Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Annual Report of the Franklin Historical Commission - FY 2021

Note: FY 2021 is last year (July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021). The report was prepared to cover the business for the FY 2021 period. This year’s report FY 2022 (July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022) is in preparation now and is normally available for distribution at the polls for the November election.

Current Members:
Mary Olsson – Chair
Phyllis Malcolm – Treasurer
Colette Ferguson, Paul Pisani, Richard Remillard, Brock Leindecker, Randy LaRosa
Associate members: Alan Earls, Kai Olsson 
FHM Archivist – Rebecca Finnigan

Like everyone else, the Historic Commission and the Franklin Historical Museum weathered the storm known as COVID-19. After our March 2020 meeting we followed state and local health orders to temporarily close the museum and hold all of our meetings remotely. We opened the new year still having all of our meetings via Zoom, and continued with our limited operating hours of just once a week on Sunday afternoons. Our occupation numbers were limited and safety regulations including masks, temperature checks and social distancing were in place. The museum also had 3 air purifiers installed to assist in the effort to make the museum a safe place to visit in these trying times.

But the year was not a loss by any stretch. In January we saw the installation of The Clara J. Foss Johnston Memorial Federal Parlor, a donation of beautiful period furnishings from Jim Johnston in honor of his mother.

The room is a tasteful addition to the museum. With the installation of the Federal Parlor at the front of the museum, the FFHM relocated and updated their museum gift shop, and have added many new Franklin related items. The gift shop is worth a visit.

The townspeople had approved the Community Preservation Act (CPA) in the November election. In a special meeting, Phyllis Malcolm was nominated to represent the commission on the CPA committee.

A collection was taken up by commission members and a donation was made to the Franklin Food Pantry in memory of long time former Historical Commission member, Alice Vendetti, who had recently passed away. February saw a new exhibit open called Prominent Women in Franklin History. The display included short biographies of Lydia Ray Pierce, Annie Ray Thayer, Alice Wiggin, Palmer Johnson, Loraine Metcalf, Barbara Smith and Stella Kehayas Jeon, among others.

Demolition Delay - In January we had our only demolition request: Steven Narducci, 484 Union Street applied for a demolition permit. The commission saw no reason to delay the request.

The Commission arranged to have a historical marker installed at the former sight of the Thomson Press Building on Dean Avenue. The marker acknowledges the building’s historical influence in town from its original use as the Snow Basset Straw Mill to its final use as a printing and manufacturing business.
 
In June we were finally able to resume our in-person meetings and lift all covid restrictions for hosts and visitors alike. The first opportunity to host an event since March of 2020 occurred when Cultural District broke free of the COVID cloud and sponsored a summer kickoff event entitled ARTWALK. The museum participated by hosting 3 piano performances.

July saw the grand re-opening of the museum and a return to our normal operating hours. Invitations were sent and the public was invited to join the commission on the steps of the museum for a ceremonial ribbon cutting. Welcome speakers included State Representative Jeffrey Roy, Town Administrator Jamie Hellen, James Johnson, Debra Pellegri and music was provided by Jamie Barrett.

Everyone was invited in to enjoy refreshments and see the new exhibit, Davis Thayer, a Retrospective. An exhibit that looked back on the nearly 100-year history of the building which opened as Franklin High School in 1925 and sadly this year closed its doors after service as the Davis Thayer Elementary School for many years.
 
In August we were able to resume our popular Second Sunday Speaker Series. The first program focused on the home of Charles Whiting of the Whiting and Davis Company. Darrin Cutler, the current owner of Whiting and Davis also gave a history of the 145-year-old company. 

Additional speakers in the coming months will include Retired NYPD Sargent and Franklin native Paul Faenza discussing his experience at Ground Zero during 9/11, in September; Author Steven Puleo, A Voyage of Mercy in October, sponsored by FFHM; Franklin Vintage Homes in November; Author and Franklin native Charles Harrington, A Contemplative Life in December; and Dennis Sardella presenting Byzantine and Russian Icons in January. The public is invited to attend these free and informative presentations on the Second Sunday of each month.

