Saturday, May 23, 2026

Your Franklin news in less than 5 minutes for Memorial Day week (audio)

Memorial Day weekend is here. The traditional launch to summer time. 


For the careful readers you may have noticed a recent lack of live or real time reporting and meeting recaps. Yes, I was away and unable to spend the time on those items. I’ll have some catching up to do but we’re back in Franklin and appreciative of your reading and sharing.


The Memorial Day events schedule

9:30am Dean College - Memorial Day commemorative event

9:50am Union St Cemetery - Memorial Day commemorative event

10:10am St. Mary’s Cemetery - Memorial Day commemorative event

11:00am Memorial Day Parade Franklin Town Common

12:00pm Memorial Day Ceremony Franklin Town Common 


On Tuesday, the School Committee has a regular meeting scheduled including an executive session to discuss bargaining strategy. Also the Budget Subcommittee of the 250th Anniversary Celebration is scheduled to meet.


The Council on Aging and the Cultural Council have meetings scheduled for Wednesday. The Finance Committee meeting originally scheduled for this day was canceled. They get to view the adjusted budget including health care at their June 3 session.


The Communications Subcommittee of the Town Council has a meeting scheduled on Thursday in Council Chambers. There will be no ZBA meeting that evening.


For all the meetings and cultural events, check out the calendar at Franklin.news where each day, that day's events are posted on the top of the page, the TV and radio schedules are on the bottom, and all the other goodness falls in-between.


Audio link - https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1745-fm-weekly-outlook-lookback-combo-05-24-26/



*** Meeting schedule and agendas as of Town pages 5/22/26, 8:30 PM   ***



Massachusetts Strategic Health Group Meeting

Tuesday, May 26 Time: 1:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05262026-2335 


Franklin School Committee Meeting

Tuesday, May 26 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05262026-2332 


250th Anniversary Celebration Budget Subcommittee Meeting

Tuesday, May 26 Time: 8:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05262026-2330 


Council on Aging Board Meeting

Wednesday, May 27 Time: 11:00 AM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05272026-2334 


Franklin Cultural Council Meeting

Wednesday, May 27 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05272026-2331 


Communications Subcommittee Meeting

Thursday, May 28 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05282026-2333 


ZBA Meeting- NO Meeting

Thursday, May 28 Time: 7:30 PM


*** Looking back at the week that was ***


Franklin TV broadcast meetings


Town/ School meetings

Community Preservation Cmte meeting Monday

- https://www.youtube.com/live/VK4JHlQ0FPo?&t=74 

Town Council - budget hearing #1
- https://www.youtube.com/live/womMM5S5euI?&t=175 
Town Council - budget hearing #2
- https://www.youtube.com/live/UVb5ngWB93Q?&t=127 
Conservation Commission meeting
- https://www.youtube.com/live/iHbZJj_FvKM?&t=364 


FHS/ Tri-County live streaming 

FHS baseball game Monday, May 18

- https://www.youtube.com/live/fThk1cEypZg?&t=149 

FHS girls lacrosse Monday, May 18
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTpmlFAHkcs 
FHS Senior Night Thursday, May 21
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihAhtL5rnyQ 


For all the meetings and cultural events, check out the calendar at Franklin.news where each day, that day's events are posted on the top of the page, the TV and radio schedules are on the bottom, and all the other goodness falls in-between.



Town calendar -> https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx       

Community calendar -> https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar     


Subscribe for the daily dose of information ->

https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/welcome.html       


Subscribe for the weekly dose of information ->

https://www.franklinmattersweekly.org/p/subscribe-for-email.html    


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Location: Franklin, MA 02038, USA

Saturday, May 16, 2026

Town Council gets their turn to dive into the FY 2027 budget Weds/Thur this week

*** Meeting schedule and agendas as of Town pages 5/15/26, 4:30 PM ***


Community Preservation Committee Meeting
Monday, May 18 Time: 6:00 PM

Franklin Public Schools Community Relations Sub Committee Meeting
Monday, May 18 Time: 6:30 PM

