Showing posts with label FY 2027. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FY 2027. Show all posts

Saturday, June 6, 2026

PorchFest, budget, Strawberry Stoll, budget ...

PorchFest, budget, Strawberry Stoll, budget… and then we’re done until the tax rate hearing this fall.


Yes, the final stretch on the evolution of the FY 2027 budget. As noted here last week, Town Administrator Jamie Hellen released an updated and ‘final’ version of the budget. The Finance Committee voted to approve it after reviewing and confirming the changes since they had seen the budget in April for their series of 4 budget hearings.


The recommendations they made were incorporated in this version along with updated numbers on new growth, health care (the last piece to the puzzle the Town was waiting for) and to the State funding expected via the Senate budget.


The House and Senate version of the State budget still need conference committee agreement to send it to the Governor for final decision. It is anticipated to not be changed much as this is an election year. The increases to local aid and Chapter 70 are needed here and elsewhere across the Commonwealth.


The School Committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday at 7 PM. Their Policy subcommittee is scheduled to meet before that at 6 PM.


The Town Council will get their review and discussion on the updated FY 2027 budget at their session on Wednesday. The reduction in use of Free Cash (an accounting term that is neither ‘free’ nor ‘cash’) should help but some had previously indicated not wanting to use any. How and where they would provide the balance to the budget remains to be seen.


The Strawberry Stroll closes out the week on Friday overlapping in time schedule (4 to 8 PM) with the Farmers Market (2 to 6 PM) at the Town Common also on Friday.


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-1758-fm-weekly-outlook-lookback-combo-06-07-26/

*** Event & Meeting schedule (with agendas) as of Town pages 6/05/26, 10:00 PM   ***



Franklin Public School Horace Mann Sub Committee Meeting - Cancelled

Monday, June 8 Time: 7:00 PM


250th Anniversary Celebration Committee Meeting

Monday, June 8 Time: 8:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06082026-2352 


Franklin School Committee Policy Subcommittee Meeting

Tuesday, June 9 Time: 6:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06092026-2355 


Franklin School Committee Meeting

Tuesday, June 9 Time: 7:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06092026-2356 


Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School Board of Trustees Meeting

Tuesday, June 9 Time: 7:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06092026-2349 


Charles River Pollution Control District

Wednesday, June 10 Time: 3:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06102026-2350 


Town Council Meeting

Wednesday, June 10 Time: 6:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06102026-2357 


Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Meeting

Thursday, June 11 Time: 2:00 PM 

No agenda available at this time


Cultural District Committee Meeting

Thursday, June 11 Time: 7:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06112026-2353 


Franklin Public Schools Contractual Negotiations Meeting June 11

Thursday, June 11 Time: 4:30 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06112026-2327 


Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) Meeting - No Meeting

Thursday, June 11 Time: 7:30 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06112026-2347 


Franklin Public Schools Community Relations Sub Committee Meeting

Friday, June 12 Time: 4:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_06122026-2344 


22nd Annual Strawberry Stroll @ Franklin Historical Museum

Friday, June 12 Time: 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM



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





Town/ School meetings


Planning Board Monday, June 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrcqCNbm3qU 


Board of Health meeting - exclusive audio - https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/06/board-of-health-hears-about-new.html 


Finance Committee Wednesday, June 3 - https://www.youtube.com/live/FR_5FicbhCM?&t=208 


Economic Development Subcommittee Thursday, June 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJsDcLu_-xk


Conservation Commission, Thursday, June 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoD3azLjTNM&t=1s 



FHS/ Tri-County live streaming 



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 30, 2026

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


FHS/ Tri-County live streaming 




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, March 28, 2026

Be wary of foolishness, April 1 arrives Wednesday

Be wary pranksters may be around this week as April Fool’s day arrives on Wednesday.


“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”   ― Soren Kierkegaard


The FY 2027 budget is now published so there really is no time to fool around. The Board of Assessors met early Monday morning. The Agriculture Commission, Horace Mann Legacy Subcommittee and the Library Board of Directors all meet later Monday.


The Mass Strategic Health Group meets Tuesday afternoon, and the Design Review meets Tuesday night.


Wednesday the Board of Health is scheduled for 5 PM with the Town Council scheduled for 6. The Board of Health continues the discussion started last meeting on a potential ban of mind altering products. The Council gets into their first public hearings on zoning bylaws. Minor and technical changes to the Crossing Neighborhood District and to complete the MBTA compliance requirements are covered in 2 bylaws each (total 4 bylaws for hearings and first readings).


The Commission on Disability meets Thursday afternoon and the newly appointed Economic Development Subcommittee of the Town Council gets its first session in the Thursday evening broadcast time slot not being used this time by the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). The ZBA are scheduled for a non-public, executive session meeting.

The agendas for these individual meetings 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-1702-fm-weekly-outlook-lookback-combo-03-29-26/

*** Meeting schedule and agendas as of Town page 3/27/26, 8:00 PM   ***


Board of Assessors

Monday, March 30 Time: 8:30 AM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03302026-2212 


Franklin Agricultural Committee

Monday, March 30 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03302026-2215 


Franklin School Committee - Horace Mann Legacy Subcommittee

Monday, March 30 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03302026-2211 


Library Board of Directors Regular Meeting

Monday, March 30 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03302026-2216 


Massachusetts Strategic Health Group Meeting Notice

Tuesday, March 31 Time: 1:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03312026-2225 


Design Review Meeting

Tuesday, March 31 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03312026-2217 


Board of Health Meeting

Wednesday, April 1 Time: 5:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04012026-2218 


Town Council Meeting

Wednesday, April 1 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04012026-2229 


Franklin Commission on Disability

Thursday, April 2 Time: 4:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04022026-2209 


Economic Development Subcommittee Meeting

Thursday, April 2 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04022026-2223 


ZBA Meeting- NO Meeting

Thursday, April 2 Time: 7:30 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04022026-2213 

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04022026-2228 



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


The Planning Board met as scheduled on Monday, March 23. The video is available https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNdEd3y7QdY


The School Committee Budget subcommittee met on Tuesday at 6 PM before the full Committee met at 7 PM. The exclusive audio and recap of the Budget meeting can be found https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/03/school-committee-budget-subcmte-reviews.html 


The video and recap for the full School Committee meeting can be found

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/03/school-committee-gets-update-on.html 

The Conservation Commission met as scheduled on Thursday March 26. The video is available   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56oBa37n5j4 


Nothing was happening on the school's front this week. On the All Access front, a video “Rockin’ the Boroughs” a concert of senior singers recorded in October 2025 in now available for viewing  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwRuJZfpgrQ 


The audio recording of the No Kings Rally on the Town Common on Saturday is available. The video should be available in a few days. So if you missed this event, you can listen and catch up on what you missed.


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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