Let's spend about ten minutes to find out what matters in Franklin, MA as the week comes to a close March 13, 2011.
Time: 10 minutes 6 seconds
MP3 File
Show Notes:
This internet radio show or podcast is number 89 in the series for Franklin Matters.
We'll look back at the week that was as it comes to a close Sunday March 13. Then we will look at what is scheduled for the week ahead.
The Financial Planning Committee met on Wednesday. They completed their review of the prior report and are now busy working on the list of questions that they think should be answered.
The Town Council is one of two stakeholders for this committee. They will reach out to the Council to get their input on the questions to answer to help the Council make their decisions during the budget cycle.
The citizens (and voters) of Franklin are the second of two key stakeholders for the committee. Respectfully, there are some who don't care and there are some who have already made up their minds. Those two groups should not be a primary concern for the committee. The committee should address the needs of those who are looking for information. Those who are looking for accurate information have the interest to listen and make a decision. Providing information that is accurate and reasonably understood is the goal of the committee.
My notes from the meeting can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/03/live-reporting-long-range-financial.html
I wrote about these three type of audience in what I called my “fire circle story” back in 2005. You have a choice to listen to the audio recording here http://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2006/10/fire-circle-story.html
or read the text here http://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2005/11/fire-circle-story.html
The week ahead of is Sunshine Week. a national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Coinciding with sunshine week and building upon the PEW Internet study reported on here last week, I have begun a couple of new avenues.
One – There is a form for you to ask a question about the Franklin budget. Frequent commenters on the Milford Daily News articles about Franklin reference reading the Annual Report and suffering from a heart ache or some other physical malady. They rarely provide specifics as to what in the report is what cased this reaction.
If you have a similar question, you can ask it, and I'll get an answer. If you provide your email address, I'll be able to follow up to ask any clarifying questions as well as provide a direct answer. It is your choice. If you do provide your email, you get the response. If you don't, I can't guarantee a response.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/03/citizens-against-waste.html
Two – Many of you have a voice on the budget or any number of topics that matter to Franklin. You may not have the time to create your own blog. If you do have time to write a couple of paragraphs, and access to email, your voice can be published on Franklin Matters in a new “Voices of Franklin” section. Your written submission will need to abide by the editorial guidelines found below. You'll also need to be aware that anything published on Franklin Matters is subject to the Creative Commons License 3.0 for USA. Specifically, what is published can be shared with attribution but not for profit. More information about the editorial guidelines and creative commons license are found in the links below. If you would like to clarify something before sending your writing in, you can reach out to me (shersteve at gmail dot com).
Email address to send to franklinmatters.ma.myvoice@blogger.com
Editorial guidelines http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2007/12/comment-policy.html
Creative Commons http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/
Three – This is an election year. November 2011 will see an election of the the Town Council, School Committee, and other town positions. I will make the offer now to all candidates for election to have an interview published in Franklin Matters. I did this in 2007 and 2009. The format of the interview preferably would be in text or audio. If you want to do video, I'll consider it as well. Let me know if and when you are interested and we can schedule a mutually convenient time.
2009 offer http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2009/08/open-offer-to-franklins-candidates-for.html
2007 offer http://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2007/09/franklin-open-invitation-to-franklins.html
As for town meetings this week
The School Committee is scheduled to meet on Tuesday. Amongst the agenda items are presentations on the FHS visioning process, program of study, and summer reading. There is also the first reading on the bullying policy.
The Town Council is scheduled to meet on Weds. Amongst the agenda items they have are an action item to put the four utility poles on Main St located between Depot and the Triangle underground.
Coincidentally, on Monday, Mar 21 is a workshop to discuss the proposed zoning bylaw changes for the signs and other building restrictions in the downtown area. This is an outcome of the proposals brought before the Council on Oct/Nov that were not well received. There was too much to cover and it was not clearly presented. The Dept of Planning and Community Development has gone back to the 'drawing board' so to speak, and this workshop should help address some of the issues around the proposals before they are brought forward once more.
---- ---- ----
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin. I can use your help.
