"Welcome a newly designed official Town of Franklin Business Drop Box which will also service Mail in Ballots.
This is the only location for an official ballot drop box in Franklin.
Stay tuned here for more election updates through November!"
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| Town of Franklin, MA: Business Drop Box available for Mail in Ballots |
From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin:
"MASSACHUSETTS ENDED 2020 with a nearly $700 million budget gap, Gov. Charlie Baker said Wednesday, as he filed a proposed closeout budget with the Legislature.
Baker, in his filing letter, wrote that tax collections for the fiscal year that ended July 30, 2020, were $693 million below expectations, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Much of this was due to lower-than-anticipated sales tax revenues, as economic activity ground to a halt from mid-March to mid-May and only gradually rebounded. Deferral of business taxes, lower gaming revenue, and lower gasoline taxes also hurt the state’s bottom line.
But somewhat surprisingly, Baker wrote that income tax collections remained largely steady – likely due to a mix of people moving to remote work and people collecting unemployment benefits, which are taxed. The state also benefited from an influx in federal coronavirus relief money. "
From the Mass Municipal Assoc (MMA) we share an article of interest for Franklin:
"After keeping watch on the economy and state finances over the summer, the House and Senate budget committees are gearing up to attempt a full-year spending plan for fiscal 2021, which has been delayed due to uncertainties arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and the related recession.
So far this fiscal year, state spending has been governed by interim budgets to cover July 1 through the end of October. The state has made monthly payments to cities, towns and school districts, and has deducted assessments, using temporary rules that were updated in September based in part on fiscal 2020 amounts."
Continue reading the article online https://www.mma.org/legislature-restarts-fy21-state-budget-process/
September 30, 2020
Friends,
This is a really difficult moment in our nation’s story. Last night’s so-called debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump demonstrated the severity of this moment, as the current occupant of the White House not only refused to denounce white supremacy but rather directly incited violence from a known neo-fascist hate group, refused to state that he would accept the results of an independent certification of the upcoming election, and would not even engage in a mature, civilized debate.
Against that backdrop, the profound and heartbreaking loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg feels like a wound reopened. Justice Ginsburg’s death would be heartbreaking at any moment, but it is particularly so at this moment. The threat of a majority anti-choice Supreme Court underscores how reproductive rights are still under attack, but this time with potentially devastating national consequences to the health, safety, and civil rights of people who are or might become pregnant.
We must pass the ROE Act here in Massachusetts. If (and more likely, when) Roe v. Wade is overturned, the states will once again govern access to abortion and other aspects of reproductive health care. The abortion laws still on the books in our Commonwealth were enacted in 1974 by anti-choice legislators as an immediate response to Roe v. Wade. The ROE Act (S.1209/H.3320) is a critical step in guaranteeing that anyone, regardless of age, income, or insurance, can access safe, legal abortion here in Massachusetts. Abortion is health care, and as your State Senator, I will do everything I can to pass the bill.
For everyone reading this who is angry or fearful for the future to come, know that I see you, I hear you, and I'm right with you. I too am deeply concerned, but I promise you, whatever happens in Washington, I will continue fighting to advance intersectional justice, safeguard our elections from illegal interference and enhance ballot access, promote health care and reproductive freedom, and protect our democracy right here in our Commonwealth. It’s what I was sent to Beacon Hill to do, and I will not let you down, particularly amidst this national political crisis.
As always, if you or any of your loved ones in my district have fallen on hard times during this pandemic, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office. My office line is 617-722-1555 and my email is becca.rausch@masenate.gov. We are here to help. You can also find robust resources to help you navigate through COVID-19 on my website.
Wishing you and your families strength, health, and resilience.
Yours in service,
Senator Becca Rausch
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| Virtual Office Hours will be this Friday, October 2 |
From the Mass Municipal Assoc (MMA) we share an article of interest for Franklin:
"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notified stakeholders in the Charles River watershed on Aug. 13 that the agency is evaluating whether to introduce a new permit regulating stormwater runoff from private parties into the watershed.
A letter from the EPA’s New England Region stated that the agency is considering whether “a new program is needed to control stormwater pollution from certain commercial, industrial and institutional sources in the Charles River watershed at sites that are not currently covered by any existing federal or state stormwater permit.”
With a new permit, the EPA would be operating under its “residual designation authority,” a provision under the Clean Water Act that allows the agency, under certain conditions, to require permits for stormwater discharges that are not otherwise regulated."
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| Check out your impervious coverage area |
This year The Franklin Food Pantry is holding its 9th Annual Franklin Turkey Trot 5K as a virtual race. The turkey trot will still officially run on Thanksgiving morning, November 26th, but each runner can run or walk their own personal 5K when it is most convenient for them. Once runners have finished the race, they can post a picture on social media sharing that they completed their run and use the hashtag #turkeytrot2020. All proceeds from this event go directly to the Franklin Food Pantry to provide quality healthy food to hungry families in our local community. In 2019, the over 1000 entrants, donors and sponsors raised almost $21,000!
Funds received from sponsorships are used to purchase t-shirts for the first 100 registered race participants. Any additional money from sponsorships will go directly to support the Franklin Food Pantry. We are excited to offer different sponsorship levels to meet your needs. Please go to http://weblink.donorperfect.com/TurkeyTrotSponsorship2020 to sign up today. Please make checks out to Franklin Food Pantry.
Presenting Sponsor $750
Listed as a Presenting level sponsor on website (www.franklinturkeytrot.org) with logo and link
Listed as a Presenting level sponsor on website (www.franklinfoodpantry.org) with logo and link
6 :15 second spots on myfm 101.3 for two weeks prior to the event
Featured thank you in Franklin Food Pantry newsletter
Promotional materials in race pack
Top billing of company logo on back of race t-shirt
Included in all press releases
4 complimentary race entries and 4 race t-shirts
Gold Level Sponsor $500
Listed as a Gold level sponsor on website (www.franklinturkeytrot.org) with logo and link
Listed as a Gold level sponsor on website (www.franklinfoodpantry.org) with logo and link
6 :15 second spots on mfm 101.3 for two weeks prior to the event
Promotional materials in race pack
Included in all press releases
Company logo on back of race t-shirt
2 complimentary race entries and 2 race t-shirts
Silver Level Sponsor $250
Listed as a Silver level sponsor on website (www.franklinturkeytrot.org)
Listed as a Silver level sponsor on website (www.franklinfoodpantry.org) with logo and link
Included in all press releases
Company name on back of race t-shirt
1complimentary race entry and 1 race t-shirt
We sincerely thank you in advance for your generous support. If you have any questions please email Krystal Whitmore at franklinturkeytrot@gmail.com or Kim Cooper at kcooper@franklinfoodpantry.org.
With gratitude,
Krystal Whitmore Kim Cooper
Race Chair Donor Relations Manager
www.franklinturkeytrot.com www.franklinfoodpantry.org |
| 9th Annual Franklin Turkey Trot |
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The Franklin Police Department wants all survivors of domestic, and sexual violence to know that there are resources available to help. We made this short video to talk about it, and suggest the following links if you or someone you know needs assistance. New Hope, Inc. and the National Domestic Violence Hotline are valuable sources of information.
As always, in an emergency please call 911
Shared from https://www.franklinma.gov/police-department/news/october-national-domestic-violence-awareness-month
Video link = https://youtu.be/rtU3Y4pNwoU
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| October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month |
