What You Need to Know to Make an Informed Vote on June 10th

The contents of a recent email from Tom Sousa representing the Franklin Cares email distribution listing is worth sharing here:


1. The Vote is Soon!
Voting will take place on June 10th at the Franklin High School Field House from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

2. The Proposed Override Will Average Only $243 per Household.
The override translates to an increased tax bill of only $243 per household. Since the tax payments are tax deductible, the after-tax cost is approximately $168 or about 50 cents a day.


3. Without the Override, You May End Up Spending More
You could be spending more per year by voting down the override because of cost increases for items such as pay-to-ride and athletic participation fees. If the override fails, there will be a $100 increase per student in the pay-to-ride bus, and cancellation of late bus service for students who need to stay after school for academic, clubs and extracurricular programs.

4. Franklin's Educational Spending is efficient.
Currently, Franklin is spending $2,200 less per pupil in 10 of the 11 State Department Education categories than the average in the state. We would have to add $13 million to the education budget just to be average spenders in the state.


5. Pink Slips Were Not Delivered for Dramatic Effect.
Teachers and administrators who received Pink Slips last week will indeed be gone if the override doesn't pass. This translates to a loss of approximately 43.5 teaching positions – 16 at Franklin high, 12.5 at the middle school level, and 15 at the elementary level.

6. It Will Be a Step Back for Franklin if Layoffs Occur.
The number of classroom teachers in Franklin is as follows:

School year	# of classroom teachers
2003-04	408
2004-05	459
2005-06	449
2006-07	466
2007-08	443

During that same time period, enrollment in the Franklin schools has increased by approximately 500 students and the Keller-Sullivan schools were opened. If the override is unsuccessful, the number of classroom teachers is expected to dip below 400 for the 2008-2009 school year, which means we will have less teachers than we had in 2003, but 500 more students and a new school facility.

7. Class Size Will Significantly Increase Without the Override.
The range for elementary school class sizes will increase to between 19 to 30 students per class. The middle school and high school will average roughly 25 to 30 students per class.

8. The Charter School Will be Impacted.
The Town of Franklin per pupil cost directly drives state re-imbursement for the Charter School. If we spend less, the Charter School will get less.


9. Unemployment Costs the Town.
If the town rejects the override, it is liable for up to $675,000 in unemployment for the laid-off teachers and administrators.

10. Families With Young Kids Are the Lowest Voting Population in Franklin
Regardless of how you vote, make your voice heard about this issue. Absentee ballots are one solution for busy families who want to be heard. Absentee ballots can be submitted at the Town Clerk's Office, 355 East Central Street, between 9am and 4pm. The deadline for absentee ballots is noon on June 9th.

Town Council positions on the override - Nov 2019

During the run up to the Town of Franklin local election in November 2019, we shared the interviews with many of the candidates for the Town Council and School Committee.

One of the questions asked the Town Council candidates was:

“The Town Administrator has suggested that Franklin needs to consider an override measure. What actions will you take for this? “

Note these answers were provided by the candidates in the run up to the election. This is the historical record of their position at that time. The successful candidate positions are shared here. The full listing is provided in the link below.

*** Town Council answers

• Eamon McCarthy Earls

EE - I think it's a great question. Certainly we've been faced with some very trying times. A lot of it ties back to escalating costs for health care and our overall pension and other post-employment benefit (OPEB) liabilities which continue to mount and which probably nobody back in 1980 was concerned with or fully cognizant of how much it would cost.

I think it's ultimately a decision that rests with the voters. I would support offering that as an option to the voters to decide. I think it's really important to have that participation in something so critical in our town. I'm sure it will be a hard fought issue. Franklin residents have had debates in the past about budgets and cuts. Questions of overrides came up particularly the late 2000s. So I think really letting each side make their case will be really important.

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/10/franklin-candidate-interview-eamon.html

• Melanie Hamblen

Audio interview https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/10/fm-173-this-internet-radio-show-or.html

• Tom Mercer

TM = First, we’ll need to monitor the towns’ budget situation closely throughout the year as the Town Administrator and Superintendent build their budgets. I’d expect that we would have a reasonable number in late January. My guess is the next Town Council and School Committee will have to discuss an override, how much and for what and what the community strategy may be.

