Frequently asked questions: "We wouldn’t be in a crisis if we hadn’t spent money on the senior center, fire station and new ball fields"

We wouldn’t be in a crisis if we hadn’t spent money on the senior center, fire station and new ball fields.

These projects are the most visible examples of the Town’s effort to maintain and improve its buildings and facilities for the benefit of the general community. The vast majority of the funding for these renovations comes from the town’s long-term capital improvements plan, also known as the “20/20 Plan.” This is money the town borrows as part of its ongoing effort to upgrade public facilities, streets, sidewalks and buildings. A small part of the town's annual operating budget is used to pay off the debt that funds capital improvements, the same way a homeowner would pay off a mortgage over time.


The last time the town built a new recreation facility was 1990. Since then, the population has increased by about 10,000 people. We built three schools in that time period to house the surge in students, but we did not build any recreational facilities for them. The Town made improvements to existing fields, added new fields, and brought back into use the field and track at the High School. The existing track had not been useable for many years.


The senior citizen population in Franklin continues to grow. It is currently projected that citizens over 60 will increase from about 4,200 to over 7,500 in the next ten years. The old senior center had just two rooms and minimal parking which was completely inadequate for our population and programs. The new center has seen a three fold increase in participation. It has become a focal point for older adults and their families with many varied programs, services and activities to address the needs and interests of our senior and disabled residents.


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


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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

Frequently asked questions: "Why don’t town employees fund their own pensions?"

Pension costs are killing us, so why don’t town employees fund their own pensions?

Public employees are generally not covered by Social Security and DO self fund their retirement through a municipal pension system. Teachers, for example, contribute as much as 11% of their annual salary to this program and local property taxes do NOT fund the system. State tax revenues fund a portion of current benefits but the majority of such revenues are allocated to the unfunded municipal pension liability (i.e., in fiscal 2008, 77 percent of the Commonwealth’s $1.3 billion contribution to State and Teachers’ Pensions covered the unfunded liability while 23 percent went to pay for current retiree benefits. Reference: http://www.middlesexretirement.org/Special_Commission_Report_9.09.pdf

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

Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda - 6/2/10

A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – May 5, 2010

B. ANNOUNCEMENTS

C. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS

D. CITIZEN COMMENTS

E. APPOINTMENTS

F. HEARINGS

G. LICENSE TRANSACTIONS

H. PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS – Residential Key Box Program

I. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

J. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION –
1. Resolution 10-24: Establishment of a Fire Department Fire Rescue Training Revolving Account for FY 2011
2. Resolution 10-25: Establishment of a Council on Aging Senior Center Activities Program Revolving Account for FY 2011
3. Resolution 10-26: Establishment of a Council on Aging Supportive Day Program Revolving Account for FY 2011
4. Resolution 10-27: Establishment of a Use of Facilities Revolving Account for FY 2011
5. Resolution 10-28: Acceptance of Gift – Franklin Library
6. Resolution 10-29: Authorization for Intermunicipal Agreement with Town of Medway for Franklin to Provide Library Administrative and Maintenance Services to Medway
7. Bylaw Amendment 10-648: Chp. 151, Solid Waste; § 151-1. Definition –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

What in the world is free cash?

The first thing to remember is that it is not free and it is not cash, to quote a former Deputy Commissioner of Local Services. The Bureau of Accounts (BOA) defines free cash as the amount a community has accumulated when actual revenue collections exceed the budget estimates used when setting the tax rate and/or actual expenditures or encumbrances (committed funds not yet expended) are less than appropriations. 

----

Since free cash is a non-recurring revenue source, good financial management dictates that it should not be relied upon to fund operating budgets but rather should be used for one-time purposes such as capital purchases or appropriations to supplement the stabilization fund.

From Dec 2000 MA Gov publication found here (PDF)

So what does this mean in everyday English?

Suppose in your household budget you allocate $100 per week for food. You track all expenses diligently and at the end of the period you realize that while the budget for the year was $5,200 you actually spent only $4,900. The difference between the budget amount and actual expenditures would be money that you can use for other purposes in the household. As controller of the household funds, this would be an easy decision. At the Franklin budget level, the funds need to be certified by the State before they can be determined as "free cash" and used for another purpose.

Suppose in your household budget, along the way, you realize that while you budgeted $100 for electricity, you tend to be running expenses more than $100. If you can cut your usage, you should try. Otherwise, at some point you need to find another account (source of money) to cover for running over budget. Combining the example above, you might be able to take the extra food money to cover for the electricity shortage. If you don't have such a source, then you look to cut something somewhere to meet the budget without going into debt.

Does this help?


Franklin, MA

In the News - art for Haiti

Franklin Art students take small step that counts big time for Haiti

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by Emily Callahan Hughes/Daily News correspondent

Franklin, MA

Frequently asked questions: "some people suggest we should adopt a split tax rate"

I have heard some people suggest we should adopt a split tax rate that makes businesses in Franklin pay more property taxes. Wouldn’t that solve the problem?

A split tax rate will not generate any additional funding. Think of the amount of money a town can raise from property taxes as a pizza. You can cut that pizza into four slices, eight slices or even more, but it is still the same pizza.


Proposition 2½, by law, prevents the amount that a community can raise from property taxes from increasing by more than 2.5% per year. A split tax rate would redistribute how much each class of property will pay in taxes, but it wouldn’t change the total amount of money the town could raise. If the town decided that commercial property owners should pay more, the tax rate for residential property would decrease but the total amount of the tax levy would stay exactly the same. Franklin would still have to pass a Prop 2 1/2 override for the town's total tax revenue to increase. The Franklin Board of Assessors and Town Council have opposed a split tax rate, arguing that a single rate creates an incentive for businesses to locate in Franklin.

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

Frequently asked questions: "Why do parents pay fees for their children to ride the bus?"

Why do parents pay fees for their children to ride the bus or participate in athletics?

Known as user fees, they were implemented to keep costs lower. Per state law, Franklin is only obligated to bus K-6 students that live at least two miles from school. Similar to 200+ Massachusetts communities, Franklin (i) collects a student pay-to-ride fee of $325, which represents two-thirds of the actual cost, and (ii) imposes athletic fees to help lower athletics’ cost or prevent their elimination. Importantly, the override will not result in decreased user or athletic fees but will only maintain current service levels and, if it fails, the School Committee will likely increase user and athletic fees.

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

Franklin, MA: Stephanie's Treasure Chest

The new thrift store downtown in the Berry Building had this street sign out on Saturday.

Updated: July 29, 2010
Unfortunately, the store is no longer in business

Franklin, MA

Franklin MA: Information Forum

The information forum was sparsely attended on Monday, May 24.

 
The presentation used by members of the Town Council, School Committee, Finance Committee and Financial Planning Committee (long term plan) can be found here:
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_BComm/financial%20planning%20committee%20report/midyear.pdf

The video recording of the session can be viewed on demand on the Franklin website here:
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=mGsI6gdlM4Tf2oFU7LAn9g%3d%3d



Franklin, MA

Senior Center - Expo - June 11th

From 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Friday, June 11th, the WMRC Senior Expo will be held at the Franklin Senior Center.

Additional details can be viewed in the flyer here:

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

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

Franklin, MA