The museum is a town gem in the heart of downtown Franklin, open to the community and the public at large to experience and appreciate the history of our town. We hope you will visit soon.


The full Annual Report for 2021 can be found

The collection of Annual Reports can be found online

Annual Town Report Of The Town Clerk’s Office - FY 2021
Annual Report Of The Town of Franklin - FY 2021

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

Annual Report of the Franklin Fire Department - FY 2021

Note: FY 2021 is last year (July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021). The report was prepared to cover the business for the FY 2021 period. This year’s report FY 2022 (July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022) is in preparation now and is normally available for distribution at the polls for the November election.

The Department
The Franklin Fire Department administration is led by a Fire Chief who is assisted by an Executive Assistant. The department is divided into two divisions, operations and administration, which are each under the direction of the two Deputy Chiefs. The operations division is responsible for dispatch, emergency medical services, fire suppression and hazardous materials response. The administration division is responsible for personnel, budget, training, code compliance and coordinating the Town’s emergency preparedness.

Our Mission
The Franklin Fire Department is committed to providing the highest level of public safety services for our community. We safely protect lives and property through fire suppression, training, emergency medical and transportation services, disaster and crisis management, fire prevention and public education.

Operational Objectives
▪ Initiating advanced life support to patients within 10 minutes of receiving the telephone call at our communications center.
▪ To access, extricate, treat and transport trauma patients to a level one trauma medical facility within one hour of the occurrence of the injury.
▪ Interrupt the progression of fires in structures within 10 minutes of open flame ignition.
▪ To ensure response readiness remains greater than 70%.
▪ Provide safety and survival skills for all school students in grade K through 5 consistent with the Student Awareness Fire Education (SAFE) initiative of the Commonwealth.
▪ Provide continued valuable services to the senior population with home safety inspections and smoke/carbon monoxide battery replacement.
▪ Develop a partnership with the Franklin Special Education Parents Advisory Council (SEPAC).
▪ Provide educational opportunities for department members to ensure optimal performance and safety.
▪ To develop and maintain “best practice” to insure personnel and citizen safety.
▪ Ensure fire safety through timely, consistent code compliance services to all external customers.
▪ Provide all department services in a manner that satisfies the needs of our customers.


Message from the Fire Chief
Fiscal Year 2021 was both an extremely challenging and productive year for the Franklin Fire Department. This year was highlighted with COVID response and vaccination clinics in the community, several high risk emergency incidents, grant procurement, delivery of new apparatus and the addition of four firefighters to the table of organization. There were 4723 calls for service in FY21 which is an increase of 257 calls from FY20. Some of the highlighted incidents included a large-scale apartment complex fire at Franklin Crossing Condominiums as well as a rescue of a resident of the Franklin Housing Authority at 45 Winter Street.

The Department assisted the Board of Health with hosting eight vaccination clinics in the Town which were located at Franklin High School, Franklin Senior Center and Franklin Housing Authority. A solid working relationship among the Fire Department, Department of Health, School Department, Facilities Department and Senior Center resulted in efficient clinics which was a good opportunity to improve our skills to increase our state of readiness in the future when needed. Lt. Laurie Kaye, the Department’s Infection Control Officer, was awarded the Director’s Award at the CMEMSC Annual Meeting on May 4, 2021. Lt. Kaye was recognized for being instrumental in timely education and setting up COVID protocols not only for the Franklin Fire Department but other communities in Region II. Her program became a basis of the Region II on-line program to educate many beyond Franklin.

As of July, 2021 the Department has received $310,062.96 since July 2019 in grants and generous donations.. The Department has a Grant Committee composed of department members who volunteer their time to pursue and apply for funding opportunities that can help offset department costs to the taxpayers. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) that was recently awarded allowed for every member to receive 16 hours of Rapid Intervention Training (RIT) as well as individual pump operator training. The Department continues to conduct live fire training twice a year in Milford at the Milford Fire Department burn building and all department personnel completed a Driver’s Safety course administered by the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association (MIIA) which assists the Town with reducing insurance costs. The average amount of training per member of the Franklin Fire Department was 77 hours in FY21.

