In the News - "you do make a difference in people's lives"

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Jun 11, 2008 @ 12:46 AM

---

FRANKLIN —

Just as Franklin High School Principal Pamela Gould finished praising Assistant Principal Tamatha Bibbo for her work in preventing students from dropping out - at times by literally going to their homes and returning them to school, or taking them to a store to buy them clothes - School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy looked down at his cell phone and went a little pale.

He got the news via text message: The override failed by 888 votes, he announced.

After Gould and Bibbo wrapped up their presentation on preventing dropouts at the high school, Roy told them some townspeople may have been critical of school employees leading up to the override, but their dedication and successes with students are noticed by the School Committee.

read the full story in the Milford Daily News here

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

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Jun 11, 2008 @ 12:44 AM

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FRANKLIN —

Townspeople yesterday rejected a $2.8 million Proposition 2 1/2 tax override by 888 votes with many saying they just could not afford the tax hike.

The vote was 4,294 to 3,402, with 55.8 percent voting against it, said Town Clerk Deborah Pellegri.

The failure of the override is expected to lead to laying off 47 teachers, as well as administrators, elimination of the late bus, an increase in the pay-to-ride bus fee by $100, and the elimination of 24 classes at the high school, among other changes, according to a plan presented by Superintendent Wayne Ogden.

Last year, the town approved a $2.7 million override, also mainly to offset school costs.

Joyce Nash, a senior citizen, said she voted no, even though she is a retired teacher and still substitutes.

She voted for it last year, but simply cannot afford another one, she said.

Read the full story in the Milford Daily News here

In the News - School Committee override numbers

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 28, 2008 @ 10:53 PM

---

FRANKLIN —

School officials will likely make a dual request of Town Council tomorrow: a $2.8 million override question and the return of Medicaid reimbursement money, said School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy.

The School Committee's budget subcommittee yesterday morning agreed to seek enough funding to "keep everything status quo" (meaning no teacher layoffs or program cuts), which amounts to a $4.1 million increase over last year's budget, Roy said. Tonight, the School Committee will vote definitively on how much to seek in a June Proposition 2 1/2 tax override question.

Tomorrow night, Town Council will vote on putting an override question on the ballot (though it unofficially agreed to do so April 16), and how much they will seek based on feedback from representatives of the Finance Committee and schools.

Medicaid revenue this year would give schools about $475,000, so if Town Council denies the committee's request, representatives will seek a $3.3 million override question to go before voters in June, said Roy.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

Reminder the School Committee meeting is Tuesday at 7:00, the Town Council meeting is Wednesday at 7:00 PM.

In the News - $2.8 Million is override total on 6/10/08

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted May 01, 2008 @ 12:56 AM

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FRANKLIN —

Town Council voted 7-1 last night to place a $2.8 million Proposition 2 1/2 tax override question on a June 10 ballot.

All of the money would be directed toward schools, which officials reported will have about 45 layoffs (mostly teachers), program cuts, increased class sizes, elimination of the late bus, and a $100 fee increase for pay-to-ride busing without a tax override.

The override would not enable the School Department to add staff, but merely maintain teachers in a growing district, Superintendent Wayne Ogden has said. Schools need more money every year because of mandatory expenses such as contract obligations (salaries), stipends, health insurance, special education and utilities, Ogden has said.

The override would cost the average homeowner $243 a year, according to Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting's estimate.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

"I want to get people energized"

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Jun 06, 2008 @ 12:48 AM

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FRANKLIN —

Not willing to accept the loss of 17 teachers, chorus and 24 courses at Franklin High School, students have launched an online campaign on Facebook to rally behind a $2.8 million tax override.

They have shed tears over the prospect of losing their favorite teachers and classes - particularly the music program - opined about their constitutional right to pursue happiness, held pro-override signs, and argued the merits of passing two consecutive overrides.

Last year, Franklin voters approved a $2.7 million override to prevent massive layoffs, though the School Department's budget was still insufficient to avoid handing out some pink slips, school officials have said.

At least 158 people, mostly high school students and recent graduates, have signed on as members of Vote Override: Save FHS, 75 of whom have committed to vote for the override on Tuesday, said group administrator Maxwell Morrongiello.

Read the full story in the Milford Daily News here

In the News - subcommittee passes the buck

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 25, 2008 @ 12:50 AM

---

FRANKLIN —

After debating several tax override scenarios, the Town Council Budget Subcommittee last night agreed to put the onus on the School Committee in choosing a figure to put before voters this summer.

"Ask the schools - they're the ones who asked (for an override). Ask them what they want," Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting told Town Council Chairman Christopher Feeley, Vice Chairwoman Deborah A. Bartlett and Councilor Robert R. Vallee.

Every $1 million of a Proposition 2 1/2 tax override means an $87 tax hike for the average homeowner, said Nutting.

Bartlett, the subcommittee chairman, pressed for a two-year plan, and said she expects the School Committee to submit a proposal that covers their needs for fiscal 2009 and 2010.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

This is a town problem, the town should decide to include all the departments in the override total. If it comes out solely as a school override, I don't believe there will be enough support for it to pass.

