Franklin Matters: Fiscal Year 2007 Audit Report
"it's a discussion worth having"
"We just can't lay off 45 teachers"
Audit report due at Town Council
FRANKLIN TOWN COUNCIL - agenda - 6/18/08
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Franklin Matters: Fiscal Year 2007 Audit Report
One is a series of podcast on Franklin (MA) Matters. This episode presents the Fiscal Year 2007 Audit Report from the Franklin Town Council meeting of June 18, 2008.
Time: 45 minutes, 4 seconds
MP3 File
Session notes:
This is Steve Sherlock with another in a series of podcasts for Franklin Matters.
The Town Council meeting of June 18, 2008 featured a presentation on the audit results for fiscal year 2007. It is interesting for a couple of points.
Here it is June 2008 and we are getting the results of the fiscal year that ended fully one year ago.
Why the delay? Partially priority. Partially schedule conflict.
The report for Fiscal 2006 was presented in June 2007 so there is a history of taking time to prepare the audit and review the results.
One key item driving this is people. The Town of Franklin, contrary to what some folks believe is not over staffed or over manned. There are only a few people involved and they can only do so much. As a result, the schedule conflict created by the school audit which was discovered approx in Sep 2007 and took place during Sep – Dec 2007 prevented the normal fiscal year audit from taking place.
I have chosen to present the full segment from the Town meeting here. It is important and will help place the financial foundation for everything else that goes on. Frank Falvey comments towards the end of this segment to reinforce two points; first, the recommendation made by the auditors to put in place an internal audit process and second for the Town Council/Town Administration to process these audits in a more timely fashion.
The full audit report is available in a PDF format on the town website. You can follow along fairly well with the auditors comments to the pages he is talking to. Be aware there there is a preliminary section with pages 1-3, then the full audit report section also beginning with page one. As I understood it, the references were all to the pages in that second section.
The segment lasts about 40 minutes. Enjoy!
--- after the Town Council segment ---
This has been another podcast in series on Franklin (MA) Matters. You can visit the web site at Franklin Matters blogspot dot com. If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve dot gmail dot com
The musical intro and closing is from the Podsafe Music Network
Jon Schmidt - Powerful Exhilarating Piano Music
Time: 45 minutes, 4 seconds
MP3 File
Session notes:
This is Steve Sherlock with another in a series of podcasts for Franklin Matters.
The Town Council meeting of June 18, 2008 featured a presentation on the audit results for fiscal year 2007. It is interesting for a couple of points.
Here it is June 2008 and we are getting the results of the fiscal year that ended fully one year ago.
Why the delay? Partially priority. Partially schedule conflict.
The report for Fiscal 2006 was presented in June 2007 so there is a history of taking time to prepare the audit and review the results.
One key item driving this is people. The Town of Franklin, contrary to what some folks believe is not over staffed or over manned. There are only a few people involved and they can only do so much. As a result, the schedule conflict created by the school audit which was discovered approx in Sep 2007 and took place during Sep – Dec 2007 prevented the normal fiscal year audit from taking place.
I have chosen to present the full segment from the Town meeting here. It is important and will help place the financial foundation for everything else that goes on. Frank Falvey comments towards the end of this segment to reinforce two points; first, the recommendation made by the auditors to put in place an internal audit process and second for the Town Council/Town Administration to process these audits in a more timely fashion.
The full audit report is available in a PDF format on the town website. You can follow along fairly well with the auditors comments to the pages he is talking to. Be aware there there is a preliminary section with pages 1-3, then the full audit report section also beginning with page one. As I understood it, the references were all to the pages in that second section.
The segment lasts about 40 minutes. Enjoy!
--- after the Town Council segment ---
This has been another podcast in series on Franklin (MA) Matters. You can visit the web site at Franklin Matters blogspot dot com. If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve dot gmail dot com
The musical intro and closing is from the Podsafe Music Network
Jon Schmidt - Powerful Exhilarating Piano Music
"it just takes a little planning"
Residents get a free ride
By Joyce Kelly/Daily News staff
Fri Jun 20, 2008, 05:50 PM EDT
FRANKLIN -For the past few months, Franklin resident Janaina Santos has been "out-and-about" - shopping, taking trips to the library or to Boston - more than she has in a while, thanks to the new public bus, she said.
The Franklin Area Bus, operated by the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority and funded part by a grant program, has only been in town three months, but Santos is already a regular, she said.
"I think it's awesome. It's good - I'm satisfied with it," said Santos, smiling and taking a seat on the bus beside her daughter after picking up a few groceries at the Stop & Shop on Rte. 140.
Instead of walking or getting a ride with a friend, Santos rides the bus nearly every day now to go to work at the Franklin Senior Center, when she needs to run errands, shop, or get to the train station to head to the city, she said. Her children take the bus to the library, Santos said.
"It's very good. I think it's going to be helpful in the wintertime, for everybody. They should continue to have it," Santos said.
Santos is one of about 25 Franklin residents who now regularly benefits from the town's lengthy battle to bring the public bus to town, and who took advantage of GATRA's one-day, nationwide campaign, "Dump the Pump," and got a free ride yesterday.
