Franklin Matters

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Franklin, MA: Town Council - Charter Revisions 03/10/10

The collected posts from the Special Town Council meeting to discuss the proposed Charter Revisions can be found here:

Franklin, MA

"fostering greater awareness of bullying"

"I am so proud to have a group of such motivated, committed students like the Teenangels in my community," Vallee said in a press release. "We can't, of course, legislate what parents should be teaching at home - courtesy, respect, and the Golden Rule - but we can put a plan in place to help school administrators and teachers swiftly and effectively address bullying if it does occur in their classrooms."

The Teenangels, a group of 17 seventh- and eight-graders, is a chapter of Wiredsafety.org that trains students in online safety, privacy and security.

Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here

Prior posts on the Teenangels can be found here:

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/live-reporting-teen-angels.html

http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/teen-angels-pledge-text-think-send.html

Franklin, MA

"As the town grows ... it becomes more complicated"

Last night, the Charter Review Subcommittee suggested making the town treasurer, clerk, assessors, Board of Health and constables appointed instead of elected posts.

"As the town grows ... it becomes more complicated and a bigger and bigger business," Vice Chairman Stephen Whalen said. "It's more important to be appointed and evaluated on a skill set qualified for those specific functions."

Whalen said not only does appointment ensure the most qualified candidate, but it allows people who may have been turned off by an election process to come forward.

Last night's discussion came during a hearing at which the Town Council discussed several suggested revisions to the town charter - its governing document.

Read the full article here:

Views differ on appointing vs. electing positions

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

Franklin, MA

Harlem Wizards return to Franklin!

The Harlem Wizards, one of the greatest basketball show-team organizations to ever “lace it up and let’em fly”, will play our own Sullivan Rockets. This will be an entertaining night for kids of all ages (and adults too)!

From Franklin Matters

Did you miss their visit last year?

Don't miss it this year!

Date: Friday, March 19th, 2010, 7:00 PM
Doors Open 6:00, Game Time 7:00

Location: Tri-County Regional High School
147 Pond St, Franklin MA

Tickets: Click here to print ticket order form

Contacts: ayotte_k@verizon.net or erinclong@comcast.net

Sponsored By: Annie Sullivan Middle School PCC

Open Gym Night - Remington High School

When: Thursday, March 11th from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Where: Remington Middle School Gymnasium

Middle and High School Students: Here’s a chance to spend some free time with friends… get moving and cure the Cabin Fever at Open Gym night!

Of course there will be an open court to shoot hoops, but you can also conquer an obstacle course or take on an air hockey challenge.

Need to slow down? How about magnetic darts, indoor Frisbee, or a giant blow up Twister game?

Sounds like fun!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Live reporting - discussion resumes

Nutting - there are two ways to amend the charter, with 9 folks elected to make the recommendations. The other way is the way we are about, is to make the homerule changes, petition the legislature, and then it comes back to the people for their vote.

Vallee - I need to do some thinking about this.

Pfeffer - you shouldn't do this next meeting as two councilors will be missing

Dacey - I think we should address the qualifications. IT would have been a growth from 17 to 21 due to the population growth. They made the change to reduce it to nine. I came in off the street and started doing the finances. Thank God I had two good assistants who helped me tremendously. That may not be the situation the next time around. As far as the schooling goes, it took me six years to get them through training and classes that I go to each year. My review is every four years. I think that is too long. I think it should be every year. A long list of appointed Treasurers. Only a few of our neighboring communities have elected officials.

Whalen - I'd like to respond. Perhaps those words I chose I would change today, the sentiment is there. The Treasurer is a specific qualification position. The Council brings varied backgrounds to the role. That someone of a technical background should chose the council I don't think would be good. The number of candidates who would be qualified would be larger if we did not submit them to the requirement of an election.

Cheli - the Citizens committee reviewed the documents from Bauer and Lanza (from 1995) and we reviewed the Nutting and Cerel documents, separated by some 15 years, they are essentially the same. They are issues of accountability between the Council and the Administration.

Nutting - there are a number of minor technical changes we should make

Change from the first Weds to second Weds for the first meeting after election of new council
with compelling reason, the council should be able to change chair by super majority vote
change from journal to minutes
council needs to meet more than once a month but does it need to be every month?
changes the role of administrator to executive, only in regards to signing of documents, some specifically require that authority and it should be clear in the document for what is in fact in practice
remove restriction of the Administrator to sit on boards and committees, key to current requirements of the position (with Council approval)
change of language on personnel records to personnel system
change purchasing agent to??
ratifying positions that we no longer have like wiring inspector, etc. The Council still ratifies the key positions. We don't have some boards and committees, these are all language clean ups
change to reflect that the Administrator can act on their behalf, to make it more clear than it currently is stated. The Council appointment process should be extended from 120 to 180 days, still has extension.
Finance Committee reduce from 11 to 9 members, lengthen term from one year to two years, all other appointed terms are currently three years.
changes the school committee budget to school department budget, technical change only
clarifies that the Council should act on the Administrators budget
eliminating Chap 7.7.1 of the charter as this exists in the personnel bylaws and conflicts with the bargaining agreements in place
Chap 8 would still need to be addressed depending upon what changes are agreed upon.

