Brutus Cantoreggi - presenting the insights on the DPW
We are already $100,000 down due to fuel costs. The salt bid came in at .71 vs .51 cents which is what we had been paying.
Budgeted for 550,000 for snow and ice this year; 500,000 last year just on salt. The past year was 1.1 million spent.
We have been trying to catch up by budgeting another 100K each year. We are short each time and can't catch up.
State reimbursed 3 years ago and 6 years ago.
Last year was an average year, this year will be more just with the salt increase. Over a million, probably 1.2 million.
We use 70 outside contractors, we only have 30 employees. We could not do it all ourselves. It is cheaper to do it ourselves, we pay overtime for our employees and we already own our trucks. Minimum we have to pay the contractors is four hours.
Initially we like to start bringing up the snow and ice budget by $250,000 per year. We need to get closer to the actual yearly cost.
All our road work is paid by Chapter 90, State funds, the Town has not budgeted for sidewalk or street repairs. Typically we are able to get 750,000 from the state. We can keep fixing stuff, it is going to deteriorate.
$28 per square foot for a concrete panel.
25 miles of unaccepted public way, sitting for 6 years in legislature in action
Water line replacement program, at the same time we rebuild the road. We use some water funds to rehab the road. 60% of the water funds, 40% of the Chap 90. Approx $800,000 to do Wachusetts St. They put down three inches.
The hot top is sometimes the cheapest thing to do. The money is in the drainage, storm water issue. Mandates coming down from Federal and State government, but there is no funding behind it.
Cantoreggi - They have targeted the Charles River basin (which we are part of) to reduce phosphorous by 60%. We are going to have 4-5 years but we will have to implement this. Without compliance, there will be a fine, possibly up to $25,000 a day.
Nutting - Police and Fire budgets comparison town to town is easy, they are generally apples to apples. DPW can be configured differently amongst the towns and therefore harder to get an apples to apples comparison.
Cantoreggi - It is a difficult thing to explain, we are out to respond all the time. water break, sewer back ups. Mowing fields can be fill in time. There is no way I can get rid of the guys doing the emergencies, that is what the people see. You need the bodies in house. I don't have the luxury of closing a park and keeping all the others up. What will happen will be a slow down in service, in stead of mowing every five days, it may be mowing every eight days, grass is longer, soccer may complain as the balls will slow down.
Cantoreggi - In DPW there is always more work than help.
The assessor needs help moving things, who are they going to call? DPW
Asphalt along the road is actually more expensive than the stuff on the road itself. We do all that hand stuff to save a ton of money.
Nutting - If we did outsource, we could use less mowers/equipment, still keep some but may not need all.
Cantoreggi - Outsource cutting the high school fields perhaps but use the DPW folks to do the Town Common.
D'Angelo - Pesticide handling is a problem. It actually costs more to print the paper to give the notice to the school students to take home than it does to actually cost to do the fertilizing. There are certain things that are cheaper to do in-house and others are cheaper to do via outsource.
Cantoreggi - The DPW guys are skilled and multi skilled. They paint but they are not painters.
Hardesty - How do you prioritize the work you do?
Brutus - A large chunk of what we do is water and sewer. Wells need to be tested daily. A lot of other stuff is seasonal.
Nutting - Public safety gets the big headlines, but DPW is far more complicated. 33 FTE's.
Whalen - We will need your help to craft the story. The public will see snow removal, fuel costs, salt costs, field conditions. We should target attempting to budget 85%, how do we get there?
Bartlett - Is there anything else we can do budget or legislative issues we can help with?
The street issue is the big one.
Whalen - What do people think about charging field use fees?
Trahan - If we outline how many fees people will pay, it can offset what the override would cost.
Bartlett - If we go with an override and a fee, the override won't pass.
Cantoreggi - a lot of the leagues are good and leading the way to take care of the field. I can't get them to pick up the trash though.