The Department received delivery of two new 2021 pumpers in May 2021 followed by the delivery of a new ambulance in June 2021. All three of these vehicles were placed in service in July 2021. Our current Engine 1 will be repurposed as a Heavy Rescue unit at Station 2 which will be equipped with specialized equipment including extrication equipment, cribbing and rope. The manpower for this vehicle will be cross manned at Station 2 by the ambulance just as the Ladder Tower is cross manned by the ambulance crew at Station 1. The Department is especially appreciative of the Town Council for approving the purchase of these new vehicles which will eliminate the increasing maintenance cost of the older vehicles.

On March 22, 2021 the Department added four additional firefighters to the Department which brings our complement from 52 to 56 for the very first time. This additional manpower is critical to meet the rising demand of our services throughout town. The Department has implemented an annual policy to adjust our ambulance transport rate with Town Council approval to keep us consistent with the average of the other communities in the Commonwealth. This annual adjustment has allowed the town the opportunity to fund the extra personnel with limited financial impact to the Town. The seven Firefighter/Paramedics that were hired during FY21 are Joshua Impey, Joshua Sables, Kristopher Smith, Brian Armstrong, Jeffrey Ward, Kent Parsons and Benjamin Angelo. All seven of these new firefighters have been great additions to the Department and we wish them a healthy and productive career. We also want to wish the best to Firefighter Brian Hagan who retired after thirty-two years of distinguished service with the Fire Department.

In fiscal year 2021 the Department responded to 4723 incidents which is an increase of 257 calls from fiscal year 2020. Several significant fires that occurred include a general alarm fire at an apartment complex at 2 Franklin Crossing Road, the Franklin Housing Authority at 32 Central Park Terrace as well as 45 Winter Street, where a resident was rescued by both fire and police crews. Fortunately, there was no loss of life or serious injuries to any of the residents involved as well as firefighters.

With the pandemic the SAFE program had to suspend many of the activities that are normally run. Instead of going into the classrooms for the SAFE program it was limited to online Google classroom sessions where our members would either use the new digital Hazard House, or read books and talk about fire safety. Visits were still able to be done in the homes of seniors to help them with their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. It was actually nicer for them because they actually had a reason to get up, move around and interact with someone while we were there. We were able to hold our annual St. Patrick’s Day luncheon in a drive thru fashion which served almost 400 corned beef dinners. Senior project went off without any glitches. We held everything remotely at the high school this year. The kids had minimal interaction at the firehouse to protect them. We had less field trips to take them on because of the pandemic, however they were able to do more on the trucks and all had a great time. One student is currently enrolled in a fire science program, one is going to school for criminal justice, and two are going into the military with hopes of becoming firefighters. I especially want to thank our SAFE Officer Doug Perro along with other members of the Department who did a great job with SAFE during an extraordinary year.

In our budget narrative we reference the three important components of an effective fire department which are well staffed, well trained and well equipped. This Department was able to make significant strides in all three categories due to the support of the Town Administrator and his staff, Town Council, Finance Committee, business community and most importantly the general public. On behalf of the members of the Franklin Fire Department I want to thank everyone for your support. It is an honor and privilege for us to serve this community.


Respectfully Submitted
 
James G. McLaughlin, 
Fire Chief


There is more to the Fire Dept section of the Annual Report, please visit the full report and find the Fire Dept section on page 127


The full Annual Report for 2021 can be found

The collection of Annual Reports can be found online

Annual Town Report Of The Town Clerk’s Office - FY 2021
Annual Report Of The Town of Franklin - FY 2021
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

Dan Rather: Blowing the "Anti-Woke" Dog Whistle

An assault on the very notion of truth and all who seek it  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌
Open in browser

Blowing the "Anti-Woke" Dog Whistle

An assault on the very notion of truth and all who seek it

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

Let's get something straight. The weaponization of the term "woke" by the political right is not a joke. Far from it. It provides a window into the low regard (to say the least) these people have for human rights, empathy, and the truth. 