At this point, I support and hope a discussion will occur next year on discussing with taxpayers a revenue increase. As the Town Administrator has stated numerous times, the cost of doing business is far exceeding our ability to raise revenue. Construction costs, personnel costs and Heath care costs are increasing at a rate that has put stress on the system relative to service demand. It’s a partial symptom of a good economy for sure. And it’s something we need to really engage a wider audience in the community on. Everyone will need to be involved. As ultimately any override is a decision made by the Community as a whole not the Town Council. It is the Town Council’s job to provide the community with all the facts so they can make an informed decision.

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/10/franklin-candidate-interview-tom-mercer.html

• Andrew Bissanti

AB = I think ultimately what's going to happen is the council is going to push the override to a ballot and let the people decide. That seems to be rhetoric from the existing council right now. I think it's only fair that way. I want to make a rational decision. How it's going to affect dollars, and the people of Franklin. Whatever the greater good is for Franklin. I don't want to see services to the town and infrastructure suffer. Careful study and examination and reporting will and is being conducted and we will have more facts soon.

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/10/franklin-candidate-interview-andrew.html

• Robert Dellorco

Audio interview https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/10/fm-179-franklin-candidate-interview.html

• Matt Kelly

MK = So I'm on the budget subcommittee and I'm probably one of the more vocal people on the budget subcommittee. I know I didn't make any friends with the School Committee when I told them that I didn't necessarily agree with their budget. Councilor Mercer and I are the only two that were on the School Committee prior to being on the Town Council. I wish there was a prerequisite so that everybody would have to do that because I think you learn a lot.

Looking at the budget, I don't think we're ready for an override yet and there's a number of factors for this. I don't see that the budget has all the fluff cut out of it and I don't see any clear projection of numbers. I agree, that our administration is telling the truth when they say that it's getting tight, but I also understand that a lot of people out there are getting tight on their budgets too. We need to look at what our plan is, is it a reduction in our budget, and an override? Who knows right now and now isn’t the time to ask our citizens either. We have to consider what this going to do to our senior population. That has increased tremendously for people in our town. People on fixed incomes, we need to look at what it will do to them as well. There needs to be a conversation with our town’s people before you start talking override.

That's the business side of it. The human aspect is that times are too good for people to believe that we need an override. We're adding firefighters, adding police officers and there's no visible pain. You might see that we need more DPW workers or your road isn't getting done fast enough, but people don't want to vote for things until there's pain, number one. Number two, when the people complain that they're going off to pay for high school parking, then town council comes running to their rescue and says, “oh, no, we're going to give you that money in the budget.” It's not the time for an override. We should be able to say to our citizens, we can't find any money before we say override.

The reality is, I am going to be very, very stingy when it comes to saying we need an override because I'm going to pay for it just like you are.

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/10/franklin-candidate-interview-matt-kelly.html 


*** School Committee

The School Committee candidates did not get that question. The questions they answered as shown here.

• There are and have been many opportunities to volunteer with community groups in Franklin. Have you taken advantage of any of these? Which ones, and why did you choose that/those?
• Where do you get your news about Franklin?
• The possibility of a change in school start times was a recent controversial topic taken up by the School Committee. Where do you stand on the issue of school start times in Franklin and what actions do you plan to take around this issue during the next term of the School Committee?
• While the current School Committee has attempted to reach the community through various forms of communication including coffee chats, email newsletters, attending events such as the farmers market, etc., they have been generally unsuccessful at increasing the engagement with important issues related to the schools. What actions will you take to increase citizen engagement with the School Committee?
• The Town Administrator has suggested that the School Committee investigate the possibility of closing Davis Thayer Elementary as a possible cost-saving mechanism for the town in these tight economic times. Where do you stand on this issue and what actions will you take to support your stance?
• Why should I vote for you?

The Election Collection can be found here
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2019/07/franklin-election-collection-2019.html

All precincts vote on Nov 5, 2019 in one location, Franklin High School

 

Simple choice - maintain or cut

As demand for services rise our staff levels continue to fall. There are two unpleasant solutions to this problem. Continue to reduce services or increase taxes.

An override will be requested for the FY 06 Budget. I estimate it will require approximately $4 million to maintain the level of services that currently exist. A successful override will allow us to balance the budget in the short term but in the long run the fundamental gap between revenues and expenses will arise creating the same problem in the future. The only long-term solution will depend upon changing the the tax laws to curtail the over reliance on the property tax as the primary source of funding local government.

The override is intended to address the current financial problems. It does not address the need to upgrade the high school, reconstruct roads and sidewalks, or fund a hugh unfunded health insurance obligation. These issues will have to be addressed over the next three years.

