Franklin MAtters Weekly

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Week ending - Jan 22, 2012

This could be a pivotal week for Franklin. The School Building Committee meets with the MSBA on Wednesday to see what the 'final' word is on the new high school proposal. Assuming the MSBA accepts the proposal, Franklin voters will have 120 days to approve funding for the project via a debt exclusion.

A debt exclusion is an increase in taxes for a specific period of time. In this case, it would be for 20 years. The debt exclusion differs from an override which while it is also an increase in taxes, has no end period. It becomes a permanent increase to the tax revenue.

Franklin has only approved one override (of 8 total offered to the voters) and has generally approved each debt exclusion although it has taken a couple of tries for some of the debt exclusions to pass. The more recent debt exclusions for the school buildings have all passed on the first try.

You can review the history of debt exclusions and override votes here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AkwjbnXDBhczdDVWaFU0N2ZsTEE2TUVuWHk5NURvQWc&hl=en_US#gid=0

This was compiled from the official Franklin records and confirmed with the Commonwealth of MA records.

Back to the high school proposal. Assuming it passes the MBSA on Weds, then the School Building Committee is scheduled to come before the Town Council on their agenda of Feb 1. The agenda discussion will be around the election date and the ballot question. The election date currently targeted is March 27.

Stay tuned here for developments on this story. Franklin stands to gain a $104.5 M high school building for only $47 M (our portion). This is a good deal. You can find additional information at the new website put together by the "Citizens for a new Franklin High" http://www.newfhs.com/

Jan 22

Jan 21

Jan 20

Jan 19

Jan 18

STOP SOPA

Jan 17

Jan 16

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Week ending - Jan 15, 2012

"Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?"

Showing my age a bit but the Sign Bylaw coming to the Town Council this week to start the formal approval process reminds me of the song. The Council will refer the Sign Bylaw to the Planning Board. The Planning Board will take input during a public hearing and ultimately send it back to the Town Council for approval. The Town Council will have two readings of the Sign Bylaw before they vote on it (usually at the same time as their second reading).

The section that covers for the transition from the old bylaw to the new says:

Enforcement and Pre-existing Signs

The proposed Sign Bylaw now clearly defines the Building Commissioner as the entity who will permit all signs, oversee installation, ensure compliance and remove non-compliant signs, regulate their maintenance, and initiate penalties. Pre-existing signs are grandfathered unless they were being displayed in violation of the existing Sign Bylaw. Pre-existing signs will remain as such until a new sign is displayed or any modification to the existing signage is made, then it must conform to the new Sign Bylaw.

The proposed Bylaw also addresses many issues that the previous Bylaw left unaddressed. One such issue the Bylaw now clearly defines is the role and responsibilities of the Design Review Commission. In addition, the proposed Sign Bylaw now address a more defined process for appeal of Design Review Commission decisions or appeals of a decision issued by the Building Commissioner.

Temporary Signs

The current Sign Bylaw addresses several types of temporary signs and the extent to which they are allowed. The proposed Bylaw clearly prohibits most temporary signs except real estate signs, political signs and non-profits if displayed in Municipal sign displays located throughout the Town. New business owners would be permitted to display one temporary sign for up to 30 days during the opening of the business.

You can read the full set of documents pertaining to the Sign bylaw with the Town Council Agenda document for the meeting Jan 18, 2012. The bylaw section begins on page 10.
http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/FranklinMA_CouncilAgendas/2012%20docs/011812.pdf

And for music to listen to while you cruise through last week's posts, here is Tesla with their version of "Signs":

Jan 15

Jan 14

Jan 13

Jan 12

Jan 11

Nick Alfieri: Why the Conservation Commission Requires a Permit to Work In or Near Wetlands

Wadsworth Diary - Jan 11, 1892

Jan 10

Jan 9

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Week ending - Jan 8, 2012

Timing is critical in putting things together. Recall the last time you worked with “some assembly required”. You needed to layout the pieces, make sure you had them all, then start with step 1. If you rushed into it, you may have found out that something really needed to be done in Step 4 before you got to Step 5 and while it looked like they would fit together, taking the steps in order was so critical.

Such is part of the problem I think we face here in Franklin. Most of us get information piecemeal. Maybe some details from a neighbor. Some from the Milford Daily News and the occasional story from the Boston Globe West. Some of us watch either the live broadcast or the replay of particular Franklin meetings. Except for some significant events, very few of us actually appear in person at a meeting of the Town Council, School Committee, Finance Committee Planning Board or any of the other groups operating to govern and conduct business for Franklin.

This piecemeal information gathering would be okay as long as the information is accurate. then when the time comes to make sense of it, the pieces would at least fit together. However, some information getting passed around is incorrect and trying to set the story straight becomes a challenge.

As we get into 2012, there will be two major stories to follow closely. One is with the high school building project and the other will be the annual budget discussion. The School Building Committee has done their work and the proposal for the model school is before the MSBA for their decision. Once they approve, Franklin will have 120 days to make its financial commitment. This commitment process will start with the Town Council agreeing to schedule a debt exclusion vote. Then the discussion will focus around the details of the project, how much the Commonwealth will contribute to the cost and the bottom line: what will the Franklin taxpayers be required to pay? Ultimately, the Franklin voters will need to approve the debt exclusion question. Coincidentally, the vote will occur at the current high school.

The annual budget discussion will be a challenge this year. Why this year more so than other years? The debt exclusion vote would likely have occurred just as the full budget discussion gets underway. The willingness of the Franklin taxpayer to take from their own pocket is well known. What potential cuts would be required to bring the budget to a balance with the available funds? Will there be enough growth in revenue given the stuttering economy?

The discussion will likely revisit the School Committee decision around the teacher contract agreement and the subsequent Town Council decision to reduce the current school budget. After all the departments present their needs, after the Town Administrator makes its recommendation, and after the Finance Committee makes their recommendation, it will be up to the Town Council. Will the Town Council come back to the Franklin taxpayers with an override vote? Or will sufficient revenue be identified to balance the budget without additional cuts?

Stay tuned for updates on both of these stories. There are enough meetings to attend to stay current and no one person can cover them all. My work on the Board of Directors for the Franklin Food Pantry is taking priority so my own attendance at Franklin meetings is down. If you feel you could add your voice to the reporting here, please let me know. Together we can put the pieces to the puzzle in their proper place and make sense of it all!

Jan 8

Jan 7

Wadsworth Diary - Jan 7, 1892

"it’s spurring some interest"

Jan 6

Wadsworth Diary - Jan 6, 1892

“I think they understand it and respect it"

Jan 5

Jan 4

Jan 3

Jan 2

Franklin, MA: Historical Commission

Heralding in the New Gardening Year

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Week ending - Dec 18, 2011

2011 is rapidly coming to a close and the new high school project is starting to heat up. The informational forum held on Nov 17th revealed that the cost estimates would be available early in December and they are. The total ticket price is $104.5M and with the MSBA kicking in over 50% reimbursement, the Franklin taxpayer will need to pony up $47M. This would be done via a debt exclusion (different from an operational override). More on the timeline for approval will be available as the MSBA is scheduled to provide their approval in January and then the ball is in Franklin's court.

Ahead of the vote a bunch of information should be made available and some of that started appearing this week. Updated photos, detailed project cost estimates and the average taxpayer bill are all now available for review and analysis.

The communications from the School Building Committee should increase as the time gets closer and the details become firm. In the meantime, keep in touch here and on Facebook. As information becomes available. I will share. If you have questions, send them along and I'll do my best to get them answered by trusted sources.

And as always: