In the News: Session on how government works scheduled; NationalGrid changing rate request

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"A small group of dedicated residents is holding a community meeting they’re calling “Franklin Town Government 101.” 

The goal of the get-together is to field questions about how local government ticks, how residents can access more information, and how to have their voices heard. 

The first of what is expected to be multiple meetings will occur on Jan. 27 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Franklin Public Library, with a snow date of Feb. 3. 

Co-organizer and father of newly-elected town council member Eamon Earls, Alan Earls, said he’s not looking to kick up dust with town officials, but rather hopes to further unite them with their residents. 

“We don’t want it to be an ‘us versus them’ thing at all,” he said. “I realize (town officials) also have a really big challenge in working with the town, because many of us don’t know a lot of what happens, and how it works.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20180111/franklin-meeting-to-share-with-residents-how-local-government-works

"National Grid will seek a smaller rate hike in Massachusetts than it originally requested, the utility company said Thursday, citing the benefit of the recent federal tax reform bill. 

The company announced that it will reduce its proposed rate hike for Bay Staters by $36 million -- from a total increase of $87 million to $51 million --due to unexpected savings the company is now expecting to see as a result of the federal corporate tax rate dropping from 35 percent to 21 percent. 

“We are committed to ensuring that the tax savings of the legislation are fully realized and are used to help our customers in their energy bills,” Cordi O’Hara, president and COO of National Grid in Massachusetts, said in a statement. “We’ll continue to seek opportunities to provide this benefit to all of our customers.” 

National Grid said it does not yet know exactly how the changed proposed rates will affect customers’ bills, but did say the change will “result in smaller impacts than originally proposed and will vary across rate classes and customer usage.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20180111/citing-tax-law-national-grid-reduces-rate-hike-request

In the News: Town Council goal setting workshop

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"The Town Council held its 2018-2019 goal-setting session on Wednesday night, discussing budget shortfalls, and new infrastructure. 

Some important points made during the meeting: 

Funds 

Free cash is down about $1 million over last year’s numbers. Some of the funds will be used toward the snow/ice stabilization fund, while about $1.5 million have yet to be allocated. Financial committee meetings have yet to be scheduled. 

Information is being gathered on the $3 million budget shortfall, and how to resolve it. The council is working with town departments on the issue, and how to have it planned out soon."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20180111/franklin-council-goals-budget-shortfall-downtown


My notes reported live during the meeting can be found here

Part 1 -
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2018/01/live-reporting-town-council-workshop.html

Part 2 -
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2018/01/live-reporting-workshop-part-2.html

Part 3 -
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2018/01/live-reporting-workshop-part-3.html

The agenda document posted before the meeting

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2018/01/franklin-ma-town-council-goals-workshop.html

the downtown triangle, early in the morning one day this week

Franklin School Committee Legislative Forum on Education Funding - Feb 13

Our goal as a School Committee is to make sure Franklin Public Schools remain a shining star among both private and public schools across the state. We have been able to maintain services while ranking 272 out of 323 Massachusetts districts in per pupil spending. In our region of more than 30 towns we ranked fifth from the bottom in per pupil expenditure (based on fiscal year 2016 data). 

Rising health insurance, transportation and special education tuition costs have increasingly created pressures on the school budget. Additionally, the state has mandated a number of programs with which all public schools must comply, but has not provided additional funds to support them. In addition, the Franklin Fiscal Forecast published on April 11, 2017 indicates challenging budget cycles are ahead. We cannot and will not jeopardize our excellence as a school system.

We have confirmed attendance of our state legislators, Senators Richard Ross and Karen Spilka and Representative Jeffrey Roy to provide updates and insights on legislative initiatives directly impacting public schools in general and Franklin in particular. Their focus will be on funding and other school issues on which they will be working in the current legislative session.

Please join us on Tuesday evening, February 13, 2018 at 7:00 P.M. in the Franklin High School Lecture Hall. We strongly encourage and greatly appreciate citizen involvement in the budget process.

The Franklin School Committee intends to host another forum in the Spring with our federal elected official(s) to discuss federal level funding and policy impacts. We hope you can join us for these important community discussions.

For additional information, please contact Anne Bergen, Chair of the Franklin School Committee, at 508-520-1469 or Denise Schultz, Vice Chair of the Franklin School Committee at 508-612-5950.

Franklin School Committee Legislative Forum on Education Funding - Feb 13

The Franklin Fiscal Forecast
http://www.franklinma.gov/sites/franklinma/files/news/five_year_fiscal_forecast_fy18_-_fy22.pdf

HMEA Fund raising: Studio Two is Back! - Feb 24

Beatles Tribute Concert to benefit HMEA

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Please join us! Saturday, February 24, 2018 Black Box Theater 15 West Central St, Franklin 7:00 - 10:00 PM (doors open at 6:00) $20 per person (proceeds benefit HMEA) Click here to purchase your tickets

HMEA, 8 Forge Park East, Franklin, MA 02038 Sent by hmea@hmea.org in collaboration with Try it free today

FHS boys hockey and wrestling teams take the wins on Wednesday

Via HockomockSports and Twitter we share the results of the FHS sports action on Wednesday, Jan 10, 2018 


Boys Hockey = Franklin, 4 @ North Attleboro, 3 – Final
– North Attleboro took a 1-0 lead in the first period, but Franklin scored twice in each the second and the third periods to earn the win. Jeremy Miller, Joe Lizotte, Scott Elliott, and Luke Downie each scored once for the Panthers. Will Yeomans (from Jake Ebert), Jason McNeany (from Jake McNeany) and Brendan McHugh (from Jason McNeany) scored for the Big Red.