What do you think?

FM #65 Week Ending 4/25/10

Let's spend less than ten minutes to find out what matters in Franklin, MA as the week ends April 25, 2010.

Time: 6 minutes, 4 seconds



MP3 File

Session Notes:

This internet radio show or podcast is number 65 in the series for Franklin Matters.

Let's take about 10 minutes to review what matters in Franklin, MA as this week comes to a close on Sunday April 25th.

In this session I'll cover Earth Day activities on Saturday April 17th , Saturday April 24th and look ahead to both the School Committee meeting on April 27th and the Town Council meeting on April 28th

Earth Day on April 17th was not good weather and also the first day of some folks school vacation week so both those factors may have contributed to only about 100 or so folks helping clean up around Franklin. I also was out of town for a wedding on that weekend and unable to participate myself.

The raised garden beds were set up. I did manage to get pictures of those at the Senior Center, ECDC and Charter School on Monday. A link to that posting will be in the show notes.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/04/franklin-ma-raised-garden-beds-in.html

The Charles River Watershed Cleanup was held on Saturday the 24th. I stopped by Whole Foods Market in Bellingham to see how David Dobrzynski was doing as the local coordinator. He had over 300 folks scattered amongst his area and many good stories to tell. He suggested I head off to the VFW Post 3402 on Pond St where I could see the BSA Venture Crew 22 which had retrieved 125 tires from along Mine Brook.

The details and photos of their great work will be included in the show notes.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/04/there-be-tires.html

In preparation for the budget discussion at both the School Committee and Town Council meetings this week, I have a number of items to share:

You may recall that I recorded the budget workshop conducted back in January. The audio recordings and worksheets from each of the budget sections are available here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/budget-workshop-collection-12510.html

The Financial Planning Committee is updating the Long term or 5 Year Plan for presentation at the Council meeting on the 28th. You can review their prior plan here:
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_BComm/financial%20planning%20committee%20report/

I have worked with the Franklin Town Clerk, Debbie Pellegri, to compile a comprehensive listing of all the debt exclusion and operational override votes that Franklin has had the opportunity to vote on over the years. The listing is available for your review.
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AkwjbnXDBhczdHp1bjBJSF9sOVY1ZXlERmFPNHkxZnc&hl=en

The School Committee agenda references a discussion on the budget but there are no documents to indicate what options to balance the budget are up for discussion. So if you recall from their meeting on the 13th that everything would be on the table, it still sounds like everything is on the table.

The Town Council agenda includes the update from the Financial Planning Committee and an action item for an override question. The amount itself is open and remains to be determined by the discussion.

These two meetings will be critical to understanding what choice we will have, if we are provided the choice to vote on an override. Word is already on the street that there may not be enough votes for that.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/04/franklin-ma-role-of-town-council.html

If you think you should have an opportunity to vote on an override, then I would suggest that you let the Town Council know or show up to the meeting in person on the 28th.

Whether you are in favor of an override passing or not, having the opportunity to vote on one I think is key!


As I close this session this week, let me remind you that
If you like what I am doing here, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don’t like something, please tell me
Thank you for listening!

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/

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!



Note: email subscribers will need to click through to listen to the audio recording

Ed Cafasso Letter - Part 2

Hello everyone!

I am passing along a brief update on school issues in Franklin, but first I need to make two corrections to the e-mail I distributed Sunday evening…

• At Franklin High School, the graduation rate for the Class of 2008 was 98.7%. Of the graduates, 73.1% chose to attend a public or private four-year college, and 15.4% chose to attend a public or private two-year college. (My e-mail said “four-year” in the second reference.)
• The average per pupil expenditure among school districts in Massachusetts stood at $11,859, which was $2,273 more than Franklin’s. (My e-mail said “less.”)

Thank you to the readers who pointed out my errors… I apologize. You can view the complete, corrected version of the academic-financial performance report online at: http://franklinschoolcommittee.wordpress.com/

With the school year underway, three issues are top of mind:

1. The Superintendent’s Resignation: Many parents have expressed deep disappointment in Supt. Ogden’s decision to resign, and I share that sentiment. You can expect next steps to be a topic of discussion at the School Committee meeting scheduled for the evening of Sept. 9. The mission of education goes on in Franklin and I think it’s fair to say that all the members of School Committee are committed to ensuring that the schools do the best they can this year with the resources that are available.

2. Class Sizes: The Franklin Public Schools began the 2008-09 academic year with an estimated 6,175 students, an increase of 101 students from the end of school in June and 136 more than were enrolled at the start of school in 2006. With 40 fewer teachers, there are fewer classes at all levels and too many of the classes that remain are far larger than they should be. We are already receiving reports of over-crowded classrooms at middle schools and the high school; in some cases, class sizes at Franklin High are at 40 students or more and there are not enough seats or textbooks for some students. Now that school has begun and new enrollments are being finalized, the Committee expects to receive up-to-date data on class sizes soon; I will pass it along when it becomes available.