Library Board of Directors Regular Meeting
Monday, May 18 Time: 7:00 PM

Franklin School Committee Contractual Negotiations Meeting (executive session)
Tuesday, May 19 Time: 4:30 PM

Design Review Meeting
Tuesday, May 19 Time: 7:00 PM

250th Anniversary - Events subcommittee
Tuesday, May 19 Time: 7:30 PM

Town Council Meeting - budget hearing #1
Wednesday, May 20 Time: 6:00 PM

Town Council Monthly Office Hours
Thursday, May 21 Time: 8:30 AM
No agenda for this informal session

Pole Petition Hearing - Panther Way
Thursday, May 21 Time: 1:00 PM

Town Council Meeting (Council Chambers)
Thursday, May 21 Time: 6:00 PM
Agenda not yet posted

Conservation Commission (3rd Floor Trng Room)
Thursday, May 21 Time: 7:00 PM


*** Looking back at the week that was ***


Town/ School meetings


FHS/ Tri-County live streaming 


Franklin TV all access shows released


For all the meetings and cultural events, check out the calendar at Franklin.news where each day, that day's events are posted on the top of the page, the TV and radio schedules are on the bottom, and all the other goodness falls in-between.

Town calendar -> https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx       
Community calendar -> https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar     

Subscribe for the daily dose of information -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/welcome.html       

Subscribe for the weekly dose of information -> https://www.franklinmattersweekly.org/p/subscribe-for-email.html    




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Location: Franklin, MA 02038, USA

Saturday, May 9, 2026

The meeting outlook in less than 5 minutes for the week of May 10, 2026 (audio)

May is fully here. That means Town & School meetings galore this week. 


The schedule has filled out like the tree leaves bringing green and other vibrant colors to the landscape.


Much of the agenda items cover the normal business by the various boards and committees. Of particular interest are the joint Town Council and School Committee meeting Tuesday, the regular Town Council meeting on Wednesday,, and the Economic Development Subcommittee meeting on Thursday. 


The joint Council and SchCmte meeting focuses on the selection of a vendor for the strategic plan meant to guide us to an answer for how we will deal with our structural budget issues and maintain some levels of service for the community.


The School Committee separately has an agenda for their own portion of business after the joint discussion is complete.


The Council on Wednesday gets the annual update on the funding requirements and progress made for the Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB) as well as votes on the second readings for the zoning changes to the MBTA Compliance code, the Crossing Neighborhood District and an adjustment to the meeting schedule for October.


The Economic Development Subcommittee meets with the UMass Boston folks who are proposed to develop a unified plan for downtown Franklin during the Fall of 2026. As this project would be as part of the UMass Boston graduate level class work and free, an agreement on scope and approval is likely to be received.  The subcommittee is also scheduled for discussion to set their goals and objectives.


If you haven’t had an opportunity to pay attention, this would be a good week to tap in as these meetings can be critical to determining the future for Franklin. And by the way, the budget hearings come up next week on May 20, May 21.

For all the meetings and cultural events, check out the calendar at Franklin.news where each day, that day's events are posted on the top of the page, the TV and radio schedules are on the bottom, and all the other goodness falls in-between.




*** Meeting schedule and agendas as of Town pages 5/08/26, 7:30 PM ***

Housing Authority
Monday, May 11 Time: 4:30 PM
https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05112026-2298

Planning Board Meeting
Monday, May 11 Time: 7:00 PM
https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05112026-2301

Norfolk County Regional Emergency Planning Committee Meeting
Tuesday, May 12 Time: 10:30 AM
https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05122026-2292

Franklin School Committee - Policy Subcommittee Meeting
Tuesday, May 12 Time: 6:00 PM
https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05122026-2303

Communications Subcommittee Meeting
Tuesday, May 12 Time: 6:00 PM
https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05122026-2310 

Friends of the Franklin Public Library Meeting
Tuesday, May 12 Time: 6:00 PM

Franklin School Committee
Tuesday, May 12 Time: 7:00 PM
https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05122026-2307

Town Council Meeting (at School Committee)
Tuesday, May 12 Time: 7:00 PM
https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05122026-2302
 
Charles River Pollution Control District
Wednesday, May 13 Time: 3:30 PM
https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05122026-2304