You can see the self-satisfaction, if not outright glee, as they appropriate a term that began as an aspirational notion of justice for Black activists and their allies into a slur hurled right back at the community from which it came. The fact that "woke" "originated in African American English" (according to Merriam-Webster) only increases the joy of those who spit it out with derision. 

This is saying, in effect: "Try to come get it and feel your powerlessness."

The latest example comes courtesy of the mean-spirited oration of Ron DeSantis, Republican governor of Florida:

"We can't just stand idly by while woke ideology ravages every institution in our society. We must fight the woke in our schools. We must fight the woke in our businesses. We must fight the woke in government agencies. We can never ever surrender to woke ideology. And I'll tell you this, the state of Florida is where woke goes to die."

If the sentence constructions sound familiar, you might be remembering the famous World War II speech by Winston Churchill that included these stirring lines:

"We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."

Texas activist Olivia Julianna recognized the similarities — and the important difference. ​​

Returning to the dictionary, it defines "woke" as "aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)." So, in other words, a positive. But the dictionary also mentions that while the term came to prominence in 2014 with the Black Lives Matter movement, "By the end of that same decade it was also being applied by some as a general pejorative for anyone who is or appears to be politically left-leaning." If you watch Fox News, some has now become many.

That imbalance in the two definitions above gets to the heart of the issue. On the one hand, we have a way of thinking, an approach to gaining a better understanding, a grappling with "important facts." To be "woke" is to be aware. On the other hand, to be "woke" is to be a type of person, one to be shunned, stigmatized, and vilified. 

It makes you wonder, when the crowd cheers DeSantis' incitement, whom they picture in their minds.

Is it a Black mother marching in the street for racial justice?
A gay parent?
A college professor?
A scientist?
A person of Jewish heritage?
A librarian?
A teacher?

I can already hear the hackles of rationalization rising from the "anti-woke" crowd. They will say that they don't demonize all Black people, or gay people, or Jewish people, or librarians. And there are undoubtedly some members of these groups who are themselves fueling this assault on "wokeness." But it is more complex. In the eyes and objective analysis of many people, the political right is using "woke" to attack "the other," or basically anyone who has the temerity to not agree with them. 

To be sure, there are some examples of actions under the banner of "woke" that in my opinion go too far. Are there excesses on the left? There are excesses in any group on the planet. Does some of it get ridiculous? I think so.

You can cherry-pick people, moments, and situations that seem absurd. But doing so does not invalidate the general thrust of what "woke" was originally meant to convey. It is about a core truth: that the U.S. has a long way to go to turn our perception of ourselves as a nation of freedom and justice into reality for all citizens. Americans' life experiences are vastly different. We need to grapple with our history, even when it is ugly. We should not become inured to imbalances of power. We are more resilient when we challenge our own assumptions. The truth can be elusive, but that makes the journey toward it all the more urgent. 

The rants of DeSantis are thus an assault on the very notion of truth and all who seek it. His behavior cheerleads a malignant ignorance that utterly dismisses the lived experiences and aspirations of large swaths of society. It is an assault on science, on reason, and on the impartial rule of law. Historically, many on this path have followed it to very dark destinations. 

Thinking of DeSantis and the "anti-woke" crusades, my mind turned to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I had the great fortune of covering Dr. King in the early days of the civil rights movement. But in recent years, I find myself thinking more about the end of his life and how he was viewed at the time of his murder — something we wrote about here in commemoration of his birthday:

"It is important to remember that he was a deeply contentious person at the time of his death. Dr. King would not, could not, suppress the moral clarity with which he saw the world. His messages about racial prejudice and social justice were not welcome in most corridors of power. He was a danger to the status quo and many who benefited from it. He not only preached powerfully about the necessity for racial healing and desegregation; he also issued stirring rhetoric from his pulpit on the need for economic fairness across racial lines. And he was a fierce critic of the Vietnam War.

To reread his writings and listen again to his speeches in today's political climate is to reconnect with the hard truths he eloquently levied at the American establishment. If he had survived the assassin's bullet and continued on his life path, there are reasons to believe he would have remained a divisive figure. Many who now pay homage to his legacy with florid paeans might well be singing different tunes if he had spent additional decades actively rallying civil disobedience toward the twin causes of racial and economic fairness for the marginal and dispossessed."