Ogden - we were losing 30-40,000 per year where the building use fees did not cover the expense of maintaining the space. Girl scouts, Cub scouts, and other groups are giving the School Committee a headache about the increase in fee. We charge Recreation for use. We charge Adult Ed.
Bartlett - if we decide to go down this road, we need to get all the leagues together and let them know.
Nutting - they all come together at the Rec Advisory Committee. It is a very difficult issue to address.
Whalen - I don't think we can take it off the table.
Cantoreggi - it is not much money to take care of the the parks and fields, but that is what the people see.
Roche - what about the recycling the older vehicles?
Whalen - this has been really educational. There are so many moving parts, it might be good to do a subcommittee to look at this more closely.
Nutting - Water/sewer is self supporting due to the fees but we get some of the roads covered.
Cantoreggi - They are self funded but not self managed
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Live reporting - Financial Planning Committee 10/2/08
Attending: Jim Roche, Roberta Trahan, Steve Whalen, Doug Hardesty, Jeff Nutting, Wayne Ogden, Miriam Goodman, Mike D'Angelo, Brutus Cantoreggi, Gwynne Wilschek,
Not Attending: Shannon Zollo, Matt Kelly,
Roche - let's publish an agenda prior to meeting, Steve has been good getting the meeting reminders out. We need to figure out a timeline to determine our financial model, build some assumptions, we are not here to arrive at the right number, we need to determine and understand the cost drivers, set the assumptions for the model.
Whaelen - without assuming we will go for an override, if there is one needed, we are going to need to start earlier, the work product will need to be good, explanable, etc.
Roche - next three months, build the model, start telling our story, circulate it for feedback
Bartlett - the Council will need to prepare in February that if no money is coming across, we are going to need to make some hard decisions
Nutting - the Town budget will need to come together, it likely will come out in the same time frame, one driver will be the School budget
Let's start - DPW will go first
Not Attending: Shannon Zollo, Matt Kelly,
Roche - let's publish an agenda prior to meeting, Steve has been good getting the meeting reminders out. We need to figure out a timeline to determine our financial model, build some assumptions, we are not here to arrive at the right number, we need to determine and understand the cost drivers, set the assumptions for the model.
Whaelen - without assuming we will go for an override, if there is one needed, we are going to need to start earlier, the work product will need to be good, explanable, etc.
Roche - next three months, build the model, start telling our story, circulate it for feedback
Bartlett - the Council will need to prepare in February that if no money is coming across, we are going to need to make some hard decisions
Nutting - the Town budget will need to come together, it likely will come out in the same time frame, one driver will be the School budget
Let's start - DPW will go first
"From a fiscal standpoint, it's a small action"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
Town Council last night voted to fund the late bus service to the town's three middle schools at a reduced price of $10,000.
Only Councilor Judith Pond Pfeffer objected to the funding. Holmes Bus Service offered to provide the service, which normally costs about $40,000 annually, for $10,000 this year after school administrators announced the district could not afford it.
The town will pay for the service out of an old account, Town Administrator Jeffrey D. Nutting said.
The money comes from funds "donated" to the town in 2001, he said. In 2000, he explained, the Zoning Board of Appeals rejected an affordable housing application for Franklin Commons at 575 East Central St. by The Gatehouse Cos. The town lost an appeal and negotiated a settlement that reduced the number of units and gave Franklin $40,000 to be used for extending the bus service to the development or for other public purposes, he said. Since the GATRA, or Greater Attleborough Transit Regional Authority, bus passes by the development, the town no longer needs to fund extending bus service there, Nutting said.
Chairman Christopher Feeley thanked the owner of Holmes Bus Co. for his generosity, noting that he is "not even a Franklin resident."
"For the amount of money it's going to cost us, for the service we're going to get - we'd be foolish not to do this," Feeley said.