Town Council Meeting
Wednesday, May 13 Time: 6:00 PM
https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05132026-2308
 
Cultural District Committee Meeting
Wednesday, May 13 Time: 7:00 PM
https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05132026-2299

Town Council Monthly Office Hours
Thursday, May 14 Time: 8:30 AM

Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Meeting
Thursday, May 14 Time: 2:00 PM
Agenda not available at this time

Economic Development Subcommittee Meeting
Thursday, May 14 Time: 6:00 PM
https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05142026-2311


*** Looking back at the week that was ***


Town/ School meetings

FHS live streaming 

Podcast episodes released


Check out the calendar at Franklin.news where each day, that day's events are posted on the top of the page, the TV and radio schedules are on the bottom, and all the other goodness falls in-between.

Town calendar -> https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx       

Community calendar -> https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar      

Subscribe for the daily dose of information -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/welcome.html       

Subscribe for the weekly dose of information -> https://www.franklinmattersweekly.org/p/subscribe-for-email.html   

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Saturday, May 2, 2026

Budget, budget and in May, there is more budget (audio)

Budget, budget and in May, there is more budget before it gets finalized in June


You should recall that April (April 6 - April 9) saw the Finance Committee (FinCom) spend 16+ hours going over the budget with each department. Some of the FinCom members thought that they would be able to avoid using much of the proposed $2M in free cash to balance the budget. 


Alas, they did not. If my notes and math come close, they do propose use of $1.8M.


There is one big number outstanding, in that with May 1 behind us (and health care enrollments complete), the cost for coverage provided by the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) plans will be revealed later this month.  Maybe by the time the Town Council conducts their budget hearings (May 20 & 21), but more likely by the next FinCom meeting, May 27. 


So what will the Council budget hearings reveal? 

Will they agree with the budget as proposed, or make adjustments of their own? 


The FY 2027 budget narrative is being published, one section per day (started April 13) and it may not be completed by the time the Council hearings actually roll around. That is a whole lot of reading material. Many questions that were asked and answered during the FinCom hearings were actually detailed in the FY 2027 budget narrative. 


All this in preparation for the June 10 Town Council meeting and vote to approve whatever will be as the FY 2027 budget. Read to be informed. Follow along with the meetings as the discussions progress.


The listing of the agendas for the meetings scheduled this week are provided below.


For all the meetings and cultural events, check out the calendar at Franklin.news where each day, that day's events are posted on the top of the page, the TV and radio schedules are on the bottom, and all the other goodness falls in-between.


Audio link -  https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1738-fm-weekly-outlook-lookback-combo-05-03-26/

*** Meeting schedule and agendas as of Town pages 5/01/26, 7:30 PM   ***



The FY 2027 budget documents can be found  https://www.franklinma.gov/Archive.aspx?ADID=577

250th Anniversary Celebration Budget Subcommittee Meeting

Sunday, May 3 Time: 7:30 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05032026-2290 


Franklin School Committee Contractual Negotiations Meeting (Executive Session)

Tuesday, May 5 Time: 4:30 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05052026-2254 


250th Anniversary Celebration Committee - Communications Subcommittee

Tuesday, May 5 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05052026-2278 


Board of Health Meeting

Wednesday, May 6 Time: 5:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05062026-2246 


Franklin Commission on Disability

Thursday, May 7 Time: 4:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05072026-2279 


Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School - Board of Trustees Meeting

Thursday, May 7 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05072026-2286 


Conservation Commission Meeting

Thursday, May 7 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/593?fileID=9052 



*** Looking back at the week that was ***



Town & School meetings



FHS live streaming

 


Radio - Podcast Interviews published this week 




For all the meetings and cultural events, check out the calendar at Franklin.news where each day, that day's events are posted on the top of the page, the TV and radio schedules are on the bottom, and all the other goodness falls in-between.


Town calendar -> https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx      

Community calendar -> https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar     


Subscribe for the daily dose of information -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/welcome.html      


Subscribe for the weekly dose of information -> https://www.franklinmattersweekly.org/p/subscribe-for-email.html  


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Location: Franklin, MA 02038, USA
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