Read the full story in the Franklin Gazette here
Have you ridden the bus yet? The schedule is available on the Town website.
"You are all truly blessed"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
The town's oldest residents were honored yesterday at the seventh annual Nonagenarian Tea, held at the Franklin Senior Center.
Seniors age 90 and up gathered in the morning, surrounded by their families, to celebrate their gifted lives.
Thirty seniors were given a rose and a citation, with Franklin Town Council member Bob Vallee present to hand out the citations.
"Congratulations to all of you," Vallee said. "You are all truly blessed."
Senior Center Director Karen Alves served as master of ceremonies and gave special recognition to the two centenarians present at the tea.
Helen Beghosian, 104, who still cooks and goes for walks, and Lilian Pisani, 100, were given bouquets to recognize their vitality.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
"it's a discussion worth having"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
The school district could save up to 20 teacher jobs, officials say, if Town Council agrees to Councilor Robert Vallee's request to give schools $1 million from the stabilization account in July.
Taking action to prevent 47 teacher layoffs is "critical," Vallee said at the council's June 18 meeting, then making a motion to put the subject on Town Council's July 9 agenda for discussion. Only five councilors were present for the meeting, and the item barely made it on the agenda.
In anticipation of possible pressure from various town departments for further funding for operational costs from the stabilization account, the Finance Committee at its June 17 meeting unanimously voted to send a strong message to Town Council that such action is "inappropriate," except for unemployment costs, said Finance Committee Chairman Jim Roche.
The cost of laying off 45 people is about $675,000 in unemployment costs, according to Superintendent Wayne Ogden.
Bonding companies downgrade towns that continually use stabilization funds, Roche said, noting that Franklin has been taking money from that account for operational expenses for the last four years.
"We can't afford our interest rate to go up because we're foolishly spending our stabilization funds," Roche said.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
Friday, June 20, 2008
Local Scenes
Dipping into the archives, this was originally posted a year ago.
The Flickr photo set can be found here
The blog postings can be found here:
Landscape Changes
Parmenter School gets ready
Planning Board is hard at work
Free stuff
St Rocco - Fund Raising
St Rocco - Ferris Wheel
St Rocco's - and the band played on
New Fire Station
Angles
Stone Wall creator
Stone Wall
MBTA Station 2
Union St Paved
Main Street Construction
Korean War Memorial
Persian Gulf Memorial
Vietnam Conflict Memorial
detritus from Honey Dew
Got enough signs?
Franklin MBTA 2
Franklin MBTA Station
Stone wall creator
Stone wall
Angles
New fire station
Main St construction
Summer St Fountain
Water cell
Franklin Welcome
WW II Memorial
WW I Memorial
Spanish-American War Memorial
Civil War Memorial
Revolutionary War Memorial
Main Street View
Oak St School
Penny Lane
Senior Center (new)
Senior Center (current)
Dean College
Public Library
Franklin Town Common 1
Franklin Town Common 2
MBTA Station downtown
The Rome Restaurant
Isabella's Groceria
St Mary's
Enjoy!
The Flickr photo set can be found here
The blog postings can be found here:
Landscape Changes
Parmenter School gets ready
Planning Board is hard at work
Free stuff
St Rocco - Fund Raising
St Rocco - Ferris Wheel
St Rocco's - and the band played on
New Fire Station
Angles
Stone Wall creator
Stone Wall
MBTA Station 2
Union St Paved
Main Street Construction
Korean War Memorial
Persian Gulf Memorial
Vietnam Conflict Memorial
detritus from Honey Dew
Got enough signs?
Franklin MBTA 2
Franklin MBTA Station
Stone wall creator
Stone wall
Angles
New fire station
Main St construction
Summer St Fountain
Water cell
Franklin Welcome
WW II Memorial
WW I Memorial
Spanish-American War Memorial
Civil War Memorial
Revolutionary War Memorial
Main Street View
Oak St School
Penny Lane
Senior Center (new)
Senior Center (current)
Dean College
Public Library
Franklin Town Common 1
Franklin Town Common 2
MBTA Station downtown
The Rome Restaurant
Isabella's Groceria
St Mary's
Enjoy!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
"We just can't lay off 45 teachers"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
At Councilor Robert Vallee's insistence, Town Council last night voted to discuss at their next meeting, on July 9, giving schools $1 million to avoid some of the massive teacher layoffs.
"I'm very concerned about 47 layoffs at the schools," Vallee said, suggesting the council consider taking $1 million out of the town's stabilization account to fund teachers' jobs.
Earlier in the budget season, Town Council agreed not to tap into stabilization this year for operational costs such as teacher or staff salaries in order to keep sufficient funds in that account.
Vallee made the same proposal in budget discussions prior to the failed $2.8 million Proposition 2 1/2 tax override ballot question on June 10.
"I think it's critical. It's irresponsible for us to do nothing about this. We just can't lay off 45 teachers without the town taking action," Vallee said.
Councilor Joseph McGann seconded Vallee's motion, and after a few moments of looking around at one another and some raised eyebrows, Chairman Christopher Feeley said he would vote to put it on the July 9 agenda.
"I'm always in favor of a good debate," Feeley said, but noted he will not support the move.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
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