From the FY 2005 Budget Statement (PDF) published by Jeff Nutting in April 2004. This quote can be found on the bottom of page 11. The override mentioned was held in November 2004 and it failed by a 1,148 votes.

The future fiscal years beyond FY 07 will be difficult to deal without additional revenues. Please carefully review pages 4-6 titled FY 08 Budget Projections. You will note that with a very modest 2.5% increase in general costs along with increases in energy, health insurance, etc. the town will face a multi-million dollar shortfall. The 2.5% increase is not adequate to provide the same level of services that are currently provided and will lead to reductions in school/municipal services. realistically, the increase would need to be closer to 5% to maintain services. There is no way to avoid the eventual reality that our reserves are dwindling while our costs continue to rise faster than our revenues. I believe that FY 08 will be the year that difficult choices will have to be made in order to balance the budget.

From the FISCAL 2007 Annual Report published April 20, 2006 (PDF) by Jeff Nutting. The quote can be found on the bottom of page 2. The difficult choices mentioned did occur in FY 08 and resulted in the first operational override to pass in Franklin by a margin of 1,306 votes.

Final Comment - What do you get for your property taxes?
Franklin's property taxes are very reasonable. Unlike other taxes we pay, all of your property tax dollars remain in Franklin. The average tax bill in Franklin is $3,872. That amount provides high quality education, saves property and lives, plows your streets, provides library and recreational opportunities, and assists our senior citizens and veterans. When you need a paramedic, police officer, or other public service, they are a phone call away. Your tax dollars are used to improve your quality of life, and in the case of property owners, maintain and increase the value of your investment. In good times or bad, we strive to be prudent with your tax dollars and be responsive to your needs.

This is from the Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Statement (PDF) as published by Jeff Nutting in March 2008. This quote can be found on the top of the last page, page 11.

As these quotes from the budget information provided during the past several years indicate, an override this year is not a surprise. We have a systemic issue that is not being addressed. We have avoided the painful choices by drawing down the stabilization fund. It is no longer a smart fiscal choice to make. The choice remaining is to cut services (in this case educational services for our children) or raise taxes.

Put all the other arguments aside: Do you want to maintain our quality educational services or do we start cutting deeper than we have before?

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Learn all you can by visiting here frequently.

Visit the School Committee override page for the schedule of information sessions

You can find override related information here

Be informed to cast your vote on June 10th

Frequently Asked Questions: FY 2026 Override -> Questions 17 - 20

Frequently Asked Questions - shared from the Town of Franklin FY 2026 Override Information page. There are 40 and a form to ask another question if it is not already listed there -> https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/Faq.aspx?TID=41

17.What is meant by “new growth”?

New growth refers to new construction or other improvements that add to the tax base allowing for an increase in the total tax amount. If a new subdivision of houses is built in an empty field, the extra real estate value of those houses is added to the amount that may be taxed (the levy limit). 

18.How long is the override in place?

An override is a permanent increase in taxes. It would remain in place unless there was a subsequent underride vote.

19.Would this impact both residential and commercial tax payers?

Yes, both residential and commercial taxes will increase at the same rate.

20.How do taxes in Franklin compare to surrounding communities?

The average residential tax bill in Franklin is lower than that in many neighboring communities. Please visit the Division of Local Services website for detailed information on tax bills for communities across Massachusetts.

Additional info can be found on the Town FY 2026 Override page ->    https://www.franklinma.gov/1089/Fiscal-Year-2026-Override-Information

Frequently Asked Questions: FY 2026 Override

Franklin Together: One Franklin 2025 Engagement Launch for Successful Override

Hello One Franklin,

The Franklin Town Council has voted to put an override on the ballot for a special election on June 3rd, following the recommendation by the Joint Budget Subcommittee (JBSC) last week.

It is time to activate One Franklin to ensure that this override passes, and it is going to take a full team effort! 

We are looking for volunteers for our field and community engagement team. The purpose of these teams is to educate and inform the broader community about the override, and the importance of voting YES to preserve Franklin's public safety, public services and public schools.

Community Engagement & Field Team 

Please complete this form to share with the One Franklin Community Engagement & Field team how you'd like to engage in the coming weeks (more information on the different opportunities below)!  Any level of engagement is welcome and needed, and please pass this along to others who might be interested.  

