Live reporting - Legislation

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
• Resolution 10-85: Authorization to Expend Funds in Excess of Available Appropriations
a regular house keeping requirement, better to be a little under than over

motion to approve - passed 8-0

• Resolution 10-86: Authorization to Borrow for the Purchase of Trash Totters



motion to approve - passed

Discussion
Jeff in order to implement the new system, need to front the cost for the bins/totters
once paid off, the fee could be used to replenish them as needed and still drop over time

Vallee speaking against the purchase now, the timing is wrong
Nutting - We were told to fix this, we spent more than three years on this, we worked with the Recycling Committee, did a ton of research,
Whalen - I am in favor of this

Garella - the negative vote was due to the single bin option, not due to any other numbers. If you don't go with this program, the cost will increase over time.

McGann - clarification question on bidder delivery of new truck
Nutting - either bidder would have to meet the requirements of the RFP

Nutting - we went out with an increase in recycling, we have been to the Council previously on a pay-as-you-throw process and you didn't like that, we have now come with the single stream process

Pfeffer - my concern is with the seniors being able to handle the units

McGann - proceeding to ask Jeff
Mason - discussion is bordering on the item that would come up for discussion next week. This is for the totters, next week is the fee schedule

Nutting - we would need totters for this system

McGann - question on who pays for some items
Nutting - residents already pay for some items, some of which it will increase, the $25 fee may not be the contract, we haven't finished negotiation yet

McGann - how is there such a difference amongst the bidders
Nutting - I can speak to that, they have to meet the requirements of the RFP

Roll call (requires 2/3 majority)

Jones - can we combine this and do this next week

Vallee - I am against this for the reasons I mentioned before





Passed 6-2  McGann, Vallee - both voted no
1 Absent (Zollo)

• Resolution 10-87: Rescission of Authorization to Borrow – Municipal Off-Street Parking
house keeping item, authorized several years ago, taking it off the books but it is not relevant to anything now

Motion to approve - passed 8-0

• Resolution 10-88: Rescission of Authorization to Borrow – Purchase of Street Lights
The purchases were made with cash and we did not need to borrow to pay for them.
Another house keeping item, authorized several years ago, taking it off the books but it is not relevant to anything now

Motion to approve - passed 8-0

Live reporting - License

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS - Application for a New Wine & Malt License – Spruce Pond Creamery
Motion to approve, Passed 8-0

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
none

I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
none

Live reporting - Town Council

Attending:  Kelly, Jones, Vallee, Whalen, Mason, Pfeffer, McGann, Powderly
Missing: Zollo

A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – January 6, 2010
Motion to approve, with addition of sentence from S Whalen
Passed 8-0

B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
none

C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS
none

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS
Michael Galvin, Franklin Resident, Vice-President - American Waste Services, LLC
speaking on cost for contract bidding of the waste program
"taking away services that residents currently have"





 Robert Delllorco gave his five minutes to Michael to continue speaking

\(I'll add the recording of this later)

Gene Garella - Chairman, Recycling Committee
committee voted three times
unanimous to accept a single stream recycling
3-1 vote to accept (to be filled in)
voted against increasing the fee at Beaver St

program adds overflow bags to residents to cover for parties
recycling made easier with single stream
recycling increase should reduce waste tonnage

No questions allowed during citizens comments

E. APPOINTMENTS
none

F. HEARINGS
none

More on cyberbullying

... we need to treat bullying as a public health issue. We reduced teen smoking and drunk driving with massive education programs. We can do the same with bullying.

But it starts at home.

Read all of Kevin Cullen's column in the Boston Globe here.

We’ve learned little in the United States, even though the study cited our national anti-bullying efforts to date. I suspect that the reasons the US bullying rate has not moved are complex. But a good place to start is coming up this Sunday as a huge percentage of Americans will sit down in living rooms and bars and watch the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts play in the Super Bowl.

Most bullying begins with nasty words, and what will we certainly see on Sunday? We’ll see player after player jawing at each other and talking trash. No media outlet seems above glorifying in some way the top trash talkers in sports, whether it is reminiscing about Muhammad Ali or observing the most flamboyant athletes of the moment.

And read all of Derrick Jackson's column in the Boston Globe here

The MA Trial Court Law Library page here has a great collection on the legislation around cyberbullying

http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/subject/about/bullying.html

My preference is for starting at home. The schools can help but even if they do all they can, when a kid goes home and it is not reinforced, all the effort is lost.

Wha do you think?

Are your oil fired buners compliant?

From the massgov Twitter stream today, I saw:

@massgov: Older oil burners must be upgraded to prevent leaks - A law enacted over a year ago (St. 2008, c.453) requires home... http://ow.ly/16tOyU 

When you follow the link you find: (bold added for my emphasis)

A law enacted over a year ago (St. 2008, c.453) requires homeowners with oil burners installed before 1990 to make a small change to their systems by July 1, 2010 to prevent leaks. According to the Mass. DEP, under the Homeowner Oil Heating System Upgrade and Insurance Law,  "Owners of 1- to 4-unit residences that are heated with oil must already have or install an oil safety valve or an oil supply line with a protective sleeve...  Installation of these devices must be performed by a licensed oil burner technician."  "It is important to note that heating oil systems installed on or after January 1, 1990 most likely are already in compliance because state fire codes implemented these requirements on new installations at that time."

The good news is that the law also requires insurers who offer homeowner's insurance to also offer coverage for oil leaks to those who have certified that they have made the repairs or are exempt from the requirement.

More information, including a diagram of necessary repairs, is available at the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection site.

The burner in my house failed and was replaced in Sep 2008 so I know we are compliant. This is the first I hear that there is a deadline to be complaint by July 1, 2010.

Is your oil fired burner compliant?

In the News - road repairs

Ashley Studley, Milford Daily News, filed her report from the Finance Committee meeting that took place last night.

Franklin looks at street repairs

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

Partial Live Reporting at FINCOM

I didn't get to tune into the Finance Committee meeting Tuesday evening until it was an hour underway. I did catch part of Chief McCarraher's discussion on the needs of the Fire Dept, and then Robert (Brutus) Cantoreggi's discussion on the DPW's needs.

I will catch up to the full meeting when the video is available on demand and report on the capital outlook. The one good item from this is the attempt to start spending something on a regular basis to repair our roads. As you may be aware, there are approx 200 miles of roads, many of which were built in the last 30 years and with no budget for road repair we are asking for trouble.

Yes, some of our roads do get repaired as part of the water enterprise account when water mains need to be repaired and upgraded. Or when we get some Chapter 90 money from the state, approx 750,000 the past several years. The Town has been very thrifty on this front and will need to start spending something significant on a regular basis to begin to handle the demands.

The Finance Committee did not vote on any capital budget items this evening. Based upon what happened last year, Jeff Nutting will wait to see how the winter treats the snow/ice budget before committing to use some of the "free cash" for capital items.

The meeting can be viewed on the internet video archive for the Town here