Town Council - Agenda - 4/7/10

A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – March 10, Special Meeting & March 17, 2010, Regular & Executive Session

B. ANNOUNCEMENTS

C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS

E. APPOINTMENTS

Long Range Financial Planning Committee - Brendan Morrison
Cultural Council - Helen Reebenacker

F. HEARINGS

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS – New Officer & Director Change for Longhorn Steakhouse

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS –

1. Legislative Update by Representative James E. Vallee & State Senator Karen Spilka
2. FY 2011 Budget Discussion
3. Presentation by The Community Health Council

I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION –

1. Resolution 10-12: Request for Special Legislation, RE: Amendment of Town of Franklin Home Rule Charter
2. Resolution 10-13: Appropriation: FY 10 Capital Plan
3. Resolution 10-14: Appropriation: Capital FY 10 – Fire Truck
4. Resolution 10-15: Appropriation: Parmenter School Solar Panels
5. Resolution 10-16: Appropriation: Triennial Property Revaluation
6. Resolution 10-17: Appropriation: Personal Property Revaluation
7. Bylaw Amendment 10-642: Amendment to Chapter 181-6:Wetlands Protection; Notice and Hearings – 2nd Reading
8. Bylaw Amendment 10-644: Amendment to the Code, Sewer Map Extension- 1st Reading

K. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT

L. OLD BUSINESS

M. NEW BUSINESS

N. COUNCIL COMMENTS

O. EXECUTIVE SESSION – Negotiations, Litigation, Real Property, as May Be Required

P. ADJOURN


Franklin, MA

In the News - retired, election

Retired Franklin school van driver honored

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

------

Auditor says state should pay towns for special Senate election

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by David Riley/Daily News staff

Franklin, MA

Shades IN Place

Please NOTE: as April 5th, 2010

New Office Number (508) 520 - 6700

Send all mailing/ billing/ deliveries to:

Shades IN Place
76 Grove Street
Franklin MA 02038


Roger's website does not change:  http://shadesinplace.com/

When was the last time you were called 'childish'?

In this delightful eight minute talk, Adora Svitak raises some good questions. Now, I have Peter Pan as one of my heroes (yes, I don't want to grow up) so this admittedly does appeal to me.



The reciprocal relationship I think is key. Dealing in an environment of mutual trust and understanding can generate wonderfulness. It starts with respect for the other. It deepens by listening to the other. Within the conversation, understanding can develop and enrich both sides. The 'power of we' can grow far greater than either one alone could have achieved.

What do you think?


Note: email subscribers will need to click through to Franklin Matters to view the video


Franklin, MA

Getting the adult's attention on education

Two opinion columns this weekend in the Boston Globe are providing some insight into why the "Race to the Top" application for MA was not chosen.

On Saturday, Derrick Jackson wrote:

At best, parents are lumped together among the many “stakeholders" who provide “letters of support" in the Race to the Top applications. Here at home, the 180-page Massachusetts application rarely mentions parents, even as it concedes that “strong parent and community engagement is a critical lever of school turnaround."

The near-omission is shortsighted, especially because you know who will get the blame — from teachers, principals, and politicians — if the achievement gap fails to narrow. Those ignorant, uninvolved parents! Underscoring this mindset is President Obama himself, who in February boasted that he had not missed a parent-teacher conference and says, “I don’t care how poor you are, you can turn off the television set during the week."

Read the full article here

On Sunday, Andy Smarick wrote:

So how did the state still manage to place a discouraging 13th overall out of 16 finalists?

By coming in very last place in the application’s most important section: improving the teaching profession.

Read the full article here


These two groups of folks need to be active in the educational discussion.

Franklin, MA: Town Council - inside the agenda

If you have sometime today in and around your family activities, you should check out the full agenda document for this Wednesday's Town Council meeting. You can find the PDF for the document on the Town website here.

Items of interest

1 - the changes to the Charter (pages 25 - 29)
2 - Capital budget ($2,019,000) (page 30 - 40)

Happy Easter!

Two photos to share today. This one I snapped while on my long run for this week.

Where was this? It looks like a golf course. Actually it is on the former Putnam Investments property along Washington St.

I snapped this one in the backyard.

Most everything outside is still brown. The trees are beginning to bud some more advanced than the others. The daffodils provide a welcome sight. Spring is coming!

Enjoy the day folks!