Showing posts with label outlook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label outlook. Show all posts

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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Location: Franklin, MA 02038, USA

Saturday, February 7, 2026

More snow, more cold, more budget = winter in New England; Franklin news in less than 5 minutes

More snow, more cold, ah, yes, it is winter in New England. 


February also brings a beginning to the FY 2027 budget cycle. And yes, there is more daylight in the forecast so there is hope on that side. Hope not so much on the budget front especially if you were looking for prior cuts to get restored.


Tuesday, Feb 10 the School Committee holds the public hearing on their FY 2027 budget proposal. Of note, the meeting also moves to a 6 PM opening to provide sufficient time for line item review by committee and community. 


Per the preview we received at the Jan 27th meeting, they will bring in a level service budget at 2.5%. Which also means cuts made last year don’t come back. Fees at this point, don’t change (up or down).


Wednesday, Feb 11, the Town Council gets the Capital budget and the 5 year fiscal forecast with plenty of info on the seriousness of our budget situation especially given the prior override failures. 


Town Administrator Jamie Hellen writes that using one time money to balance this budget “I have provided a model to give everyone time to strategize a game plan for the future without any department cuts or conversations about property tax increases in FY27.”


What that statement doesn’t say is 

  • nothing previously cut gets restored (especially on the School budget, but also across the Town departmental budgets)

  • AND we will start out the next budget cycle (FY 2028)  in the hole (by however much one time funds are used)


The Capital budget proposal is less than normal as $2 million in ‘free cash’ is held aside to help balance the (FY 2027) budget as noted above. And by kicking the can down the road again (using ‘free cash’), digs us a hole for the next budget cycle.


Fasten your seat belt for these budget conversations, they won’t be easy.


There are a number of other regular board and committee meetings scheduled for this week. Some adjusted to avoid the school vacation coming next 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.


Audio link - https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1655-fm-weekly-outlook-lookback-combo-02-08-26/

*** Meeting schedule and agendas as of Town page 2/06/26, 7:00 PM   ***


Franklin Housing Authority Meeting

Monday, February 9 Time: 4:30 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02092026-2126 


Franklin Public Schools Community Relations Subcommittee Meeting

Monday, February 9 Time: 6:30 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02092026-2123 


Planning Board Meeting

Monday, February 9 Time: 7:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02092026-2124 


Bi-County Collaborative Meeting

Tuesday, February 10 Time: 2:30 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02102026-2132 


Franklin School Committee

Tuesday, February 10 Time: 6:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02102026-2129 


Friends of the Franklin Public Library Meeting

Tuesday, February 10 Time: 7:00 PM 

No agenda for this session


Town Council Meeting

Wednesday, February 11 Time: 6:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02112026-2130 


Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Meeting

Thursday, February 12 Time: 2:00 PM

No agenda posted at this time


Charles River Pollution Control District Meeting

Thursday, February 12 Time: 4:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02122026-2131 


Conservation Commission Meeting

Thursday, February 12 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/553?fileID=7915 


Cultural District Committee Meeting

Thursday, February 12 Time: 7:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02122026-2125 


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


The School Committee conducted their brief and ‘remote only’ meeting to authorize the transfer of accounting for health care to the Town budget line 910. Franklin.news has the recap and video link

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/02/school-committee-votes-to-move-health.html 


The Town Council conducted their shortest session of this new term in part by punting on setting goals and reserving time for a lengthy executive session to review property decisions. Franklin.News has the recap and video link

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/02/town-council-discusses-goals-hears-last.html 


On the High School video performance recorded/broadcast by Franklin TV



On the Community video front


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, January 17, 2026

“Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly” Insights on the week ahead, Jan 18, 2026

“Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” 


—“Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” written by Martin Luther King Jr in 1963. The complete letter is a worthy read and you can find the link https://letterfromjail.com/ 


The week starts with Martin Luther King Day on Monday, while legally designated a holiday it is not fully observed. For example, the MBTA commuter rail runs a ‘normal’ weekday schedule.


Worthy of note is that there is a scheduled virtual only meeting on Sunday evening for the 250th Anniversary Celebration Committee at 5:30 PM.


Tuesday we see the normal schedule for a Design Review meeting. The site (12 Main St) of the former book store is potentially a convenience store and their proposed signage is up for review.


Wednesday is the Town Council meeting with some key items on its agenda. 

  • 2 appointments to the Zoning Board of Appeal are up for approval. That action alone may not shut down the vociferous calls for a ‘new’ board from some community members but we’ll see what the Council does.
  • The Council gets an update on the infrastructure of the Town from DPW Director Brutus Cantoreggi. The dollars for continuing to maintain all our water, sewer, roads, fields, etc. has continued to grow. A plan is needed for funding. “Pay me now, or pay me more later” becomes very real.
  • The budget timeline for the FY 2027 cycle is presented. The recent capital budget items reviewed by the Finance Committee come before the Council on Feb 11. The official town budget is on schedule to be filed in late March.

Thursday, the Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled to meet and likely for the first time with their new membership (depending upon the outcome at the Council meeting on Weds).


We’ll close this outlook with a referral back to the MLK quote we opened with: “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly” . You reading this, are either a close or remote neighbor. Either way, we are faced with some challenges this year.


On the one hand, I am very grateful for what we do have. On the other hand, there is a lot of work and tough conversations to be held to ensure we can maintain the community we all live in and love.


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 page 1/16/26, 6:00 PM   ***



250th Anniversary Celebration Committee (remote only)

Sunday, January 18 Time: 5:30 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01182026-2096 


Design Review Meeting

Tuesday, January 20 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01202026-2099 


Town Council Meeting

Wednesday, January 21 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01212026-2101 


GATRA Regional Bus Meeting (at Franklin Senior Center)

Thursday, January 22 Time: 2:30 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01222026-2085 


Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) Meeting  (remote only)

Thursday, January 22 Time: 7:30 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01222026-2093 



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


On Monday, the School Committee Community Relations Subcommittee met. On Tuesday, the Policy subcommittee met before the full School Committee meeting. Both audio recordings will be available shortly. 


The School Committee recap and video is available for their 4 hour plus session  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/01/school-committee-approves-trip-program.html 


SchCmte member Reis Hansen joined me in a recap of the session which is available via video and audio formats https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/01/chalkboard-chat-condenses-4-hour-jan-13.html 



The Finance Committee had a lengthy discussion on the ‘economics of development’. Personally, it was not what I expected. The primary reason being “It is complicated.” The first pass on the Capital budget was also reviewed at length and ultimately recommended to the Council for their review and vote.

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/01/finance-committee-hears-economics-of.html 

The Conservation Commission met on Thursday, the video of their session is available  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=881gI4sj0kM 


On the FHS sports live streaming front



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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