DOR will save the Commonwealth more than $120,000

A couple of updates on the tax filing changes coming in 2011:

The growth of electronic tax filing has prompted DOR to make changes in the booklet of forms and schedules that are mailed to taxpayers. A minority of taxpayers, less than 300,000 out of 3.4 million tax filers, submitted state income tax returns on paper last year using the form DOR sent to them in the mail.

Those same taxpayers will receive a paper booklet in January, 2011, but it will be a slimmer version than in years past because it will not have printed instructions or duplicate copies of tax forms and related schedules

......

It's worth noting that the federal Internal Revenue Service announced in October that it will no longer mail paper income tax packages to either businesses or individuals. In its press release, the IRS said it "was taking this step because of the continued growth in electronic filing and the availability of free options to taxpayers, as well as to help reduce costs."

Read the full post from the Commonwealth Conversations website here

Related post on tax filing dates for April 2011
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/11/mark-your-calendars-for-two-tax-filing.html


Franklin, MA

In the News - library fire, rewrite book

Small fire forces evacuation of Franklin Library

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Brian Benson/Daily News staff

Franklin students rewrite Harry Potter book

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Brian Benson/Daily News staff

Franklin, MA

Chapter 70 Funding (video)

The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center published a fact sheet on Chapter 70 funding earlier this year and has now provided a video summary of the formula:





BTW - did you catch the Globe editorial on the regionalization opportunity in Franklin County?



Franklin, MA

Town Council - 12/15/10

The collection of posts from the Town Council meeting on Weds, Dec 15th can be found here

• Live reporting - Closing
• Live reporting - Legislation for Action
• Live reporting - Downtown zoning proposal
• Live reporting - license renewals
• Live reporting - Town Council

Franklin, MA

In the News - zoning plan, student honored, office hours

Downtown Franklin zoning plan to be studied by subcommittee

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Brian Benson/Daily News staff

Franklin students White, Nulton honored

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Vallee holds office hours in Medway, Franklin

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Franklin, MA

Live reporting - Closing

K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
vacancy at TriCounty, send an application to the Administrator

L. OLD BUSINESS
none

M. NEW BUSINESS
Whalen - ask for a committee of some downtown business owners to work with Brian
Nutting - we have an economic subcommittee already in place and use them, add the business owners
yes, we can set it up for after the holidays

N. COUNCIL COMMENTS
Powderly - nominal wage increases for three years for the cafeteria workers, I appreciate their efforts.
A rash of highly vulgar and offensive comments from anonymous, I will not respond to those comments.

McGann - my son is going to

Pfeffer - received an email from P Cheli thanking the Police for delivering the dinner to the home of his mother who had fallen

McGann - thank you to the Police, merry Christmas to all

Pfeffer-  Thanks to the Administrator for turning the trees back on down on the triangle
I heard we had a broken pipe at the Senior Center, shouldn't we have an alarm on that

Kelly- happy holidays

Jones - thanks to the Police Association for the lunch at the Senior Center
students from Davis Thayer were invited to do some caroling there

there are devices that can hep protect the systems,

Nutting - something can be an alarm and break at the same time

Whalen - happy holidays

Mason - I had a conversation with the editor last week as well as the level of negativism, to allow these comments to be published. It falls on the shoulders of the readers to report abuse. I feel it is the paper to police these comments. It is my hope that they will clean it up.

P. ADJOURN
motion to adjourn, passed



Franklin, MA

Live reporting - Legislation for Action

I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS 
group formed to work on Jeff Nutting's contract. He has been without a contract since June.

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
1. Resolution 10-78: 1st Refusal Option on Chapter 61A Land on South Street
motion to accept, seconded, passed 7-0

Nutting - We were interest as the price was right until we did a walk through, We're concerned on a walk through about environmental issues, there are oil tanks, and other things in the ground, who knows what is really there.

2. Resolution 10-79: Legal Notices
motion to accept, seconded, passed 7-0
housekeeping


3. Resolution 10-80: 2011 Town Council Meeting Schedule
motion to accept, seconded, passed 7-0


4. Resolution 10-81: Request for Special Legislation, Re: Simplifying Procedure for Municipal Acceptance of Subdivision Roads
motion to accept, seconded, passed 7-0


Need to refile this as it had not passed, will work with Jim to try again.
If we can get it, this simplifies the process, other towns have done this


5. Resolution 10-82: Authorization for the Town Administrator to Execute Franklin High School Feasibility Study Agreement with Massachusetts School Building Authority
motion to accept, seconded, passed 7-0

We are meeting with them Thursday at 8:00 AM, for the feasibility phase only



Franklin, MA