Girls Hockey = Franklin, 0 @ King Philip, 1 – Final
– Nicole Conner scored the game’s only goal to lift KP to a Hockomock win.

Wrestling = Taunton, 3 @ Franklin, 66 – Final
– Taunton’s Woudanly Danger earned the Tigers’ lone win, coming away with a victory at 220.

Boys Swimming = Franklin, 76 @ Oliver Ames, 93 – Final

Girls Swimming = Franklin, 79 @ Oliver Ames, 91 – Final


For the rest of the results around the Hockomock League on Wednesday
https://hockomocksports.com/wednesdays-schedule-scoreboard-01-10-18/

FHS Panthers

Via the Twitterverse

Franklin wins a hard fought battle over North Attleboro 4-3. Hard hat to Elliott Gs from Miller, Lizzotte (shorty), Elliot and Downie @HockomockSports @FHSSports @MassHSHockey @In_The_Slot @MetroWestSports @MyHockeyLive @BGlobeSports

— Coach Spillane (@FHS_PuckCoach) January 11, 2018

Times don't lie! State qualifiers, sectional qualifiers and many MID-season personal best times! Great job tonight to all of my swimmies!
Just keep swimming!@FHSGVSWIM @FHSBVSWIM

— Coach_P (@mrsjpridham) January 11, 2018

With a 4-3 win tonight over NA, we are proud to congratulate @FHS_PuckCoach Chris Spillane on win number 300!!!! Way to go coach!!!! @FHS_Puck @FranklinHSNews @FHSSports #hockomock

— FranklinHighSchool (@FranklinHS) January 11, 2018

B V Swim: Franklin 76 Oliver Ames 93
Sectional Cut from Cashin '18 in the 100 Butterfly, Wang '19 in the 200IM & 500 Freestyle & the 200 Freestyle Relay

— FranklinAthletics (@FHSSports) January 11, 2018

66-3 win over Taunton. Pins from Jake Carlucci, Bakalars, Jordan Carlucci, Remillard, Farrell, Maclean, Smith, Polito, Johnson, and Downing.

— Franklin Wrestling (@FHSWrestle) January 11, 2018

Last night victory was in the air. All 3 teams came out on top. Next game is Friday at FHS versus Mansfield!... https://t.co/HDJpRDvDP4

— FHS Boys Basketball (@fhsboysbball) January 10, 2018

Thank you FHS Boys Basketball supporters!! You donated 193 pounds of food and dry goods to the Franklin Food... https://t.co/2KgbyNutCs

— FHS Boys Basketball (@fhsboysbball) January 10, 2018

Franklin SEPAC: January Workshop - Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities - Jan 18

January 2018 Happy New Year!! January Workshop Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities By Dr. Joseph Moldover Children with these disorders may have trouble interpreting non-verbal cues like facial expression or body language and may have poor coordination, but are strong verbally. Dr. Moldover is a neuropyschologist practicing independently in Wellesley, MA. He evaluates and treats children and adolescents with learning disorders, developmental disorders, neurological injuries and psychiatric disabilities.  Dr. Moldover frequently works with individuals diagnosed with ADHD/ADD, neurological and psychiatric disorders and cognitive disabilities. He is a graduate of the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology at Widner University.  Thursday, January 18th at 7:00 PM 3rd Floor Training Room Franklin Municipal Building  We look forward to seeing you there.  Parent Support Group When: Thursday, January 25 at 7:00 PM Where: Cole's Tavern, 553 Washington Street, Franklin We will be providing monthly opportunities for parents/caregivers to get together in a relaxed environment to share stories, make connections and learn from one another.   The mission of the Franklin Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is to promote a network for parents of children with disabilities and provide a forum to share information and discuss matters of relative interest and concern regarding our children. This group provides regular forums for Pupil Personnel Services and parents to share information and discuss pertinent issues; develops, maintains and shares tools and a resource guide; and raises awareness of children with special needs. We host monthly workshops educating parents on special-needs topics. We also hold support groups, fun meet-ups for the kids and donate educational supplies to the Franklin Public School Special Education programs. We are a volunteer-run organization and need donations to help alleviate the costs of the above-mentioned programs. We receive our primary funding through an annual "Evening of Comedy" fundraiser that we host in April. www.franklinsepac.org We are always looking for feedback and ways that we can help meet the needs of our community here in town.  Please don't hesitate to reach out to us via email at franklinsepac@gmail.com, follow us on Facebook at @franklinsepac, and now on Twitter at @franklin_sepac. Stay updated about our workshops, support groups and events. Get social with us!

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Franklin Special Education Parent Advisory Council 355 East Central St. Franklin, Massachusetts 02038 US Read the VerticalResponse marketing policy.

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