Read the remainder of the article in the Milford Daily News here
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Live reporting - Councilor Comments
Zollo - publicly acknowledge the efforts of the teachers stepping up and going beyond under tough times. Secondly to acknowledge the quality of the recreation programs in town. Acknowledge the DPW and grounds maintenance crew have been doing a good job.
Doak - question 1 on the ballot, don't like taxes, but the fact of the matter is Franklin would be hurt significantly, I will be voting against it and would like folks to consider this.
Whalen - if question 1 passes, the loss to Franklin would be $11 million and that is the probably close to the cost of the Fire, Police, and DPW.
Vallee - will bring something to new business about doing something for the Police Dept.
Feeley - thanks to Mr Holmes for reducing the Late bus cost.
Move to go to executive session and not return
approved 7-0
Doak - question 1 on the ballot, don't like taxes, but the fact of the matter is Franklin would be hurt significantly, I will be voting against it and would like folks to consider this.
Whalen - if question 1 passes, the loss to Franklin would be $11 million and that is the probably close to the cost of the Fire, Police, and DPW.
Vallee - will bring something to new business about doing something for the Police Dept.
Feeley - thanks to Mr Holmes for reducing the Late bus cost.
Move to go to executive session and not return
approved 7-0
Live reporting - Administrator Report
School building committee met tonight, good meeting
The Cable TV has a $500,000 gift account
- Tom Mercer, chairman
- Chris Feeley, vice-chair
- Scott Mason, clerk
The Cable TV has a $500,000 gift account
Live reporting - Rescheduled items
- Resolution 08-59: Dissolution of Fire Station Building Committee
- Zoning Bylaw Amendment 08-625: Chapter 185-5, Town Code: Zoning Map – Business to Commercial II – 2nd Reading
Live reporting - Legislature for action
- Resolution 08-53 – Order of Layout, Acceptance and Taking Newell Drive, Dover Circle, Cohasset Way, Sherborn Lane and Related Easements
The street laws date from the 1800's. The subdivision control law in the mid-1900's. A different set of points, more access than travel. The legislature has not updated the process to deal with subdivision road acceptance.
Doak - why are these coming where others may have not and may have been waiting longer
Cerel - Toll Brothers have working this diligently and cooperatively with the Town to get this done.
Doak - if the developer doesn't plan this properly, then it puts the burden on the town?
Ceral - if the developers haven't planned properly, the home owners technically own to the middle of the road, contacting them these days is tedious is possible
Approved - 7-0
- Resolution 08-54 – Order of Layout, Acceptance and Taking of Hancock Road, Winthrop Road, Corey Way and Lantern Road and Related Easements
Approved - 7-0
Live reporting - Zoning bylaw amendment
- Zoning Bylaw Amendment to Chapter 185-18. Nonconforming Uses and Structures- Dept of Planning & Community Development
David Roche - Building Commissioner
Nick Alfieri - Conservation Agent
Brian Taberner, Director, Downtown Planning and Community Development
Alfieri - As an example, 450 Maple St, built about 28 feet from the road, therefore it is pre-existing as non-confirming, to put a deck on that would be completely compliant still had to go through the Zoning Board of Approvals (ZBA) to get the approval. It will save time and money. This streamlines the ZBA process.
Vallee - this is an excellent amendment
Whalen - sounds good, what would be an example of something more controversial or how it could not be abused?
Alfieri - Speaks directly to single and two-family houses only. Others would still need to go through the ZBA. If the alteration itself is non-conforming, it would still go through the ZBA process.
Doak - how did this change from prior
Alfieri - They split non-conforming structures from non-conforming uses into two separate sections
Cerel - Nick and I worked closely on this, the section is obtuse, in the absence of a local bylaw you had to go through the rigmarole.
Doak - this seems to fall in the category of common sense
Feeley - what would you like us to do with this?