3. Franklin High School: The reduction in instructional personnel will need to be reported to officials with the New England Association of Schools & Colleges (NEASC), which looks closely at class size in making decisions about our accreditation status. It is possible that the increased class sizes, the need for facility improvements, and the need to invest in our science and technology offerings will result in the high school being put on probation by the end of the year. Moving as quickly as possible to address the issues at Franklin High must be a top priority for the School Committee and for the town as a whole this fall.

Facilities maintenance responsibilities for school buildings and grounds were transferred to the Town control this summer after an agreement was reached to ensure that school principals retain command and control over issues inside their buildings, which is a required provision under the state’s Education Reform law. Custodial staff did another fine job preparing the buildings for the first day of school last week.

Also, I know many of you have expressed concern about the fate of the late bus, which was one of the items at risk in the override voters faced this past June. With the override’s failure, the late bus was not included in the school budget for 2008-09. For a time earlier this summer, it appeared that strong demand for the pay-to-ride program would produce enough funds to continue the late bus, but now additional unexpected new costs have arisen elsewhere within the school district. At the Aug. 26 School Committee meeting, efforts to continue the late bus were again discussed and shelved.

The rollercoaster late bus debate is a symbol of the increasingly difficult choices we face as a district. When there was a threat the late bus would be eliminated, working families protested because the service allows them to work and their children to access important after-school programs. When there was a chance there might be funds to continue the late bus, some community leaders complained that the School Committee would lose credibility if we didn’t follow through on the promised consequences of the failed override. Still others argue that if we can somehow find $40,000, we should use the funds to try to re-hire a teacher or for some other important purpose, instead of using it to revive the late bus.

At a time of scarce financial resources and a variety of urgent, under-funded needs, you can expect more of these unattractive choices to dominate School Committee discussions and decisions.

These e-mails are provided as a constituent service. I hope to distribute at least one e-mail update each month during the school year, as issues warrant. As always, I welcome your thoughts and suggestions. If you are receiving duplicate e-mails or if you no longer wish to receive these updates, please let me know and I will remove you from the distribution list. If you know of someone you would like to add to the list, please send along their e-mail address.

Thanks!

Ed Cafasso, Member

Franklin School Committee


Note: The corrections noted by Ed in the opening here have been incorporated into the posting of Part 1.

In the News - let voters decide, luxury tax

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 17, 2008 @ 12:51 AM

---

FRANKLIN —

Taxpayers will have an opportunity to vote for a tax override early this summer, the majority of the Town Council decided last night.

Every seat in the Town Council chambers was filled, and about 20 more people stood at the back of the room at last night's meeting, all in favor of an override.

No one but Councilor Judith Pond Pfeffer spoke against the permanent tax hike, which would be used to prevent about 45 layoffs in schools, program cuts, and possibly boost other town departments' budgets.

School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy, as well as a handful of residents, including Finance Committee members, Town Council Chairman Christopher Feeley, Vice Chairwoman Deborah A. Bartlett, and members Stephen Whalen, Shannon Zollo, Joseph McGann and Thomas S. Doak all spoke in favor of putting an override question on the ballot.

Councilor Robert Vallee, who had gone on record as being opposed to an override, passed at the chance to voice his opinion last night.

Finance Committee Chairman Jim Roche, who spoke as a taxpayer and father, urged the council to let the town vote.

"This is more than just a school problem - it's a townwide problem," said Roche.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.

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

By Julia Spitz/Daily News staff

The MetroWest Daily News

Posted Apr 17, 2008 @ 12:50 AM

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My first thought was to drop a dime to Susan Wornick.

I know my rights. I know the law. Clearly, the sporting goods store was no authority on clothing tax.

But after a teenaged manager took the $1 off my bill, I calmed down enough to see involving Channel 5's consumer guru wasn't the way to go.

Instead, we need to make the state tax code even more confusing.

Conventional wisdom on Beacon Hill has been to balance the budget on the backs of the monkeys on Massachusetts residents' backs.

Got a vice? We'll tax it. Then we'll tax it some more. And when that isn't enough, we'll just push Lottery tickets a little harder.

Look, we don't want you to gamble if you're an addict. No, seriously. See, we put all sorts of disclaimers on Keno broadcasts and around convenience stores that sell scratch tickets. Here's the number for Gamblers Anonymous. Call if you think you have a problem. Just wait until after you buy another Megabucks ticket before you call, OK?

Casinos may be off the table for the moment, at least casinos of the state-run variety, but an extra tax on smokers is all but a done deal.

Dirty, rotten smokers. Make them pay for miscalculations in what it takes to run a state.

There was some talk about upping taxes on wine, but so far that hasn't gotten much traction. It'll likely be revisited when the number of people who buy cigarettes in Massachusetts dwindles to financially unacceptable levels.

Meanwhile, there's a sensible solution no one's talking about.

