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| Town of Franklin, MA: Veteran's parking space |
"Reason #6 to #ThinkFranklinFirst is a big one! Taking time to find items you want /need locally, rather than buying them online, is well worth the effort! #KeepItLocal #ShopLocal #LocalEconomy #ItMatters #Franklinma https://t.co/j33MVuCmX6
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| Town of Franklin, MA : Reason #6 to #ThinkFranklinFirst |
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| Let’s Laugh Today is Free EVERY Wednesday at 7:30pm on ZOOM! |
From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin:
"THE MBTA is preparing to cut service levels to deal with a budget shortfall looming over next year, but the Massachusetts Taxpayer Foundation warned members of the Fiscal and Management Control Board on Monday that even bigger problems are just around the corner.
Andy Bagley, a vice president at the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, said MBTA capital funding sources will fall off a cliff in fiscal 2025, roughly four years from now. When that happens, he said, the T won’t have enough money to maintain and modernize the existing system and pursue other initiatives that already have wide support.“There’s a capital cliff coming and without additional resources you’re going to face some extremely difficult challenges in the near future,” Bagley said.
The T’s Fiscal and Management Control Board typically hears presentations from staff that tend to follow carefully scripted narratives. The board accepts testimony from the public, but those comments are time constrained and usually narrowly focused. On Monday, however, Bagley was given the opportunity to lay out in depth the Tax Foundation’s concerns about the T’s financial future."
While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the lives of many in our state and local communities, Register of Deeds William P. O’Donnell reported Norfolk County experienced significant growth in both real estate sales and lending numbers during the month of October 2020.
Register O’Donnell stated, “I was pleasantly surprised to see October experience such a robust month of real estate sales activity throughout Norfolk County. A total of 1,874 properties, both residential and commercial, changed hands in October, a 14% increase compared to the previous year. Average sales price, again factoring in residential and commercial sales, topped the one million mark landing at $1,015,958, a 16% increase compared to October 2019. Total sales volume was $1.2 billion, a significant 44% increase year over year. Despite COVID-19 and a limited inventory of available housing stock, the availability of low interest rates is encouraging individuals and families to buy property with the result being increased property sales prices throughout Norfolk County.”
The Norfolk County lending market showed no signs of slowing down during October. 4,522 mortgages were recorded, a 34% increase year over year. Total amount of money borrowed for mortgages countywide was $2.2 billion, a 17% increase compared to October 2019. “Individuals and families are not only taking advantage of low interest rates to buy property, existing mortgages are being refinanced to reduce monthly payments and in other cases pay for high ticket capital expenses including home remodeling and education costs,” stated the Register.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has been ongoing, foreclosure activity has been drastically reduced due to the moratorium placed on foreclosures and evictions. However, the moratorium on foreclosures and evictions expired on October 17th. O’Donnell stated, “The Registry of Deeds is aware of important discussions taking place at the State House involving the Governor’s office, legislative leadership, the courts and other stakeholders trying to figure out if and when the moratorium on foreclosures and evictions will be put back in place. We at the Registry are sympathetic to those individuals and families who are facing a housing crisis through no fault of their own. It is our hope that the various financial and legal questions surrounding this issue can be worked out to everyone’s satisfaction.”
“Additionally, while we continue to closely track developments surrounding the foreclosure and eviction issue,” stated O’Donnell, “the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds has been working in lockstep with Attorney General Maura Healey’s office monitoring protections afforded to homeowners affected by the COVID-19 state of emergency. Again, we at the Registry of Deeds are very sensitive to how this pandemic has caused upheaval in people’s lives, and in some cases negatively impacted homeowners ability to pay their mortgage.”
The Norfolk County Registry of Deeds continues to partner with Quincy Community Action Programs, 617-479-8181 x376, and NeighborWorks Housing Solutions, 508-587-0950 to help anyone facing challenges paying their mortgage. Another option for homeowners is to contact the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Consumer Advocacy and Response Division (CARD) at 617-727-8400. Register O’Donnell stated, “If you are having an issue paying your mortgage, please consider contacting one of these agencies for help and guidance. Each of these agencies are staffed with professionals who can help.”
Homestead recordings increased 24% during October. “A Homestead,” noted O’Donnell, “provides limited protection against the forced sale of an individual’s primary residence to satisfy unsecured debt up to $500,000. I would urge anyone who has not availed themselves of this important consumer protection tool to consider doing so.”
In conclusion, Register O’Donnell stated, “By staying open for business during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Registry of Deeds has allowed the real estate market to thrive here in Norfolk County. Despite fears expressed by many back in March and April, real estate sales numbers and lending activity have remained strong throughout the county. As evidenced by the figures seen in October, there is no sign this robust sales and lending activity will diminish anytime soon. As long as interest rates remain low, Norfolk County should experience a strong and viable real estate market. One area of concern is whether we are effectively eliminating the possibility of many working men and women and young couples from being able to afford housing costs in Norfolk County. There are no easy answers to this question as sales prices are being driven by market forces including a lack of available housing stock.”
“While the Registry of Deeds building in Dedham remains closed to the general public, we at the Registry continue to serve our customers, the residents of Norfolk County and real estate professionals alike. By listening to health officials, we have practiced social distancing, made sure all staff is wearing masks and taken all other steps to ensure we remain open for business. Documents are being recorded electronically for many of our institutional users. We are also receiving documents via regular mail, Federal Express and from those placed in our drop-off box located just outside our main entrance at 649 High Street, Dedham, MA. As your Norfolk County Register of Deeds, please know how much I appreciate the cooperation, patience and understanding you have shown myself and the Registry staff while this pandemic has been ongoing. Working together, we will all get through this. Be healthy. Be safe.”
To learn more about these and other Registry of Deeds events and initiatives, like us at facebook.com/NorfolkDeeds or follow us on twitter.com/NorfolkDeeds and Instagram.com/NorfolkDeeds.
The Norfolk County Registry of Deeds is located at 649 High Street in Dedham. The Registry is a resource for homeowners, title examiners, mortgage lenders, municipalities and others with a need for secure, accurate, accessible land record information. All land record research information can be found on the Registry’s website www.norfolkdeeds.org. Residents in need of assistance can contact the Registry of Deeds Customer Service Center via telephone at (781) 461-6101, or email us at registerodonnell@norfolkdeeds.org.
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| Register O’Donnell Reports Robust Real Estate Sales and Lending Numbers in Norfolk County |
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| Franklin Public Schools’ Portrait of a Graduate |
FM #385 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 385 in the series.
This shares my conversation with Town Council Chair Tom Mercer. This is the first of a series of conversations meant to provide a recap of the prior Council meeting. Akin to one of the many sports post-game analysis broadcasts we are familiar with in New England, this would be a discussion focused on the Franklin Town Council meeting: Ok, what just happened? What does it mean for Franklin residents and taxpayers?
The show notes include links to the meeting agenda and associated documents.
Our conversation runs about 24 minutes, so let’s listen in.
Audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HXqNBDlS
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Town Council - meeting agenda and packet
https://www.franklinma.gov/town-council/agenda/november-4-town-council-agenda
Town Council goals midterm update
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/mai/files/web_1_goals_update.pdf
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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"
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| FM #385 Town Council Recap - Tom Mercer - 11/05/20 (Audio) |