We will be scheduling 2 volunteer trainings in late March/early April to provide resources and answer questions so all volunteers feel comfortable engaging in conversations with community members and elected officials.   Please let us know within the form what time of day/day of week is best for you within the form so we can do our best to accommodate the majority of volunteers.

If you have any questions, please email onefranklinvolunteers@gmail.com.  

Thank you for helping us pass this override, together!

One Franklin Team

Ways to Engage - let us know how you want to engage here:

Precinct Captains: Identify hosts and organize conversations with friends and neighbors in homes and/or in neighborhood establishments (e.g. restaurants, coffee shops, etc.).  Elected officials and One Franklin members can also attend to answer questions.  

Community Liaisons: Connect with smaller communities within Franklin (e.g. faith-based communities, pre-schools, clubs, etc.) and organize a couple people to host conversations in their homes and/or in neighborhood establishments. 

The precinct captains and community liaisons will work in conjunction with the One Franklin Community Engagement & Field Teams to facilitate and coordinate these events. 

Sign placement: Purchase sign(s) to place on your yard and in other high-trafficked areas in town.  

Literature drops/canvassing: Walk specific streets and neighborhoods to share information via flyers in the couple of weeks leading up to the override vote on June 3rd. 

Donations: If you'd like a sign, we'd appreciate a $10 donation.  If you are interested in and able to donate more, please do - these dollars will be used to promote the override vote and educate the community.

Town Council after much discussion votes to set June 11 as date for a $6.8M Prop 2 1/2 override (audio in 2 parts) Town Council after much discussion votes to set June 11 as date for a $6.8M Prop 2 1/2 override (audio in 2 parts)

FM #1190-91 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1190-91 in the series. 

This session shares the Town Council meeting of Wednesday, May 1, 2024 in 2 parts. 

All 9 councilors took part in Chambers.

Part 1  (~2 hours)

Covers the first hour of the meeting

• Citizen Comments

• Approval of Minutes - March 13, 2024

• Proclamation: Chris Stearns, Franklin TV 

• Police Department - Introduction of Mental Health Clinician Caroline Ferris

• Appointment to Conservation Commission - Nicole Chiaramonte

• Presentation: FY23 Financial Audit - Scott McIntire, Partner, Marcum LLP

And then skips past the Override presentation to jump to the citizens comments on the override and then the closing of the meeting

Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1190-franklin-ma-town-council-mtg-05-01-24-part-1-of-2

Part 2 (~ 2 and a quarter hours)

Includes the entire section of the joint presentation by Town Administrator Jamie Hellen and School Superintendent Lucas Giguere including the Council question and answers

Many department heads also spoke for the pledge

Legislation for Action

• Resolution 24-19: Override Pledge to the Citizens of Franklin

• Resolution 24-20: Setting Date of Proposition 2 ½ Override Ballot

• Resolution 24-21: Proposition 2 ½ Override Ballot Question 

Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1191-franklin-ma-town-council-mtg-05-01-24-part-2-of-2

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The Franklin TV broadcast of the 4 hour plus session is available for replay on YouTube ->  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9nkmKHkrxA 

Agenda and supporting documents for this session -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/agendas/fixed_tc_agenda_v4.pdf 

Joint presentation doc-> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif10036/f/uploads/4b._2024-05-01_override_pledge_presentation.pdf 

My notes captured via Twitter can be found in one PDF file -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Fv18ylsYtYhbaSiLXkEDkZLQkm8C-2Q1/view?usp=drive_link 

Photo album with the slides as captured during the presentation on Wednesday

https://photos.app.goo.gl/dDxgDMFrcXDaNqR78 

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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial. 

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We 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 something here, please let me know

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

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/  or www.franklin.news 

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"

Town Council after much discussion votes to set June 11 as date for a $6.8M Prop 2 1/2 override (audio in 2 parts)

Many Override questions answered at Franklin Senior Center on Wednesday (audio)

FM #1227 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1227 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares the Override Q&A session conducted at the Franklin Senior Center on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. Town Administrator Jamie Hellen was joined by School Superintendent Lucas Giguere and School Business Administrator Dr Bob Dutch to provide an override and answer many questions. 

Town Clerk Nancy Danello provided an update that as of that afternoon, 3700 ballots had been cast for the early voting on the June 11 Special Election. She was also there to answer questions on the election process but none were raised.

Many of the questions were asked by skeptics in the group. It seemed apparent that some myths were dispelled, yet despite the info, some seemingly were not changing their minds.  