Read the remainder of the article to see the sensible solution in the Milford Daily News

Looking back to get ahead

April vacation brought a quiet week on the news front within Franklin. This was a good thing in a way as the Boston Marathon bombing and hunt for the suspects has dominated the attention. With the second suspect in custody after a long day, the rain has come, perhaps to help the cleansing process. We can begin to return to the new 'normal', whatever that will be, it will be different.

In lieu of sending you to any of the news on the marathon bombers, let's take a few minutes to look back into the archives. What was happening on April 20th last year and each year prior that this site has been sharing news on Franklin matters?

In 2012
The FY 2013 budget documents were published
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/04/franklin-ma-fy-2013-budget-documents.html

In 2011
The fire investigation of the old Masonic Temple was reported on
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2011/04/well-investigate-as-long-as-it-takes.html

In 2010
Photos of the raised garden beds that were installed at the Senior Center, ECDC and Charter School for Earth Day (yes, these were installed and a year later the Community Garden opened).
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2010/04/franklin-ma-raised-garden-beds-in.html

In 2009
The MDN reported on information from the Town Council meeting the week before. The MDN reporter at the time was Joyce Kelly and we have had several others since then. I guess even though the reporters change the newspaper process has not.
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2009/04/we-can-only-spend-what-we-have.html

In 2008
The answer to the "Where in Franklin?" picture was revealed.
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2008/04/where-in-franklin-answer-44.html

Can't go back any further as this site actually started in Nov 2007. If I was publishing anything on Franklin in April of 2007, it was on my personal webpage Steve's 2 Cents. Checking there I actually skipped posting on Apr 20 but did post the Override Collection on Apr 18. This collection had all the information for the override vote in 2007 which remains as the only operational override Franklin has successfully passed.
http://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2007/04/franklin-override-collection.html

The April showers today will bring the green grass and May flowers.

spring flowers

Thanks for visiting. Consider subscribing to receive updates via email. Follow us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter.

If you like what we are doing share this with your friends and neighbors. If you don't like something, let me know. Only with this of feedback can the information sharing process be improved.

If you have good news to share, please send it along. Good news includes announcements on upcoming events, fund raising efforts, etc.

Override Information Forum 5/28/08 - Summary

Notes and recordings from the Override Information Forum held at the Thomas Mercer Auditorium, Horace Mann School on Wednesday, May 28, 2008.

• Q & A - Music teacher from Kennedy; Trahan (Audio)...
• Q & A - get involved, Roy, Sherlock (audio)
• Q & A - Whalen final comment (audio)
• Q & A 10 - How do parents get a say on FHS cuts? O...
• Q & A 9 - Arlington plan? Feeley responds (audio)
• Q & A 8 - Ogden, Whalen also respond (audio)
• Q & A 8 - Will there be continuous overrides? Nutt...
• Q & A - Student comment on cutting Chorus (audio)...
• Q & A 7 - How does the facility consolidation effe...
• Q & A 6 - "emergency repair and replacement fund" ...
• Q & A 5 - replace older teachers with younger ones...
• Q & A 4 - Other revenue sources? Closing Davis Tha...
• Q & A 3 - responses continued by Doak, Cafasso (au...
• Q&A 3 - Zollo adds his response, tackling 2 myths ...
• Q & A 3 - Are we looking at all expenses; Ogden re...
• Q & A 2 - Question on next year, Roy, Nutting resp...
• Q & A 1 - School Foundation budget, Ogden, Nutting...
• Steve Whalen (audio) - Steve walks through his comparative analysis of the tax rates
• Jeff Roy explains the yellow handout (audio)
• Override Forum: W Ogden (audio) Wayne walks through the Fiscal Year 2009 school budget
• Live reporting - Q&A
• Live reporting - Override info session

The Milford Daily News coverage for this meeting can be found here.

The audio segments were completed on June 1, 2008

FM #66 Week Ending 5/2/10

Let's take about 10 minutes to review what matters in Franklin, MA as the week ends May 2, 2010.

Time: 10:02



MP3 File

Session Notes:

This internet radio show or podcast
Number 66 in the series for Franklin Matters.

Let's take about 10 minutes to review what matters in Franklin, MA as this week comes to a close on Sunday May 2nd.

In this session I'll the School Committee meeting as they presented their budget Tuesday, and the Town Council meeting on Wednesday where they got an update on the overall budget and voted to put an override question to the voters on June 8th – and a brief outlook at the week ahead

First
The School Committee meeting discussed options on bringing the budget into balance with a number of measures:

• cutting 7 elementary teachers
• cutting 8 middle school
• an increase athletic fees
• doubling extra curricular activity fees
• cutting 3 buses
• an early release of elementary schools one day to reduce another 4 positions

The School Committee meeting can be viewed on the Franklin website here:
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?ecm=634084755480134220&indexSessionSKU=kWJQA+d4DkqLdYNtc39VcA%3D%3D&siteSKU=L7qhQ46xin/r3Z0jcDVCNw%3D%3D