McGann - we would be doing this review and discussion again when we vote on this
Mason - undoubtedly

McGann - is the Treasurer of the Commonwealth elected or appointed?
Dacey - elected (side note, the state position is one of title only, he/she has staff to perform all the necessary functions, the local Treasurer is a hands on role, there is no comparison with the State level)

Zollo - I think we can choose to have the elected approve the appointments for the benefit of the people

Norman - I think you need to define in that where you need a 2/3 vote on bond and other major issues
I would like to see a change where incumbents are required to declare at some point certain and then others would have sometime to make a decision. I think there is a reluctance to run against incumbents. I think there should be a prohibition with candidates puling papers for two different positions. I think that would help increase the number of candidates.

5-2-5 25% of qualified should be reduce to 20%, given the history of the voting for this town. It is a barrier.

5-3-6 should consider lowering this to 20%

5-4-1 5% of signatures be collected within 14 days, maybe increase to 21 days.

5-4-4 another 25 to 20% recommendation

Powederly - Given the amount of discussion, how do we get to a point with some language that we are voting on? I would ask the council to consider separating the change of Treasurer and Town Council from the Planning Board, etc.

Nutting- the Council needs to take a vote on a home rule petition, so that language needs to be precise. If you decide on what you want to do, then we can prepare the language accordingly to help the process. Mr Norman made some recommendations that should be considered. You would need to decide amongst yourselves to reach a consensus.

Mason - is the council in general agreement at that that is the way to proceed?
heads nodding yes in agreement

Pfeffer - we are a city that calls itself a Town

Vallee -motion to adjourn

Live reporting - Charter revision - elected vs. appointed

Whalen - the most interesting items I think is the proposal for some positions to be appointed rather than elective. Treasurer/Collector, Constables, Board of Assessors, Planning Board, Board of Health. I think there are qualified folks who can serve in these positions who are not willing to run a campaign. we should not disallow their participation just because they don't want to run for election.

Zollo -

Cheli - recognizing the Citizens Committee members: Michael Walker Jones, Larry Benedetto, Maureen Roy, (other names to be added later)

There was a majority report and a minority report, the difference was on the Town Clerk position (which should remain an elected position). Both Jim Dacey and Debbie Pellegri contributed mightily to the work of the Citizens Committee.

Jim has recommended that his own position become appointed. The technical requirements have increased such that to manage a million dollar budget it should be not an elected position.

You can leave the positions to the luxury of an elected position.

Pfeffer - you had 23 meetings, but during those meetings you did not vote on the Board of Health, Assessors, etc.

Cheli - The whole process of getting 100 signatures, of standing holding a sign, in the cold and rain. It is not saying the people don't get a voice. They do elect the Council. They do elect the School Committee. You get a chance to review all the appointments. Yes, we did talk about it but none of us felt strongly on making a recommendations.

Pfeffer - I think the Board of Health, Assessors, Constable, and the Town Clerk should remain as elected positions.

McGann - I think we should keep the Treasurer/Collector and Town Council as elected. If you appoint someone, you take away the voice of the people.

Cheli - I understand what you are saying. The voice of the people comes through your body. It is a 90 million dollar business, It is not Franklin in 1975.

Vallee - The key is ratification by the Council. We are elected by the people and we have the control.

Powderly - I am reluctant to take away the power from the people. I think the growth of the Town and the stakes have been raised such that these should be appointed. This is consistent with municipalities of cities of our size.

Zollo - There is a difference between policy makers and administrators. Policy and long term strategic view should be left to the people. Ironically because we have such quality Treasurer and Town Clerk that it is what we need to keep by moving them to appointed.

Kelly - I agree with the Citizens Committee that both the Treasurer and Town Clerk be appointed, I think those folks should also live here, if they do not already. We did that on the School Committee

Norman - I am going to speak in favor of the elected positions of the Assessors. I think it should be kept separate. I don't understand why they should be appointed.

Whalen - this is not a comment on anyone that holds the positions currently. I think of it as a long term document, as the Town continues to grow, we need to have the absolute best people doing those positions. Not all of them who are qualified would want to go through an election. I would rather a larger pool of people to choose from.

Zollo - I think it is simple that we don't have enough candidates currently to fulfill the roles. They have to be convinced to get enough today.

McGann - Kelly hit the issue on the head, why do we have such quality currently in the position? It is because they are local have been living here and are interested in being here. Mr Vallee what are the qualifications of a Councilor?