Nutting - put this on the next agenda to put through the process to get to the planning board
Live reporting - late bus approved
D. CITIZEN COMMENTS
no citizens for comment
E. APPOINTMENTS
motion to add item for election day poll workers, passed 7-0
motion approved, passed 7-0
F. HEARINGS
none
G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS
none
H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
Feeley moves to fund the Late Bus, authorized expenditure of $10,000 from the comprehensive agreement
Pfeffer disagrees with use of this for 3 middle schools as not being in the "public interest". Three PCC's have volunteered to fund this, let them. Why is not the School Committee here to support this.
Feeley I'll take that one. They offered to be here, I did not think it would be necessary.
Vallee references a letter received this afternoon from Paula Sandham and speaks in favor of the late bus.
Whalen has heard lots of feedback for not funding the late bus, he disagrees with that and explains why. School Dept made their decision based upon a set of circumstances at that time. We are now under a different set of circumstances have changed. Does meet the definition of "public purpose" in his view. This is perfectly appropriate.
Doak was surprised to hear about this funding sitting there for awhile. It is not recurring revenue, it can legitimately be used for this. The PCC's fund a lot of extra things that the school department does not fund.
Mason, my concern is that a number of people will read the paper and say, the override failed, the late bus should not be here. The opportunity is here because of the generosity of the bus company. At the end of the day, you need to side on the needs of the children.
Zollo, if anyone were to think that they were misled, that is not true, the circumstances changed, this money is available, lets use it, it is both legal and appropriate.
Stacy Bower - we were told that the late bus was lost if the override lost. If the PCC wants to fund it, let them. The Fire Dept and Police Dept were also looking for funding. The late bus is not required by the State. Doesn't feel that the Town should use this generous gift. The late bus is a luxury in town. When is the town going to say "enough"?
Feeley regardless of what happened in the past, I am supporting this as a good thing to do.
Approved 6-1 (Pfeffer no).
no citizens for comment
E. APPOINTMENTS
motion to add item for election day poll workers, passed 7-0
motion approved, passed 7-0
F. HEARINGS
none
G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS
none
H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
- Funding School Late Bus
Feeley moves to fund the Late Bus, authorized expenditure of $10,000 from the comprehensive agreement
Pfeffer disagrees with use of this for 3 middle schools as not being in the "public interest". Three PCC's have volunteered to fund this, let them. Why is not the School Committee here to support this.
Feeley I'll take that one. They offered to be here, I did not think it would be necessary.
Vallee references a letter received this afternoon from Paula Sandham and speaks in favor of the late bus.
Whalen has heard lots of feedback for not funding the late bus, he disagrees with that and explains why. School Dept made their decision based upon a set of circumstances at that time. We are now under a different set of circumstances have changed. Does meet the definition of "public purpose" in his view. This is perfectly appropriate.
Doak was surprised to hear about this funding sitting there for awhile. It is not recurring revenue, it can legitimately be used for this. The PCC's fund a lot of extra things that the school department does not fund.
Mason, my concern is that a number of people will read the paper and say, the override failed, the late bus should not be here. The opportunity is here because of the generosity of the bus company. At the end of the day, you need to side on the needs of the children.
Zollo, if anyone were to think that they were misled, that is not true, the circumstances changed, this money is available, lets use it, it is both legal and appropriate.
Stacy Bower - we were told that the late bus was lost if the override lost. If the PCC wants to fund it, let them. The Fire Dept and Police Dept were also looking for funding. The late bus is not required by the State. Doesn't feel that the Town should use this generous gift. The late bus is a luxury in town. When is the town going to say "enough"?
Feeley regardless of what happened in the past, I am supporting this as a good thing to do.
Approved 6-1 (Pfeffer no).
