Showing posts with label wfpr.fm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wfpr.fm. Show all posts

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

Saturday, February 28, 2026

Happy Birthday Town of Franklin !!! 248 years young (audio)

Happy birthday, Town of Franklin! Yes, March 2, 1778 was the day Franklin was officially recognized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.


Stop by the Historical Museum on Sunday, March 1 for a piece of cake and to view the movie from the 200th anniversary celebration.


Plans for the 250th Anniversary in 2028 are underway by that Committee. One of their subcommittees meets Sunday, and the full committee is scheduled for a special session on Tuesday to authorize the deposit for a gala to be held at Lake Pearl on November 3, 2028. 


The first measles case has appeared in MA and there might be something of a discussion touching on that at the regular monthly meeting of the Board of Health on Wednesday. 


The Town Council picks up the goals discussion again this week. Whether they will decide on goals, or defer to a future meeting, remains to be seen? The Council will need to decide on the funding recommendation to replace Engine 3 as put forward by the Town and Fire Dept. and approved by the Finance Committee. This is time sensitive, so if they don't resolve, we lose an opportunity to replace for multiple years.


The Council also gets to find out about parking meter revenue from the downtown lots as well as approve a subcommittee they requested to look at potential charter changes. Potential charter changes have come up in discussion and gone over the years and usually overtaken by other priorities. 


This Council apparently would rather attempt to tackle charter changes than to try and fix the more serious issue of the strategic budget gaps we have including important work that can’t be done because resources are lacking (i.e. the Town Administrator's office).


A helpful reminder to those frustrated by lack of this or that related to the aftermath of the blizzard. 


  • Ancient proverb: "If you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy, but the same amount of snow" 


We should be grateful for 4 days moving about town that the South Coastal communities of MA didn’t have. 3 days of school for our kids that those same communities didn’t have. And while trash pickup wasn’t perfect in the blizzard aftermath, most did get picked up. Let’s be grateful for what we do have. 


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-1678-fm-weekly-outlook-lookback-combo-03-01-26/

*** Meeting schedule and agendas as of Town page 2/27/26, 6:00 PM   ***


250th Anniversary Celebration Budget and Fundraising Subcommittee Meeting

Sunday, March 1 Time: 7:30 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03012026-2160 


Library Board of Directors Regular Meeting

Monday, March 2 Time: 7:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03022026-2157 


Recreation Department Meeting

Monday, March 2 Time: 7:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03022026-2158 


250th Anniversary Celebration Committee Special Meeting

Tuesday, March 3 Time: 7:30 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03032026-2165 


Board of Health Meeting

Wednesday, March 4 Time: 5:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03042026-2164 


Town Council Meeting

Wednesday, March 4 Time: 6:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03042026-2166 


Franklin Commission on Disabilities Meeting

Thursday, March 5 Time: 4:00 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03052026-2163 


Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) Meeting

Thursday, March 5 Time: 7:30 PM

https://ma-franklin.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03052026-2146 


Franklin School Committee - Policy Subcommittee Meeting
Friday, March 6 Time: 8:15 AM

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


For Franklin TV meeting broadcasts:

For FHS live streaming:


For All Access programing:


From Franklin Matters/ Franklin Public Radio

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, February 14, 2026

School vacation brings a light meeting week (audio)

School vacation is here and thereby a very light meeting week.


Hopefully, the time away will help to settle some things for folks. I had a great deal of hope coming out of the School Committee meeting Tuesday. Many Councilors were viewing the meeting in the Zoom session, one actively participated asking several clarification questions. All that is goodness.


Given the Council had previously seemed to come to consensus on the need for a strategic plan, we could be on the right road. The strategic plan will take some work to put into place and it needs to start with appropriately funding and staffing the Town Administrator’s office. Without resources there, other normal work will be delayed at best or not happen, key among them is that the Town Council subcommittees won’t be able to meet without additional resources.


Unfortunately, Wednesday night saw some of that hope dissipate during the Town Council meeting which discussed the 5 year fiscal forecast and the Capital budget. The discussion on the forecast revealed issues with how to handle the proposed FY 2027 budget. The Capital plan which had already been approved by the Finance Committee saw some heated words expressed by multiple parties. 


The prioritization of $100K for chromebook replacements over $75k for camera and related server replacements was not accepted by some. Ultimately, the vote to take out the $100K failed and the vote to add the 75K passed. So much time spent over so little money in the scheme of the $1.8 Million capital authorization was truly making “a mountain out of a mole hill.“


The major concern is still with the lack of trust in accepting recommendations made by the people who are charged with the daily operations and who should know better. The Council position of oversight provides them with opportunity to question and to vet proposals but the nature of the challenge became more than it should have.


Hence, hopefully, the time away for school vacation (no School or Town Council meetings this week) will enable a reconciliation and a return to the hopeful progress that does need to be made to solve our structural deficit. Angry words create problems, they do not resolve them. 


WE can only solve our problem with thoughtful civil discourse. The conversations will be difficult but the capability to come up with reasonable solutions is with us. 


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-1659-fm-weekly-outlook-lookback-combo-02-15-26/



*** Meeting schedule and agendas as of Town page 2/13/26, 7:00 PM   ***



Charles River Pollution Control Meeting

Tuesday, February 17 Time: 4:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02172026-2134 


Design Review Meeting

Tuesday, February 17 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02172026-2139


Town Council Monthly Office Hours

Thursday, February 19 Time: 8:30 AM

No agenda for this informal discussion


ZBA Meeting

Thursday, February 19 Time: 7:30 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02192026-2113 



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



A full week of Town/School meetings occurred with something every night of the week


Monday, Feb 9 - The Community Relations subcommittee of the School Committee met. The exclusive audio is available

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/02/community-relations-subcommittee-20926.html 


Monday, Feb 9 - The Planning Board meeting. The Franklin TV video link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMTWLdaCHic


Tuesday, Feb 10 - The School Committee met at 6 PM to provide enough time for their public hearing on their FY 2027 budget. The recap and video of the session can be found

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/02/school-committee-hear-details-on-level.html  


Wednesday, Feb 11 - The Town Council also started at 6 PM with a time limit of 4 hours for this their first session in the new arrangement, and they needed to vote to extend the meeting in order to complete it. The Council got a preview of the updated 5 year fiscal forecast and ultimately approved the first pass on the Capital budget. The recap and video is available

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2026/02/town-council-adds-to-tier-1-capital.html 


Thursday, Feb 12 - The Conservation Commission. The Franklin TV video link -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7914hOHIlLM



On the school front


On the All Access 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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