The committee also spent time discussing full vs half day, free vs pay kindergarten
The arguments have already summarized in a post that I worked with Maureen Sabolinski, Karen Seyfried, and Miriam Goodman to prepare. You can find that report here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/04/full-day-kindergarten-free-or-tuition.html

Second
From the The Town council meeting on Wednesday:
Financial Planing Committee report, summary review of forecast and updates to the outlook
no questions from the Council

You can and should spent some time to review the meeting via the video on demand link on the Franklin website. You can go directly to the discussion here:
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=PZze5i0pKVPUM62zGqWI7A%3d%3d


Jeff Nutting provided the update on the overall budget, before he did so, we did get some good news on the High School Renovation project

• 50 percent reimbursement expected from the State
• vote likely required in Nov 2011
• construction to begin in 2013
• which would put the main portion of the debt increase into the tax bills for FY 2015

Overall shortage 3M
1.1 M from Town side of budget
1.8 M from School side of budget

You can and should spent some time to review the meeting via the video on demand link on the Franklin website. You can go directly to the discussion here:
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=gUqYEwtCQQIavJRj7F%2bNeA%3d%3d

and to include the Finance Committee, Jim Roche took a couple of minutes to add their endorsement of the override
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=fOCjsPPvFGgyKenrDbrNMA%3d%3d

The Council voted unanimously to set the date for the override election to be held on June 8th
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=7mT4fjE8qx5emElxBOKa0Q%3d%3d

The Council then got into a lengthy discussion on the amount and ended up amending the original motion for 2.1 M to increase the amount to 3 M.
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=cqgfiEy%2fNL98slaVgWggDg%3d%3d


Closing out some old business from the last meeting, the sewer extension on Washington St that was controversial in the last meeting was resolved before coming to this meeting.
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=cL6b7iGtXlCAx98kfQInXQ%3d%3d


Opening some new business was a proposal for a modification to the bylaw on Junk, 2nd Hand and Antique dealers which came up for a first reading.
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=9HmNY7guZiQ%2fH4E63hmBMA%3d%3d


I'd normally send you to the Franklin website to view the link but for some reason the link is not available today. I have posted a copy of the Town Council agenda document to Drop.IO and you can view beginning on Pages 28-31 the bylaw itself. Exactly what it changed from is not shown in this document but if this reading is okay with your understanding, then it should be okay. If not, please reach out to Jeff Nutting, Maxine Kinheart and get your questions answered soon.

http://drop.io/FranklinMatters/asset/tc-20100428-agenda-pdf


Separate from the major discussion on override, the Conservation Commission heard the proposals for securing the dams on the DelCarte property along Pleasant St. I need to do more to understand the proposals and implications but be aware that something with dollars associated is being discussed. You can view the meeting and proposal options here
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=ei0gDcRTz2DPBC%2frEypYuQ%3d%3d

and here
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=mAIQuRUs434FliYRix1Hjg%3d%3d

To summarize:

The school and town budget problems will lead to an override vote on June 8th. There will be a town forum on May 24th and likely other opportunities for discussion on the numbers, pros/cons, etc.

The good news on the high school renovation is the state will reimburse 50%, a vote won't come until Nov 2011, construction won't begin until 2013 and the tax implications of these wouldn't hit out pockets until 2015

The DelCarte property dam remediation will become part of the active discussion.

The Big Y and Dr Van Roon proposals are both scheduled before the planning board on  Monday, the 3rd
The Town Council meets again on weds the 5th,
There is another walk to school morning on Wednesday

So there is a whole lot happening in and around Franklin, let's keep a positive and respectful discussion going and we can all work our way through this.

As I close this session this week, let me remind you that
If you like what I am doing here, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don’t like something, please tell me
Thank you for listening!

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/

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!



Note: email subscribers will need to click through to listen to the audio recording

Frequently asked questions: "What has the town done to try to eliminate waste and bring spending under control?"

What has the town done to try to eliminate waste and bring spending under control?


·   Streamlined operations


o Centralized administrative functions (e.g., facilities, HR, IT, accounting)


o Automated processes using information technology (e.g., payroll system)


·   Reduced employee benefits


o Increased employee medical co-pays, saving $200K per year


·   Increased volunteerism ( e.g., Senior Center reported 10,000 volunteer hours per year)


·   Enhanced revenue


o Residents passed a $2.7M override in 2007


o Leased space on water tanks for cell towers


o Increased fees for services (e.g., sports participation fees, bus service)


o Approved a 0.75% meals tax that will take effect in FY 2010


o Agreed to share recreation services and our library director with Medway


·   Spent cash reserves (e.g., used $7.5M 2005 to 2008)


·   Delayed repairs to the public way (e.g., roads and sidewalks)


·   Town and school employees agreed to defer pay increases in FY 2010


·   Reduced headcount


o Loss of more than 100 teaching positions


o Loss of 7 school administrative positions


o Loss of 32 municipal positions


·   Held the line on department recommendations to increase headcount. For example, the number of police officers remains the same today as in 1999, despite a 12% increase in town population and a two-fold increase in number of police calls.