With this in mind, I tweeted out the following:

The tweet has received over 100k likes, and many agreed, including Dr. King's daughter:

From musician John Legend:

But not surprisingly, the tweet also garnered attention from people with MAGA in their Twitter bios. There was a fair amount of expected derision. But there were also a lot of claims that I had it all wrong, that Dr. King was, in fact, "anti-woke." People selectively quoted his writings and suggested that because Dr. King preached about seeing past racial divisions, that he would oppose the political left today because it promotes mindful recognition of race's role in our society. Some responses went so far as to claim that if Dr. King were alive today, he would vote Republican, as in the party of Donald Trump.  

The absurdity of this historical revisionism is almost beyond belief. Except I think some people actually do believe this craziness. It's all the more reason we need the history taught in our schools that they would dismiss as "woke."

Politicians like DeSantis, however, know better. They take another lesson from the civil rights era, that attacking the "other" can be a path to power. But maybe they also need a refresher course. Time and time again, demagogues have risen up in American history. And time and time again, they have been defeated because America "woke" up. 

Leave a comment

Share

Thanks for subscribing to Steady. This post is public, so please feel free to share it.

© 2022 Dan Rather
548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

Franklin TV and wfpr.fm schedule for Wednesday, Aug 24, 2022

  • wfpr.fm or 102.9 on the FM dial = Wednesday

9:00 AM 12:00 Noon and 6:00 PM Franklin Matters Radio/FPS Voice – Steve Sherlock
Franklin and its local government, services and events  (repeats Saturday at 9 AM)

10:00 AM 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM  The Wonderful World of Wine – Mark Lenzi, Kim Simone    All about wine, its culture, lore and finer points

11:00 AM 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM Franklin Matters Radio – Steve Sherlock
Franklin and its local government, services and events (repeats Saturday at 3 PM)

  • Franklin All Access TV - Our Public Access Channel (Comcast 8, Verizon 26) = WEDNESDAY

7:30 am It Takes A Village: 40 Percent Club
8:30 am Lessons For Littles
10:00 am Care For Ukraine
12:00 pm Brook'n'Cookin: Scones
12:30 pm Sandhya: Homemade Cheez-Its
1:00 pm Norfolk County Prevention Coalition: Repeat Offenders
1:30 pm Pizzapalooza: White Pizza
2:00 pm New England Candlepins: Fall 2019 Show 8
3:00 pm Candlepin New Generation: Spring 2019 Show 2
3:30 pm Veterans' Call: Dale Kurtz
4:30 pm ArtWeek: Ed Iannuccilli
6:00 pm Cooking Thyme: Grillin'
6:30 pm 4th of July 2022: Backyard Swagger
9:30 pm Concerts on the Common: Northeast Groove


  • Franklin Pride TV - Our Educational Channel (Comcast 96, Verizon 28) = WEDNESDAY

7:00 am Public School Concert: Lifelong Music Pt. 2 05-14-19
8:30 am FHS Oskey 2022
10:00 am SAFE Coalition: Youth Sports
11:00 am Public School Concert: FHS Spring Jazz '22
1:00 pm FHS Girls Varsity Soccer: v Milford 10-25-21
3:00 pm Battleship Cove: 3D Print Lab
3:30 pm Public School Concert: MICCA Showcase Pt. 2 03-14-18
5:30 pm FHS Boys Varsity Soccer: v King Philip 10-06-21
7:30 pm Public School Event: Concert Hour Day 2
9:30 pm FHS Varsity Field Hockey: v Central Catholic 11-09-21


  • Franklin Town Hall TV - Our Government Channel (Comcast 11, Verizon 29) = WEDNESDAY

8:00 am Town Council 08-17-22
2:00 pm Town Council 08-17-22


Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf 


Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm)
Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm)
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Annual Report Of The Human Resources Department - FY 2021

Note: FY 2021 is last year (July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021). The report was prepared to cover the business for the FY 2021 period. This year’s report FY 2022 (July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022) is in preparation now and is normally available for distribution at the polls for the November election.

