Franklin Matters

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Relay for Life - slideshow

I was at the Relay for Life opening Friday evening. Here is a collections of photos:

Hopefully the rain today won't hinder the walkers effort too much!

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

"We're playing Russian roulette"

"This was my sixth budget year and in each of those six years we've made cuts," Town Council Chairman Scott Mason said. "The budget that we just approved (Thursday) night stinks, just like the others before it. It's like we're crawling down a well and it's going to be very difficult for us to climb back out."

The fiscal 2012 budget represents a 1.3 percent increase over this year's $88.1 million budget. It cuts about 31 positions, including two firefighters, two police officers, 5.5 library jobs and four Public Works jobs.

Mason worried the cuts will make it harder to fix roads, could lead to a reactive police force and may increase firefighters' reaction time and reliance on mutual aid.

"There's only so much we can do with less people," Town Councilor Tina Powderly said, noting the budget has remained relatively flat since fiscal 2009 despite rising energy, salt and insurance costs. "I think the budget was the best we could do but I don't sleep well at night. ... I'm very concerned about this town."

In the News - Arts Academy, Woodshed Gallery, Partridge St

Franklin Arts Academy arts festival set

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Woodshed Gallery featuring Franklin artist’s work

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Franklin street will partially open after collapse

from The Milford Daily News News RSS by GateHouse Media, Inc.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Two headlines appeared in my RSS Reader at the same time, at first glance they seemed to be polar opposites. Reading beyond the headline, yes into the details of both articles one realizes that they were effectively saying the same thing.

Price Changes & Temperatures Soar in Franklin, MA

Consensus: MA home prices will fall in 2011, rise in 2012

What should you take away from this?
Don't depend on the headline to tell you what is in the article. The headlines are designed to catch your attention.

Feel free to click through to read Kathy Standard's article showing the amount of change in prices recently (and all prices heading down) and then Warren Reynolds' article referencing research predicting the downward trend in prices this year and recovery next year.

Franklin, MA

The budget cuts about 31 positions, including two firefighters, two police officers, 5.5 library jobs, four Public Works jobs and more than 14 school positions. It represents a 1.3 percent increase over this year's $88.1 million budget.

Cuts are needed because of decreased state aid, local revenue and $2 million less in federal school stimulus money. Increased contractual obligations and health insurance costs have led to a rise in the school budget, administrators have said.

Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting said on Wednesday that there would be three to four layoffs on the town hall side. The rest of the positions are already vacant or will be by the start of the fiscal year next month.