Tips for holiday gift card shopping

Tips for holiday gift card shopping by Cristina Miranda, Division of Consumer and Business Education, FTC Gift cards are one quick way to get through your last-minute holiday shopping list. But before you give (and get) gift cards, here are a few things you need to know. Read more  https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2019/12/tips-holiday-gift-card-shopping?utm_source=govdelivery  This is a free service provided by the Federal Trade Commission.

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Office of Campaign and Political Finance presentation

Present: Chandler, Hamblen, Pellegri, Dellorco, Mercer, Kelly, Earls, Bissanti 
Absent: Jones

Many of the School Committee, Finance Committee and other departments heads present

Jason Tait, Director to make presentation. Copy of the deck to be shared later.

primary responsibility is disclosure and reporting

should also contact the Ethics Commission to make sure that you are covered

they don't look for the headlines, they are providing help to raise money properly, spend it properly and report it to the public

independent agency, appointment for 6 years
joint decision between Republican, Democrat, Sec of Commonwealth 

public employees can NOT solicit (phone calls, sell tickets)

examples of public employees in MA

social media is ground zero for public employees; need to be very careful about what is said and done about ballot or political campaigns

OCPF will write some regulations based upon recent changes to campaign finance law

public employees can not have fund raisers at their private homes

public employees may not be treasurers for political committees

spousal exception for fund raising at a home, the wife would need to leave the house if the husband would be holding the fund raising event

the Anderson case set the precedent for not using town resources in a campaign

no government email addresses as part of campaign emails or mailing snail mail

information can be provided and some level of advocacy but not a clear campaign advocacy for or against an issue

equal access needs to be provided for meetings or information at public property

no contribution limits for ballot questions, for candidates, yes....

public employees can take a position on a campaign but not advocate for it on official time

the "who, what, when, where, why" of a ballot question meeting or info session can be posted to an official town web page; confirm text with OCPF and Ethics first,  but not advocacy
 

FM #186 - Finance Committee - Capital Budget FY 2020- session 1 of 2

FM #186

This internet radio show or podcast is number 186 in the series for Franklin Matters.

This recording shares the Finance Committee meeting held on Tuesday, Dec 10, 2019.

This is the first of two sessions to review the Capital Plan for FY 2020. This session started with the Schools and covered all the departments except for the DPW and the enterprise Water and Sewer accounts. Those will be addressed in the second session scheduled for Tuesday, Dec 17 at the Senior Center beginning at 6:30 PM.

The documents for the meetings are available on the Town of Franklin page as well as Franklin Matters. The links are contained here so you can follow along.

The meeting runs about 90 minutes so without further ado here is the Finance Committee meeting of Dec 10.

FY 2020 Capital Budget document
https://www.franklinma.gov/town-budget/files/fy20-capital-budget

FinCom Agenda doc
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/agendas/2019-12-10_finance_committee_agenda_fy20_capital_plan_1.pdf

Meeting Recording  https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/Hr1R4CkX





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This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but I can't do it alone. I can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
• If you don't like this, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements.
Thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

sidewalks have been part of the plan but not this year

It is our legal duty to protect your information. Learn more from our new Public Service Announcements.

Is My 2020 Census Data Safe? The U.S. Census Bureau is bound by law to protect your 2020 Census responses and keep them strictly confidential. In fact, every employee takes an oath to protect your personal information for life. Watch this Public Service Announcement (PSA) by the U.S. Census Bureau to learn more about how census data is private, protected by law, and stored securely. Watch Now Spread the Word The Census Bureau provides resources to help ensure partners and stakeholders have the tools they need to effectively engage their communities. PSAs are an effective way to educate the public about the importance of the 2020 Census and why participation matters. The PSA Toolkit enables partners and stakeholders to access produced PSAs or create their own using pre-approved messages. Get Started Help us spread the word about the 2020 Census. Share this on social media or forward it to a friend. Share This About the Census Bureau We serve as the nation's leading provider of quality data about its people and economy. The Census Bureau is the federal government's largest statistical agency. We are a scientific organization focused on data. Policy-makers, businesses, and the public use our information to make far-reaching decisions.

Video Link ->  https://youtu.be/qzmB5oJQ_z4

Middle School Glee Starts Feb. 3, 2020

Lifelong Music Academy

Registration Now Open for Middle School Glee (grades 6–8)

Middle school singers and performers, please join our weekly singing and movement class featuring Pop music, Broadway music, and movie soundtracks!

· Mondays from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Franklin High School.

· Class begins Monday, February 3, 2020. 

· Concert Tuesday, May 12, 2020, 6:00 PM.

· Tuition for the 13-week program is $160.00.

Register Online: www.FranklinLifelongLearning.com

Choose "Lifelong Music Academy" then "Chorus School".

"Replacing old and damaged turnout gear is a financial challenge"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Governor Charlie Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito today announced $920,000 in grant awards to 174 Massachusetts fire departments for gear and equipment that will reduce firefighters’ exposure to cancer-causing chemicals on the job.

“These grants will help local departments purchase critical gear to support firefighters as they put themselves in harm’s way to protect the Commonwealth’s communities,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Helping to protect them from the physical and occupational hazards of the job is a key way we can show our appreciation for the dedicated service of our first responders.”

“Many fire departments across the Commonwealth are all too familiar with the increased risk of occupational cancers faced by fire service personnel,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “These grant awards will support many ongoing cancer prevention initiatives at the local level by reducing the amount of cancer-causing chemicals thousands of firefighters are exposed to in the coming years.”

“On a daily basis, modern firefighters face countless dangers, but we now know that occupational cancers caused by exposure to smoke and other combustion byproducts are as dangerous to them as knocking down fires and conducting rescue operations,” said Secretary of Public Safety and Security Thomas A. Turco III. “Fire departments across Massachusetts have made significant changes to the way they work to combat these risks in recent years, and these grant programs will help many to move their cancer prevention efforts forward.”

https://franklin.wickedlocal.com/news/20191210/fire-department-grants-geared-toward-reducing-cancer-risk

Franklin is on the list to receive $2480 from this grant
https://www.mass.gov/news/baker-polito-administration-announces-920000-in-fire-department-grant-awards

This kind of gear and the cleaning equipment for it was part of the capital budget discussion on Tuesday, Dec 10. The Finance Committee will complete their discussion with the DPW next Tuesday, Dec 17 and forward the recommendation to the Town Council for action to vote on to approve all or part of the $1.7M capital currently in the discussion.

The meeting recording is available
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/12/fm-186-finance-committee-capital-budget.html

Franklin Fire Department

FTC settlement against University of Phoenix

FTC settlement against University of Phoenix by Colleen Tressler, Consumer Education Specialist, FTC Most people go to college to earn a degree and get a good job. In a competitive job market, it helps to have connections. So when a college or university claims it has relationships with well-known employers, that may convince you to attend. But beware: Claims like this may be a ploy to attract new students — and your tuition dollars.  In fact, the FTC says that's just what one for-profit university did as part of an extensive advertising campaign. Read more https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2019/12/ftc-settlement-against-university-phoenix?utm_source=govdelivery   This is a free service provided by the Federal Trade Commission.

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FTC settlement against University of Phoenix