How can you help, you ask?
If you have an interest in writing about something that matters in Franklin, please let me know.
We have gradually been expanding the input here to include other contributors in Franklin and will have another announcement soon. There is still room for more, if you have something of interest to share, please let me know.
As always -
If you like this, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don't like this, please tell me.
This feedback loop is important. Thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark and Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!
Franklin, MA
Monday, March 14, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
FM #88 - Week ending 3/6/11
Lets take less than ten minutes to review what matters in Franklin, MA as the week ends March 6, 2011.
Time: 6 minutes, 20 seconds
MP3 File
Show Notes
This internet radio show or podcast is number 88 in the series for Franklin Matters.
We'll look back at the week that was as it comes to a close Sunday March 6. Then we will look at what is scheduled for the week ahead.
The Community Gardens group meet on Monday night in the Community Room of Stop & Shop. It is good to see such a group beginning this endeavor.
My notes from the meeting are here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/live-reporting-community-garden.html
The FinCom meeting on Tuesday was canceled as expected. The State numbers are too preliminary to begin to work with at this time. The current expectation is that by mid-month there should be some indication as to the range of numbers available from the State to begin planning.
The Town Council held a very brief meeting on Wednesday. I caught the replay via the video on demand in order to participate in the Friends of the Library meeting. It was a very good choice to make. My report is available here.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/03/library-and-friends-clear-air.html
Be sure to review the update on the tax donation status of gifts to the Library. With the standard disclaimer that I am not providing tax advice just information, check with your tax preparer how to handle this with your particular situation.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/03/re-franklin-library-blog-posting.html
The Community Health Council met on Thursday evening featuring an update from Peter Light on the health related activities at the high school. More information on the calendar of events coordinated by the Council can be found here http://www.franklin.ma.us/auto/schools/FPS/CHC/default.htm
Looking ahead:
The Long Range Financial Planning committee meets on Wednesday. The group will likely be continuing to develop its understanding of the financial issues around the Franklin budget.
The Pew Internet and American Life Project released a report that showed:
The full report can be found here:
http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/08-Community-Information-Systems.aspx
---- ---- ----
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin. I can use your help.
How can you help, you ask?
If you have an interest in covering the Planning Board, Conservation Commission and or the Zoning Board of Appeals meetings in Franklin, please let me know.
And as always
Through this feedback loop we can continue to improve.
Thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark and Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!
Franklin, MA
Time: 6 minutes, 20 seconds
MP3 File
Show Notes
This internet radio show or podcast is number 88 in the series for Franklin Matters.
We'll look back at the week that was as it comes to a close Sunday March 6. Then we will look at what is scheduled for the week ahead.
The Community Gardens group meet on Monday night in the Community Room of Stop & Shop. It is good to see such a group beginning this endeavor.
My notes from the meeting are here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/live-reporting-community-garden.html
The FinCom meeting on Tuesday was canceled as expected. The State numbers are too preliminary to begin to work with at this time. The current expectation is that by mid-month there should be some indication as to the range of numbers available from the State to begin planning.
The Town Council held a very brief meeting on Wednesday. I caught the replay via the video on demand in order to participate in the Friends of the Library meeting. It was a very good choice to make. My report is available here.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/03/library-and-friends-clear-air.html
Be sure to review the update on the tax donation status of gifts to the Library. With the standard disclaimer that I am not providing tax advice just information, check with your tax preparer how to handle this with your particular situation.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/03/re-franklin-library-blog-posting.html
The Community Health Council met on Thursday evening featuring an update from Peter Light on the health related activities at the high school. More information on the calendar of events coordinated by the Council can be found here http://www.franklin.ma.us/auto/schools/FPS/CHC/default.htm
Looking ahead:
The Long Range Financial Planning committee meets on Wednesday. The group will likely be continuing to develop its understanding of the financial issues around the Franklin budget.