Live reporting - town council meeting 10/1/08
Councilors present: Whalen, Mason, Vallee, Feeley, Pfeffer, Doak, Zollo
Councilors not present: Bartlett, McGann
-------------
A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – September 3, 2008
moved to approve - approved 7-0
B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
no
C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS - Thelma Pullen Knowlton
Resident for over 90 years, only remaining graduate of Dean Class of 1948
Councilors not present: Bartlett, McGann
-------------
A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – September 3, 2008
moved to approve - approved 7-0
B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
no
C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS - Thelma Pullen Knowlton
Resident for over 90 years, only remaining graduate of Dean Class of 1948
"I get more out of it now"
GHS
FRANKLIN —
For the first time since its Franklin inception 40 years ago, the Junior Miss program is bowing out.
Organizers canceled the show, which is part of the America's Junior Miss Scholarship Program, this year due to a lack of funds and sponsors, but hope to bring it back next year by appealing to former donors and attracting new ones, said Becky Lavergne, chairwoman of Franklin Junior Miss.
"We have no choice - we have no money to give away. Our committee's gone over this a lot. ... We knew it was probably coming since last November. No one wanted to do this, but it was either give it up completely, or raise as much money as possible and come back next year," Lavergne said.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
In the News - cats, alumni, walk/run, art, fair
GHS
FRANKLIN —
People at odds over a feral cat colony at Highwood Condominiums may get a resolution tonight.
The condominium complex's board of trustees will discuss the matter and possibly decide to take action at a meeting open only to condo owners, said property manager Roy Blanchard.
Blanchard declined to talk about the controversy.
"This doesn't need to be in the press anymore. We can take care of our own issues," he said.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here
All the remaining items can be found in this article on Franklin Notes
Monday, September 29, 2008
Town Council Agenda - 10/1/08
October 1, 2008
7:00 PM
A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – September 3, 2008
B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS - Thelma Pullen Knowlton
D. CITIZEN COMMENTS
E. APPOINTMENTS
F. HEARINGS
G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS
H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
L. OLD BUSINESS
M. NEW BUSINESS
N. COUNCIL COMMENTS
O. EXECUTIVE SESSION – Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required
P. ADJOURN
7:00 PM
A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – September 3, 2008
B. ANNOUNCEMENTS
C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS - Thelma Pullen Knowlton
D. CITIZEN COMMENTS
E. APPOINTMENTS
F. HEARINGS
G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS
H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS
- Funding School Late Bus
- Zoning Bylaw Amendment to Chapter 185-18. Nonconforming Uses and Structures- Dept of Planning & Community Development
J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
- Resolution 08-53 – Order of Layout, Acceptance and Taking Newell Drive, Dover Circle, Cohasset Way, Sherborn Lane and Related Easements
- Resolution 08-54 – Order of Layout, Acceptance and Taking of Hancock Road, Winthrop Road, Corey Way and Lantern Road and Related Easements
- Resolution 08-59: Dissolution of Fire Station Building Committee
- Zoning Bylaw Amendment 08-625: Chapter 185-5, Town Code: Zoning Map – Business to Commercial II – 2nd Reading
L. OLD BUSINESS
M. NEW BUSINESS
N. COUNCIL COMMENTS
O. EXECUTIVE SESSION – Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required
P. ADJOURN
Sunday, September 28, 2008
late bus on tap for Town Council
Milford Daily News
FRANKLIN —
Town Council on Wednesday will discuss whether to fund the school district's popular late bus at a steeply discounted rate.
Parent Communication Councils were willing to fund the bus at $10,000 after School Superintendent Wayne Ogden announced the district did not have funds for it this year, but the district is turning to the town instead, said Chairman Jeffrey Roy, after Council Chairman Christopher Feeley and Vice Chairwoman Deborah Bartlett offered their support.
The late bus has been a hot issue since administrators first warned the district it would have to eliminate it without additional money from the Proposition 2 1/2 tax override that was voted down in June. Concerned about the children of working parents, who would miss out on after-school activities and getting extra help with academics, School Committee member Ed Cafasso pushed the School Committee to find a way to keep the service.
read the remainder of the article in the Milford Daily News here
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