Vallee - There are none

Whalen - While a Councilor doesn't have to have qualifications, the Treasurer etc.

Dacey - One of the requirements of the City of Worcester is to move to the city. They have a Treasure position open for 2 years and have finally removed the requirement. I would not recommend making that a requirement.

Jones - This is very interesting. My point on this topic.

Mason I don't think is has anything to do with the voters, it has to do with the candidates. We have a Board of Assessor candidate this year, did not pull papers, ran unopposed, and fortunately he is qualified.

Nutting - in normal cities, the voters elect a council, school committee and mayor. They don't elect the other positions. We are an exception that we are the only city with an elected Town Clerk. I would like to get the best possible people for the positions.

Mason - I don't think we are elitist.

Zollo - I think I was elected to to the best for the voters. I don't think that just anyone can walk into the Town Clerk position and run an election like has been done on Jan 19th, or the past Town elections. This is not best, this is someone who is technically competent and qualified to run the position. All the other cities in the Commonwealth have already made this decision.

McGann - I wonder if this has been announced would there be more folks here to help us?
Mason - it was announced. It was in the Milford Daily News and the Boston Globe.

Pfeffer - comment about clerk being local and handling last minute requests.

Ray Fioravanti - I came here pretty sure that the elected officials were the way to go. I have heard all the arguments and I will stay with the elected positions. What makes the Town Council more qualified to make that decision? If you appoint someone, you do have a broader range of candidates. I agree. That could be resolved in another way. What better way to judge a persons reputation than by putting it out to vote? I would like to get to pick from a large pool. The question is who gets to pick, the Council or the voters. I am afraid there is a pattern of taking away from the voters something they already have.

Refers to a Whalen quote from May 2008, about the genetic disposition of voters against an override

Cheli - This council is a legislative body, the council is not elitist, it is a living document. we took representation away from the people. I think it is what is needed to be done. You got to a longer term view. If you have an issue with personalities.

(break)

Live reporting - Franklin, MA: Charter Review

Present: Kelly, Jones, Vallee, Whalen, Mason, Pfeffer, McGann, Zollo, Powderly
Absent: none

Meeting Purpose review changes of Council subcommittee, review proposals from Citizens Committee, and hopefully come to a consensus

Whalen - decision on election date and terms, all at once or staggered terms
no compelling reason to overcome the logistic challenges to adopt a staggered term

Zollo - I agree with that

Cheli - yes, the citizens committee agreed as well to keep it as is. Worry about losing the institutional knowledge is not valid as it did only occur once (1997) in the last 12 years. We studied it a lot. We have a Town Administrator and Staff to maintain the continuity we felt we needed. The staggered terms could be done, it would be more expensive with more elections but we did not recommend it.

Ken Norman - addressing the issue of staggering terms. The whole purpose of this exercise was to have staggered terms. To my mind it is quite simple. The top vote getters get the longest term. This is how the problem was solved in this charter. You need to commit yourself that you either need to have staggered terms or you don't. It seems pretty simple.

Mason - neither committee was charged with going to staggered terms. The charge was to exam what changes needed to be made and propose those. The issue of the staggered terms was commitment to four or more years. The Council preferred to review their position every two years.

Whalen - I think we said we could do it. We did not come up with a compelling benefit to make the change.

Norman - the history of the town shows that it did occur. The history is being ignored.

Nutting - you can find arguments on both sides. The citizens seem to want the option of deciding who they want every two years.

Vallee - There is a learning curve to become a council. I think it is important to have staggered terms.

Cheli - Ken participated in a lot of our meetings. I had Debbie Pellegri pull the data on the elections. 1997 was a different year. I look it as an anomaly, an outlier. I look it as a unique period of time. I came on the committee with the idea that we needed to fix this. I looked at the data and decided otherwise. It is a sentiment of the citizens that they want the options to "throw the bums out" every two years. The Charter Review in 1995 was a major effort. They reduced the council from 17 to 9.

JIm Dacey - chairman of the 1995 Charter Review committee. "Pray to God it never happens, but we'll that God when it does." It wasn't a fresh group in 1997, some finance and other committee folks did change positions and run in 1997. That was an anomaly.

Zollo - I appreciate every ones input. I went into the process thinking of the staggered term. By decreasing the volume, increasing the quality of the debate, there would be a better council. The data as referenced convinced me otherwise. I think the four year term would be a deterrent rather than having folks willing to serve two year terms. We need more people who are willing to get involved.

Franklin, MA: Charter Revisions - available for review

You can prepare for the special meeting Wednesday evening by going to the Town website to download or at least read the proposed Charter Revisions here (PDF file).

The meeting will be held in the Council Chambers, Municipal Bldg beginning at 7:00 PM.

