September opens with a host of meetings and key topics, oh and the State Primary, Sep 1

September arrives Tuesday with the State Primary election taking center stage from 6 AM to 8 PM. A newly announced write-in campaign may delay the results as those write-in ballots require manual counting; so let’s be patient and allow time for the democratic voting process to work and count accurately.

The Cultural Council meets on Monday. Their agenda is rather spartan and by the way, there are still a number of vacancies for this group that administers the cultural grant process locally.

The Agricultural Commission is also scheduled to meet on Monday. A key item on this agenda is planning for the Pumpkin Festival at the Farmers Market Oct 2.

The 250th Anniversary Celebration Communications Subcommittee meets on Tuesday to work on  several items relating to their formal communications (website, press releases, guidelines for social media, etc.)

The Board of Health returns to meet on Wednesday after taking the summer months off. A bunch of health related items are on this agenda.

The Town Council has a full session of work on its agenda for Wednesday. The Police Station Building Committee formally makes their presentation/recommendation, the new Police Chief is up for approval, the Deputy Town Administrator and Administrative Assistant is introduced.

The excess sewer capacity discussion and potential decision is back again (as promised), an overview of town owned buildings is scheduled (to set up for the future police station decision and related decisions on Parmenter, Davis Thayer, etc.). The public session also closes with an Executive Session on “other town property”

The Commission on Disability has its monthly meeting on Thursday at 4:00 PM in advance of the Ad Hoc Charter Committee (6:00) and the ZBA meeting (7:30).

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-1806-fm-weekly-outlook-lookback-combo-08-30-26/

*** Event & Meeting schedule (with agendas) as of Town pages 8/28/26   7:30 PM   ***

Franklin Cultural Council Meeting

Monday, August 31 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_08312026-2476 

Franklin Agricultural Committee Meeting

Monday, August 31 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_08312026-2472 

250th Anniversary Celebration Communications Subcommittee Meeting

Tuesday, September 1 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09012026-2475 

Board of Health Meeting

Wednesday, September 2 Time: 5:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09022026-2480 

Police Station Building Committee Meeting

Wednesday, September 2 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09022026-2481 

Town Council Meeting

Wednesday, September 2 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09022026-2482

Franklin Commission on Disability Meeting

Thursday, September 3 Time: 4:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09032026-2474 

Town Charter Ad Hoc Committee

Thursday, September 3 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09032026-2479 

ZBA Meeting

Thursday, September 3 Time: 7:30 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09032026-2469 

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

Town/ School meetings

• The Planning Board met on Monday, Aug 24. The video is available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMZ_KePpqkM 

• The School Committee met on Tuesday, Aug 25. The recap and video link is available  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/08/school-committee-welcomes-new.html 

• The Conservation Commission met on Thursday, Aug 27. The video is available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqZtdHye7Wg 

• The 250th Anniversary Celebration Committee also met on Thursday, Aug 27. The recap and video link can be found - https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/08/250th-anniversary-celebration-committee.html 

All Access programming

•  A new episode of the Aging Agenda is available on the All Access channel as well as YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm6O1M5Ahz0 

Franklin Matters

• The recap and audio recording of the first “Voices of Franklin” series held at the Senior Center on August 18 is available - https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/08/voices-of-franklin-audio-recording-of.html 

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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    

Spend less than 5 minutes to find out about the final stretch on the FY 2027 budget (audio)

Budget, budget, yes, we are into the final stretch on the FY 2027 budget.

Recall The Town of Franklin started planning internally with department level budget reviews during October/December 2025, the first pass on the capital budget during January 2026, the FY 2027 budget was released in February, the Finance Committee spent 17 plus hours over 4 nights in April, and the Town Council spent 8.5 hours over 2 nights May 20-May 21.

During those sessions, the numbers were evolving slightly. At the State level, the Governor issued her view in January, the House of Representatives in April, the Senate just approved their version in May. The health care costs are now closer to final with the open enrollment of Town and retirees completed during April and the costs associated now available.