The fundamental financial problems the town faces have not been caused by waste, but by Franklin’s rapid growth over the last two decades. That growth dramatically increased the need for services like professional, well-staffed police and fire departments, updated streets and sidewalks, sewers and water lines, additional recreational facilities, and better schools. But the town’s ability to raise revenue through property taxes is restricted by the state law, and fixed costs for things like contractual obligations, utilities and health insurance keep increasing.

One of a series to address frequently asked questions
http://investinfranklin.weebly.com/faq-part-1.html


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


The special election on June 8th gives Franklin voters the choice:

Increase taxes to continue to provide the services we have this year (and that does not restore any of the services already cut)

Or

Continue to cut municipal services for all and cut educational opportunities for our children

I'll help to provide the information. You need to do two things:

1. Make your choice
2. Vote on June 8th

You get bonus points if you talk with your neighbors about this and get them to vote!

Additional information on the override can be found here:

• http://investinfranklin.weebly.com/index.html
• http://franklinschoolcommittee.wordpress.com/override-page/
• http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/budget-override-collection-fy-2011.html

Franklin, MA

Gov Patrick, Salem, and Franklin's situation

Governor Patrick, cutbacks and the saga in Salem

As the city of Salem roils over layout notices, and other towns struggle with tight budgets, Gov. Deval Patrick told municipal leaders Friday that he feels their pain. Patrick said he understands that they are experiencing tight fiscal times.

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Click through to read the details in this Override Central story in the Boston Globe.

Franklin is not that far away from Salem in this case. Financial mismanagement created their shortfall. The Forensic Report was presented Wednesday night to the joint Town Council and School Committee, as I re-read the report and listen to the presentation again, I am not convinced that we are out of the woods on this episode.

"The deficits in 2006 and 2007 raise concerns over the School Department's level of spending in fiscal 2008. There will be more Circuit Breaker available in 2008 than in 2007, as there is no carry over deficit to be applied to the 2008 expected receipts. However, there was a deficit in Special Education Tuitions even with the full Circuit Breaker receipts for both fiscal 2006 and 2007.
In addition, certain other accounts have been in deficit during both fiscal 2006 and 2007. We have prepared the three-year budget analysis, and provided a copy to the interim Director of Financial Operations. That analysis will assist in identification of potential budget shortfalls. However, the schedule is prepared based upon the inclusion of negative revenue items, which needs to be taken into consideration in evaluating the 2008 budget."

From the Forensic Report, page 10. Bold for my emphasis.

Franklin has the most registed voters since 1982!

While the history shows that Franklin has passed only half of the debt exclusions offered to it and only one of the override questions, the numbers also show that Franklin today is different.

Franklin's population as of the end of 2009 had grown over 3,000 since the last debt exclusion in October 2000 and over 600 since the override in 2008.

It is note worthy that the percentage of population which is registered to vote stands at its highest percentage (60.5%).  The lowest percent of the population to register to vote occurred in both 1986 and 1987 at 48.1%. 

History has also shown us that a debt exclusion can pass with as little as 2.4% of the voters turning out to the polls and as many as 52.7%.

On the override side, the only one that passed succeeded with a 47.2% turnout. The override votes that failed did so with as little as 26.4% turning out and as much as 56.4% turning out.

Note: the data of population and registered voters come from the official Franklin records as provided by Town Clerk Debbie Pellegri and covers the years 1982 through 2009.

Note: the chart depicts the population with red/maroon columns, the voters with the light blue columns. Both population and voters columns should be read against the left scale. The right scale shows the percent of voters as of the total population and is depicted in the yellow line.

"I'm not letting it go without a fight"

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Jun 06, 2008 @ 01:10 AM

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FRANKLIN —

A number of students who are too young to vote for a Proposition 2 1/2 tax override on Tuesday say they are the ones who will most keenly feel its effects and have vowed "not to let go without a fight."

On Facebook, a social networking Web site, they have found a voice by teaming up with many older students who have promised to vote for the override. A number of students have logged on to the Vote Override: Save FHS Web page, where they advocate for their schools, encourage voting and plan protests.

Without the override, they say they stand to lose teachers who have motivated and inspired them, as well as courses they believe are necessary to gain admission to prestigious colleges or specific college programs, and classes they simply love, such as chorus.

Julia Buettner, who will be a junior at Franklin High School next year, is not old enough to vote, but certainly would vote yes if she could, she said, explaining that if it fails, she can't take chorus next year.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

FM #67 - Week Ending 5/9/10

Let's take about ten minutes to review what matters in Franklin, MA as the week ends May 9, 2010.

Time: 10 minutes, 30 seconds



MP3 File

Session Notes:


This internet radio show or podcast
Number 67 in the series for Franklin Matters.

Let's take about 10 minutes to review what matters in Franklin, MA as this week comes to a close on Sunday May 9th.