The Pew Internet and American Life Project released a report that showed:
"... government transparency is associated with residents’ feelings of efficacy and empowerment: Those who think their government shares information well are more likely to say that people like them can have an impact on government. It might be the case that signals from government that “we want to be open about what we do” make people think they can take advantage of that openness and influence the way the government operates."This report helps foster the activities that you and I have been taking here. Our engagement on the website, through the weekly and daily newsletters, and on Facebook are helping to encourage Franklin to do more in these areas. Franklin regularly wins an award for for government information sharing but it can still do better. One of the major issues with the budget crisis we face is the lack of trust in the information provided. Increasing the transparency will foster trust.
The full report can be found here:
http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/08-Community-Information-Systems.aspx
---- ---- ----
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin. I can use your help.
How can you help, you ask?
If you have an interest in covering the Planning Board, Conservation Commission and or the Zoning Board of Appeals meetings in Franklin, please let me know.
And as always
- If you like this, please tell your friends and neighbors
- If you don't like this, please tell me
Through this feedback loop we can continue to improve.
Thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark and Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!
Franklin, MA
Monday, February 28, 2011
FM #87 - Week ending 2/27/11
Let's take about 10 minutes to get up to speed on what matters in Franklin, MA as the week comes to a close Sunday, Feb 27, 2011
Time: 10 minutes, 1 second
MP3 File
Show Notes:
This internet radio show or podcast is number 87 in the series for Franklin Matters.
We'll look back at the past two weeks as school vacation comes to a close Sunday Feb 27. Then we will look at what is scheduled for the week ahead.
The School Committee meeting on the 15th before school vacation was a full meeting.
Rep Vallee and Sen Spilka attended to provide an update on the overall budget outlook.
They did arrive in time to see the Franklin Arts Academy presentation which was quite impressive.
The school budget was reviewed and with minor discussion, approved.
While I can understand from the SchCom point of view that they have almost lived with the budget, some on the budget subcommittee more so than the others, and they had spent most of Saturday morning Jan 29th in the budget workshop. But as on that Saturday, the reporter from the MDN and I were the only members of the public, you would think that they would take some time to showcase the budget in this real public forum complete with live video which would be available later in the video on demand archive. But no, they went through it summarily and that is that. Shame on those in Franklin who did not come out to the meeting in person, that was your chance to step up and say something.
I do have links to the budget presentation and to the entire budget book available in the show notes
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/franklin-public-schools-budget-book-fy.html
Kudos to Jim Roche, Finance Committee chair, who did participate in the meeting for the budget discussion.
The notes from the full meeting can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/school-committee-021511.html
The Town Council had a short and relatively uneventful meeting. The meeting notes can be found here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/town-council-021611.html
The only meeting of significance during the school break was the Long Range Financial Planning Committee which did meet on Wednesday, Feb 23. It was a smaller group than normal but they met the quorum requirements (4 of 7). The lower attendance was likely due to the school vacation. There was a special guest, Town councilor Steve Whalen. Steve reviewed his worksheets which had just been updated with Census Data for 2010. The updated data did not change the overall results, Franklin by all measures does get a great deal of quality services for what little it puts out of its own pocket.
Side note – as the documents Steve shared were legal size, I do not have the ready capability to copy them and share them.
My notes from the meeting including highlights from the Whalen updates can be found here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/live-reporting-long-range-financial_23.html
The other significant item that came from the meeting was the revelation that both Whalen and Zollo will not be running for re-election. I have heard this before but there was still plenty of time for them to change their minds. I guess that is not about to happen. So there will be opportunity for folks to run for the Council. It would be good to see some real competition.
And while we are at it, I have no intentions of running. My approach to this situation has not changed, nor is likely to, so you won't have to worry about it. I'll continue reporting on what matters in Franklin. You can review my disclosure statement for the additional details.
Looking ahead:
The Community Garden Committee meets Monday evening at Stop and Shop.7:00 7:30 PM in the community room.
The Finance Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday. February's meeting you may recall was canceled. The Franklin website does not have an agenda posted but it may be on the Municipal Bldg window and I did not have time to go by and check. The Town Council meeting does not have any financial action items which FinCom would have approved first so not sure what's up. We'll find out Tuesday and not be too surprised if the meeting does get canceled.