Hence, there is an updated FY 2027 budget that the Town Administrator has just released incorporating both the Finance Committee recommendations and the latest numbers. 

The Finance Committee gets their view and vote on this budget on Wednesday, June 3, the Town Council gets their chance on Wednesday, June 10. 

The following Wednesday, June 17, the Council also gets to close out this phase of the FY 2027 budget cycle with some procedural authorizations (Community Preservation funding, enterprise fund authorizations, etc.) all before the FY 2027 fiscal year opens July 1, 2026.

Bottomline, the Finance Committee essentially validated the budget approach and numbers. While some on the Council may still think there are areas to cut, those have not explicitly been expressed so it will be interesting to see what the ‘final’ moves are by the Finance Committee and the Town Council. 

Will some of the key cuts get restored (Deputy Town Administrator, School Resource Offices, library Sunday hours, etc.)? Or will the temporary use of $1.1million in free cash to allow the Council, School Committee and Finance Committee to put the plan together on how to get out of this structural deficit be denied, potentially further deepening the hole we are in.

Will there be any surprises? Stay tuned to find out.

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-1748-fm-weekly-outlook-lookback-combo-05-31-26/

*** Event & Meeting schedule (with agendas) as of Town pages 5/29/26, 7:00 PM   ***

Pride Flag Raising - May 31, at 1 PM

Flavors of Franklin - Restaurant Week - May 31 through June 6

Franklin PorchFest - June 6

Planning Board Meeting

Monday, June 1 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06012026-2341 

Recreation Advisory Board

Monday, June 1 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06012026-2306 

250th Anniversary Celebration Communications Subcommittee Meeting

Tuesday, June 2 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06022026-2329 

Franklin Public Schools Contractual Negotiations Meeting June 3

Wednesday, June 3 Time: 4:30 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06032026-2326 

Board of Health Meeting

Wednesday, June 3 Time: 5:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06032026-2345

Finance Committee Meeting

Wednesday, June 3 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06032026-2346 

Franklin Commission on Disability Meeting

Thursday, June 4 Time: 4:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06042026-2340 

Economic Development Subcommittee Meeting

Thursday, June 4 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06042026-2343 

Conservation Commission Meeting

Thursday, June 4 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/604?fileID=9231 

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

From 5/24 to 5/30/26 

Town/ School meetings

• School Committee meeting - 5/26/26 recap with audio & video links https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/05/school-committee-recognizes-seal-of_01831220539.html 

• Town Council Communications Subcommittee meeting 5/28/26 - recap & video link https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/05/communications-subcommittee-listened.html 

FHS/ Tri-County live streaming 

• FHS girls lacrosse vs. Andover 5/26/26 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFJd9oq9bM0 

• Tri-County graduation 5/28/26  -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4SsMY75Qhg 

• FHS boys lacrosse vs. Newtown North 5/29/26 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RlwMD1hP5Q 

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    

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

• The Town Council Communications Subcommittee met at noon on Monday, April 27. The recap and video link can be found https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/04/town-councils-communication-subcmte.html 

• The Planning Board met at 7 PM also on Monday, April 27. The video can be found  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrsNen5JHwY

FHS live streaming

• FHS girls varsity lacrosse vs. Stoughton  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWiduiFPVCk

• FHS Softball vs. Milford  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyTvQzw9mew&t=1496s

• FHS boys lacrosse vs. Mansfield     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y69yUPnzVZA&t=1015s

 

Radio - Podcast Interviews published this week 

• FM #1730 - Testimonials at SAFE Gala - 04/17/26  https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1730-testimonials-at-safe-gala-04-17-26 

• FM #1731 - A Dance with the Cosmos - Interview with author Marc D Cohen- 04/24/26  https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1731-a-dance-with-the-cosmos-04-24-26 

• FM #1733 - Franklin Public Library May 2026 Highlights - 04/21/26  https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1733-franklin-public-library-may-2026-highlights-04-21-26 

• FM #1735 - Franklin (MA) Kevin Harn - Facilities Dept - 04/28/26  https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1735-franklin-ma-kevin-harn-facilities-dept-04-28-26 

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