In this session I'll cover the Planning Board meeting on Monday and the Finance Committee meetings on Tuesday and Thursday as they conducted their budget hearings. I missed reporting live from the  Town Council meeting on Wednesday. I did catch up to the meeting via the video on demand archive and will cover the highlights from that.  To close, I'll do a brief outlook at the week ahead

The Planning Board continued the hearing on Van Roon Chiropratic. Citizens presented a petition with 175 signatures objecting to the special permit. If approved, the special permit would increase traffic at least by 64 trips to handle the patient in/outs to the office on a road too narrow for such volume and already under pressure from the existing traffic near  intersection (RT 140).

They also continued the hearing on the Big Y although this seems closer to approval, the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting should be interesting.

The Crossways Church application for 282 Summer St was approved.

The posts with the details of the Planning Board meeting can be found here:

• Live reporting - 282 Summer St (Crossways Church)
• Live reporting - Big Y (348 E Central St)
• Live reporting: Van Roon Chiropractic
• Live reporting - Planning Board - general business...

The Finance Committee held two budget hearings this week to get into the details of each departments requests.

The details for the Tuesday meeting can be found here

• Live reporting - Facilities
• Live reporting - Technology
• Live reporting - School Committee budget
• Live reporting - Planning and Community Developmen...
• Live reporting - Elections
• Live reporting - Town Clerk
• Live reporting - Board of Assessors
• Live reporting - Board of Health/Health Services
• Live reporting - debt stabilization
• Live reporting - Finance Committee

The details for the Thursday meeting can be found here:

• Live reporting - animal control, Tri-County
• Live reporting - Recreation
• Live reporting - Library
• Live reporting - parking meters
• Live reporting - Police
• Live reporting - Senior Center
• Live reporting - Finance Committee

I chimed in on the Milford Daily News website to provide details in answer to some commenters questions:

One said the Police department was overstaffed due to the presence of four officers on the i495/King St construction site. I responded:

The police working in the construction zone at the i495/King St intersection are working detail duty. They are off-police hours. They are paid by the contractor for their hours of duty. The money goes to the Town, the Town pays the police, and Franklin actually makes some money on the deal. About $16,000/per year as a net income from all the police detail per the discussion at the Finance Committee budget hearing on Thursday evening, May 6th.

Another asked about the time line for the override this year and the high school renovation project. I responded:

The override vote on June 8th will provide funds for the operating budget, the annual expenses of the daily operations for Franklin beginning July 1. The high school renovation project will generate a debt exclusion for a specific period. The dollar amount and the period remain to be determined by the State. According to Jeff Nutting's update at Town Council meeting on April 28th, the debt exclusion vote would come around Nov 2011. The construction could begin in 2013 and the actual increase in our taxes would not hit until 2015. 

According to the Financial Planning Committee or long term planning report, Franklin faces a shortage of $3m for 2011 (hence the override) a shortage of $5.5 M for 2012, a shortage of 7.0 M for 2013, a shortage of 8.3 M for 2014. So even if this override passes, yes, there could very well be more overrides in our future. 

We have spent too many years cutting. We need to increase revenues period. Some of that will be generated by the empty and underutilized industrial/commercial space. Some of that should come from the pockets of Franklin taxpayers. 

As I did catch up to completely view the Town Council meeting from Weds 5/5, I was heartened to hear the last seven minutes, especially during the Council Comments.

Chair Scott Mason addressed Council McGann's (who was absent Wednesday's meeting) comment during the prior  meeting (Apr 28th) that he (McGann) would bringing forth a presentation on Town waste. Scott requested  Jeff Nutting  to allocate time on the agenda to have this covered; “this presentation, if there is anything to it, needs to be addressed before the override.”

Councilor Vallee said "there is no waste in this town"

The meeting adjourned and as the meeting video ends Councilor Vallee  is heard to say, "If they do find anything, they won't find much I'll tell you."

I suggest that you spend a few minutes to hear the last seven minutes of the Town Council meeting yourself.  This should help to address some of the negative comments .

follow this link to the on demand video
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=xEUq0k5hUv%2bZhhtWPwnXlA%3d%3d


This week will be a busy one.

Momday, the Finance Committee closes their budget hearings
Tuesday, the School Committee meets

Wednesday, provides a real opportunity to make a choice with three events running at the same time.
In the Council Chambers, Downtown Revitalization Project  (corrected, should be Third Floor, Training Room) (The next EPA meeting on the 24th is scheduled for the Council Chambers, I got them mixed up)
In Room 205 Financial Planning Committee
At Tri-County, EPA will hold a public hearing on storm water mitigation changes that could require the communities of Franklin, Bellingham and Milford to spend up to $70 million to reduce phosphorus in storm water before it reaches the Charles River.

I'll go with the EPA hearing at Tri-County. The Downtown project should be on cable and I can catch the replay. The Financial Planning meeting will be 'lost' but such is life and tough choices. Even with the correction for the Downtown Project to be held in the Training Room on the 3rd Floor, I'll still go with the EPA meeting. Bigger amount of money involved!

What will you do this week?

