light refreshments and non-alcoholic beverages will be available as will a cash bar.
'3' Restaurant
461 West Central Street, Franklin
Hockomock League Basketball All Stars
Hockomocksports.com has announced the girls basketball all stars
To see the full listing of all stars
http://www.hockomocksports.com/1/post/2014/03/hockomock-league-girls-basketball-all-stars.html
Hockomocksports.com has announced the boys basketball all stars
To see the full listing of all stars
http://www.hockomocksports.com/1/post/2014/03/hockomock-league-boys-basketball-all-stars.html
 |
| Franklin High School - home of the Panthers |
Price Reduced - How to Hire a Top Performing Salesperson
In our series on what businesses are based in Franklin, here is an email with an offer for help with your human resources needs.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday, March 9, 2014
RBWA - new term for the day (photo essay)
There is a management practice called 'managing by walking around' or MBWA. When I worked in a distribution center, responsible for the supply and inventory, this was critical to our success. By walking around, I was able to see folks in operations and if they had any questions, I could begin to address them right there on the spot.
For my regular readers, my weekend walks provide me the same opportunity. One to see what is going on in and around Franklin. Two to capture some of the sights so I can practice my photography and be able to share with you what I find. Come along as I do my "reporting by walking around" this time.
 |
| future home of Franklin TV |
Located on Hutchinson St, the new Franklin TV studios are under construction. There will also be a small garage and studio building added to the property directly behind this one.
 |
| Nason St playground tree shadows |
 |
| Nason St playground |
 |
| Nason St side view of playground |
The Nason St playground is one of the better ones I have seen in providing some shade. There is a balance between sunlight and shade but the Dacey Field playground is not usable when in direct sunlight as the equipment heats up in the sun. The tree shadows (even without leaves) show there is some sun cover available here.
 |
| Making whoopie |
In addition to the Cake Bar (which also was originally located in this space before moving downtown), Making Whoopie bakes all sorts of decadent whoopie pies. Some big, some small, all delicious!
 |
| Emmons St building |
The building was the subject of Tuesday's meeting. There will be more discussion before a decision is made. The building was originally a school and renovated to become the municipal building. The Town Council chambers were located in the left section looking at it from here. As one of the prime spots entering downtown Franklin what is will be is a good discussion.
More photos will be shared from my walk on Saturday. As the weather gets better, I'll schedule some time for a you to join me on the walk. We can meet somewhere around town at 9:00 AM and spend some time walking and talking.
Representative Roy Announces Office Hours for March
State Representative Jeffrey Roy (D-Franklin) announced today that constituent office hours will be held in Medway and Franklin for the Month of March on the following days:
Medway – Saturday March 22nd, 9:00-10:00AM, Coffee Sensations – 116 Main St. Medway, MA
Franklin – Thursday March 27th, 9:00-10:00AM, Franklin Food Pantry – 43 W Central St. Franklin, MA
 |
| Franklin Food Pantry |
Christopher Yancich, his legislative aide, will be accompanying him.
Representative Roy stated that all office hours are open to any residents of Franklin and Medway who may have questions or concerns that they wish to bring to his attention. Walk-ins are welcome; no appointment necessary. He looks forward to hearing from you.
He also invites all constituents to call him at his State House office at (617) 722-2400, stop by Room 134 in the State House, or email him at Jeffrey.Roy@MAhouse.gov.
Make a placeholder: Last walk through of FHS - TBD
via Facebook from Ed Cafasso:
Good morning everyone. As a member of the Building Committee for the new Franklin High School, I wanted to let you know that there are plans in the works to have an open house at the current high school after this academic year ends. Many FHS alumni are hoping for a last chance to walk the halls. As soon as a date and schedule are finalized, I will be sure it's posted here.
 |
| Beatles mural in H wing of FHS |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)