When last reporting in the 2020 Annual Report, the Town had just finished contract negotiations with our seven (7) different unions. We spent some time in FY21 reorganizing these contracts and making them easier to read. Human Resources and department heads worked closely with the Department of Public Works and the Fire Department to consolidate the old contracts with the new MOUs and clean up typos and irrelevant language. We now have fresh, clean copies for 4 of the 7 contracts and are just working to do some adjustments for the Facilities Maintenance union, Police Patrol and Police Sergeants. We hope to have these completed by the end of calendar year 2021. This will be done just in time to start preparing for the new contract negotiations, since our current contracts expire on June 30, 2022!

Fiscal Year 2021 was another busy year in terms of recruiting and hiring. Between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021 we hired 18 full-time employees and a number of part-time employees. New full-time employees included: Water/Sewer Superintendent Doug Martin, Assistant Town Engineer Brook Cotta, Heavy Motor Equipment Operators at the DPW (3), Water Pump Station Operator at the DPW (1), Assistant Treasurer Marina Malamud, Deputy Town Clerk Dyan Fitzgerald, 7 new Firefighters, and 3 new Police Patrol Officers.

The Town lost a lot of institutional knowledge with some high level retirements this year, but they provided a great opportunity for long term employees to step up into new roles! Karen Alves retired as the Senior Center Director at the end of August 2020 after 19 years of dedicated service.

Erin Rogers was promoted into this role and has kept the Senior Center running seamlessly. Deacon Perrotta retired from his role as Deputy Director of Operations for the DPW in September 2020 after 10 years of service to Franklin and a lifetime of public service in DPW and Water positions. We reviewed the staffing levels and funding and decided to split Deacon’s job into 2 new superintendent positions by promoting Tony Brunetta and Jake Standley. Long- term employee Megan Woodacre left her position as Deputy Director for the Recreation Department and we were able to convert some part-time positions into full-time positions to fully support Ryan Jette’s active Recreation Department.

We continue to deal with the rising cost of employee benefits, especially health insurance. The Town continues to offer three different health insurance plans and we are seeing more and more employees shift from the standard HMO plan to the High Deductible HMO plan. Over the course of the year, we continued to have virtual meetings with the Insurance Advisory Committee (IAC) to attempt to keep our insurance costs down. This past spring, Harvard Pilgrim came to us saying that we were about to face a 12% rate increase. We were able to work with our broker NFP and Harvard Pilgrim to get a final quote of 8.95%. We will continue to work with our IAC to try to keep costs down for future health care renewals.

Respectfully submitted, 

Karen M. Bratt
Human Resources Director

The full Annual Report for 2021 can be found

The collection of Annual Reports can be found online

Annual Town Report Of The Town Clerk’s Office - FY 2021
Annual Report Of The Town of Franklin - FY 2021
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

ICYMI: Talk Franklin with Jamie Hellen in May 2022: "The journey rather than the destination is a hiking theme through much of this episode (audio)

In case you missed this episode, we'll turn the clock back to May and replay this session of my "Talk Franklin" conversation with Town Administrator Jamie Hellen. We had our conversation via the Zoom Conference Bridge.

Conversation around the following topics with a common thread of peaks and valleys, journey more important than the destination:

Welcome back

Friday 13th

 

So much good happening

  • Fire dept ISO Class 1

  • Clean audit report

  • AAA bond rating

  • DPW water conservation award

 

Where do you go from here?  The challenge is greater to maintain this

 

Budget through Finance Committee

Next up Town Council (May 25, May 26)

 

MAPC forum and recommendations


The recording runs about 38 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Jamie as we “Talk Franklin”.

Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-798-talk-franklin-05-13-22

--------------

Town of Franklin meeting calendar -> https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar 

Town budget page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/town-budget

Franklin For All -> https://www.mapc.org/resource-library/franklin-for-all/ 

--------------

The journey rather than the destination is a hiking theme through much of this Talk Franklin episode (audio)
The journey rather than the destination is a hiking theme through much of this Talk Franklin episode (audio)
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)