The Town Council is scheduled to meet Wed March 2. A new liquor license for a Japanese-themed restaurant opening in the former Piccadilly Pub location is on the agenda for approval.
The Town Council agenda is posted here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-mar-2.html
The Franklin Cafe & Grill scheduled to open soon in the former KFC building on 140 has generated some conversation on the Facebook page. In particular about the sign requirements.
March 2 is also significant for two birthdays – Franklin's own birthday and that of Dr Seuss!
Franklin will hold a party on Sunday March 20th at the Museum to celebrate Mar 2 also with some of the 76 Franklin residents who share the March 2 birthday!
The Commonwealth released data by community for 2001 through 2009 on the senior circuit breaker tax advantages available to them. Franklin does quite well in that there has been an increase each year in the number of filers and in the average credit received. To paint a complete picture, I'd like to know how many are eligible and don't apply?
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/franklin-residents-gain-with-senior.html
The Franklin chapter of the Teenangels were in the news
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/teenangels.html
So as we close this week, welcome back. The snow hasn't gone yet. The budget cycle is getting into high gear in March. The time to be involved is now.
---- ---- ----
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin. I can use your help.
How can you help, you ask?
If you have an interest in covering the Planning Board, Conservation Commission and or the Zoning Board of Appeals meetings in Franklin, please let me know.
And as always -
If you like this, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don't like this, please tell me.
Thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark and Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!
Time: 10 minutes, 1 second
MP3 File
Show Notes:
This internet radio show or podcast is number 87 in the series for Franklin Matters.
We'll look back at the past two weeks as school vacation comes to a close Sunday Feb 27. Then we will look at what is scheduled for the week ahead.
The School Committee meeting on the 15th before school vacation was a full meeting.
Rep Vallee and Sen Spilka attended to provide an update on the overall budget outlook.
They did arrive in time to see the Franklin Arts Academy presentation which was quite impressive.
The school budget was reviewed and with minor discussion, approved.
While I can understand from the SchCom point of view that they have almost lived with the budget, some on the budget subcommittee more so than the others, and they had spent most of Saturday morning Jan 29th in the budget workshop. But as on that Saturday, the reporter from the MDN and I were the only members of the public, you would think that they would take some time to showcase the budget in this real public forum complete with live video which would be available later in the video on demand archive. But no, they went through it summarily and that is that. Shame on those in Franklin who did not come out to the meeting in person, that was your chance to step up and say something.
I do have links to the budget presentation and to the entire budget book available in the show notes
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/franklin-public-schools-budget-book-fy.html
Kudos to Jim Roche, Finance Committee chair, who did participate in the meeting for the budget discussion.
The notes from the full meeting can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/school-committee-021511.html
The Town Council had a short and relatively uneventful meeting. The meeting notes can be found here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/town-council-021611.html
The only meeting of significance during the school break was the Long Range Financial Planning Committee which did meet on Wednesday, Feb 23. It was a smaller group than normal but they met the quorum requirements (4 of 7). The lower attendance was likely due to the school vacation. There was a special guest, Town councilor Steve Whalen. Steve reviewed his worksheets which had just been updated with Census Data for 2010. The updated data did not change the overall results, Franklin by all measures does get a great deal of quality services for what little it puts out of its own pocket.
Side note – as the documents Steve shared were legal size, I do not have the ready capability to copy them and share them.
My notes from the meeting including highlights from the Whalen updates can be found here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/live-reporting-long-range-financial_23.html
The other significant item that came from the meeting was the revelation that both Whalen and Zollo will not be running for re-election. I have heard this before but there was still plenty of time for them to change their minds. I guess that is not about to happen. So there will be opportunity for folks to run for the Council. It would be good to see some real competition.
And while we are at it, I have no intentions of running. My approach to this situation has not changed, nor is likely to, so you won't have to worry about it. I'll continue reporting on what matters in Franklin. You can review my disclosure statement for the additional details.
Looking ahead:
The Community Garden Committee meets Monday evening at Stop and Shop.