As I close this session this week, let me remind you that
If you like what I am doing here, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don’t like something, please tell me

Thank you for listening!

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/

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!



Note: email subscribers will need to click through to listen to the audio recording

in the News - FINCOM Meeting - 2 articles

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 15, 2008 @ 12:30 AM

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FRANKLIN —

Despite support from most individual members of the Finance Committee, last night the group collectively decided against recommending an override to Town Council because they did not have enough time to properly plan.

After School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy requested the board discuss putting an override question to the public to prevent 45 layoffs in the schools, Finance Committee members spoke in favor of a tax hike.

Finance Committee Chairman Jim Roche made a motion to ask the Town Council to place a $1.5 million override question on the ballot to support the school, police, and fire departments. No one seconded his motion.

Read the full article here

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By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 15, 2008 @ 12:46 AM

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FRANKLIN —

After a lengthy presentation from school officials advocating for a $58.6 million budget, the Finance Committee last night voted to recommend the $55.4 million budget proposed by Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting.

Finance Committee Chairman Jim Roche said he wanted to be clear that the school budget is not being cut, "it's just not getting increased by as much" as officials say is necessary to maintain teachers, other staff and programs in schools. Nutting's recommended budget represents a 1.5 percent increase, or about $800,000 over this year's $54.6 million budget.

Even if the School Department gets the $58.6 million it is seeking, schools will not be able to hire new teachers, Superintendent Wayne Ogden said.

Read the full article here

Financial Planning Committee Minutes of July 10, 2008

The meeting was called to order at 7:05 PM
Members present were Deb Bartlett, Matt Kelly, Jim Roche and Rebecca Cameron. Doug Hardesty and Roberta Trahan arrived late.

Nancy Galkowski the Assistant Town Manager from Arlington, MA presented Arlington's approach to successfully passing an override that would meet the town's needs for a five-year period.

She explained that an override had failed and that they have an annual revenue gap of about $2,000,000.

The override was successful but they have learned a few things that they would do differently including not promising an expenditure cap.

The committee also, set the next meeting for August 7, 2008 with the hope of developing a mission, goals and times. They further discussed the challenges of getting information to the public and discussed a handout at the November election along with other media options.

The meeting adjourned at 8:45 PM

Respectfully

Jeff Nutting

In the News - override, library, budget

By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 10, 2008 @ 01:08 AM

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FRANKLIN —

The idea of a tax override to prevent massive school layoffs has drawn mixed reaction so far.

The School Committee plans to talk with the Town Council and Finance Committee about giving townspeople an alternative to the cuts that will be required under the budget proposed by Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting.

While Nutting's budget gives $800,000 more for schools than last year's budget of $54.6 million (a 1.5 percent increase, totaling $55.4 million), the district needs $58.6 million - a 7.4 percent increase - just to maintain the same level of services and keep teachers and staff, said School Superintendent Wayne Ogden.

Ogden has outlined some of the major impacts of accepting Nutting's proposed budget of $55.4 million: 45 layoffs (mostly teachers), elimination of the late bus, a pay-to-ride fee hike, and increased class sizes.

Town Councilor Stephen Whalen said he "fully supports" putting a Proposition 2 1/2 tax override question before voters.

"It would be extremely difficult to get it passed, but in my opinion, its passage would be in the best interests of the town," Whalen said.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News

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By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff

GHS

Posted Apr 10, 2008 @ 01:02 AM

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FRANKLIN —

In continued budget hearings last night, the Finance Committee approved several departmental budgets including a reduction in the library budget that the library director adamantly opposed.

Franklin Public Library Director Felicia Oti requested a $976,985 budget, a figure that would allow her to fund replacing two full-time-equivalent positions in the children's department, but the committee instead approved about $800,000 as proposed by Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting.

The library's budget last year was $925,196, said Finance Committee Chairman Jim Roche.

Prior to the vote, Oti argued that the library is understaffed and that morale is at "an all-time low."

"It's the lowest it's been in the 10 years I've been at the library," Oti said.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News

"diminished levels of student performance"

I want to thank the voters of Franklin who supported the $2.8 million override for our school system. Your positive vote during difficult times is a true affirmation of the work we do. I also want to recognize Councilors Shannon Zollo and Steve Whalen, Finance Committee member Jim Roche and the School Committee members who spent untold hours educating the community on the need for the override.

Unfortunately, I have failed the students and teachers of the Franklin Public Schools by not securing sufficient support for the override. I am very sorry not to be able to deliver to you the financial support that you rightly deserve. I take full responsibility for this failure.

Despite this regrettable defeat, we will enthusiastically reopen doors next fall. We will welcome the children of Franklin back to school and our teachers and administrators will work tirelessly to make the 2008-2009 school year a success for every one of our 6,254 students. However, the voters of Franklin should be aware that the potential consequences of continuing below average spending on our schools children will include diminished levels of student performance and increased rates of students leaving our schools without graduating. When this occurs, it will have a negative impact on home values and the quality of life in Franklin.

Superintendent Wayne Ogden