The conversation runs just less than 2 hours. Let’s listen to the Q&A session on June 5. Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1227-franklin-senior-center-override-qna-06-05-24

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Override Info page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/town-budget/webforms/fy25-override-information 

FY 2025 Town budget page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/town-budget/webforms/fy-25-budget-materials 

Citizen Discounts and Exemptions info page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/administrator/pages/citizen-discounts-exemptions 

--------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We 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 something here, please let me know

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

For additional information, please visit www.franklin.news/ or  www.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!

------------------

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

Many Override questions answered at Franklin Senior Center on Wednesday (audio)

Override failure reasons - my 2 cents

Why did the override fail?

By the numbers, 1600 yes votes from last year did not vote yes this year:

• 500 of them chose to vote no.
• Just over 1000 stayed home and chose not to vote at all.

What happened to these yes votes?

I think there are a number of reasons.

Apathy is always a factor - "My vote won't make a difference." On a national scale, the individual vote does not count for a whole lot. On the local scale, one vote is ONE vote.

Town priorities - The school budget is always a town matter. The School Department and Superintendent are properly advocates for what they need. The Finance Committee provides some oversight and validation but the ultimate responsibility lies with the Town Council. So while this year (and last) the School Committee brought forth what they needed to maintain the level of education that they were providing, the Town Council chose to follow the beat of their own drummer. Last year the Town planned for the override in advance and included town operations in the override amount. This year, the Town set the schools up on their own and only allowed an override when forced by the School Committee and the presence of growing support within the community. Alas, the support was not enough to carry all the way through.

Mis-information - The hearsay, mis-information and inaccuracies were prevalent in the community discussions. Trying to get the proper information out to the folks was like swimming against the riptide. The Milford Daily News closed out anonymous comments the day after the vote but the damage was done. The constant naysayers were abusive and out in force. Heaven forbid, you try to get a word in edgewise. The key point on this is the difference between a capital expense and an operational expense. Clearly, the majority of Franklin voters don't understand or appreciate the difference.

The 5 Year Plan - This is another aspect of the Town priorities but an important one. This item was brought up several times during the healthy discussion during the Override of 2007. Everyone agreed it was a good thing to do. During the ensuing year, the Town Council did nothing. They instead chose to sit on the school budget problem and hid it from the voters during the November election. That was more important. Some of the councilors chose to break their own by-laws and put up their election signs for the November election in advance of when they were supposed to. That was more important. Some of those councilors chose to make take pot shots at the School Administration and School Superintendent. Sound bites travel well especially when they are unfounded. Finally, the Town Council appointed a committee to develop a long range plan the week before this years override. Too little too late.

State money - The Town has gotten too used to the largess of the commonwealth and the ability of our local representatives to tap the coffers to fill the Franklin revenue needs. The decade plus time of increasing state aid is likely behind us. Other towns are recognizing what we have benefited from and getting jealous. We could make a case for the increases with a growing enrollment. The enrollment growth is tapering off and so will the state funds. The unwillingness of the Franklin tax payer to dip into their own pocket got proved again. Only one operational override has successfully passed. Don't ask a Franklinite to take money out of their pocket for something they should pay for. If the state won't pay for it, Franklin certainly won't.


I believe the Franklin voters who did not cast their ballots will come to regret their decision. The days of Franklin being selected in Top 10 or Top 100 are over. Digging out of this hole will be the hardest thing to do.

The task of the Five Year Plan Committee will be immense. We, the voters, will have a chance of getting a decent plan. There are two "normal, everyday citizens" on the committee along with the elected and appointed officials. We will have to monitor the committee to ensure that they are open and doing something productive. We can not let the Town Council let this opportunity sit idle.


What can we learn from the failure?

Personally, letting others direct the conversation, reporting the facts, hoping for the best doesn't work.

Action will be required. The level of engagement in the town meetings (especially the Town Council) needs to increase.

You, yes you! Don't sit at home and let the talking heads babble on. Make the effort. Go to the Council Chambers. Show them that there are real live people for whom they should care about what they do. Hold them accountable.

Conversation about what is happening needs to maintain some focus on the real issues. Don't let the agenda hide some items. Ask where is it? Ask what is happening? Ask why?

Together we can come out of the hole. Or separately, we can see our home values decline, or students fall behind, our future dim.

This is our choice.

What choice will you make?

How much does Franklin matter to you?