Franklin, MA: Trash Automation Introduction and Q&A

The introduction document and the Question and Answers document for the new curbside Trash pickup process starting July 1, 2010 are now available on the Town website

The Introduction document

The Q&A document

or here

The Introduction document

The Q&A document

Franklin, MA: School Committee 03/09/10

The collected posts for the Franklin, MA School Committee meeting on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 can be found here:

In the News: school budget

The proposed budget, $52.2 million, does not see any cuts in programs and could potentially bring back the late bus at no additional cost.

"We're anticipating reviewing the current routes and ridership," Goodman said. "We're expecting to bring back the late bus without an additional increase."

The late bus was not offered for the 2009-2010 school year to help eliminate the budget gap.

"When the late bus was eliminated it created an inequity in the district," Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski said.

Franklin schools predict $2M in increased costs

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Ashley Studley/Daily News staff

Hold the date for the Charles River Watershed Cleanup!

Are you looking to make a real difference in your community? If so, join a group or form your own to clean up trash throughout the Charles River Upper Watershed. You will be helping us improve the appearance and health of the waterways in our region.

If you live in the Upper Watershed please consider volunteering a few hours of your time to help us protect this unique and valuable natural resource. The large majority of our the cleanup sites are land-based, but we have a few on-water sites for experienced paddlers who can supply their own canoe or kayak.

Did you know? The Charles River stretches for more than 80 miles from Hopkinton to Boston. It originates and flows for nearly 37 miles here in the Upper Watershed. In our region alone the Charles is fed by 45+ miles of waterways including seven major tributary rivers, brooks, and streams.

WHEN: Saturday, April 24, 2010
TIME: 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon

WHERE: Charles River Upper Watershed - Ashland, Bellingham, Dover, Franklin, Holliston, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Medfield, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millis, Norfolk, Sherborn, Wrentham.

The volunteer check-in site will be located in front of Whole Foods Market in Bellingham, MA. Stop by to get directions to your assigned site, collect your cleanup supplies and receive a free t-shirt. We encourage you to sign up in advance by using the contact information below.

CONTACT: David Dobrzynski
Upper Watershed Volunteer Coordinator

EMAIL: CRWAvolunteer@gmail.com

You can view the flyer for this event here:

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Live reporting - Information matters, closing

5. Information Matters
Superintendent’s Report
a. Enrollment Comparisons

Sabolinski, The Parmenter School is getting the energy grant for solar panels. US Rep Jim McGovern and State Senator Karen Spilka spent some time visiting and asking good questions. We are leading the way on energy saving measures.

School Committee Sub-Committee Reports
Community Health Council has been doing good work on bullying

Space needs sub-committee report should be ready for early in April

School Committee Liaison Reports
none

6. New Business
To discuss future business that may be brought before the School Committee.

Trivia Bee - FEF on 4/29

7. Executive Session
Grievance

motion to enter executive session, to not return to open session.
motion passed via roll call, 7-0

Live reporting - action items

4. Action Items
a. I recommend adoption of Policy EB – Safety Program. motion to approve, passed 7-0

b. I recommend adoption of Policy EEA - – Student Transportation Policy – Services and Eligibility motion to approve, passed 7-0

c. I recommend adoption of Policy EEB - – Student Transportation Policy – Services and Eligibility motion to approve, passed 7-0

d. I recommend acceptance of a check for $100.00 from Charron & Michael Holtzman in memory of Barbara Esterly, FHS cafeteria worker for the FHS gift account. motion to approve, passed 7-0

e. I recommend acceptance of a check for $2920.00 from the Parmenter PCC for field trips and buses. motion to approve, passed 7-0

f. I recommend approval of the request of Judi Bassignani for the Parmenter 4th Grade field trip to the VMA Art & Cultural Center in Providence, RI on June 5, 2010.   motion to approve, passed 7-0

g. I recommend acceptance of a check for $500.00 from the JF Kennedy PCC for a 1st grade field trip and buses to Drumlin Farm. motion to approve, passed 7-0

h. I recommend approval of the 7th Grade RMS field trip to Stadium Theatre in Woonsocket, RI to see the play “Eureka!”. motion to approve, passed 7-0

i. I recommend approval to establish the Franklin Arts Academy (FAA) using the small learning community model, at FHS for the 2010-2011 school year. motion to approve, passed 7-0

j. I recommend acceptance of a check for $7000.00 from the Keller PCC for 2 field trips & buses to the Museum of Science and Roger Williams Zoo.   motion to approve, passed 7-0

k. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1170.75 from Lifetouch for the Annie Sullivan MS student activity fund. motion to approve, passed 7-0

l. I recommend acceptance of the donation of 25 Laptop computers from Boston Scientific C/O (Christine Tattrie) to the Franklin Public Schools Technology Department.   motion to approve, passed 7-0