The Finance Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday. February's meeting you may recall was canceled. The Franklin website does not have an agenda posted but it may be on the Municipal Bldg window and I did not have time to go by and check. The Town Council meeting does not have any financial action items which FinCom would have approved first so not sure what's up. We'll find out Tuesday and not be too surprised if the meeting does get canceled.
The Town Council is scheduled to meet Wed March 2. A new liquor license for a Japanese-themed restaurant opening in the former Piccadilly Pub location is on the agenda for approval.
The Town Council agenda is posted here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-mar-2.html
The Franklin Cafe & Grill scheduled to open soon in the former KFC building on 140 has generated some conversation on the Facebook page. In particular about the sign requirements.
March 2 is also significant for two birthdays – Franklin's own birthday and that of Dr Seuss!
Franklin will hold a party on Sunday March 20th at the Museum to celebrate Mar 2 also with some of the 76 Franklin residents who share the March 2 birthday!
The Commonwealth released data by community for 2001 through 2009 on the senior circuit breaker tax advantages available to them. Franklin does quite well in that there has been an increase each year in the number of filers and in the average credit received. To paint a complete picture, I'd like to know how many are eligible and don't apply?
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/franklin-residents-gain-with-senior.html
The Franklin chapter of the Teenangels were in the news
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/teenangels.html
So as we close this week, welcome back. The snow hasn't gone yet. The budget cycle is getting into high gear in March. The time to be involved is now.
---- ---- ----
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin. I can use your help.
How can you help, you ask?
If you have an interest in covering the Planning Board, Conservation Commission and or the Zoning Board of Appeals meetings in Franklin, please let me know.
And as always -
If you like this, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don't like this, please tell me.
Thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark and Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!
Monday, February 14, 2011
FM #86 - Week Ending Feb 13, 2011
Let's take less than 10 minutes to review what matters in Franklin, MA as the week comes to a close on Sunday Feb 13, 2011.
Time: 7 minutes, 44 seconds
MP3 File
Session Notes
This internet radio show or podcast is number 86 in the series for Franklin Matters.
We'll look back at the week that was as it ends Sunday Feb 13th before looking ahead to the School Committee and Town Council meetings scheduled.
The Finance Committee meeting was canceled on Tuesday, Feb 8th.
The Long Range Financial Planning Committee did meet on Wednesday, Feb 9th.
The Committee added Sue Rohrbach to serve as a liaison to the School Committee and school budget. Sue joins Tina Powderly representing the Town Council and Jeff Nutting representing the Administration.
The committee settled on their individual assignments which were intended to reflect their individual interests and specialties. The assignments are as follows:
1 - Capital expenditures and debt service - John Hogan
2 - Benchmarking and pensions - Graydon Smith
3 - Salary and benefits (excluding pensions) - Orrin Bean
4 - National trends in municipal finance (includes regionalization) - Craig DiMarzio
5 - Schools - Deb Bartlett
6 - Town revenue, public safety, and other - Ken Harvey
7 - Committee communications and deliverables - Doug Hardesty
The bulk of the meeting was spent continuing to review the prior committee's report and much of the discussion involved clarification or background on the numbers or issues reflected in the report. The meeting ended before the committee had finished reviewing the report so some of the time at the next session will continue this effort.
The full set of my notes from the meeting can be found here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/live-reporting-long-range-financial.html/
The budget workshop held one year ago is still a great source of detailed information directly from Jeff Nutting, Susan Gagner and Jim Dacey on the Town side of the budget and Maureen Sabilonski, Miriam Goodman on the School side of the budget. The full workshop was recorded, the audio and worksheets to accompany the recording are all available online here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/budget-workshop-collection-12510.html/
Yes, this was a year ago. The numbers may have changed a little but the overall issues for the Town have not and hence this still has great relevance for today.
The other non-meeting major item in the news was the report theft of the historic bell from the Museum. Apparently someone has made off with it, likely to melt it down for the valuable metal.
I don't spend much time doing analysis on the traffic volume for what I publish here. I did want to bring to your attention some of the numbers now that three full years have passed and four January's have been completed. I will continue to focus on bringing as much good content on what matters with the Franklin budget as possible.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/you-find-good-content-here.html
Looking to the week ahead:
School Committee is scheduled to meet Tues Feb 15. As their meeting on the 1st was canceled, I am assuming their budget discussion will be the focus for this meeting. I have included the budget links I previously posted to make it easier to find them.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/franklin-ma-school-committee-agenda_13.html/
The Town Council is scheduled to meet Wed Feb 16. Their agenda is posted here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-feb-16.html/
The budget info for Fiscal Year 2012 can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/01/fiscal-year-2012-budget-information.html
---- ---- ----
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin. I can use your help.
How can you help, you ask?
If you have an interest in covering the Planning Board, Conservation Commission and or the Zoning Board of Appeals meetings in Franklin, please let me know.
And as always -
Thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!
Time: 7 minutes, 44 seconds
MP3 File
Session Notes
This internet radio show or podcast is number 86 in the series for Franklin Matters.
We'll look back at the week that was as it ends Sunday Feb 13th before looking ahead to the School Committee and Town Council meetings scheduled.
The Finance Committee meeting was canceled on Tuesday, Feb 8th.
The Long Range Financial Planning Committee did meet on Wednesday, Feb 9th.
The Committee added Sue Rohrbach to serve as a liaison to the School Committee and school budget. Sue joins Tina Powderly representing the Town Council and Jeff Nutting representing the Administration.
The committee settled on their individual assignments which were intended to reflect their individual interests and specialties. The assignments are as follows:
1 - Capital expenditures and debt service - John Hogan
2 - Benchmarking and pensions - Graydon Smith
3 - Salary and benefits (excluding pensions) - Orrin Bean
4 - National trends in municipal finance (includes regionalization) - Craig DiMarzio
5 - Schools - Deb Bartlett
6 - Town revenue, public safety, and other - Ken Harvey
7 - Committee communications and deliverables - Doug Hardesty
The bulk of the meeting was spent continuing to review the prior committee's report and much of the discussion involved clarification or background on the numbers or issues reflected in the report. The meeting ended before the committee had finished reviewing the report so some of the time at the next session will continue this effort.
The full set of my notes from the meeting can be found here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/live-reporting-long-range-financial.html/
The budget workshop held one year ago is still a great source of detailed information directly from Jeff Nutting, Susan Gagner and Jim Dacey on the Town side of the budget and Maureen Sabilonski, Miriam Goodman on the School side of the budget. The full workshop was recorded, the audio and worksheets to accompany the recording are all available online here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/01/budget-workshop-collection-12510.html/
Yes, this was a year ago. The numbers may have changed a little but the overall issues for the Town have not and hence this still has great relevance for today.
The other non-meeting major item in the news was the report theft of the historic bell from the Museum. Apparently someone has made off with it, likely to melt it down for the valuable metal.
I don't spend much time doing analysis on the traffic volume for what I publish here. I did want to bring to your attention some of the numbers now that three full years have passed and four January's have been completed. I will continue to focus on bringing as much good content on what matters with the Franklin budget as possible.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/you-find-good-content-here.html
Looking to the week ahead:
School Committee is scheduled to meet Tues Feb 15. As their meeting on the 1st was canceled, I am assuming their budget discussion will be the focus for this meeting. I have included the budget links I previously posted to make it easier to find them.
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/franklin-ma-school-committee-agenda_13.html/
The Town Council is scheduled to meet Wed Feb 16. Their agenda is posted here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/02/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-feb-16.html/
The budget info for Fiscal Year 2012 can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2011/01/fiscal-year-2012-budget-information.html
---- ---- ----
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin. I can use your help.
How can you help, you ask?
If you have an interest in covering the Planning Board, Conservation Commission and or the Zoning Board of Appeals meetings in Franklin, please let me know.
And as always -
- If you like this, please tell your friends and neighbors
- If you don't like this, please tell me.
Thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission
I hope you enjoy!
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